We thought it'd be fun to do a post on our favorite authors. Since Summer and I like a lot of the same authors, we just did a joint list. But, now we want EVERYONE to comment and list their favorite authors. That way, we can find out some good new authors and other people can get ideas as well.
Stephenie Meyer
Nicholas Sparks
Sophie Kinsella
Pamela Aidan
Dan Jones
Emily Giffin
Shannon Hale
Jane Green
Meg Cabot
Alexandra Potter
Philippa Gregory
Madeleine Brent
Monday, March 10, 2008
Golden Urchin by Madeleine Brent
Overall Rating- 4
Cleanliness Rating- 1.5 (for very mild language)
Synopsis on back of book:
In Golden Urchin, Brent’s storytelling powers are at their keenest as she creates a mesmerizing tale of love and dangerous intrigue in the haunting desolation of Austrailia’s outback. A beautiful young woman of Irish birth, Meg was only two when she was kidnapped from her parents, abandoned in the wilds of the Autstrailian outback, and taken in by a kindly aboriginal tribe. Called Mitji, “white woman,” by the aboriginies, Meg with her fine fair skin was indeed an oddity in this new desert home. Yet, growing up, she learned to survive like the natives, though always regarding herself as a freak among them. Now, a young woman, Meg sets out in search of a strange tribe she has heard of, white-skinned like herself. On her search, she comes across Luke Bowman who was wounded and almost dead. Mitji saves him and in return, he takes her to his farm near Perth, where his invalid wife, Rosemary, welcomes the red-haired half-savage, whom they christen Meg. Unbeknownst to all but an implacable, greedy enemy, she is the heiress to a fortune. When an attempt on her life is followed by Rosemary's death and Luke's heartbroken defection, Meg is deposited at a stuffy Swiss finishing school. Yet danger threatens even there, and in the company of several appealing companions she embarks on a pilgrimage through the polite drawing rooms of Victorian England, across the decks of a well-appointed yacht and along an unbeaten desert trail, in search of safe harbor. But through it all, the mystical teachings of the aborigines course passionately in her blood, giving Meg the courage to face a future of uncertain peril and unexpected love.
The story is told in first person narrative, by our heroine Mitji/Meg. Mitji/Meg's personality is fascinating, she looks at things very differently than expected because of the way she was raised and it is touching to watch her adapt from an Aborigine freak to a proper English woman. You also get the tortured but honorable hero (Luke) in this story. Every character is written extremely well. The love story is also believable and touching. It is poignant, wonderful and romantic. The guilt Luke feels in his attraction to Meg, her bewilderment at his mood swings, their growing love for each other (*sigh*), just fantastic. No graphic sex, just a lovely story well told. This was an excellent novel that was very interesting to read.
Cleanliness Rating- 1.5 (for very mild language)
Synopsis on back of book:
In Golden Urchin, Brent’s storytelling powers are at their keenest as she creates a mesmerizing tale of love and dangerous intrigue in the haunting desolation of Austrailia’s outback. A beautiful young woman of Irish birth, Meg was only two when she was kidnapped from her parents, abandoned in the wilds of the Autstrailian outback, and taken in by a kindly aboriginal tribe. Called Mitji, “white woman,” by the aboriginies, Meg with her fine fair skin was indeed an oddity in this new desert home. Yet, growing up, she learned to survive like the natives, though always regarding herself as a freak among them. Now, a young woman, Meg sets out in search of a strange tribe she has heard of, white-skinned like herself. On her search, she comes across Luke Bowman who was wounded and almost dead. Mitji saves him and in return, he takes her to his farm near Perth, where his invalid wife, Rosemary, welcomes the red-haired half-savage, whom they christen Meg. Unbeknownst to all but an implacable, greedy enemy, she is the heiress to a fortune. When an attempt on her life is followed by Rosemary's death and Luke's heartbroken defection, Meg is deposited at a stuffy Swiss finishing school. Yet danger threatens even there, and in the company of several appealing companions she embarks on a pilgrimage through the polite drawing rooms of Victorian England, across the decks of a well-appointed yacht and along an unbeaten desert trail, in search of safe harbor. But through it all, the mystical teachings of the aborigines course passionately in her blood, giving Meg the courage to face a future of uncertain peril and unexpected love.
The story is told in first person narrative, by our heroine Mitji/Meg. Mitji/Meg's personality is fascinating, she looks at things very differently than expected because of the way she was raised and it is touching to watch her adapt from an Aborigine freak to a proper English woman. You also get the tortured but honorable hero (Luke) in this story. Every character is written extremely well. The love story is also believable and touching. It is poignant, wonderful and romantic. The guilt Luke feels in his attraction to Meg, her bewilderment at his mood swings, their growing love for each other (*sigh*), just fantastic. No graphic sex, just a lovely story well told. This was an excellent novel that was very interesting to read.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella
Overall Rating- 3
Cleanliness Rating- 3.5- for language- including the f-word and sexual content
From Publishers Weekly
Shopaholic powerhouse Kinsella delights again with her latest, a winning if unoriginal tale of amnesia striking an ambitious shrew and changing her life for the better. After taking a nasty bump on the head, Lexi Smart awakens in a hospital convinced that it's 2004 and that she's just missed her father's funeral. It's actually three years later, and she no longer has crooked teeth, frizzy hair and a loser boyfriend. Initially wowed by what she's become—a gorgeous, cut-throat businesswoman—Lexi soon finds herself attempting to figure out how it happened. As her personality change and lost memory threaten her job, Lexi tries to dredge up some chemistry with her handsome, albeit priggish husband, Eric, though the effort is unnecessary with Eric's colleague Jon, who tells Lexi that she was about to leave Eric for him. Amnesia tales may be old hat, but Kinsella keeps things fresh and frothy with workplace politicking, romantic intrigue and a vibrant (though sometimes caricatured) cast. Though the happy ending won't come as a surprise, readers will be rooting for Lexi all along.
This book was just released on Feb. 26th. It is a very light, fun book and does not require a lot of thought or analyzing. There are no big surprises, but it is funny and well-crafted and moves with a brisk pace. The premise hooks you in and some parts are laugh out loud funny in others (particularly when Lexi realizes why her husband keeps making the Mount Blanc references). I find Lexi’s husband Eric one of the funniest characters. I think Kinsella develops him well, although, I didn’t feel that way about most of the other characters. In most of Kinsella’s books, I absolutely love the main character and really connect with her, but for some reason, I didn’t as much in this book. I have read all of Sophie Kinsella’s books now, and while I enjoyed this one, I don't think it's as good as her others. If you like her books you'll enjoy this too, but if you're new to her as an author I think her others are better, particularly her Shopaholic Series.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
Overall Rating- 3
Cleanliness Rating- 2.5- for swearing (including a couple f-words)
From Publishers Weekly:
U.K. author Potter makes her U.S. debut with Emily Albright, 29, a New York bookstore manager, who half-seriously blames Jane Austen's Fitzwilliam Darcy for her abysmal dating life: Darcy sets the bar too high. As Christmas approaches, Emily, to avoid a holiday with co-worker Stella, signs up for a tour of Darcy territory, lighting out, amusingly, with a gaggle of gray-haired Darcy maniacs. As the tour group weaves in and out of Darcy locales, Emily butts heads with Spike Hargreaves, a handsome young journalist interviewing the group (for an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date). Soon, the jet-lagged, drink-laden Emily finds herself—presto!—time traveling and meeting Mr. Darcy himself, complete with frock coat. As her acquaintance with Darcy deepens, Emily, to her great surprise, finds herself thinking about Spike. Despite the plot's predictability, Potter's chick lit take on Darcy has a refreshing not-trying-to-equal-the-master feel.
This book was cute. It is essentially a knock off of Pride and Prejudice, but set in modern times (not as good as Bridget Jones though). During the Jane Austen Tour, Emily is reading Pride and Prejudice and I like how the author parallels what’s going on in Pride and Prejudice with what’s going on with Emily during her tour. I didn’t care that much for the whole meeting Mr. Darcy bit. It was totally un- believable and didn’t serve much purpose, except to point out that in reality, Mr. Darcy wasn’t all Emily had fantasized about. I guess it taught her a good lesson- that Mr. Darcy is a wonderful fantasy, but he’s not real. I loved the article that Spike wrote about Mr. Darcy. The finished version is in the last chapter of the book and it is very clever and funny!
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