The secret countess by Eva Ibbotson

Eva Ibbotson had been on my mind for a while and then I was invited to We Love Ya on Chachic’s blog where both Angie and Holly recommended A Company of Swans and A Song for Summer but The Secret Countess was already on my bookshelf so I decided to start from this one.

I am super glad I did it because The Secret Countess it’s one of those enchanting, make-you-feel-good-about-being-good fairytale plus it’s unputdownable and once I started reading about Anna Grazinski I simply could not stop.

Anna Grazinski is the heir of an aristocratic russian family based in St Petersburg, in Russia Anna has the most perfect life,  speaks many languages, plays the piano, she is not the most beautiful girl at court but her humble attitude and charm make her impossible to resist.

When revolution tears Russia apart and her beloved father dies, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England where Anna becomes a housemaid at Mersham, a magnificent mansion on the verge of ruin.

Years ago  Rupert, The Earl of Westerholm, had promised his older brother that if required he would have done his best to save Mersham.

Differently from his brother Rupert has survived the war, he is coming back to Mersham and is getting married to the beautiful Muriel, a wealthy heiress who can afford to save Mersham and, most importantly, she wants to because those two are in love or so they think.

But the real story is about Anna and Mersham and the way Anna integrates herself so well that she becomes Mersham and Rupert learns to love his house through her.

This is a fairytale so there are no surprises, no shades, characters are pure goodness or utterly evil, Anna is a mix of earnestness, grace, sensitivity, she is perfect the way only fairytales’ heroines are.

I enjoyed reading about a princess who finds herself scrubbing floors and charms a whole community of supporting characters.

All supporting characters are great and there many but Ibbotson doesn’t overdo, she orchestrates them perfectly,  every single character is relevant and adds a contribution to the narration.

Predictability is not a bad thing, most of the books I read are  predictable and yet I don’t mind, I enjoy the ride if the story is well written and makes me feel something / think about something.

This it’s what I call a comfort book, a perfect way to spend a lazy day on the couch with a blanket and a cup of cocoa.

I reached the end with a BIG smile on my face and with a vague sensation that being good matters.

My grade: 4/5

Em

Soulless by Gail Carriger

I picked up Soulless following Lit Snit’s recommendation without really knowing what to expect,  I am glad to say that Soulless has a mix of dry humor, personality, style and  romance that really worked for me and let’s not forget that Lord Maccon is a werewolf and you know how I feel about those.

From Amazon:

Prickly, stubborn 25-year-old bluestocking Alexia Tarabotti is patently unmarriageable, and not just because she’s large-nosed and swarthy. She’s also soulless, an oddity and a secret even in a 19th-century London that mostly accepts and integrates werewolf packs, vampire hives and ghosts. The only man who notices her is brash Lord Conall Maccon, a Scottish Alpha werewolf and government official, and (of course) they dislike each other intensely. After Alexia kills a vampire with her parasol at a party—how vulgar!—she and Conall must work together to solve a supernatural mystery that grows quite steampunkishly gruesome. Well-drawn secondary characters round out the story, most notably Lord Akeldama, Alexia’s outrageous, italic-wielding gay best vampire friend.

A few years ago I had an appraisal with my manager and in my improvement area she wrote think overnight before speaking and then she added it’s probably because you are italian.

Every time Alexia blurts out her abrupt considerations, which happens quite often,  Carriger mentions her italian heritage and I can’t help smiling.

I instantly liked Alexia, an outspoken, sophisticated, perfectly mannered spinster which means  she can get away with many things (which she does).

It helps a lot that she is almost unique, Alexia  is a preternatural, who has no soul and can neutralize other supernatural beings such as vampires and werewolves, it’s a very rare condition she inherited from her italian father and very few people know about it.

The background is also very peculiar, it’s a Victorian London in which different communities, vampires, humans, werewolves coexist pacifically and respecting established rules.

This book it’s pure fun, it vaguely reminds me of Julia Quinn,  the romance  dynamic is also one of my favorite: a clever spinster who gave up hope for a marriage proposal and a hero clearly out of her league, except he is not.

And there are juicy bits that I wasn’t expecting, a welcome addiction to an interesting plot that works thanks to Alexia and Lord Maccon’s chemistry  but let’s not forget some well accomplished supporting characters like Lord Akeldama, a rather eccentric vampire, Professor Lyall, Beta to Alpha Wolf Lord Maccon, Foote, Alexia’s butler.

I really enjoyed the writing style, in typical victorian fashion here it’s a novel where the most daring conversations see our characters enjoying a walk in the park or a cup of tea.

It’s all rather polite and clever, very refreshing, absolutely worth reading. It’s a comedy of manners and I am a sucker for those.

Halloween is coming and I am  thinking of putting together an Alexia Tarabotti’s outfit, seriously that cover is an inspiration!

Other reviews:

Janicu’s Book Blog

Bookshelves of doom

Jawas Read, Too!

Angieville

Subverting The Text

The Infinite Shelf

My grade: 4/5

Em

BBAW – Day 4 – Forgotten Treasure

DAY 4: A forgotten Pleasure

I love this theme because I am sure today I will discover the most amazing books, this is where bloggers usually squeeze their brains and come up with the best answers.

Do I have a book that I wish got more attention from the book blogging community?

Yes I do, there are a few titles on my mind. First up it’s a delightful chick lit I read many years ago:

Kate Saunders is an English author, actress and journalist, she writes children books and chick lit, Bachelor Boys really made an impression on me.

Then I would like to mention Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (ya? dystopian?):

I recommend this book because of its strength, it won’t leave you indifferent.

What’s your forgotten treasure?

Em

Book Blogger Appreciation Week — Unexpected Treasure

Today’s treasure is an unexpected one. Please share a book or genre you tried due to the influence of another blogger. What made you cave in to try something new and what was the experience like?

I read most of my books based on bloggers’ recommendations, one genre I could never really appreciate is Urban Fantasy (while I love Fantasy), I think I was unlucky with my first selection and gave up far too easily.

The book that made me change my mind is Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews and of course I decided to pick it up because I read this review on Angieville.

I am also not really into historical romance and I haven’t changed my mind on this but following Sara’s advise on GoodReads I read The Viscount Who Loved me by Julia Quinn and absolutely adored it.

What’s your unexpected treasure?

Em

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

I mean not try to analyze everything to death for once, if possible, especially me. I love you.

If, like me,  you love dialogues & smart arguments you will probably enjoy Franny and Zooey, although they  aren’t the most sympathetic characters and I found them rather annoying.

The story originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine and was first published in book form in 1961.

The book is made of two parts, the first focuses on Franny Glass, the younger sister, who is in the middle of an existential crisis. Franny is sick of everybody that wants to get somewhere, do something distinguished, be interesting.

A feeling I understand far too well, but Franny herself is concerned about distinguishing herself from the college crowd and therefore not less shallow than those people she judges.

The second part is set in the Glass’s household, it focuses on Zooey Glass, Franny’s older brother, but Franny is right there curled up on the couch with a little book The Pilgrim Continues His Way (sequel of The Way of a Pilgrim) . The aim of both books  is to wake everybody up to the need and benefits if saying the Jesus Prayer.

Franny and Zooey are the youngest of seven precocious and genius children, who grew up on academic tests and for a while were celebrities  on a radio quiz show known as “It’s a Wise Child.”

They are smarter than most of the world around them or this is how they obviously feel.  I found them a little too pretentious and ultimately they didn’t strike me as human beings but rather a fake portrait of youth that Salinger employees to make a few  points (on religion mainly).

The second part could be described as a philosophical debate about religion.

I am one of those who always finds herself in the middle of  the most animated discussions, especially about Catholicism. My family has a certain degree of variety on the subject ranging from my mother who teaches catechism and belongs to a very committed community to my brother who declared himself agnostic years ago, with me right in the middle. I lost my dad a few years ago but he would have been on the “I don’t really care but if it makes you happy I will make an effort but please lets enjoy our food now” side.

I spent years trying to extricate my rational opinions from all those messy feelings masterfully consolidated into my soul.

In my life I learned that  nobody is objective when it comes to Jesus, sooner or later we all say something like Zooey “I don’t think you understood Jesus when you were a child and I don’t think you understand him now”.

And every time I see that happening I can’t help thinking “not again” , I have very little patient when writers or regular human beings engage in those sort of topics without having done their homework on the subject.

As philosophical considerations go those  weren’t impressive, I found them superficial  but I spent two nights on them and don’t regret the experience.

Other reviews:

August Turak

Culturazzi

Musings: reverie as my reality

My grade: mixed feelings / very confused

Em

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

I consider myself a relatively new blogger who has received lots of encouragement from fellow bloggers so it’s pay back time!

First Question: For those you new to BBAW, what was the first book blog you discovered?

I don’t remember the first blog I discovered but the first one that truly mattered is Angieville by Angie.

Why? I adopted her beloved shelf as my TBR list and so far it hasn’t disappointed me, her reviews are the best because they say everything by saying nothing (significant but spoilers-free) plus she really makes an effort to get to know all her followers. I often associate unpretentiousness and talent, Angie has plenty of both.

Second Question: for those of you who participated in BBAW last year, what’s a great new book blog you’ve discovered since last year’s BBAW?

I didn’t participate last year because I wasn’t blogging but a great book blog I recently discovered is Lit Snit.

Erin, Janelle and Daniela appeared on the blogosphere a couple of months ago but their blog has quickly become one of my favorite, they mix a bit of everything which I like, their reviews are never bland.

Like me they are always on the lookout for a good chick lit, not too obvious, not overly dramatic.

Em

Book Blogger Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question: post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the past three months.

My Answer: those reviews that I mentioned yesterday aren’t mine but they are truly remarkable and I highly recommend reading them.

Unluckily my reviews tend to contain spoilers that’s because I can’t keep my enthusiasm at bay, this is why a personal favorite of mine is this gushing review I wrote about The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner but if you are looking for something without spoilers I recommend the one I wrote about I wanna be your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert.

If you are here for the hop make sure to leave your link so I can come by and say hello.

Em

A challenge! Oh what a Challenge!

Sometimes I find book reviews that are so passionate that physically hit me with their enthusiasm (in a good way) and make me restless, I am left with an immediate urgency of reading the book.

I usually spring into action ASAP, I have an account on amazon and one on bookdepository, every single book it’s just “one click away” (mostly) and this is how I ended up with more books that I can possibly read from here to Christmas.

Here in Dublin I share an apartment (my italo canadian family):

it’s great but I have very little space for my books, this is why

I solemnly promised that I won’t buy more books until I read everything that’s already in the apartment

What a challenge! Those are the sort of reviews responsible for my compulsive behaviour:

Jane by April Lindneer reviewed by Angie

The absolutely true diary of a part time indian by Sherman Alexie reviewed by Katie

Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon reviewed by Carla

Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos by Lit Snit

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier reviewed by Holly

Before I fall by Lauren Oliver reviewed by Jen

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith reviewed by Chachic

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice reviewed by Meg (this one I read and is simply amazing, all I want is for you to read Meg’s review and consider reading this beautiful novel)

Just so you know,  I blame all of you 🙂

Em

Waiting on Wednesday

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers.

Release date: December 2010

It has the most amazing cover:

From Goodreads:

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. He seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on… but some questions should be left unanswered.

I can’t wait for this one.

What’s your pick?

Em

This side of Paradise by Francis Scott Fitzgerald

Ever since I read The Great Gatsby in high school Francis Scott Fitzgerald has been my literary crush, my favorite writer, the material proof that opinions that freely wander into my brain can be put on paper and it doesn’t have to be non-fiction.

Fitzgerald finished only four novels This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the night and The Great Gatsby. I am planning to review them all and I would like to start from the beginning.

This side of paradise is Fitzgerald’s  semi-autobiographical debut novel (published in 1920, you can read it online for free):

To keep things simple we could say that plot is about the education of  Amory, a romantic  egotist who excels physically due to his exceedingly handsomeness, socially as he is magnetic and impossibly charming, mentally where his superiority is undisputable. Not the most sympathetic character but he will evolve.

Amory’s  life is traced from childhood all the way through his entire adolescence, a time frame that spans right across the fronts of World War I.

There are many aspects in this novel that could be taken into consideration in a proper review but mine doesn’t mean to be a comprehensive one (I am no literary critic)   I just want to explain what appeals to me.

Above everything else is the pessimism on life combined with a strong desire of living at full speed.

Amory Blaine starts as a young boy enrolled in a Prep School, St Regis, where he doesn’t fit in, after that he enters Princeton (Fitzgerald also was a student here) where he develop real friendships and starts experiencing life.

At Princeton he meets  Burne Holiday and Thomas Park D’Invilliers, both have a special influence on Amory and a relevance to the story.  When the war breaks up and most students enroll in the army Holiday is a the one that chooses to be a pacifist, a radical decision for those times  that’s analysed and argued in the book.

D’Invilliers introduces Amory to many writers such as Yeats, Wilde and under his influence Amory begins writing poetry. I throughly enjoyed each single conversation between Amory and Tom, especially those about american literature.

One of my favorite chapter is titled “The End Of Many Things” ,  it marks the line between Princeton and After-Princeton:

And what we leave here is more than this class; it’s the whole heritage of youth. We’re just one generation—we’re breaking all the links that seemed to bind us here to top-booted
and high-stocked generations. We’ve walked arm and arm with Burr and Light-Horse Harry Lee through half these deepblue nights

After Princeton Amory starts working in advertisement, his friend  Alec Connage introduce him to his sister, Rosalind Connage.

Amory and Rosalind fall deeply and passionately in love, they are talking marriage until she realizes that “the very qualities I love you for are the ones that will always make you a failure” and chooses a more reasonable and wealthy  companion breaking Amory’s heart in the process.

The break-up has a huge effect on Amory’s personality, the dream of love is broken and it will never be repaired again,  Amory will never be the same again.

Towards the end Amory uses the expression “scrap-book of my life” I really like it because this really is a beautiful coming-of-age story where  dialogues, poems, experiences, reflections come together to tell us of Amory’s life and, I admit, I learned a little about myself in the process.

I believe that part of the reason why I love Fitzgerald so much is that I relate to themes he deals with, the restlessness of youth, the illusion of a dream, the disappointing reality. It speaks to the troubled soul that doubts everything.

I also like  the way he creates novels that question our society  while focusing on individuals.

Plus no other writer creates an atmosphere the way Fitzgerald does, his prose has a delicate touch that needs no long descriptions, if you close your eyes you feel right there.

Other reviews:

Bookshelves of doom

World Through Books

Beattifickid89

‘One blow after another … and finally something snapped’

Em