72. Slater, Maya. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy. 324 pages. 6.15.09.

Finally, a Darcy story that true Austen-lovers can enjoy! Maya Slater's The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy artfully blends original ideas with the concepts of the well-known original to strike an interesting balance between a classic and a contemporary view. I greatly enjoyed Slater's work.

The conception of rewriting Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of Mr. Darcy is far from original; a quick search on Amazon.com produces a number of results including such contributions as Mr. Darcy's Diary: A Novel, The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, and Darcy's Story (which does not include all the titles currently available). Having read Darcy's Story relatively recently I found myself hesitant to pursue another book of the same type; my previous reading revealed the work to be little more than ill-conceived fan fiction, and I cringed as the author butchered her way through the original brilliance of the work. However, when presented with the opportunity to read Maya Slater's take on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers I saw no harm in giving a different rendition of Darcy's story a go.

As I first began The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy I was disappointed to find that Slater's composition seemed to fall into this category. However, as I continued the novel I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, and believe my initial impression was colored by Darcy's Story. Unlike other Darcy stories, which attempt to sympathize and humanize Austen's severe and austere character, Slater manages to contribute to the story without severely altering the original character as established in Pride and Prejudice. While the epistolary-like qualities of the book allow the reader greater insight into the "honest" thoughts and motivations behind Mr. Darcy's actions and personality, Slater steers away from the trap of overly-romanticizing Fitzwilliam himself. Some events are expounded and Darcy's internal turmoil is put on full display, but his occasionally-ostentatious observations and responses are preserved as Slater demonstrates the result of being born and bred a gentleman of means and principles in the late-eighteenth century.

While I still have a few complaints about the novel itself - such as the persistent and unnecessary presence of Lord Byron - I feel that Slater's conception is honest and fairly faithful, and would put it before all other attempts I have come across so far.

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.

69. Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. 213 pages. 6.10.09.

Jane Austen's first novel is a delightful and witty satire of gothic literature, and is a paradigm of both her future genius and current youthful exuberance. While I would argue that Austen by no means condemns the genre itself nor the reading of it, she does artfully illustrate the foolishness of expecting such romantic extremes in real life, and in her own writing acknowledges the conventions of the genre that render it so identifiable. Like Austen's later work, Northanger Abbey is full of social commentary and astute observations as she leads you through a year of the life of Catherine Morland - the increasingly romantic young woman who finds herself in several less-than-gothic conflicts.

Northanger Abbey is as charming the second and third time as it was the first. As a fan of both Austen's body of work and the gothic genre, I can't help but find myself enamored with this particular work. I do not hesitate to give Northanger Abbey my highest rating.

68. Arnold, Catharine. Necropolis: London and Its Dead. 247 pages. 6.8.09.

I first came across Arnold's Necropolis while conducting research for a graduate paper on Chaucer's treatment of corpses in The Canterbury Tales in 2007. At first glance the book seemed intriguing and promising, and I ended up using some of Arnold's early descriptions to help establish the evolution of British corpse-treatment before Chaucer's time. However, I did not get a chance to read the entire book until now.

Necropolis: London and Its Dead is entertaining, and will surely keep the interest of literary and cemetery enthusiasts alike. Far from a scholarly text, Arnold's collective history seems to be aimed at a larger public, and she does her best to assume very little of her audience. However, this seems to lead to a tendency to ramble and go off on tangents; several times in a single chapter Arnold will stray away from the subject at hand (funeral practices, establishing cemeteries, etc) in order to elaborate on the details of an individual's life. Sometimes this information can be very interesting, and at others I found myself wondering why the identity of someone's teenage lover is important to the context of their burial, when Arnold herself makes no attempt to connect the two subjects. Such wandering thoughts are what keep Necropolis from being "excellent", and ground her in the realm of popular reading as opposed to academic publishing.

That all being said, Necropolis is a fascinating read, and one that gives the reader not only interesting tidbits to take away, but a sense of life and cultural throughout the development of London society.

67. Harris, Charlaine. An Ice Cold Grave. 288 pages. 6.5.09.

Disturbingly satisfying. Harris bravely follows through with the hints and suggestions of previous books, despite the taboos and social squeamishness that might accompany her narrative decisions. A great read for a rainy day.

66. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Landlord. 214 pages. 6.5.09.

While Shakespeare's Landlord certainly isn't the most interesting book I've read this week, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The further Harris retreats from the supernatural the stronger her technical writing skills seem to be. This first Lilly Bard novel shows all the insecurities of many series-openers, but succeeds in focusing on the gruesome without being uncharacteristically morbid (for the genre), and in incorporating the small-town setting that is Harris' trademark. My personal interest in mystery novels isn't what it used to be, so it is unlikely I will read more Lilly Bard novels. However, if anyone has been thinking of giving them a try I'd suggest diving in.

65. Twain, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper. 267 pages. 6.4.09. *

Poor little Tom Canty and Edward, Prince of Whales, could little expect what adventures would ensue the day they innocently exchanged clothes as a means of satisfying their boyish fancies. Each boy is confronted with trials and tribulations unlike anything they expected for their lives, and each grows and matures well, according to those lessons learned.

Mark Twain's tale of innocence and mistaken identity is completely charming, and his expertise as a master story-teller is confirmed with The Prince and the Pauper. Though the prose is simple enough to suit a wide range of readers, the narrative itself is colorful and elegant, and is a real treat for the imagination.

63. Harris, Charlaine. Grave surprise. 320 pages. 6.1.09.


64. Hamilton, Laurell K. Skin Trade. 486 pages. 6.4.09.


There is something extremely satisfying about reaching 250 pages, and realizing that you're only about halfway through a novel. At 486 pages, Laurell K. Hamilton's Skin Trade is just such a book. Skin Trade follows Anita as she travels to Vegas in pursuit of the vampire serial killer, Vittorio, and shows far greater story development than some of the smuttier Anita books of late.

In all, there seems to be a riff in Anita Blake fans - those who enjoy the evolving character, and those who long for the more simplistic days of "Anita the Prude". The latest installment in the series will satisfy both sets of fans. While the metaphysics that have come to play a large role in Anita's life don't simply disappear, the first sex scene does not come into play until page 378. Instead of developing the physical consequences of Anita's entanglement with "the monsters," readers watch her emotional development as she battles with the ever-present of ideas of good vs. evil, and what truly makes someone a monster. Always present is the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Hamilton skillfully leads her audience through the moral and personal consequences associated with gaining so much power.

While I personally enjoy the decadence of later Blake books, I can still see the attraction of the more professionally-centered books, and believe Skin Trade will deliver to a wide range of Anita Blake fans. Although lacking several of my own favorite characters, Skin Trade strikes a strong balance between the older books and the new, and is sure to win back a number of alienated Anita Blake fans. I highly recommend it.

Books at large

I've been thinking about book-themed rooms lately, and how people incorporate their love of reading into their homes. At present we have a 20-foot bookcase in our living room (floor to ceiling), so books easily dominate the first floor of our house. We also have small hanging shelves in the master bedroom where we keep a handful of books we are currently reading.

But on a somewhat larger scale, I have book-themed nurseries. And I love them. Last week I finished painting 2.0's nursery, and even though we have no furniture or anything yet I wanted to share some pictures with other book nerds.

The new nursery is Where the Wild Things Are - my favorite children's book.






"let the wild rumpus start!"



Of course, I can't share one without the other, so here are pictures of my first-born's room. I went with a Tolkien theme, because my husband is huge fan of Tolkien's writing, and I wanted him to be as excited about the nursery as I was doing it.

61. Pratchett, Terry. Making Money. 394 pages. 5.29.09.

Making Money is the latest of the "industry" or "government" books in Terry Pratchett's Discworld collection, and is a delightful look at the financial institutions that develop in prosperous communities. Following the themes and ideas established in Going Postal, Making Money once again introduces the lovable conman Moist von Lipwig, and he once again finds himself at the mercy of Vetinari's agendas and - most importantly - his own desires to pursue dangerous vocations. And it is truly amazing how exciting a bank can be.

Like always, Pratchett's satire is both brilliant and captivating, and his sesne of style is unparalleled in modern fiction.


62. Harris, Charlaine. Grave Sight. 320 pages. 5.31.09.

Grave Sight introduces readers to a young woman named Harper Connelly, who gains the ability to find (and marginally communicate with) the deceased after being struck by lightening as a young teenager. In this first novel Harris places Harper in an inbred community in the Ozarks, where she runs into quite a bit of trouble after locating the body of a missing teenage girl.

In comparison to early Sookie Stackhouse books, Grave Sight is very smartly written, and shows quite a bit of growth on the part of the author, Charlaine Harris. As a character, Harper is tragically flawed, which works to increase the reader's interest in her thoughts and actions. Unlike Sookie, there is quite a bit of depth and history to Harper, and the character is strongly developed before the plot of the novel itself even begins. Her weaknesses humanize her, and her narration reveals a deeply skeptical and cynical young woman that (perhaps sadly) fits much more easily into a modern landscape than Harris' vampire-loving waitress.

One of the things I found most interesting about the book itself is the contempt Harper shows for the citizens of a small town in Arkansas. While the Stackhouse books criticize what is identified in the books as a Southern discontent with literal and figurative "outsiders", Grave Sight seems to illustrate the same kind of contempt for small Southern communities in general. Sarne is depicted as backward and corrupt from the very beginning, and is easily identified as an insincere - and often dangerous - place to be.

Another detail that I found interesting in the novel is Harper's relationship with her stepbrother. While Harris overtly "hints" that their relationship raises eyebrows for more than just readers, there is a complexity to the pair that retains interest, and lays the groundwork for several possibilities as the series continues. While the desire to analyze their relationship in a Freudian sense is strong, I am attempting to withhold opinions until Harris herself develops something a bit more concrete.

All in all, Grave Sight is a very interesting book, and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.