Historical fiction from Tracy Chevalier - Last Runaway

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

This wonderful new historical fiction novel (by the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring – still my favorite of her books) is about a girl, Honor Bright who is an immigrant in the 1850s, traveling with her sister from England to settle in a Quaker community close to Oberlin, Ohio. 

Honor experiences tragedy and homesickness, but comes to love her new country and admire those who work on the Underground Railway. 

This book is filled with well drawn pioneer characters and historical observations, as well as early American quilting lore. As the author attended Oberlin College, I suspect that this novel is partly a love letter to that area of Ohio and the Quaker ideology.

Highly recommended!

Flavia de Luce mystery series

Flavia de Luce novel series by Alan Bradley

Mystery fans have a most unique detective, Flavia de Luce, who is a precocious eleven-year-old living in 1950s England.  She resides with her father and two older (and sometimes horridly mean) sisters in the quaint village of Bishop's Lacey.

Their old country home "Buckshaw" is in jeopardy because Flavia's mother (whose money has supported the family in the past) has gone missing and the family income is dwindling. 

Flavia is very intelligent and has a passion for chemistry - poisons in particular - and helps the local police detective to solve muders. The characters are charming but Flavia, who narrates the novels, steals the show with her endless curiosity, her endearing love of family, and her poignant search for belonging.

The audio versions are read by Jayne Entwistle who makes them an excellent and enjoyable read/listen! As I got an advance digital reading copy of the latest installment, Speaking from among the bones, I read the digital print copy on my Kindle and enjoyed what I consider to be a satisfying continuation of the "de Luce" saga.

Well done, Alan Bradley.

As usual, it's a must to start at the beginning the series:

• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
• The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag
• A Red Herring Without Mustard
• I am Half-Sick of Shadows
• Speaking from Among the Bones

Author's website can be found at: http://www.flaviadeluce.com/

Italian Mystery Series by Christobel Kent

Dead Season by Christobel Kent (Sandro Cellini series #3)

I am a big fan of mystery stories that provide an engaging detective in a foreign locale. Sandro Cellini is a retired Italian policeman who has opened up a private investigation agency with the support of his beautiful wife, Luisa, as well as wily assistant, Guili - the two very strong women in his life. The Dead Season takes place in the heat of August when most of the inhabitants of Florence escape to the cooler countryside. When a body is discovered on the side of a busy road, it is evident that he did not leave the city in time. I have loved each novel in this series, set in and around the beautiful city of Florence. The author starts with stories involving several characters which end up converging as the case comes together. Wonderfully atmospheric, I have fallen in love with this empathetic detective who is just trying to make a living, love his wife, and solve crime.

I recommend starting at the beginning of the series

The Drowning River (#1) 

A Murder in Tuscany (#2)

Best books of 2012 - Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

A veteran of WWI, Australian Tom Sherbourne is grateful to be given a job as the lighthouse keeper on a lonely and isolated place called Janus Rock.  To this wild and beautifully natural setting, Tom brings his young spirited wife, Isabel.  As years go by and Isabel is unsuccessful in bringing a baby to term, a mysterious life boat washes ashore with a tiny baby and a dead man.  Because the only communication that occurs is by the supply ship, the couple is able to pass the baby off as their own.  What follows is a convoluted tale of love and passion, deceit and betrayal.  Written with beautiful prose and compelling characters, I really enjoyed this memorable novel. Listening to the audio version with the narrator’s Australian accent further enhanced my reading experience.  

One of my top 2012 reads.

Best books of 2012 - Cinder

Another really good YA fantasy novel - the classic fairy tale of Cinderella in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Cinder (Lunar chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Meet Cinder, a beautiful girl who, due to necessary surgeries after an accident, is now a cyborg. Orphaned as a young teenager and after the death of her foster dad, she finds herself with a step-mother who treats her like a servant. Yes, there is also two step-sisters. Cinder is a talented mechanic and happens to run into Prince Kai (whose father is the Emperor of New Beijing) who needs her to repair an android. I followed the fairy tale with familiar twists told in a very unique way. It was fun to read how the pumpkin coach is translated in this version. Unusual aspects include the Lunar people, who threaten the very existence of Earth, and a mysterious plague. I reached the end of the book gripping the arms of my chair and felt very sad that the next book in a planned series quartet, Scarlet, is not yet published. Something to look forward to in 2013!

Best books of 2012 - Shadow and Bone

I love this time of year - when "Best books of the year" lists are posted. So here goes. My best book list will be a series of blogs. The beginning of my list is a wonderful Young Adult (YA) fantasy novel.

Shadow and Bone (series - The Grisha #1)  by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone is a great example of a young adult fantasy novel that will appeal to a wide audience.

It always amazes me when an author can create a whole world with elements of what the readers may know and mixes in elements of magic and terrible creatures. I can imagine the war-torn country of Ravka filled with the familiar elements of Eastern European folklore.  The characters are so engaging and well-drawn, it’s hard to pick a favorite.  However, the book is predominantly the story of friendship and love between Alina and Mal, orphans with special skills that have gone undiscovered until now; all of the other characters revolve around them. When Alina’s magical powers come to the notice of the mighty and power hungry Darkling, she must decide what is true and worthy.  Enjoy this captivating novel and then wait with me for the next installment!

Laurie R. King and my top ten women mystery writer list

Garment of Shadows

Novelist Laurie R. King has rightly earned her standing in my top ten list of women mystery writers and her latest offering is one of the reasons why. Who else can combine the iconic character of Sherlock Holmes with a woman, Mary Russell, who is not only his wife but also his equal in detecting skills?  Then she places them in the fascinating historical setting of the Morocco of 1924, with France and Spain and native insurgents involved in colonial wrangling in the region. The novel opens with Russell discovering that she has no memories and needs to solve the mystery of her own identity. And so the adventure begins.

I love her prose such as, “It would be a plan as tangled as the streets of the medina, a garment woven of lies and half truths, of truths that look like lies, and lies that appear the truth. A garment suited to the half-light, its precise outline impossible to discern.” Beautiful!

While this is book #12 of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes mystery series, this new novel could be read as a stand-alone. My advice is to start a reading journey with The Beekeeper’s Apprentice where the story all begins.

The complete list of books in the series can be found at the author's website at

http://www.laurierking.com/

Stay tuned to hear about the other women mystery writers on my list!