Book Review: Black Ships

Paperback Writer here...again. :) Yes, I'm just ripping through many books. But it's in my nature okay? Okay.

So, I belong to this website called Library Thing where I can list all the books I have in my library...kind of like Good Reads. (I'm Ceecee on one and Paperback Writer on the other. If you feel like joining me, let me know.

Anyway, one of the very cool features of Library Thing is the opportunity to get advanced copies of books. And finally, finally, I got my hands on a book. I don't remember requesting this book, but what the hey. A free book is a free book. And I'm keeping my end of the bargain up by actually reviewing it.

So, on to the book. The book is Black Ships by Jo Graham. It's a take on the Aeneid told from the viewpoints of an oracle named Gull. She is the daughter of a slave taken from Troy who can see - accurately - the future. One day, she sees nine black ships and knows that she will joining them and thus altering her life forever. It is their journey from Greece to Italy with detours in Egypt.

I throughly enjoyed this book and I hope it does well. I actually hope that Jo Graham will write more books like this...but then again, this is coming from the self-professed mythology junkie. :)

Five out of five stars.

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale

Paperback Writer here again with another book review. And I promise, I'm going to write a real review, not just these half reviews, I've been doing. Deal? Deal.

Anyway, last Thursday while Loki was performing I had the opportunity to do one of my favorite activities: namely wander around a bookstore in search of something new to read. I had several books in my hand when I came upon The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Now, I've seen this particular book time and time again, but the cover just did nothing for me. This time though, I decided to actually the blurb on the back.

It still didn't entice me to actually pick it and carry it around with me while I wandered the store, but I did take a picture of it on my cellphone. It's my favorite way of remembering books that I might want to read at a later time...just not right now. But after picking a few chick lit books, I decided I wanted something more weighty. And I wasn't in the mood for chick lit. (Though, really, am I ever? There's nothing wrong with chick lit, but I'm just not a chick lit type of girl.)

I thought about The Thirteenth Tale downstairs and decided to swap the books for that one downstairs. But I wanted to make sure that this book was a book that I was going to read. I read the first page, not bad. I decided to keep going. And that's when I ran into these lines:

"...I never read without making sure I am in a secure position...I was so seduced by the descriptions of underwater life that I unconsciously relaxed my muscles. Instead of being held buoyant by the water that so vividly surrounded me in my mind, I plummeted to the ground and knocked myself out. I can still feel the scar under my fringe now. Reading can be dangerous..."

Tell me, how does a bibliophile not resist a book that tells you that reading can be dangerous? That was Thursday night, I finished the book last night before I went to bed. A rather rare thing for me, which suggests that I gave up some things that I said I was going to do in favor for finishing the book.

That being said, Paperback Writer, what is the book about? It's about a reclusive writer who knows that she is approaching the end of her days and has decided to tell her life story. Her true life story. She chooses a quiet, bookish woman to write it. And in the process the reader comes to understand that the writer and the biographer have a lot more in common than they think. It is very gothic in nature - something I never really identified with or against - and it's just well written. A lot of mystery, ghosts, secrets and family.

I highly recommend this book. In fact, if you want, I can loan you my copy. Just as long as you give it back to me.

Five out of five stars.