Brother Cadfael's Penance - Ellis Peters

brother cadfael's penance

ellis peters

c. 1994

292 pages

completed 5/23/2011

read for: historical fiction challenge

*may contain spoilers*

The Earl of Leicester's courier came riding over the bridge that spanned the Severn, and into the town of Shrewsbury, somewhat past noon on a day at the beginning of November, with three months' news in his saddle-roll.

The last adventure of the series sees Brother Cadfael embark on a personal mission. King Stephen and Empress Maud show no signs of ending their civil war and after the loss of a battle, many of the Empress' men are imprisoned in the castles of the King's men, most available for ransom, but some not. Cadfael discovers one of those men to be Olivier de Bretagne, the son he had only recently learned of. Cadfael travels with Hugh to a peace conference between the two factions in the hopes of discovering his son's whereabouts. While there, a murder takes place and an old friend of Cadfael's is accused, Yves Hugonin, now the brother-in-law of Olivier. Yves is taken prisoner by the same man whispered to be holding Olivier. Now Cadfael has two men to rescue, but his leave from his duties does not extend past the conference. Cadfael must choose between the home he loves and a son who has no knowledge of his father.

It's taken me a long time to get around to reviewing this. To be honest, I'm devastated that I read the last book. There's no more Cadfael. I've read all the books and seen all the Mystery! episodes (you should really rebroadcast those, Masterpiece Mystery). When I read the last page I seriously considered starting the first book over again. But no...I am finished. It's time to find a new mystery series (preferably one starring a Benedictine monk with his best friend the Sheriff of Shropshire).

This installment is a little odd in that the murder mystery plays a serious second banana to the story of Cadfael rescuing Olivier. This was somewhat similar to Summer of the Danes except in this case I was super enthralled with by Cadfael's rescue mission so I didn't really mind/notice the lack of mystery. 

The best part of the book, for me, was the odd friendship that developed between Cadfael and Phillip Fitz Robert, Olivier and Yves' captor. I think it's a testament to Peters' skill as an author that while Phillip could have easily been nothing but a monster, instead his relationships with Cadfael, Olivier, and even his father show him to be so much more. He turns out to be an extremely complicated and intelligent man, and one who was quite likable. Yes, his treatment of Olivier was unfair, but when it's understood it almost comes across as reasonable. His motives behind his more treasonous actions excellently add to his complexity. He is not a traitor for personal gain but for peace - anything to end the bloodshed. His grey thinking can't be understood by the black and white Olivier, making their relationship especially tense, but is understood by Cadfael. I was glad when he let Olivier go and then Olivier returned the favor by rescuing him from Empress Maud.

I was especially moved by one particular moment in the book. Empress Maud had attacked Fitz Robert's castle and when all was definitely lost and himself severely wounded, Fitz Robert allowed Cadfael to let Olivier out. The two then devised a plan to escape with Fitz Robert. It is during this meeting that Cadfael and Olivier come together both in full knowledge of their father/son relationship for the first time, and Olivier has to ask him for help into his armour and says "If I am going, as well go quickly. This once, my father, will you be my squire and help me to arm?" and I don't know. I was moved.

Lastly, I felt the ending was the perfect way to close out the series. To be honest, I wish there could have been one last scene between Cadfael and Hugh, but I don't think it could have been worked in. It would have been disrespectful and out of character to visit him before the Abbot, and it would have been anti-climactic after Abbot Radulfus' simple and beautiful "Get up now, and come with your brothers into the choir." So I'll take it as it is and just know in my heart that Cadfael and Hugh had many more adventures together.

If you haven't read these books, you need to immediately.

5/5

The Holy Thief - Ellis Peters

the holy thief
ellis peters
c. 1992
275 pages
completed 1/12/2011

read for: historical fiction challenge, page to screen challenge

*may contain spoilers*

In the height of a hot summer, in late August of 1144, Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, deferred to the heat of the sun, and made the final, fatal mistake of his long and opportunist career.

Ramsey Abbey had fallen prey to a band of soldiers of the Empress Maud's party who had left their cause for the more fortuitous pursuits of ransacking and pillaging northern England. The sudden death of Geoffrey de Mandeville left them without a leader and the monks were able to reclaim their abbey. Sub-Prior Herluin and his enigmatic companion Brother Tutillo travel to Shrewsbury in search of money, supplies, and labor to aid in Ramsey Abbey's rebuilding. They stay long enough to help the monks of Shrewsbury protect their treasures against a tremendous flood. When the flood is over and the monks of Ramsey leave, Shrewsbury discovers its most precious treasure, the bones of St. Winifred, is missing. It's quickly discovered to be making its way to Ramsey. Brother Cadfael aids Hugh Beringar to discover if the theft was the work of a man or if St. Winifred herself made her way into the cart. But before the matter can be settled, Cadfael and Hugh may find their holy thief to be a murderer as well.

As the penultimate book in the Brother Cadfael Chronicles, The Holy Thief doesn't disappoint. Brother Cadfael is right in the thick of things, befriending and aiding the accused, breaking some abbey rules in order to investigate, conferring and conspiring with Hugh and Abbot Radulfus. I was pretty disappointed with the last installment (see: Summer of the Danes), but this one was back on track.

Cadfael's relationship with St. Winifred has always been an element of these books that I've really enjoyed. Sometimes Cadfael can come across as slightly too practical for a monk so witnessing their communion is always nice, especially considering what's actually in St. Winifred's reliquary. I also really appreciated the balance between Cadfael's practical feelings on the trial by bible element of the theft (a scene I really enjoyed) as well as his experience of the miraculous as he interpreted the words. Though he knows those can easily be rigged and interpreted in many ways, the words spoke to him very specifically.

In every installment in the series there is always at least one set of lovers (one of which is usually the accused) that Cadfael helps to bring together. And USUALLY I always like them. There have been occasions where I wasn't wild about one or the other (again Summer of the Danes springs to mind). In this case, I liked both characters separately, but the two together left me cold. First off, they didn't interact a whole lot so I wasn't able to see and understand them falling in love. They seemed a little mismatched to me.

I always love when one of these books makes reference to characters and events from previous episodes. And this one had lots of shout outs: Brother Columbanus, Liliwin, and Soulien Blount, all from different books. Nice.

I only have one more to go. I'm going to be so sad to see the series end. :(

4/5

As I read this in part for the Page to Screen Challenge, check out my review of the 1998 TV-movie version here.

The Summer of the Danes - Ellis Peters

the summer of the danes
ellis peters
c. 1991
245 pages
completed 8/9/2010

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

The extraordinary events of that summer of 1144 may properly be said to have begun the previous year, in a tangle of threads both ecclesiastic and secular, a net in which any number of diverse people became enmeshed: clerics, from the archbishop down to Bishop Roger de Clinton's lowliest deacon, and the laity from the princes of North Wales down to the humblest cottager in the trefs of Arfon.

Brother Mark, who once was Brother's Cadfael assistant in the abbey's herb garden, has gone on to become a deacon to Bishop Roger de Clinton and has been sent as an envoy to the newly appointed Bishop Gilbert in the North of Wales. Needing an interpreter, his old mentor Cadfael is allowed to accompany him. But what should have been a quick and pleasant foray in Wales quickly turns more deadly Cadfael and Mark find themselves thrust into the middle of warring brother princes and foreign invaders.

I think this has to be my least favorite installment in the Brother Cadfael mysteries simply because there was no mystery. I mean, someone was murdered, but no one really cared too much because of the immediate threat of war. In the last chapter there is a deathbed confession by the murderer, but by that time you'd kind of forgotten who it was that had been murdered so you really didn't care. And Cadfael was really in no way involved. I think I've said it before, but I really like the formulaic nature of the earliest episodes and the ones that stray from that formula aren't nearly as good.

I also had a big problem with the lovers in this edition. In each mystery, there are always two people who are already in love or who fall in love that Cadfael kind of has to help out, and normally they're incredibly endearing and worthy of Cadfael's devotion. Occasionally there have been a few that have taken some time for me to warm up to, but eventually they always win me over. Not this time. Heledd was frosty and malicious towards her father (though I do agree she had some cause for this) and even kind of mean to Brother Mark in the beginning. And I love Brother Mark. There is no need to go out of your way to make him uncomfortable just because you think it's funny.

So to sum up there was no real mystery and an unsatisfactory love story. I did enjoy learning more about Prince Owain of Gwynedd and his family, but that's not enough. Sad.

3/5

The Potter's Field - Ellis Peters

the potter's field
ellis peters
c. 1989
230 pages
completed 4/20/2010

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

Saint Peter's Fair of that year, 1143, was one week past, and they were settling down again into the ordinary routine of a dry and favorable August, with the corn harvest already being carted into the barns, when Brother Matthew the cellarer first brought into chapter the matter of business he had been discussing for some days during the fair with the prior of the Augustine priory of Saint John the Evangelist, at Haughmond, about four miles to the northeast of Shrewsbury.

As a field newly attained by the Shrewsbury Abbey is plowed, the monks make a startling discovery. Buried at the very edge of the field, with hands neatly folded around a crude wooden cross, is the remains of a woman. With only a mane of black hair to identify her, Hugh Beringar is hard pressed to give the skeleton a name. Various tales of missing dark haired women begin surfacing, such as the companion of a peddler who dodges fee collectors at the Abbey's annual fair or the former wife of a newly tonsured brother of Shrewsbury. Brother Cadfael and Hugh Beringar must first identify their victim before they can even begin to discover her murderer.

I really don't want to keep reading the Cadfael books because I know that soon they're going to end. If I quit, I'll know there will always be more. I think I only have three more to go. I'll be so sad when they're all over. :(

Once again, I find it difficult to review a book where I have seen the movie so many times (I say movie, but I guess technically it was a television series). Also, seeing as this is the seventeenth Cadfael book I've read, I'm kind of running out of things to say. I always love the characters, Hugh especially. I love that there are always different reasons for the murder to take place. And this is no exception. In fact, I always felt that this particular mystery was quite surprising. What really happened is so hard for Cadfael and Hugh (and so the reader) to make out until all is revealed that even though I knew the movie really well, there were several times I honestly thought the outcome was going to be different in the book (ps, it wasn't). So I suppose that's quite good mystery writing.

I'm sorry this review is kind of boring...the book is not!

5/5

The Heretic's Apprentice - Ellis Peters

the heretic's apprentice
ellis peters
c. 1990
250 pages
completed 1/9/2010

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

On the nineteenth day of June, when the eminent visitor arrived, Brother Cadfael was in the abbot's garden, trimming off dead roses.

So begins the sixteenth chronicle of Brother Cadfael. In this latest installment, Elave is newly returned from a pilgrimage with his master to the Holy Land. Upon his return, he is accused of heresy and called before Abbot Radolfus to answer the charges. After the hearing, Radolfus decides the case must be put before Bishop Roger de Clinton, however it will be several days before the Bishop is able to visit Shrewsbury. As they wait for his arrival, Elave's accuser turns up dead and naturally all fingers point to Elave. Who else had such a grudge against the man? Cadfael, who has taken a special liking to Elave, must team up with Sheriff Hugh Beringar to discover if Elave will be facing a murder trial as well as one for heresy.

It took me a little while to read this installment, but I think most of that is due to school starting up again this week so I've been a little busy. Had I not been busy, I probably would have zipped through it.

This was a great episode in the series. I like how even though there are always the same sort of stock figures in each book (most especially in the characters of the lovers), there are enough difference in characterization to not make the reader feel like you're reading the same story over and over. There are enough differences between Elave and say Torold Blund from One Corpse Too Many or Liliwin from The Sanctuary Sparrow to make the reader look at each character as an individual.

I especially enjoyed the theological discussion that made its way into this installment. While these books have Catholic monks at their center, there is often very little discussion of religion. It's very much just a background or setting, not a player in the story. Instead, this time we dove into the issue of heresy and what it meant to question the absolute truth of the Church during this time. There was some discussion of specific Catholic doctrines and specific Catholic writings and figures and I found myself extremely interested in that. It's funny that there is such mention of the writings of St. Augustine because I'm actually taking the History of Christianity as one of m classes this quarter and we're reading his Confessions.

If I haven't said it before, I think everyone should read this series and fall in love with Brother Cadfael. I like to think Cadfael and I could have been BFF.

5/5

The Confession of Brother Haluin - Ellis Peters

the confessions of brother haluin
ellis peters
c. 1988
196 pages
completed 12/22/2009

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

After a forty foot fall off the roof of the abbey guest hall, Brother Haluin makes a deathbed confession to both Abbot Radolfus and Brother Cadfael concerning a deadly sin against a girl in his past that he has kept hidden for eighteen years. Only Brother Haluin does not die. Slowly he begins to mend, and when he is recovered enough he takes it upon himself to embark on a pilgrimage to ask forgiveness from the people involved in his past sin. Because he will never regain the full use of his feet, which were mangled in the fall, and is forced to go on crutches, Brother Cadfael is ordered to accompany Brother Haluin on his pilgrimage. The two set off on what should be a pretty straight forward errand, but instead get mixed up in deceit, betrayals, thwarted lovers, and murder. And so it is left to Cadfael to untangle the mystery.

Once again, I think I was just so excited to read something that wasn't assigned to me! I couldn't put this down. Yesterday I was supposed to be wrapping presents, but I was in the middle of the third chapter and I thought to myself "I'll just finish this chapter and then I'll wrap my presents." Yeah, eleven chapters later I was done with the book and my presents were still unwrapped.

I had a few quibbles with this edition. First of all, there was just not enough Hugh! He is my favorite and for me, the more Hugh the more enjoyment. But obviously, this takes place outside his jurisdiction. And we got some Hugh at the beginning, so that was good.

Second, there wasn't a lot of mystery. Well, that's not exactly true. There was some weird stuff going on and I as the reader was certainly confused and intrigued, but it wasn't like Cadfael was really out solving a mystery. He was just sort of there. And because of this, Cadfael never really formed a relationship with either of the lovers. Normally he becomes one of their confidantes and advocates, but in this instance he just sort of knew them both. I'm sure as soon as he was gone, he was forgotten. I don't think that is normally the case.

And lastly, I was not satisfied with the ending of Haluin and Bertrande. Perhaps I am too young to find something I had lost so long ago and be able to just keep it as a beautiful memory. I would want it for real. All this being said, I still couldn't put it down. And I didn't really think of these quibbles until after I had finished reading, so they didn't detract from the reading at all. I am going to be very sad when I am finally finished with this series.

5/5

The Hermit of Eyton Forest - Ellis Peters

the hermit of eyton forest
ellis peters
c. 1987
224 pages
completed 10/22/2009

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

It is the autumn of 1142 and Richard Ludel has died, leaving his ten year old son Richard, currently a pupil at Shrewsbury Abbey, lord of Eaton Manor. Richard's grandmother, Dame Dionisia, wants Richard to return home immediately and marry the daughter of the lord of the adjacent manor (a girl twelve years Richard's senior), thus extending their land and power. Richard wants none of this, and with the support of Abbot Radulfus opts to stay at the abbey to complete his schooling, leaving his manor in the able hands of his steward, a choice the infuriates Dionisia. Meanwhile, a hermit and his servant boy comes to live on Richard's manor, and a man hunting his runaway villein takes up lodging at the abbey. Soon, this man is found dead in the forest, the hermit's servant boy runs off, and Richard goes missing. Cadfael and Hugh must untangle these seemingly unrelated threads to discover the murderer.

I think during the last couple reviews of these Cadfael books, I had begun to complain about the shift from the initial structure of the mysteries, but this one is right back to what I like. A murder occurs that is directly related to the abbey in some way (in this instance the victim was their guest), and both Hugh and Radulfus look the Cadfael for the answers. Cadfael befriends someone who's identity no one else can know, and helps two people fall in love. Classic.

There was a lot going on in this book. There were several mysteries that seemed to be completely unrelated to each other, but by the end we saw how everything was connected. I always love young mischievous boys, so Richard was great fun. My only complaint was the hermit's servant boy. How can you take a boy seriously who's name is Hyacinth?

Glad these books seem to be back on track. I wish there were hundreds of them.

5/5

The Rose Rent - Ellis Peters

the rose rent
ellis peters
c. 1986
240 pages
completed 6/18/2009

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

Set in the spring of 1142, The Rose Rent is a mystery revolved around the young widow Judith Pearle, the house she bequeathed to the Shrewsbury Abbey for a rent of an annual white rose from the garden, and the murder of the young Brother Eluric who was in love with Judith. Brother Cadfael and Hugh Berringar work together to uncover the murderer. However, the mystery is intensified after the disappearance of Judith and the death of another young man of her household.

Slowly but surely I am making my way through these books. It's nice that I get to go back and forth between ones where I am familiar with the story since they were made into episodes for the TV series and ones that are completely new. This installment is one I have seen many times. It's a little hard to review the books that I've seen the movie for...

This one is good. It's an interesting and somewhat romantic mystery, what with the rent being a single white rose. There were some changes/additions to the story when the movie was made. Unfortunately since I saw the movie first, I was disappointed to not find those things in the book. Niall Bronzesmith is a little bit of a question mark in the movie, a little angry and bitter and a possible suspect, but in the book he's sweet and incredibly caring. The climax of the movie is a little more intense with the murderer setting the house and rosebush on fire and trying to burn himself and Judith unless she agrees to marry him, but that does not happen at all in the book. Other than those little discrepancies that disappointed me a bit, this installment was very enjoyable. And I guess I can't really fault the book for not having those bits.

4/5

The Raven in the Foregate - Ellis Peters

the raven in the foregate
ellis peters
c. 1986
216 pages
completed 4/21/2009

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

This is book twelve in the Brother Cadfael mysteries. Set in 1141, this series takes place in medieval England during the civil between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Maude. In this book, Father Adam, a kindly parish priest, passes away. Abbot Radulfus, the head of Shrewsbury Abbey, appoints Father Ailnoth, a former clerk of Bishop Henry, to fill the position. Father Ailnoth looks good on paper, he is scholarly and well versed in Latin, but he is completely lacking in human compassion and immediately alienates and ostracizes his parishioners, making enemies at every turn. Then he turns up dead, drowned in the mill pond with a blow to the back of the head, as Hugh Berringer, the acting sheriff of Shropshire, is called away to spend Christmas with the King and hopefully be confirmed in office. Add to the mix the news that two spies for the Empress Maude may be loose in the county, one of whom may have been unknowingly brought to the abbey as a groom by Father Ailnoth himself, and the deputy sheriff has no idea where to begin to uncover the culprit.

(In case anyone is wondering, I am trying to add a little more plot synopsis into my reviews instead of just diving in.)

This addition to the series went back to the tried and true formula that had been missing from the previous two. Cadfael was the one who discovered the dead body, Cadfael discussed the mystery with Radulfus, the deputy sheriff, and then Hugh upon his return, and it was Cadfael who inevitably solved the mystery. Yea for Cadfael!

I love it when they reference past books and characters. We got to briefly hear about Brother John, one of Cadfael's assistants before he left the order to marry a Welsh girl (seen in A Morbid Taste for Bones). And we got to get a little update on Godith Adeney and Torold Blund who were seen and helped by Cadfael in One Corpse Too Many. They have since gotten married. And it's nice to know Torold is still running around Shrewsbury doing secret missions for the Empress.

For this particular installment, the conclusion of the murder (or lack there of) was a bit of a downer. A bit anti-climactic. Up until that point everything was very exciting, but the actually conclusion itself was a bit of a let down. I had all sorts of wild conspiracy theories going on, but in the end...eh.

4/5

An Excellent Mystery - Ellis Peters

an excellent mystery
ellis peters
c. 1985
214 pages
completed 1/24/2009

read for: brother cadfael chronicles

*may contain spoilers*

This is the eleventh chronicle of the Brother Cadfael mystery series. And just like the last one, it didn't have the same structure as the others which again put me off a little. This time, I don't think Cadfael had ANYTHING to do with the mystery (what happened to Julian Cruce who obviously did NOT take the veil like she had said she was going to). It was all Hugh and Nicholas. Cadfael was just kind of in the background. He sprang to action at the end when he found out what was up with Brother Fidelis, but he had never gone looking to figure that out. He just somehow did.

The mystery was odd to me. I just don't think it worked that same way some of the others have. Though I will say that the twist at the end caught me totally by surprise. I was so frustrated up until I finally figured it out. All these hints kept being dropped and people in the story were figuring it out and talking as if the reader should have figured it out, that I really thought I had missed something. But then it was revealed and my mind was blown.

I was glad the title was explained at the end. I thought it just meant that this mystery was a humdinger, but it actually had meaning behind it. They excellent mystery is the mystery of marriage.

And last, could have done without the character of Brother Urien. I don't really understand what his purpose was other than being creepy.

4/5

The Pilgrim of Hate - Ellis Peters

the pilgrim of hate
ellis peters
c. 1984
190 pages
completed 10/6/2008

*may contain spoilers*

First off, I am happy to report that I have finally moved passed the first nine books of this series. It has taken me a long time, but I have broken that personal barrier.

I have always been wary of starting this book since it is the episode I like least in the "Mystery" TV version. But after reading it I have discovered it is NOTHING like the movie. Maybe some of the same names and circumstances (crippled boy, barefoot pilgrim, etc), but personality and motives? Totally different.

This book starts out different that all the others, at least it seemed to me. Up until now, the beginning of each novel showcases a crime: a murder or murder attempt or sometimes just a theft that will lead to murder, and Cadfael eventually takes upon himself the task of solving the mystery (or aiding Hugh in solving the mystery). This time, a murder is mentioned, but it doesn't really have anything to do with Cadfael and his goings on. It something sad he hears about, but he doesn't find himself connected with it until very late in the book, and then only by accident. He never goes looking to solve a case, information just falls into his lap. So you're never really caught up in the mystery.

It was enjoyable to have Olivier back. He's an interesting character and has a VERY interesting relationship with Cadfael. I hope that we see him again, and that eventually he will come to know his full relationship with Cadfael. And I was glad Hugh was confided in with both of Cadfael's secrets, both about Winifred and Olivier.

I love, Love, LOVE this series, but this one just didn't have the same structure as the others so I can't give it a perfect rating.

4/5

Summertime, when the living is easy...

Rock Creek Rumblings is hosting the 2008 Summer Reading Challenge. Just like her Spring Reading Challenge (see sidebar) I have recently finished, the basic idea is to make a list for the summer and try your best to stick with it. I didn't finish last season's list (one and a half books to go), but I'm going to try for the same number of books again this time.

My booklist:

June...
The Sanctuary Sparrow: Ellis Peters
Standing in the Rainbow: Fannie Flagg
Madame Bovary: Gustav Flaubert
Saturday: Ian McEwan
Searching for Dragons: Patricia C. Wrede
July...
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen: Susan Gregg Gilmore
Little Women: Louis May Alcott
The Devils' Novice: Ellis Peters
Quite a Year For Plums: Bailey White
Daisy Miller: Henry James
August...
Blonde: Joyce Carol Oates
Calling On Dragons: Patricia C. Wrede
Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde: Robert Louis Stevenson
Dead Man's Ransom: Ellis Peters
The Third Chimpanzee: Jared Diamond

We'll see how I do this time!

At the finish line...

As we have finished with the month of May, so have we finished with the Book Binge. I did not read many books this month, but was okay with the amount anyway.

My books and ratings were:

1. The Red and the Black - Stendhal 4/5
2. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 4/5
3. The Virgin in the Ice - Ellis Peters (reread)
4. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (reread)
And working on 5. The Sanctuary Sparrow - Ellis Peters

Also finished is the Spring Reading Challenge!

My plan for this challenge was to read 15 books during the months of March, April, and May and while I didn't reach my goal, I got pretty close. I'm in the middle of book 14 and will finish it hopefully tomorrow.

My books and ratings were:

1. The Saffron Kitchen - Yasmin Crowther 3/5
2. St. Peter's Fair - Ellis Peters (reread)
3. Dealing With Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede (reread)
4. Cast Two Shadows - Ann Rinaldi (reread)
5. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 4/5
6. The Leper of St. Giles - Ellis Peters (reread)
7. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard - Kiran Desai 2/5
8. The Last Silk Dress - Ann Rinaldi (reread)
9. The Whale Rider - Witi Ihimaera 5/5
10. The Red and the Black - Stendhal 4/5
11. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 4/5
12. The Virgin in the Ice - Ellis Peters (reread)
13. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (reread)

And last of all, finished with the Heart of a Child Challenge!

For this challenge we had to reread some of our favorite books from our childhood.

My books were:

1. Dealing With Dragons - Patricia. C. Wrede
2. The Last Silk Dress - Ann Rinaldi
3. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

Wow. A lot of wrap ups!

Booking through thursday #4...

You should have seen this one coming … Who is your favorite Male lead character? And why? First off, sorry this is a day late. Again, like last week, this was a somewhat difficult question to answer. My favorite male characters are never the leads. As I have always thought myself to be one, I will forever be a lovable sidekick girl. I like that guy who's funny, but isn't always important. But since we're talking about lead characters, I would say (probably since I'm currently rereading the series) Brother Cadfael, the 11th century monk detective, from Ellis Peter's Brother Cafael Chronicles. After a lifetime of being a crusader, he retired into a life of servitude at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. Because of his previous life and experience, he is able to understand the world around him so much better than the rest of his brothers and as such is always willing the lend his help to his friend Hugh Berringar, the under-sherrif of Shropshire. His patience and understanding is never ending, his ability to put everything including his duties as a monk into perspective and priority is infallible, and his humor and love of mischief is refreshing.

To spring forward...

Spring is upon us! March is here and outdoor life is beginning again. And so is the Spring Reading Challenge!


The rules are simple. Just make a list of the books you plan to read during the months of March, April, and May and start reading.

My list will be:
1. The Saffron Kitchen - Yasmin Crowther (which I'm already halfway through reading)
2. St. Peter's Fair - Ellis Peters
3. Dealing With Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede
4. Cast Two Shadows - Ann Rinaldi
5. Love in a Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
6. The Leper of St. Giles - Ellis Peters
7. The Red and the Black - Stendhal
8. The Last Silk Dress - Ann Rinaldi
9. The Whale Rider - Witi Ihimaera
10. The Virign in the Ice - Ellis Peters
11. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
12. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard - Kiran Desai
13. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
14. The Sanctuary Sparrow - Ellis Peters
15. Madame Bovary - Gustav Flaubert

15 books, that's 5 books a month. Slightly ambitious for me, but isn't that part of what makes something a challenge? Many, if not most, of these are books being read for other challenges, but it's kind of nice to map it out so clearly.

Books Read in 2007

1. The Courts of Love - Jean Plaidy (3/5)
2. The Giver - Lois Lowry (4/5)
3. Dead Man Walking - Sister Helen Prejean
4. A Million Little Pieces - James Fray (4/5)
5. Or Give Me Death - Ann Rinaldi (4/5)
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling (5/5)
7. A Respectable Trade - Phillippa Gregory (3/5)
8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling (reread)
9. Sex With the Queen - Eleanor Herman (4/5)
10. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
11. Wicked - Gregory Maguire (2/5)
12. Wise Children - Angela Carter (5/5)
13. The Castle of Ortranto - Horace Walpole (2/5)
14. Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury (3/5)
15. The Boleyn Inheritance - Phillippa Gregory (4/5)
16. The Cement Garden - Ian McEwan (3/5)
17. A Morbid Taste for Bones - Ellis Peters (reread)
18. One Corps Too Many - Ellis Peters (reread)

Favorite Fiction: Wise Children Least
Favorite Fiction: The Castle of Otranto
Favorite NonFiction: Sex With the Queen
Favorite ReRead: One Corpse Too Many

January goals...

Okay, so it's true that I've already posted about my new Christams books today, but now I think I am going to be setting some January goals. I may be extremely busy during January since I'm getting ready to move from Seattle to San Diego (or from Canado to Mexico as my dad likes to say) around January 12th, but I am determined that since I have no job other than packing and moving, I will most likely have some down time. And in that down time I intend to read a great deal. And so my goal is to finish the two novels in my 'Currently Reading' list (the histories and non fiction can sometimes take me A WHILE) and the five novels in my 'In Line to be Read' list. And since I oftentimes will change up those lists, I will be writing them all down here to make sure I don't forget.


Adolphe - Benjamin Constant
Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Persuasion - Jane Austin
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
LA Confidential - James Ellroy
Monks Hood - Ellis Peters
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

Number 1 on my New Years Resolutions list!

Lost treasures...

I have had LA Confidential in my "In Line To Be Read" list for quite some time. To be honest, I bought it and started to read it once before, probably close to a year ago, but I don't think I got much farther than the first chapter. It's next on my list of the "100 Greatest Novels" and so it's next on my "In Line To Be Read" list and since I finished reading The Cement Garden, I figured now would be a good time to try again. Unfortunately, I can't find it! I don't know what I've done with the book. And so to tied me over until I find it, I've started rereading the Brother Cadfael mysteries, an immensely delightful series of murder mystery novels about and 11th century monk playing detective. One thing about the Brother Cadfael series, and really any series for me, is when I want to read them I have to start at the beginning. It's one of my super weird quirks, but I absolutely will not ever read a series of books out of order. There are roughly 21 books in this series. My favorite Brother Cadfael book is the second, One Corpse Too Many, but if I decide I want to read it, I have to read A Morbid Taste For Bones first. And then if I quit reading them for a while and then want to start reading them again, I have to start at the beginning. Which is possibly why I've never been able to make it past the 9th book and I've read the first few a ridiculous amount of time. It's a good thing I enjoy the first few so much.