The Shinest Jewel by Marian Henley

At 49, cartoonist Marian Henley hasn't committed to marrying the man with whom she has been dating for seven years. But as the Big 5-0 looms, she realizes that above all else she wants a child. Her story follows the heartbreaking ups and downs of going through the international adoption process; deciding when it's time to grow up and maybe even get married; and in the end, it's the story of a daughter's relationship with her father, and how becoming a mother finally led her to understand him. The Shiniest Jewel is a touching narrative, accompanied by Marian's winsome drawings, that beautifully weaves together her realizations about the joy, and sometimes heartbreak, of building a family.

This was the first time I'd read a graphic memoir or novel, and while I liked it, I don't know that I will read another one. The story didn't disappoint, and I really enjoyed the artwork, but there seemed to be so much more to the story that you miss by reading it in this seemingly abridged format. To me, it felt like the story skimmed along the surface without the details. For example, I wanted to know more about how she found her adoption agency, more about international adoption procedures and what she thought of Russia beyond the poverty.

I really enjoyed the artwork though. I thought the illustrations were full of emotion and very descriptive. You really got to know the characters through their facial expressions, and I found myself laughing more than once.

The Shiniest Jewel is a heartfelt and heartwarming story, but the format wasn't my cup of tea. Even so, the story is compelling enough that I hope a follow up book is published so that I can see how William, Marian and Rick are getting along! 3.5 stars

Pre Order The Shiniest Jewel from Amazon

Booking Through Thursday...

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?

I guess I'd never really thought about it that way, but I do agree. You can have the greatest characters ever, but if nothing ever happens, what's the point in reading about them? I will take character interaction over descriptive passages any day, but the action in the story is really what keeps things moving. If you don't care about what happens next in the story there really isn't any reason for you to keep turning pages!

Tuesday Thingers!

Today's topic: LibraryThing authors. Who are your LibraryThing authors? What books of theirs do you have? Do you ever comment on an author's LT page? Have you received any comments from an author on your LT account?

My LT authors are Janice Erlbaum, Sandra Gulland, Doreen Orion, Michelle Richmond, Marisa del los Santos, and Lisa Unger. I have at least one book from each author, but may not have read them yet!

I have had Janice Erlbaum's Have You Found Her for a few months, but just recently got Girlbomb from BM. I am a stickler for reading books in order, so now that I have both of them, I hope to get to them soon.

Sandra Gulland's Josephine Bonaparte Collection was a recent find at a FOL sale that I couldn't resist. I love historical fiction, and once again, hope to get to them soon.

I heard about Doreen Orion's Queen of the Road on LT and knew I had to read it! I love memoirs and can't resist a travel memoir of any kind. I recently mooched this one and am taking it with me on vacation this weekend.

I read The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond earlier this year and loved it! I also have an ARC of No One You Know to read soon so I can pass it on in a book ring.

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos is another book that hasn't made it to the top of Mt TBR yet. I have heard wonderful things about it and Belong To Me though.

I read Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger some time back and loved it! The second in the series, Sliver of Truth, got some lukewarm reviews from friends so I put off reading it. I recently got Black Out, which I have heard good things about, and hope to get caught up on the series soon.

I have received comments from Lisa Unger and recently a comment from D.J. Murphy who also lives in Colorado. His book A Thousand Veils looks really good! I love the fact that there are authors among us on LT! The author chats are a wonderful way to learn more about an author you love or to discover a new favorite.

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

When Parsifal, a handsome and charming magician, dies suddenly, his widow Sabine — who was also his faithful assistant for twenty years — learns that the family he claimed to have lost in a tragic accident is very much alive and well. Sabine is left to unravel his secrets, and the adventure she embarks upon, from sunny Los Angeles to the bitter windswept plains of Nebraska, will work its own magic on her. Sabine's extraordinary tale will capture the heart of its readers just as Sabine herself is captured by her quest.

I love Ann Patchett's writing! It is wonderfully descriptive, but it doesn't bog the story down. For the most part, I enjoy character's interactions over flowery descriptions of the scenery, but Patchett manages beautifully to keep the story moving, and give vivid detail of the setting.

I enjoyed all the characters in this book, but I think my favorite was Phan. I loved his role in the book, and thought it was absolutely perfect, but at the same time, also wish we got to know him better. Parsifal is also a bit of a mystery, but by the end of the story his motivations are more understandable. Still, I would love to ask him some questions. 4 stars

Order The Magician's Assistant from Amazon

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

In The Third Angel, Alice Hoffman weaves a magical and stunningly original story that charts the lives of three women in love with the wrong men: Headstrong Madeleine Heller finds herself hopelessly attracted to her sister’s fiance. Frieda Lewis, a doctor’s daughter and a runaway, becomes the muse of an ill-fated rock star. And beautiful Bryn Evans is set to marry an Englishman while secretly obsessed with her ex-husband. At the heart of the novel is Lucy Green, who blames herself for a tragic accident she witnessed at the age of twelve, and who spends four decades searching for the Third Angel–the angel on earth who will renew her faith. Brilliantly evoking London’s King’s Road, Knightsbridge, and Kensington while moving effortlessly back in time, The Third Angel is a work of startling beauty about the unique, alchemical nature of love.

I picked this book up because it was Alice Hoffman's, not because I knew what it was about. I actually didn't read a synopsis of it until after I'd finished the book. The book is set in 3 times periods, all revolving around the same London hotel, Lion Park, and ill-fated love. The first story is set in roughly present time, and when I had finished the first piece I wasn't all that impressed. It was an OK story, but nothing really special for me. The characters didn't have the depth that I was used to from Hoffman.

The second piece is set in the 60's. Since I hadn't read the synopsis, and didn't know what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was Paul's mother's story. Paul was the fiance in the first piece. Here the story starts to wind around and really get interesting. I found the characters a lot more engaging, and the story more intriguing.

The third piece, set in the 50's was by far my favorite. I don't know if I was more sympathetic to the character since she was a child, or if I liked the way all 3 pieces of the story were being woven together. The main character in the third piece was Allie's mother, from the first part. The three pieces of the story were very neatly tied together, but I got the feeling that the character's in the first piece were there mostly as a way to bring the parent's stories together.

While all of the stories focused on love gone wrong in some way, I was surprised the book didn't feel darker than it did. The darkness was still there, but there was also a feeling of hope and redemption that ran throughout the book. This was another book that I found myself flipping back through to re-read some parts after I had finished it. The stories are so tightly woven together that dialogue in the first part had so much more meaning after finishing the book. 4.5 stars

Order The Third Angel from Amazon

Tuesday Thingers!

Today's question: LT and RL (real life)- do you have friends in real life that you met through LibraryThing? Have you attended any LT meet-ups in your area? Would you be open to attending meet-ups or is LT strictly an online thing for you?

LT is pretty much an online thing for me. I live at least a couple of hours from Denver, which I would guess to be the closest meet up spot, and don't make it that way very often. I have chatted briefly with other LTers and participate some in the forums, but don't think I would spend the time to go to a real life meeting. I am happy with my online friends staying online!

The Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell

Fresh from her bruising battle with a psychopath in Florida, Scarpetta decides it's time for a change of pace-not only personally and professionally, but geographically. Moving to the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, she opens a unique private forensic pathology practice, one in which she and her colleagues-including Pete Marino and her niece, Lucy-offer expert crime-scene investigation and autopsies to communities that lack local access to competent death investigation and modern technology.

It seems like an ideal situation, until the new battles start-with local politicians, with entrenched interests, with someone whose covert attempts at sabotage are clearly meant to run her out of town. And that's even before the murders and other violent deaths begin.

A young man from a well-known family jumps off a water tower. A woman is found ritualistically murdered in her multi-million-dollar beach home. The body of an abused young boy is discovered dumped in a desolate marsh. Meanwhile, in distant New England, problems with a prominent patient at a Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital begin to hint at interconnections that are as hard to imagine as they are horrible.

This used to be one of my favorite series, but it has been lacking for quite a while now. I found the writing to be choppy, disjointed, and repetitive in this book. Also, I don't find any of the characters, except Lucy, even remotely likeable anymore. I keep reading the series, hoping it will get back to its level of greatness, but I think it may be time to give up on it. If I didn't have so much time and energy invested in these characters I would have given up 3 or 4 books ago. If you are new to the series, stick with the early books. They are hard to beat. 2.5 stars