Emerald Green, Kerstin Gier (translated by Anthea Bell)

The end of the sword was pointing straight at my heart, and my murderer's eyes were like black holes threatening to swallow everything that came too close to them. I knew I couldn't get away. With difficulty, I stumbled a few steps back.

"Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is. She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along."

Emerald Green is perhaps a bit dense, but I nevertheless found it a satisfying sequel, despite its many predictable twists and turns. As one might expect given Gier's style, the book picks up exactly where Sapphire Blue left off, which was quite good for me since I read the books one after the other. Oftentimes, in a series I'll read the first book and then have totally forgotten the events by the time the sequel releases; I was happy to have planned it differently with this series. 

There are more paradoxes, and of course more time travel. And finally many of the deep, dark secrets that Gwen's been dying to understand are brought to light, partly by her friend Lesley, partly by visiting her grandfather in the past, and partly of course by the infuriating Gideon, who Gwen believes has been faking his affection. Of course, that's not the case; it's the sinister Count Saint-Germain who planted the idea in her head, probably deliberately. 

At a certain point, I easily predicted one of the major mysteries; that of why Paul and Lucy oppose the completion of the chronograph. It was transparently obvious; I mean, surely every fantasy novel ever has a similar plot-line. Other parts of the book were unique, though, and there was another huge twist towards the end of the book that I didn't see coming in the slightest.

One criticism I have is that the focus is a bit too much on Gwen and Gideon; she's kind of a not very fun character to read about for much of the book on account of her being brokenhearted and constantly bawling. There are so many other things going on that it seemed a bit much; after all, Gwen has to figure out why no one's telling her anything, what will really happen when the chronograph is closed, and where her alliances lie. 

Because I read them one after the other, the events in the last two books sort of blurred together, but it was good for its continuity, and was an excellent way to finish the series. I didn't love the series, but its signature blend of humor, action, and romance was good enough that I actually read all of the books, which often doesn't happen because I just lose interest. 

I would most certainly recommend this humorous and entertaining German series to lovers of time travel and England, because despite the author's nationality, she and the translator succeed very well in creating a convincing British feel.

447 pages.

Rating: ****

Sapphire Blue, Kerstin Gier (translated by Anthea Bell)

The streets of Southwark were dark and deserted. The air smelled of waterweeds, sewage, and dead fish.

"Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean. At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out."

I enjoyed this sequel to Ruby Red; there's a lot more actual time-travelling than the first book, with Gwyneth figuring out all sorts of new things about the mysterious world she's now part of. I must say that this series is a little weird in terms of the whole secret order; none of them want to tell our main character anything, and that didn't make a whole lot of sense. She is, after all, now part of the group. Gideon was also quite annoying; I was never sure what he was thinking or why he did what he did. It was odd, and that aspect was kind of exasperating. I also kind of wished that Gwen would just talk to him. The ending with Gideon was quite a cliffhanger; I wasn't sure what to think. Luckily, I have a copy of the final book, Emerald Green, and I'm definitely reading that next. That's the advantage to waiting until the whole series is released.

However, there's plenty of action, intrigue, and adventure in this novel, and that's what redeemed it. The time travel thread itself is so marvelous, especially since it creates these complex situations where the characters don't know if their future selves are going to do something or what. It's like not even knowing yourself or what you believe or what you're going to do. No one is quite sure who's on their side, and Gwen isn't even sure of which side is the right one. 

This is a fantasy series you can just lose yourself in; the characters are skipping through centuries, and there are some evocative portrayals of England at different times. Gwen is also such an amusing narrator; she can be rather thick at times, but it's always humorous to read from her perspective, and her voice is quite distinct, very British and teenager-like, but maybe a little off-kilter. Whether this is due to the translation from German I couldn't say. She also almost always has a snappy retort to various people's criticisms. 

Anyway, the overall plot of this series is rather confusing, with all the different names, and sometimes what's going on doesn't make total sense, but nevertheless, it's really entertaining and absorbing. The time travel was definitely my favorite aspect; additionally, as in the first book, there are some great descriptions of period clothing. I'm not going to say this series is like Downton Abbey, because it's not, but there's definitely some of that element there. 

What with all the hopping through time, I tend to forget that the first two books only take place in the future over the span of about one week. However, more broadly speaking, they take place over a couple hundred years. 

My favorite new character was definitely Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who Gwen picked up in the church. He's really humorous, and of course only Gwen can see him.

There's lots of new intrigue in Sapphire Blue, and one is never sure who's good and who's evil; hopefully all will be revealed in the third book, Emerald Green. One thing: I'm not really sure why the book's title is Sapphire Blue. Lucy Montrose is the sapphire, but she doesn't really play a critical part in the book.

354 pages.

Rating: ****

The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

It is a little remarkable, that - though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friends - an autobiographical impulse should twice in my life have taken possession of me, in addressing the public. 

"Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the public and the private selves. Publicly disgraced and ostracized, Hester Prynne draws on her inner strength and certainty of spirit to emerge as the first true heroine of American fiction. Arthur Dimmesdale, trapped by the rules of society, stands as a classic study of a self divided."

I had high hopes for The Scarlet Letter; as I begin the book, my heart sank, for it was horribly, horrible overwritten. The first 40 pages consist of huge paragraphs of descriptions of the Customs House, which have nothing concrete to do with the story itself. I'm not really sure why Hawthorne included this introductory sketch; yes, there are some amusing lines, and it sets up how he supposedly stumbled upon Hester Prynne's story in a musty room of the building, but I imagine that it's scared off many a modern reader. The only thing I can think of is that at the time, such a story was morally controversial, and that if Hawthorne claimed that he had found it instead of making it up, it would be more excusable. It's also true that parallels are drawn between the initial narrator and Hester, and certain important motifs are developed. However, the style is just so excruciating to plod through.

Once one gets to the actual story, it's significantly less dense; I mean, there are still sentences as long as a paragraph and paragraphs as long as a page now and then, but they felt much more meaningful to me, and more happens in the way of action and dialogue. I would recommend skipping the first section, at least at first, because there actually is so much action in The Scarlet Letter; it's a tense, dramatic story of morals and shame. Right from the beginning, the tensions and hatred of the Puritans is revealed; they condemn Hester for her sin, yet seem to be secretly glad of the excitement, clustering around the scaffolding where she must stand for three hours while being stared at. It's not that some of those "goodwives" necessarily wish they were brave enough to do something like that, but more that it gives them something to be indignant about and moralize over. The harshness of the Puritans and their utter lack of leniency towards those who have strayed is chilling to behold; they have such strict morals but are not hesitant to brutally punish those who don't follow them.

Symbols abound in this novel; right from the beginning of the story Hawthorne is sort of whacking us over the head with the symbols he's using. For example, it's like you could hear him in the modern day saying, "See, there's a beautiful rosebush in front of the prison and it's red and it symbolizes beauty and innocence and purity! And the letter A sewn on Hester's breast is also red and beautiful and ornate yet it symbolizes shame and sin! See what I did there? See?" Nevertheless, it was an effective and arresting symbol, showing the duality of things. Other manifestations of it appear; Pearl, Hester's child, is the very embodiment of the scarlet letter, the symbol of Hester's shame and her transgression both literally and metaphorically. Many of the townspeople often remark on it. 

The characters in The Scarlet Letter are all fascinating and complex. I loved Hester; she is both aware of the crime she has committed, and determined not to give up Pearl or be too cowed by her alienation from everyone else. She certainly must suffer so much over the years, and the saddest thing is that her lively young child shares in her fate; no one will play with Pearl. Pearl is so interesting too; she's described as being almost fairy-like, as if from another world. It's also deeply ironic that a child "conceived in sin" is so bright and lovely but also impish. We also have Arthur Dimmesdale, the pastor, who is so deeply conflicted about everything relating to Hester, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, although no one but the two of them knows this. This tableau is added to by the harsh people of the Puritan community, determined never to let Hester forget her sin.  

Hawthorne writes with compassion and understanding of Hester's plight; it's really quite progressive considering the time. His symbols, despite their obviousness, are indeed quite effective; that scarlet letter stitched on her "bosom" (as he puts it) represents so many things to her and to others. Several times, she feels as if it burns into chest, burns into her when someone else with a secret sin passes by. Pearl is also fascinated by it, and fixes onto it as something to hold and throw flowers at (no, really). And of course, Hawthorne ties in anything red in the town with that letter; Pearl's gay attire (in the old sense of the word), and various rosebushes throughout the town, from the prison, to the governor's house. And despite its connotations, Hester is ultimately loath to give it up, mainly because of Pearl.

Ultimately, I absolutely loved The Scarlet Letter; it's a moving, evocative portrayal of one woman's shame and heroism. There are some long-winded digressions, but I would recommend the novel nonetheless. I don't know why so many people love to hate it. 

228 pages. 

Rating: *****

Frozen, Melisa de la Cruz & Michael Johnson

They were coming for her. She could hear their heavy footsteps echoing in the concrete hallway.

"Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows. At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light. But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of what evil men do and the awesome power within us all."

Ah, fluff. Sometimes it's good to read something entertaining in a mindless sort of way, something formulaic and familiar even though one's never read the book before. Just so long as that's not all you read. Frozen is such a book; it's just what I needed before diving into the reading detailed in my New Year's Resolutions post. This is exactly the kind of book I want to read less of this year. 

We have our beautiful and clever and quick-witted heroine destined for something more, and a cocky hero; both of them are never sure if the other's actions are genuine. They're constantly second guessing each other, and despite their mutual attraction aren't sure if the other is to be trusted. We've got a crew of men, boys, really, who are all either Good or Evil, and a cobbled together world whose details make absolutely no sense. (There was a Flood? And a Freeze? And random magical people who just sort of showed up? And random attacking animals too? Please). 

And yet...I wasn't really thinking about any of that as I read the first part; I was just absorbed by the story. Although the grammar is pretty atrocious (get a copy editor!), I still found the book quite suspenseful and I raced through it in a few hours.

Towards, the end, however, the plot holes and sketchy writing got to be too much to ignore, and this significantly dropped my rating. The grammar really is terrible; I'm not sure how this book survived seemingly without being edited at all. 

Also in the last section random things happen that don't make any sense at all. The whole protection spell was never explained, and roles and rules are added willy-nilly. Like the drakon. That made absolutely no sense. 

I don't have much to say about Frozen. I can't say I'd recommend it. There are plenty of other light YA reads that are better developed and more fun (like Throne of Glass). 

(Also, bacon fruit? Really? And Willie Winkie patrols? You can't just throw in stuff like that and then not explain it).

325 pages. 

Rating: **

The Patron Saint of Liars, Ann Patchett

Two o'clock in the morning, a Thursday morning, the first bit of water broke through the ground of George Clatterbuck's back pasture in Habit, Kentucky, and not a living soul saw it.

"Life there is not unpleasant, and for most, it is temporary. Not so for Rose, a beautiful, mysterious woman who comes to the home pregnant but not unwed. She plans to give up her baby because she knows she cannot be the mother it needs. But St. Elizabeth's is near a healing spring, and when Rose's time draws near, she cannot go through with her plans, not all of them. And she cannot remain forever untouched by what she has left behind ... and who she has become in the leaving."

This novel begins with a retracing of the history of the land where St. Elizabeth's now is, of the forming of a magical spring. It goes on to tell Rose's story, and I was immediately drawn in by the book's premise and style. I couldn't put it down, even though I was trying to spread it out. 

The first section has a magical feel, what with the spring miraculously curing animals and people of their ailments, but after that it becomes strictly realistic. This was a bit inconsistent, but it didn't bother me; I was too engrossed by this atmospheric novel. The setting and the characters were amazingly evoked by Patchett's writing, and while the book certainly isn't overwritten, there's plenty of description.

I was immediately hooked by the first few pages, which were very historical, and the rest of the novel was great as well. Rose was a fascinating character, and I loved her narration; she was obviously a sympathetic character, but not entirely so. As one might expect, she lies a lot, about things great and small, and these lies are woven throughout the novel. 

This was such a great story; I'm not sure how insightful it was, but I was entertained and at times moved. The characterization in this novel is astounding; although I didn't initially like it, Patchett makes use of different narrations to great effect. Rose begins the novel, followed by Son, followed by her daughter Cecilia, and through their eyes, all of the characters in the story are developed. One feels sympathy for each narrator. Towards the end, Rose becomes harder and harder to fathom, so it was quite good to have seen her perspective earlier.

The Patron Saint of Liars was certainly different from what I was expecting; the plot summary is quite awful in terms of actually summing up the book, which takes place over many years, but almost entirely at St. Elizabeth's. I was never sure where this book was going, and that I enjoyed. I did find the ending quite abrupt though; I craved more of a resolution.

However, the writing, the description, and the characters were all marvelous. Since I had read Patchett's essays, I picked up on a few personal touches, such as Patchett's love of driving and the freedom it brings her. I disagree, due to the immense environmental cost and inefficiency, but driving was a central part of the book and is certainly a central part (unfortunately) of America.

I would have raced through this book if not for being on a trip, but this is certainly my favorite Patchett novel, and my favorite of her works in general. I do need to reread Bel Canto, but I don't remember it being as compelling as this book. The Patron Saint of Liars doesn't read like a first novel at all. Definitely recommended.

336 pages.

Rating: *****

The Gastronomical Me, M.F.K. Fisher

The first thing I remember tasting and then wanting to taste again is the grayish-pink fuzz my grandmother skimmed from a spitting kettle of strawberry jam. I suppose I was about four.

"In 1929, a newly married M.F.K. Fisher said goodbye to a milquetoast American culinary upbringing and sailed with her husband to Dijon, where she tasted real French cooking for the first time. The Gastronomical Me is a chronicle of her passionate embrace of a whole new way of eating, drinking, and celebrating the senses. As she recounts memorable meals shared with an assortment of eccentric and fascinating characters, set against a backdrop of mounting pre-war tensions, we witness the formation not only of her taste but of her character and her prodigious talent."

I'm still not sure what I think of this book; it's so strange and the mood quite puzzling. I enjoyed the writing, I suppose, but I'm still unclear as to what the goal of the book was. There aren't any specific recipes, so it's basically just a chronicle of Fisher's gastronomic adventures, starting from her early childhood and eventually moving on to France (Djon).

I picked up The Gastronomical Me while browsing; I love food and reading mouthwatering food descriptions, and I had also heard the book described as being brilliant and about so much more than food. 

The Gastronomical Me is a puzzling book. I liked certain aspects of it, but others just confused me. It's just so odd, and all those "pre-war tensions" didn't make much sense to me. I guess Fisher just assumes that the reader knows what her situation is; for example, she and her second husband (?) are living in this idyllic location, and these people come to visit her, people who she presumably doesn't know. Yet Fisher doesn't say anywhere that she's running a boarding house or something like that. I guess my complaints about this book don't make much sense either; it just...bothered me in certain parts. In fact, I'm not even sure that "Chexbres" was her second husband; in the first part of the book, she's living in Djon with her husband Al; then she recounts a voyage with the man she's falling in love with, and then suddenly Al is completely out of the picture and she's living with Chexbres. Poor Al. I certainly don't mind making inferences, but the gaps in her narration were just too much. I suppose the focus was on the food, but also on the people she eats it with, and if you're going to write a memoir, you should be fairly clear. This wasn't.

I actually put aside this book and started reading The Patron Saint of Liars; I wasn't quite ready to give up on it altogether, but I definitely needed a break.

It's quirky, to be sure, but I didn't end up finishing this book, which is populated by eccentric characters, memoir-style narration, and descriptions of food. It all sounds very good, but the execution was just not to my taste (see what I did there?)

272 pages.

DNF.

Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny Lecouteur & Jay Burreson

In June 1812, Napoleon's army was 600,000 strong. By early December, however, the once proud Grande Armee numbered fewer than 10,000. 

"Though many factors have been proposed to explain the failure of Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign, it has also been linked to something as small as a button-a tin button, the kind that fastened everything from the greatcoats of Napoleon's officers to the trousers of his foot soldiers. When temperatures drop below 56°F, tin crumbles into powder. Were the soldiers of the Grande Armée acutee fatally weakened by cold because the buttons of their uniforms fell apart? How different our world might be if tin did not disintegrate at low temperatures and the French had continued their eastward expansion! This fascinating book tells the stories of seventeen molecules that, like the tin of those buttons, greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration and made possible the ensuing voyages of discovery. They resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine; lie behind changes in gender roles, in law, and in the environment; and have determined what we today eat, drink, and wear."

This book is both original and fascinating; I'm quite sorry that I didn't dive into it sooner. I was quickly absorbed by this refreshing mix of science and history; I learned a lot of both and read this book quite quickly for a science book. There was also the added fact that I had to return it.

I would have liked a little more detail in terms of the historical side of things and a little less chemically; however, that was just my preference. Napoleon's Buttons certainly does go fairly in-depth chemistry-wise, showing the exact formations of many of the substances discussed and how they differ from others. I have to admit that a lot of it went over my head, and I was more interested in the historical detail and how in general the substances affected or could have affected history. 

It's kind of obvious that science and the advance of history go hand-in-hand; after all, progress is fueled by new inventions, which are generally scientific, but this book really goes in-depth into certain aspects of this relationship. Although I haven't read Guns, Germs, and Steel, in some ways it seems to me that the authors here are doing something similar, analyzing and interpreting history through unexpected ways. In fact, many things relating to guns (weapons), germs (germ treatment), and steel (development of new materials) have their own sections in this book. The seventeen sections deal with spices (peppers, nutmeg, and cloves); ascorbic acid; glucose; cellulose; nitro compounds; silk and nylon; phenol; isoprene; dyes; "wonder drugs"; the pill; "molecules of witchcraft"; morphine, nicootine and caffeine; oleic acid; salt; chlorocarbon compounds; and "molecules versus malaria". Yet there was no chapter on the title: how Napoleon's soldier's buttons were made out of tin and thus did not fare well in the harsh Russian winter. That was very puzzling, and annoying. Still, I suppose there's not that much more to explain in that case. 

I actually found the chapter on the birth control pill quite illuminating. It was interesting both historically and scientifically, and I learned a bit about how it actually works. Many of the other sections were fascinating too; it's stunning to think about the fact that many of the materials and technologies we take for granted today took a long time to develop and perfect. As the authors so astutely point out, without rubber, without dyes, without antibiotics, without many molecules, modern society as we know it wouldn't exist at all.

I'll admit to skimming some of the detailed drawings and diagrams of how the molecules are structured; I just wasn't that interested or in the mood for a detailed chemistry lesson. However, I'm definitely considering getting my own copy of this book so that I can read it more slowly.

Napoleon's Buttons is well-written as well, and I read it fairly quickly for a science book. There are other science books that I've enjoyed more, but this one was still very good. 

354 pages. 

Rating: ****