oh, well

I'm in the middle of a bunch of books, and have definitely finished some I haven't written about yet. My system is most decidedly failing me. But I did finish one on the bus ride to work this morning, Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper (2012). This is pretty classic Morton - jumping between England and Australia, between big-deal time periods (WWII London figures heavily here), strong and memorable women, and Big Secrets. That's not to say that being classic Morton isn't a good thing, of course. Her books are eminently readable, quite decently written, and have some lovely language in them. They're just not especially earth-shaking. But I don't think they're meant to be. They are what they are, and very good for it. I saw the surprise ending, if that's what it was meant to be, coming a ways off, but I enjoyed the book no less for that. I definitely got caught up in the story, and had to stop myself from getting teary on the Number 1 bus - then again, old people on their death bed get to me these days. Anyhow, liked it, would recommend it. Good for curling up under the covers or in front of the fireplace, or a lazy day in the grass. Or the bus!

More books, Pt. 1

Tired today (went to bed at 5:00 a.m., woke up at 10:30), so just the basics, so I can get rid of the pile of books under my desk...

Last Wednesday (Wed. before last?  1/12/11) I finished Valerio Massimo Manfredi's The Ides of March.  Enjoyed it, but definitely wasn't blown away.  As I recall, I read about this book, or possibly another one by the same author, in one of the Harvard Bookstore monthly newsletters, and was captivated by the awesomeness of the the name "Valerio Massimo Manfredi."  The book is interesting, a run down of the last day's before Ceasar's assasination, but I wasn't so impressed with the plot or writing (granted, it's a translation) that I would read another of Valerio Massimo Manfredi's other books. 
Then I picked back up a novel by Fiona Mountain (another great name) that I had abandoned weeks, if not longer, before and forgotten about - Lady of the Butterflies, a historical romance - I guess - inspired by the real Eleanor Glanville who was a Restoration-era entomologist.  I don't remember what made me request the book from deposit, but I do remember being totally embarassed when I checked it out, the cover of this particular edition being so freaking cheesy.  I read a couple chapters (in December, maybe?) and then put it aside until I stumbled across it after finishing The Ides of March and needing something else to read because I couldn't sleep.  Overall, I was really not a fan, and don't think I will read one of Ms. Mountain's books again.  I will say, I think she did a nice job of describing life in rural England, and London, from 1662 to 1695 - all the mud and muck and filth, the anxious neighbors of dawning reason and science with slow-to-die superstitions.  Even the politics, ever-present but frequently serving only as backdrop, or catalyst, for local and personal turmoil, was somewhat realistic.  But the story was just ridiculous.  Overwrought drama and romance and danger, with what seemed to me like clumsily interlaced sex scenes.  Mostly I think my issue was just that I kept wanting to shake all the characters and make them talk to each other.  I realize some of that is the time the book is set in, but Mountain goes out of her way to create a heroine, and some other characters, who are open-minded, advanced, and like to taaaaaaaalk, so it was frustrating when they just didn't talk to one another honestly and get on with their lives, without all the soap opera nonsense kicking in.  I didn't realize until the end of the book, when I reached the historical note, that Eleanor Glanville was a real person, and that some of the drama was real, so I suppose I should cut Mountain a little slack, but mostly it just makes me want to go read the actual biographies of the woman.  I did notice that Mountain referred to some very decent historical works (including David Cressy) in her acknowledgements, which also makes me feel a little more kindly towards her, if not towards the story.
Of course, I didn't enjoy the story so much that I didn't happily put it down when Kate Morton's The Distant Hours came into my hot little hands!  The two readers of this blog will know that I was a huge fan of her earlier books, The Forgotten Garden and The Shifting Fog (which I read when it was called The House at Riverton).  While in the end I don't think I liked this one as much as those two, I still really, really enjoyed it.  A whopping 497 pages (and hardcover!), I just poured myself into it.  It seems clear that Morton is stuck on the idea of two stories unfolding side by side, as the characters in the present seek to unravel the secrets of the past, but then device works for her, so I have no problem with her staying with it (God, that sounds pretentious!).  In this case a daughter in present(ish) day London sttumbles across her mother's hither-to secret time spent during World War II in a country house filled with loving (more or less) but strange characters - including the reclusive and mysterious author of a massively popular and influential horror story for children, which the protagonist fell in love with as a child.  From then on, the two stories circle around and through each other, with all the different plots and secrets tangling and untangling.  So - not my favorite of Morton's books, but still a great book, and I am just as eager as ever for her next one to come out.

random update

Was perusing Barnes & Noble's website just now, came across The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton; I really enjoyed that, and The House at Riverton, both of which I read before I started this blog (I assume, because I just searched for Morton and didn't come up with anything).  Anyhow.  An author to keep an eye on.  Forgotten Garden weaves in the Secret Garden, so how can you go wrong??  Okay, well, you could, you could go really wrong, and I would be incandescent with rage because I love that book, but this was more about Burnett, not Mary, et al., so it worked.  It was subtle, and felt respectful, not gratuitous or like the author was trying to profit from Burnett's work/following in any way.   Riverton, which I believe was her first novel, and had another title outside the U.S., was not quite as strong, but still very good.  Morton does a nice job with the tensions between social classes and age groups, and her prose is quite nice, too, so the books are more substantial than they might seem.  These would be totally fine for a plane, train, or automobile ride, but still smart and thought-provoking. 
Oh, and, this blog totally is worth it, because by checking on the dates of publication, I just saw that she has another book coming out in November - which I will totally keep an eye out for, now that I don't need to worry about writing the date and title down on a scrap of paper I will never see again...

Addition: not as good, but great beach/travel reading and worth keeping an eye out for more: Christi Phillips.  She wrote The Rossetti Letter and then The Devlin Diary, a series featuring a young female historian - diff. time/place than Willig, and darker, but same general "let's have an attractive historian researching the past and trace mysteries in two time periods" thing.  What can I say - improbable semi-romances that develop in archives appeal to me :)  In any case, don't think/know that Phillips has anything in the chute at the moment, but I'll add her name here so at some point when I search "books I want to read" it will come up and prompt me to check occasionally.