Wolf Hall bu Hilary Mantel

Winner of the Man Booker prize, Wolf Hall, is a gem of a novel. The reader is positioned behind the eyes of Thomas Cromwell in the 1520’s as he battles for Henry VIII in his resolve to divorce Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn. The character Cromwell as drawn by Mantel is smart, witty, shows moments of kindness and humanity and is intuitive in the reading of the motivations of the nobility and the king. Born in humble and brutal circumstances to a blacksmith, his intelligence is self made and rises above everyone around him. Above all he is faithful servant first to Cardinal Wolsey and then Henry VIII.

What is most interesting is the portrayal of Sir Thomas More as the reversal of the sainted movie hero in A Man for all Seasons. . In the book he is flawed, nasty, narcissistic and a fanatical torturer of heretics. More is his rigidness to his idealistic spirituality contrasts with Cromwell’s worldly adaptation to the political environment of Tudor England.

Court politics abound along with the political conniving of Rome, the clerics, and the royalty of France and Spain. This is a lively emotional novel with Anne Boleyn, Catherine, Mary Tudor, and Jane Seymour starring in vivid roles.

In an NPR interview Hilary Mantel is questioned why she champions villains in her novel. If a historical figure has been given bad press armed with a sense of justice she is drawn into a re-examination of his life. She feels she does not have to redeem the character of Cromwell the facts will redeem him.

The English American by Alison Larkin

As an Anglophile, I guess my most deep, dark fantasy (no, NOT that kind) is that I will find out that I was switched at birth…and that my real parents are British! Trust me…this is not an insult to my American parents. They would be MORE than happy to trade me to an unsuspecting couple across the pond. But, alas, my fantasy is just that…fiction. Well, in this novel, the first by stand-up comedienne/actress Alison Larkin, the main character, Pippa, is raised by British adoptive parents in England but finds out that her biological parents are truly American. This immediately makes sense to Pippa, since she’s always considered herself something of an American-phile but most importantly, she is NOTHING like most the British people around her. This information propels Pippa on a quest to find her true identity and the reasons for all of her non-British idiosyncrasies. Larkin, herself, is a biological American and adoptive Brit, so the story resonates very true. Larkin’s writing style is sharp and witty and Pippa is a truly engaging and highly enjoyable character. We want her to be happy…whether in America or England. For me, I will just keep searching for that one day when I find my true parents…and I’m able to go home where I belong...England! Sorry mom and dad.

Try a Graphic Novel

Stitches by David Small

If you haven't read many graphic novels, this is a good place to start. Actually a memoir, Stitches reads like a novel. It is the story of a little boy who loves to draw growing up in an abusive, loveless household. He wishes he could escape down the rabbit hole with Alice. As a young teen he has an operation that results in his losing half his vocal cords and consequently his voice. The rest of the story is about his survival and recovery. Stitches is an intense and rewarding reading experience.



Small is a children's book illustrator, and his drawings add so much to the story. Small conveys an amazing amount of feeling and intelligence in a few simple lines. Note the drawing of his mother at the bottom of page 113 and compare it with the photo of Small on the inside back cover. You won't believe the resemblance.

Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge

This book was a very pleasant surprise. Having never read Goudge before, I did what I usually do with new authors – give the first 50 pages a go – apprehensively. Right from the start, though, I was hooked. Goudge has an excellent knack for building characters from the ground up…and using those characters to be the basis for her strong storytelling. This story starts, told mostly in the present but also during WWII, with the story of Alice, a mother who just lost her older son and cannot deal with the not guilty verdict the jury just turned in on her son's drunk driving killer. Alice's story flash-forwards nine years later...and is then interwoven with the story of another wandering soul...Colin, who is in AA and recently widowed. Both of these main characters, as well as the sub-characters, are engaging and full of intensity...and passion. We want to get to know them better...we want them to get their troubles resolved. We want them to be happy. I would read Goudge again in a heartbeat!

A BIG LITTLE LIFE - A MEMOIR OF A JOYFUL DOG by Dean Koontz

I love dogs. I own a dog. Often, I like him more than about 90% of the people I know. I also enjoy books about the relationships between men and their dogs. Especially when the gruff guy shows a kinder, gentler side to his personality as a result of the actions of his dog.

One of the best "guy/dog" books I have read is "Merle's Door" by Ted Kerasote. It is a wonderful true story that is sensitive without being sappy.

Although I love the "guy/dog" books, I know that they will never end well. The dog always dies.
About two-thirds of the way into the book, the guy finds "a lump" on the dog's leg, or the dog develops this phlegmy cough. You know you are pages away from uncontrollable sobbing.... by both you and the guy.

So, it was with delight that I picked up the latest book by Dean Koontz noted for his suspenseful raw thrillers. Koontz and his wife, following years of consideration, adopt a three-year-old golden retriever from Canine Companions, an organization that provides service dogs to those in need. The dog was on "early retirement" as a result of an elbow surgery. The book, a memoir of his 9-years with the dog, is about as far away from his usual shocking tales as one can get. I knew Koontz had an affinity for "goldens" as they are characters in many of his books, and his book jackets show a picture of him with a "golden".
Koontz delights in the mundane, day-to-day activities of "Trixie" to the point of some degree of boredom from this reader. It is also could be a little uncomfortable for the reader when he refers to Trixie as "my little girl" or tells her "your mom and I are so proud of you". But maybe that's because you do not expect that form of emotion from someone whose stories are otherwise so dark and chilling. Koontz also takes anthropomorphism to an extreme, but as a dog owner and lover I found it acceptable.
This book definitely shows another side of Koontz, and in the end.....I sobbed uncontrollably.

The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle

The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle is a fun, light wine mystery set mostly in the South of France that will get your taste buds all set for a good bottle of vino! Not really a true “mystery” (there is a caper element towards the end of the book) but rather more of a breezy whodunit where the end result is no where near as much fun as the finding-out-who part. Mayle (of A Year in Provence fame) knows how to write great characters with wonderful inter-play and chemistry…making this almost as much fun as an episode of Moonlighting (the TV show from the 1980s). And the setting of Marseilles, rural Provence, Paris, and even Los Angeles make for a perfect backdrop to this entertaining romp about stolen wine.

Charley's Web by Joy Fielding

An excellent thriller -- my first read from Fielding. It was a true page-turner. I could hardly put it down -- even for sleep! About a journalist who gets suckered in to write the memoirs of a sadistic child killer, Fielding really has a way of increasing the suspense as the story progresses. Strong characters and a good, trick ending make it a must read for any thriller fan. Not exactly the most intellectual read ever, but for thriller fans, I would say it's a must! I'm going to try another Fielding soon and see if she's always this good!