70. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Champion. 224 pages. 6.12.09.

I am very glad I took the lead from a fellow LibraryThing-er's encouragement and gave the Lily Bard mysteries another shot (thanks Tad!); Shakespeare's Champion did not fail to deliver. Harris' style is comfortable and unassuming, and she really shows her strengths as a popular fiction writer with this series. While the events of Shakespeare's Champion - like Lily's own history - are rather extraordinary, Harris doesn't try to over-sensationalize the plot, and instead lets extreme actions and events speak for themselves. Harris shows confidence in her readers by allowing them to respond in their own way, without abusing literary devices that would only function to shove specific emotional reactions down their throats. Like much of Harris' work, Shakespeare's Champion does not shy away from "hot topics" such as rape and racial relations; the plot of the novel itself focuses on several race-related murders and terrorist events. The book is refreshingly unapologetic, and maintains a kind of grace when dealing with the uglier side of a community.

This is not to say that Shakespeare's Champion is overly-deep; the book is still a popular novel, and is intended to entertain through a sequence of extraordinary events and personal conquests. Lily has turned out to be a very interestingly developed character, and I am looking forward to reading the next installment in the series, Shakespeare's Christmas.


71. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Christmas. 224 pages. 6.12.09.