I've been bad

I haven't been blogging reviews lately. I'm sorry. If I throw myself on my knees, will you forgive me?

I've read Dragonsong and Dragondrums of the Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. I really need to go back and read Robinton's story. I kind of feel like I'm hopping around the Pern chronology because I don't know the timeline in which they occur.

One day, I'll read them in order. But there you go. At least I've listed what I've read.

Dragonsong - Anne McCaffrey

When I'm reading, I occasionally binge on an author and read as much as possible before I move onto someone else. I'm in one of those modes now with Anne McCaffrey. You see, I've never actually read the Pern books. As those are what she's most noted for, I'm rectifying the situation. I think I'm reading/listening to them in release order and not chronological order. I'm not 100% sure though.

In Dragonsong, we're introduced to Mennolly. She is from Half Circle Hold, which is very strict in its observance of the old ways. There, gender roles are traditionally defined and closely followed. No female has ever been a Harper (a role similar to the minstrels of medieval times) and they wouldn't let her pursue her passion. She was assigned to teach the children of the Hold the basic teaching ballads after the old harper passed on. But that was it. She was beaten if they discovered any clandestine activity with "tuning" as they called it. We might know it better as composing.

Her parents were so anxious about her abilities that, when she injured her hand, her mother let it heal wrong so that she would have limited usage of it. Mennolly eventually walked out of the Hold one day, never to return.

The books are so rich in detail that I can just picture the people milling around making salves, sharpening tools, and going about their days. If you enjoy books that are set in other worlds and other times, I believe you'll enjoy these.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe

Connie Goodwin is a PhD candidate in American History at Harvard. Her ambition is to become a professor. For her dissertation, she starts to research a new source of material related to the Salem Witch trials. Her mother requested Connie to attend to the mess that her grandmother's house had become. Cleaning it out, packing up the things inside, getting it ready to be sold to pay off the tax lien.

Connie reluctantly goes to Marblehead, MA and moves into the house. While she's there, she starts having visions of the past and blinding headaches which she can't explain. At first.

There is a dual storyline in which we go back to the times of the Salem witch trials. Deliverance Dane is a "cunning" woman, which means that she tends to her patients with herbs and such. She has true power though and, more often than not, utilizes it to help those under her care. She was caught in the furor over the witches and did not survive.

It is a power that is passed on through the women in her family. From mother to daughter to granddaughter and so on.

I think the book was very well written. I could see the images in my head that Ms. Howe painted with words. I'm obviously not going to give the ending away but, if you're like me and fascinated with that time, it's worth the read.

The Innocent Man - John Grisham

In 1982, a woman in Ada, OK was murdered in her apartment. This is the catalyst for one of the most blatant miscarriages of justice I've ever read about. The Ada Police Department set about to solve the crime. Rather than letting the evidence lead them to the killer, the police officers started with suspects and built the case around them.

Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz were accused of murder. Being innocent, they felt that the legal system would vindicate them. Instead, they were convicted based on manufactured evidence and spent 12 years searching for ways to overturn their convictions. And death sentences.

In Ron's case, he had the additional problem of having mental health issues. He should have never been put on trial in the first place as his competency was called into question.

I've always been a proponent of the death penalty. If someone took another human being's life, they should pay the price with their own. This book really has me reconsidering my stance. In most cases, I still think it would be warranted but it has me reconsidering if everyone on Death Row is guilt. But now it's tempered with "What if ..."

Online community

OK ... seriously? The online community I visit which houses my favorite online book club hasn't been working for at least the last 24 hours. For me. Other people can post but I can't for some reason.

So how am I supposed to talk about books, the biggest love of my life outside my husband?

I know that most of you are from the book club so tell everyone that I'm locked out until the PTBs (Powers That Be) figure out what's going on. I've set up an alter ego but can't use it yet.

In the meantime, I've finished listening to another audiobook in celebration of National Audiobook Month. I'll post about it later in a separate post.

Atonement - Ian McEwen

I didn't like this at all. Briony Tallis made a horrible mistake at the age of 13 which affected the lives of her older sister, Cecelia, and the housekeeper's son, Robert Turner. Briony was 13 at the time and didn't understand fully what was going on or the consequences of her statements. That led to Cecelia's estrangement from the family and Robbie being convicted of rape and subsequent jail time.

At the age of 18, she tried to make things right because in a sudden burst of clarity, Briony realized who had raped her cousin Lola.

I found the whole thing contrived and unbelievable. It was also very disjointed, in the jumps from part to part. I didn't like the flowery language. I felt that the backbone of a good story was there but Mr. McEwen failed to deliver it.

I know that this is on several lists of must reads but I can't figure out why for the life of me.

Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

I've recently (within the last year) become a fan of some of Richelle Mead's other series. The succubus series. The Dark Swan series. Everyone that I talked to about her told me that I had to read the Vampire Academy series. OK. I have no problem with that. I love getting new books and I truly marvel at the creativity that dwells within a select few. I think I'm also slightly envious since my own writing creativity has been sucked out of my mind somewhere along the line.

Lissa is a Moroi, a vampire who has not killed humans and turned to the dark side. (Those are Strigoi, by the way.) The Moroi have 12 families from whom they select one individual to lead them. One person is voted into power but is considered to be a king or queen.

Rose is a dhamphir, a guardian. She will protect the Moroi from the Strigoi, who's sole mission is to murder all the Moroi and take over the vampire and human worlds. There's a catch: they haven't graduated school yet. Further, they are linked in a way that no one can explain but may have ties to their patron saint.

It's an interesting read. I have the next two books in the series. They should be quick reads hopefully.

And with this book, I'm about halfway to my goal of reading 25 new books this year. I do reread quite a bit.

Onto the next book!