Dark Objects by Simon Toyne

 

From the blurb:  "A glamorous woman is murdered in her ultra-luxurious and highly secure London mansion, and her husband goes missing. But according to public records, neither of them exists. The only leads police have are several items arranged around the woman's body, including a set of keys and a book called How to Process a Murder by Laughton Rees, an academic and forensic expert who does not work live cases. But the presence of her book at the scene draws her into this high-profile investigation working alongside DCI Tannahill Khan. As the dark objects found beside the body lead them closer to the victim's identity, a dangerous threat to Laughton and her daughter emerges." 

My thoughts:  Tantalizing and compelling. This mystery is a nice blend of police procedural and psychological thriller. And I really like DCI Tannahill Khan and Dr. Laughton Rees; it was fun seeing how they met and connected. Rees is a nicely complicated character who is still dealing with the traumatic death of her mother when she was younger. She's very smart and has some interesting quirks and OCD tendencies centering around the number three. And the mystery itself has some nice twists. I hope Toyne writes many more books with her and Khan. This is the first book in the series; I previously read the second book, The Clearing, last month, which is an equally good read.

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka

 

5 reasons to read this book:

1. It's a unique urban fantasy novel set in London...

2. ...with an instantly likable and magically talented main character.

"My name is Stephen Oakwood, and I'm twenty years old. I was raised by my dad, grew up and went to school here in Plaistow, and...I used to have a pretty normal life. That all changed a few months before my eighteenth birthday, when my dad disappeared."

3. There's cool magic, known as drucraft, and sigls, and wells of power. 

"Drucraft didn't make me money, and it definitely didn't make me look like a better employee. If my career was what I cared about, I might as well give it up. But I didn't want to. Ever since I'd first pestered my dad into teaching me drucraft, it had been the one big secret I'd shared with him, the one thing we'd always done together." 

4. Lots of family secrets, intrigue, humor, suspense, and action. 

5. And an endearing gray and black tabby named Hobbes. 

While this well-written and entertaining fantasy novel is entirely different from Jacka's bestselling Alex Verus series, I think I'm going to like it just as much. And that's saying a lot, because I love his Alex Verus books. But I already like Stephen Oakwood and am rooting for him and his cat, Hobbes; and the magic system Jacka's created in this book is interesting and different and fun. The only problem with it is having to wait for the next book to be released...which I hope happens sometime this year. 

Happy Reading!

Murder at the Serpentine Bridge by Andrea Penrose

 

The plot:  It's June 1814. Napoleon has just been exiled and London is preparing for a grand Peace Celebration. The Earl of Wrexford is out for an evening walk in Hyde Park with his two young wards, Raven and Hawk, and his dog when they stumble upon a body. The murdered man turns out to be Jeremiah Willis, an engineering genius. He was working on a new kind of weapon that could revolutionize war, but his plans and prototype have gone missing. The government enlists Wrexford's help in finding them. His wife Charlotte, who is also the satirical and talented artist A.J. Quill, is more interested in bringing Willis's murderer to justice. Especially when Raven and Hawk befriend Jeremiah's young nephew, Peregrine. Their investigation uncovers conspiracies, intrigue, lies, and more murder. 

My thoughts:  This is an entertaining mystery series. I've read all six books and enjoyed every one. And while I always find the history and their murder investigations interesting, it's the characters that I really love. Charlotte accused Wrexford of murder in the first book; I loved how these two went from reluctant allies, to hesitant friends, to valued partners. They're newlyweds in this book. I also love Raven and hawk. They're the two orphan street rats who are now part of Wrexford's and Charlotte's family, and part of every investigation. Their street smarts, loyalty and youthful exuberance make them truly appealing characters. And they definitely added to the fun in this new mystery. 

Happy Reading!

Other books in this series that I've reviewed:

Murder on Black Swan Lane (#1)

Murder at Half Moon Gate (#2)

Murder at Kensington Palace (#3)

Murder at Queen's Landing (#4)

Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead

 "Murder as a puzzle."

Dr. Anselm Rees is a famous psychiatrist in 1903s London. He has three patients who are all famous, too, but only Rees knows their secrets. Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard is called in when Rees is found murdered in his study. The real puzzle is that all the windows and doors of Rees' study were locked from the inside. So, how did the murderer get in and back out again? Flint needs a little help with this one, so he calls in Joseph Spector, a retired magician, for his illusionist insights.

"When they'd first met a number of years before, Inspector Flint had viewed Spector with the guardedness he reserved for clever con men. After all, Spector was a famed devotee of the macabre and maintained one of the most comprehensive libraries on both crime and the supernatural. But it was this very 'otherness' surrounding Spector that made him a perfect foil in instances of impossible crime. The useful part about knowing a magician is learning how the tricks are done."

Locked room mysteries are always fun to read, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. In addition to the murder, there's also the theft of a painting to solve, and an interesting array of characters from a successful stage actress, to a writer, to Rees' own daughter, Lidia, and her wealthy fiancée. Spector was my favorite, of course. I loved the way he put the puzzle pieces together over the course of the investigation and then revealed the truth of it all at the end with a true magician's flourish. The narrative style and tone of this novel is very reminiscent of the best Golden Age mysteries, which I also like. All in all, this was a very fun mystery. 

Happy Reading!

A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper

 

From the blurb:  "Physician Arthur Conan Doyle is invited to take a break from his practice to assist London police in tracking down Jack the Ripper. Doyle agrees, with the stipulation his old professor of surgery, Dr. Joseph Bell––Doyle’s inspiration for Sherlock Holmes––agrees to work with him. Soon the two are joined by Margaret Harkness, an author who knows how to use a Derringer as well as she knows the dank alleys and courtyards of the East End where she resides. Pursuing leads through London and Whitechapel becomes infinitely more dangerous for the trio when the hunters become the hunted in this adventurous debut novel and series starter."

My thoughts:  I've always been drawn to novels about Jack the Ripper, and this one is exceptional. I loved the voice Harper creates for Arthur Conan Doyle as he narrates his adventures on the streets of Whitechapel with Professor Bell and Margaret Harkness. Margaret is an equally great character: independent, capable, and fierce. (And apparently a real person, too.) I enjoyed how the author weaves these historical figures into the infamous murder investigation of Jack the Ripper and his victims. This novel is atmospheric and well-plotted. Harper's attention to historical detail really brings London's East End to life. His writing is amazing, and this novel is suspenseful, unexpected, riveting and fun. For me, this was a 5-star read. 

Happy Reading!

The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless by Eliza Haywood

 

What can I say about Betsy Thoughtless? She is a gentleman's daughter with two older brothers; she's also an orphan living with one of her trustees, Mr. Goodman, and his wife, Lady Mellasin, and her daughter, Flora. Betsy is pretty and vivacious and comfortably well-off. She's also proud and disdains being told what to do. By anyone. Many handsome young men vie for her attention, both honorable gentlemen and entitled scoundrels. And she enjoys the power her youth and beauty gives her over all of them, playing them off one another for her own amusement. 

"She played with her lovers, as she did with her monkey; but expected more obedience from them."

While not deliberately cruel, she is young, impulsive, self-absorbed and thoughtless. And very definitely NOT ready to marry. This book is a chronicle of her innocent indiscretions and frivolous follies. It's full of little dramas and small tragedies, from duels and assignations, to jealous friends, secrets and lies, and even several attempts at sexual assault. And Miss Betsy Thoughtless is at the center of them all. 

"She had a great deal of wit, but was too volative for reflection; and as a ship without sufficient ballast is tossed about at the pleasure of every wind that blows, so was she hurried through the ocean of life, just as each predominant passion directed."

This book is 600 pages long, which means I'm not even going to attempt to describe all that happens in it to Betsy. I will say that I found it very readable despite its length. Although I thought the plot, what there was of it, did get a little tedious after awhile. I probably would have liked it more if it had been edited down by 300 pages. And I wish I could say I liked Betsy for her spunk and independent spirit, but mostly I found her constant need to be amused at the expense of her gentleman callers, her thoughtless imprudence, and stubborn refusal to listen to the advice of Mr. Goodman or either of her two brothers when it came to her behavior, both tiresome and frustrating.  One thing I did love was all the crazy words like eclaircissement and raillery used throughout. But best of all? This is a book that has been sitting on my shelf gathering dust for years, and I finally get to check it off my TBR list! And since it was first published in 1751, this book also counts as my Pre-1800 Classic for Karen's Back to the Classics Reading Challenge. So, that's a double win! 

Happy Reading!

Similar, but better, reads:

The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox

Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant

Lockdown on London Lane by Beth Reekles...

 Nothing tests a relationship like being quarantined together in a weeklong lockdown. That's what's happened to the residents of London Lane Apartment Building C. 

• Isla's only been dating Danny for a month; she thinks she might be falling in love with him, but she's not ready for him to move in with her. He hasn't even seen her without her make-up on.
• Olivia's weekend bridesmaids' party just turned into a very long week with one worried bride and  two more bridesmaids crammed into her one-room apartment. An apartment that used to be clean and quiet.
• Zach and Serena have been together for four years, but Serena just found out that Zach likes pineapple on his pizza and it freaks her out, making her wonder what else she doesn't know about him, and if they're really meant to be together. 
• For Imogen, her one-night stand just turned into one long awkward week with Nate. He doesn't look thrilled about it either, especially when he catches her 'borrowing' his favorite Ramones t-shirt without asking.
• Then there's Ethan. He wishes his girlfriend, Charlotte, was in lockdown with him. But she's stuck at her parents' house. And missing her makes him realize just how much he loves her.

This book was unexpectedly romantic, funny, and entertaining. There are embarrassing moments, explosive arguments and some very honest and heartfelt conversations. Imogen and Isla and their interactions with Nate and Danny made me laugh. Seeing Serena's and Zach's relationship start to fall apart made me sad. I had a lot of sympathy for the very introverted Olivia as she tries to navigate her company. And Ethan's happy ending made me smile. I got caught up with all of these characters and their stories, and having the pandemic in the background just made it feel more real. I ended up really liking this one. 

Happy Reading!

   

The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon

 

The beginning: "But is no use dreaming. Is no use lying down there on your backside and watching the wallpaper, as if you expect the wall to crack open and money come pouring out, a nice woman, a house to live in, food, cigarettes, rum. ...The irony of it was that the wallpaper really had a design with lamps on it, Aladdin lamps all over the room. ....Battersby thought maybe he wasn't rubbing the right one."

The setting: London in the 1960s. 

The players:  A group of West Indian immigrants. There's Battersby and his sister, Jean, from Trinidad, and their friends, Nobby, Alfy, Fitz, Sylvester and Gallows. And then there's Harry Banjo, a calypso singer from Jamaica and Battersby's new roommate, who is the first to suggest they pool their money together to buy their very own house.

The dream:  "Yes, yes, is time to get serious," Bat say. "Now listen. I ain't want to make no big speeches. Everybody know what hell it is to get a place to live, and the idea is to start saving up some money, and we put it together and buy a house."

The problem:  "Ain't we going to buy a house?"

                           "That is only a lark," Jean say, "you think them fellars really serious? I know Battersby, he is my own brother, and I could tell you that up to now he ain't give me a ha'penny he save up. If I was you I think twice about that scheme."

The author:  Of East Indian descent, Sam Selvon was born in Trinidad in 1923. He came to public attention during the 1950s with a number of other Caribbean writers. The Housing Lark was published in 1965.

My reaction:  I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this novel, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Selvon does an excellent job of portraying life in London for these West Indian immigrants, and the unfair prejudices they face. But he also doesn't flinch from showing each character's flaws and weaknesses; and he does it all with a lyrical lilt to his prose that calls to mind the Caribbean islands. It's not a long novel, only 125 pages, and every page is a delight. Selvon is a new-to-me author, and one I would definitely read again. This book also counts as my Classic by a BIPOC author for Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge.

Happy Reading!

Two more from my TBR shelf....(because my library is still closed!)

Title & Author:  Who Speaks for the Damned by C.S. Harris

Why I bought it:  Actually, I didn't. I won this copy from Goodreads. But it's one I would have bought anyway because this mystery series is one of my favorites.

The plot in brief:  This is the fifteenth Sebastian St. Cyr mystery. It takes place in London in the summer of 1814, and it revolves around the murder of Nicholas Hayes, the third son of the late Earl of Seaforth. Only, everyone thought Haves died years ago in Botany Bay. So why did he come back to England? And who killed him? Viscount Devlin and his wife, Hero, are on the case.

My thoughts:  This is a good one! I love Devlin and Hero; they're such great characters. They are definitely the reason I enjoy reading these books so much. The time period these books are set in is an interesting one, which is another draw. And while I know you're supposed to read a series like this in order, I actually read the fourth book, Where Serpents Sleep, first, and I'm kind of glad I did because that's the book where Devlin and Hero meet. Of course, I then went back to the beginning and read the first three books to catch up; I've been reading this series ever since. 15 books later and I'm still hooked.

My rating:  4/5 stars.

Title & Author:  A Climate of Fear by Fred Vargas

Why I bought it:  I love Fred Vargas's books. So last year when I spotted this one at a library book sale, along with four other Vargas mysteries that I'd already read and knew I loved, I quickly snatched them all up. ($1.25 well spent!)

The plot in brief:  When the same symbol is found at two apparent suicides, Commissaire Adamsberg and his unique team of detectives think they might have a serial killer on their hands. The twists and turns of their investigation lead them to a tragic expedition in Iceland that took place ten years earlier, and to a strange society in Paris obsessed with Robespierre.

My thoughts:  What I love about Vargas's mysteries is that they're always so unexpected. I never know where they're going to end up, but I always enjoy the ride. I also love the quirky eccentricity of Adamsberg and the other members of his team. These are just fun reads. A little strange at times, but always entertaining. My two favorites are An Uncertain Place and The Chalk Circle Man. But this one is good, too.

My rating:  4/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

Would Like To Meet by Rachel Winters

A brief summary: Evie Summers is 29 and living in London. She once dreamed of becoming a screenwriter; instead, she's been a lowly agent's assistant for the last seven years. And now, in order to save her job, she has to convince arrogant Ezra Chester to actually finish the screenplay he's been promising her boss for the last year. Only Ezra claims romantic comedies are unrealistic and completely beneath him. (Evie suspects he has writer's block.) To help him out, she offers to reenact those meet-cute scenes from her favorite rom-com movies to order to prove to him people really can fall in love like they do in the movies. Only so far it isn't working. She's spilled orange juice on a stranger, attended a book group, and even gotten her heel stuck in a sewer grate in the hopes a handsome stranger will rescue her. The results? Public humiliation and failure. And Ezra still isn't writing. What is she going to do?

My thoughts:  There is a lot to like about this book! It's entertaining and humorous and it has that happy "ahh" moment at the end. Evie's attempts to recreate her favorite meet-cute movie moments made me smile, especially when those moments came from some of my own favorite romantic comedies. My favorite parts were Evie's interactions with single dad, Ben, and his seven-year-old daughter, Anette, who witness several of her less-than-successful attempts to meet a cute guy. The way her friends cheer her on through their group texts was also fun. And what happens on the red carpet and at her friend's wedding totally made me laugh. I do wish Evie had stood up to her boss and Ezra more often, because neither one deserved her help or loyalty, but I was glad she finally stood up for herself at the end. It's hard to put a fresh spin on a romantic comedy, but Winters manages to do it well. Of course, the happy ending was completely predictable, but I thought it was cute and very satisfying. All in all, I'd give this one 4 stars.

Happy Reading!

P.S. I won a free copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. 

From the F Shelf...

Author:  Nicci French

Title:  Blue Monday

I was scanning the F shelf at my library looking for my next Alphabet read among the Folletts and the Faulkners, but nothing really grabbed my attention until I spotted the row of Nicci French mysteries. These are books I've been aware of for years, but never read...until now. And it turned out to be another moment of library serendipity.

Blue Monday is the first book about psychotherapist Frieda Klein--an imperfect and complex character who likes to walk the streets of London alone at night, who refuses to buy a cell phone because she doesn't want people to be able to get in touch with her every hour of the day, and who doesn't like opening up to others. I liked getting to know her. And the mystery? It's a good one. It revolves around one of her clients, a missing child, and a disturbing coincidence.

"Friday," she said. ... Alan Dekker had dreamed of a son with red hair. Red-haired Matthew Faraday had vanished. Eerie, but meaningless ... She couldn't help pondering it, though.

Despite some reservations, Frieda finds herself getting involved in the police investigation, working with Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm Karlsson (who I also liked). As Frieda delves deeper into the mystery, she runs into some unexpected twists. (Though I saw a few of them coming.)

All in all, I'm glad Blue Monday was sitting on the F shelf when I was at the library, and that I finally gave this series a try. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Happy Reading!

Still lovin' this series...

Veiled by Benedict Jacka is the sixth book in his Alex Verus series; and it's just as good as the first. In this one, Alex's former teacher, a notorious Dark mage named Richard Drakh, has returned to England. And he wants Alex back on his team, which is the last thing Alex wants. So, to protect himself and his friends, Alex joins the Keepers, the enforcement arm of the Mage Council instead. Of course, it would help if the other Keepers didn't view him as the enemy, but according to many of them, "Once a Dark mage, always a Dark mage." So Alex will have to prove himself once again.

Of course, his first case, which should have been a simple and straightforward investigation, gets a lot more complicated when Alex encounters an Air mage assassin, a scared young runaway, an ice cat, and a deadly conspiracy. Luckily, Alex has another sense--"my diviner's sight--and it multiplied what I could see a million times over...a diviner can actually be quite an effective fighter, in an unconventional sort of way. We aren't any stronger or faster than regular folk, but all that information gives us an awful lot of leverage...(Because) when you can see the future, it changes things a lot."

This is one of my new favorite urban fantasy series. And Alex Verus is one of my all-time favorite characters. I've enjoyed every book I've read so far about him and his friends. But just so you know, this is a series that's best read in order.

Happy Reading!

From the J Shelf...

I was actually on my way to the H shelf to try to find my next alphabetical read, but as I passed by the J shelf there was a series of paperbacks with colorful spines and one-word titles right at eye level that caught my attention. And I had to stop and check them out. Needless to say, I never made it to the H shelf; I came home with this novel by Benedict Jacka instead. But then, that's what bookish serendipity is all about.

Title & Author:  Fated by Benedict Jacka
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Setting:  London
First line:  "It was a slow day, so I was reading a book at my desk and seeing into the future."

(My new favorite) main character:  Alex Verus, diviner, mage, and owner of a shop in Camden Town called The Arcana Emporium. He's quick-witted and resourceful, and he can see into the future, or at least several possibilities of it. He also has a talent for staying alive. Which is a good thing considering he's not on great terms with the Council of Mages. (Even though they sometimes need his help.) The dark mages don't like him much either, but he's never let that stop him yet.

My thoughts:  This is an awesome urban fantasy read. It's well-plotted, fast-paced and fun, with cool magic, an intriguing mystery and lots of suspense; there's plenty of great secondary characters, too. In fact, there isn't anything I didn't like about this book.  Jacka has created a world I can't wait to visit again. Which is why I'm off to the library to check out the second books in this series.

Happy Reading!

My Twelfth TBR...

Disclaimer:  I love Henry James. Ever since I first read The Portrait of a Lady I have been an unapologetic fan of his writing. So, I am not objective when it comes to his books; in fact, you might say I am predisposed to like whatever he writes. Including this novel:

The Princess Casamassima by Henry James is about a boy named Hyacinth Robinson. His mother, an unmarried French dressmaker, murders his father, an English nobleman, when he is just a baby. Hyacinth  is raised in poverty by a kind-hearted but humble dressmaker; he grows up hating the sordity of his surroundings, and the ugliness and ignorance of those around him, and longs for a better, finer existence.

"By the nature of his mind he was perpetually conscious that the circle in which he lived was an infinitesimally small, shallow eddy in the roaring vortex of London, and his imagination plunged again and again into the waves that whirled past it and round it, in the hope of being carried to some brighter, happier vision -- the vision of societies in which, in splendid rooms, with smiles and soft voices, distinguished men, with women who were both proud and gentle, talked about art, literature, and history."

As a young man he befriends some revolutionary idealists consumed with injustice, class warfare, socialism, and fighting for the downtrodden masses against those in power. (Although for most of the book they're more talk than action.) Hyacinth gets drawn into their radical politics and, in a rash moment of youthful fervor, makes a "sacred vow" to assassinate a major political figure when called upon. But it's the dazzling Princess Casamassima, also caught up in the "Great Social Cause", who really impacts Hyacinth's life. In her brilliance and beauty he finally finds the world he's been searching for (although it seemed to me that she was using him as a stepping stone to something, or someone, greater; I had a hard time liking her as much as Hyacinth did). Things go wrong for Hyacinth when his radical leanings start to conflict more and more with his own vision of the world and all the good that he sees in it, and he soon comes to regret the vow he made.

Honor, integrity, and nobility of character always play an important role in James' novels; his characters are often tormented by their own internal struggles and the choices they are forced to make, which means his endings are rarely happy. The Princess Casamassima is no exception. This novel is a tragedy. And while it will never be my favorite Henry James novel, I think Hyacinth Robinson will linger in my mind for awhile. The biggest plus of finishing this book is that, at 590 pages, it qualifies as my "Very Long Classic Novel" in Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge.

Happy Reading!

My four favorite Henry James novels: 

1. The Portrait of a Lady
2. The Wings of the Dove
3. The Awkward Age
4. The American

The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James

The dead don't walk among us, peering invisibly over our shoulders or watching us as we sleep. There are such things as hauntings certainly, but they are confined to certain spaces, tied to a place and often with a purpose, though they are in fact rare. The true dead, if you wish to speak with them, must be called. 

 "Tell Ellie Winter to find me." That was the last message psychic medium Gloria Sutter sent before she was murdered at one of her own seances. Ellie Winter is psychic, too. And though she saw her first ghost when she was seven, she finds lost objects, not people. And she certainly doesn't do seances. But she and Gloria were once friends, and Ellie can't let her murder go unsolved.

Set in London in 1925, this novel is more murder mystery than ghost story, although there are ghosts in it. Ellie, with her bobbed blond hair and psychic ability, is a fun character, as is James Rawley, the man who helps her track down Gloria's killer. Simone St. James always includes a little romance with her suspense which is why I love her novels so much. And this one is no exception. The romance between Ellie and James made me smile and sigh all at the same time.

An arm came around my shoulders and I was pulled against a hard familiar body. I smelled wet pavement and damp wool and James. My skin sang, even through the layers of clothing, and there was water on my cheeks. He swung me into the notch of a church doorway, out of the rain, my back against the brick.

"Come here," he said, and kissed me.

I'm glad I bought my own copy of The Other Side of Midnight instead of waiting to get one from the library, because this is one book I'll want to read again. (And again.) Oh, and for fans of St. James' earlier novel, An Inquiry Into Love and Death, Drew Merriken (the Scotland Yard Inspector from that novel) makes an appearance in this one, too, which was a lot of fun.

Happy Reading!

Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough

Setting: Victorian London. Jack the Ripper is capturing all the headlines, but there's another murderer loose in London: the Thames Torso Killer...and he's even more dangerous than Jack.

Cast of Characters: police surgeon Dr. Thomas Bond, the police inspectors of Scotland Yard, a mysterious Jesuit priest, a young Polish immigrant who sees portents and visions, and, of course, the killer, his innocent victims, and the demonic myth from whence he sprung.

"The Jack they seek--this rabid killer of women--he is nothing. What I seek--the thing I seek--brings mayhem and wickedness in its wake, spreading it like this choking fog across the city. It runs in the water of the river, and it will destroy men's souls."

My thoughts: The way this story is told reminded me a lot of Bram Stoker's Dracula; so if you like that book, I think you'll like this one, too. It's part historical fiction, part detective/mystery story with a supernatural twist. And it's so well-written! I had never heard of the Thames Torso murders, but they actually took place in London in the late 1880s. Mayhem is the first of two books Pinborough plans to write based on real-life police surgeon Dr. Thomas Bond. I enjoy books set in Victorian England, and I found this one, with its Jack-the-Ripper backdrop, especially interesting. Mayhem is an otherworldly mystery that's deliciously suspenseful.

Happy Reading!

Recommended by the author:

     The Thames Torso Murders of Victorian London by R. Michael Gordon

Minaret by Leila Aboulela

"There are all kinds of pain, degrees of falling. In our first weeks in London we sensed the ground tremble beneath us. When Baba was found guilty we broke down, the flat filling with people, Mama crying, Omar banging the door, staying out all night. When Baba was hanged, the earth we were standing on split open and we tumbled down and that tumbling had no end, it seemed to have no end, as if we would fall and fall for eternity without ever landing. As if this was our punishment..."

When this novel begins, Najwa is a university student in Khartoum. She is the privileged daughter of a well-connected and well-off family. She does not get up at dawn to pray, or attend the mosque, or wear a hijab; she is completely westernized. But then there is a coup in Sudan, and Najwa is forced to flee with her mother and twin brother to London where her life changes forever.

This is a novel of journeys: from Khartoum to London, past to present, rich to poor. But the most important journey of all is Najwa's own inward spiritual journey, a journey towards Allah. In Islam, she finds the answers she's been seeking and the peace that was missing from her previous life. It's not a viewpoint that is usually taken when it comes to women and Islam, but it's that journey into Islam as viewed from Najwa's perspective that makes this novel so interesting.

Najwa's life is not easy. I kept hoping for more and better things for her. But maybe that's just my love of happily-ever-after fairy tale endings. I did like this book, however. Najwa's Sudanese upbringing and culture is so different from mine; I enjoyed those aspects of this book most of all. And I loved the way Aboulela writes. This is a quiet, thoughtful novel that's worth checking out.

Steampunk Fun...

The Setting: London, 1889. (But this Victorian London is one where electricity has been prohibited and steam engines rule.

The Characters: Mina Holmes, Sherlock Holmes' intelligent niece, and Evaline Stoker, Bram Stoker's sister and vampire hunter extraordinaire.
First Line: There are a limited number of excuses for a young, intelligent woman of seventeen to be traversing the fog-shrouded streets of London at midnight. A matter of protecting one's life or preventing another's death are two obvious ones.

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason is an engaging steampunk mystery. I liked the contrast between the two main characters: Mina is bookish, brainy, and keenly observant while Evaline is more action-oriented and adventurous; she also has inherited her family's supernatural vampire-hunting abilities. The fact that they don't particularly like each other makes it even more fun. The mystery itself is intriguing. Mina and Evaline (along with a cute Scotland yard detective named Ambrose Grayling) are investigating the deaths of three young society girls. In the process they stumble upon a secret society revolving around Sekhmet, the Egyptian Goddess of Death, and two mysterious young men with secrets of their own. I admit I'm a fan of steampunk and I liked the steampunk aspects in this novel, too, from steam cycles, to flying firefly lanterns, to the clockwork scarabs that are found beside each one of the dead girls. Want a fun and inventive steampunk novel? Gleason's YA novel won't disappoint.

Happy Reading!

Similar read:  Parasol Protectorate Series