The Summer Part One: 33-35

33: The Masque of the Black Tulip
Pages: 453
Finished: May 26

Entertaining but not quite as amusing as The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I think that maybe I just didn't like the two main characters as much, or appreciate their interactions. I did like the little pieces of character development, like Miles' love of ginger biscuits, but past that, I really just wanted to finish this one and move on to the next.

34: The Deception of the Emerald Ring
Pages:
Finished: May 27

Much better than Black Tulip, I really enjoyed this one immensely. Her parents, the mistaken identity, the general feel of the book, all lead to a more enjoyable read.

35: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
Pages: 385
Finished: June 11

So, this is the first of the Pink Carnation books that I talked about to someone who wasn’t reading them, and I realized that these are not books you can talk about without sounding like an idiot. For example, the conversation went

“Caitlin, what are you reading?”
“Well, it’s a book about spies in England.”
“You mean James Bond?”
“Well, not exactly…”
“…?” (The raised eyebrow is very difficult to put into dialogue)
“Well, see, Lord Vaughn might or might not be a spy, and Mary Alsworthy is supposed to help him, but right now she’s been kidnapped, and Lord Vaughn has to rescue her without drawing additional suspicion.”
“Uh…what?”

Aside from the awkwardness of discussing this book with others, I really liked this one a lot because I have always enjoyed the dark brooding characters with a dark past and secrets. I mean, Severus Snape is my hero, so Lord Vaughn is right up my alley. I knew there had to be more to him than just being a jerk.

Good Reading,
Caitlin

Books 31 and 32

31: Gifts
Finished: May 4
Pages: 274


32: Voices
Finished: May 5
Pages: 341

These books are connected but could stand alone. They were both written by Ursula K. Le Guin, the author of the Earthsea Cycle, which I read years and years ago. Although they are stand alone, the main characters of the first novel are supporting characters in the second. The stories take place in a magical land (surprise surprise) that allows people to have gifts: the ability to do certain magical actions, including talking to animals, and reading minds. For young adult novels, they were interesting and a little heavy handed when it came to the moral lesson of the book, but that didn't keep them from being interesting. Le Guin has a distinct voice that I can still appreciate even as an adult.

Good Reading,
Caitlin

Book 30: Water for Elephants

Finished: May 3
Pages: 331

Water for Elephants is one of those books that I didn't read for years because everyone and their dog was reading it and telling everyone else how awesome it was. Don't think for one minute that I read this book because of the movie coming out, that was not the case at all. I never saw the movie, and never really wanted to, mostly because Robert Pattinson is creepy. The action and love story I found a secondary amusement to the deep sensory details that enveloped you as you read the novel. I enjoyed the feeling of the train, the smells of the circus, even the scenes in the nursing home. I enjoyed the unreliableness of the narrator. He was pretty hilarious, in a crotchety way. Although I had the ending ruined for me, I still enjoyed how the ending came to apss. I relaly appreciate the way the book opens, because it sets up the reader for a wonderful twist at the end.

Good Reading,
Caitlin