Aline Templeton’s DI Marjory Fleming mystery series has been on my radar for four years, ever since one of my favorite mystery writers, Louise Penny, recommended it on her blog.
Alas, my library didn’t carry the books, so I placed a sticky note in my “authors to read” file to remind myself about this new author to try… someday.
Well, I was between books last year… slowly climbing up the library’s reserve list for Deborah Harkness‘ new novel, and went browsing through my to-read file looking for ideas.
And there was the sticky note saying “Aline Templeton – good author- per Louise Penny – DI Marjory Fleming.”
My library still didn’t have the books so I checked on Amazon and found ALL of the DI Fleming thrillers just waiting to be downloaded to my Kindle. Of course, I started with book 1 – Cold in the Earth – and I’m so glad I did. What a terrific introduction to a mystery series that is already a cut above most others in the field.
Here’s my review of the first book… and I know already that I’ll be following DI Marjory Fleming for the long run.
The main character, Detective Inspector Marjory Fleming, is a tall, athletic woman who is married to a sheep farmer in the Galloway, Scotland area. Fleming’s staff call her “Big Marge” when she’s not in hearing distance. Marjory and Bill have what appears to be a very strong marriage… until an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease threatens their way of life.
Bill follows the slaughtering of his neighbors’ cattle and sheep as officials attempt to halt the spread of this dreaded animal virus. And the disease keeps coming closer and closer until Marjory and the kids must leave the farm or face an indefinite quarantine keeping them away from job and school. Bill is left on his own to cope with angry neighbors and his own fears about their livelihood… not to mention the possible killing of his beloved sheep.
At the same time that the future of their farm is in jeopardy, DI Fleming finds herself heading up her first murder investigation. It appears that the body of a young woman found on the Mason farm has been gored to death… through the heart. And the Masons happened to own a bull called “Satan,” wild, uncontrollable and a possible murder suspect.
Image of Pamplona statue by Xauxa Hakan Svensson
A murder mystery with twists and turns
As Marjory begins to unravel the intricate threads of the murder mystery, we learn firsthand about the highly bizarre behaviors of the Mason family. Central to the plot is a psychologist named Laura who has arrived in Galloway to learn more about the whereabouts of her missing sister. Laura’s counseling experience helps us, as readers, get a glimpse into the dysfunctional minds of the Mason family.
The book doesn’t skimp on details, either. I liked the way the story line wove “tough” and somewhat offbeat subjects into a murder mystery. The story begins with a reminiscence of running-the-bulls in Pamplona, then ties in Laura’s sister, foot-and-mouth disease, the plight of animal farmers and “bull” psychology very neatly into the eventual outcome. In fact, the photo of the Pamplona statue that I use in the post depicts the powerful energy of the bulls in the story.
Templeton’s writing is superb. Her ability to bring characters alive on the page is masterful. And I love stories where I learn new things. The whole bull theme is very cool. Foot-and-mouth I experienced firsthand, when I spent the winter of 1967-68 in England. I wasn’t a vegetarian then, but I might as well have been for the absence of meat on the table and in the markets.
If you are a mystery book fan like I am and enjoy a “meaty” read (no serial killers, thank goodness), I think you’ll enjoy DI Marjory Fleming and her crew.
The Darkness and the Deep The fishing industry is going belly-up, causing local fishermen to move into drugs transport via the waterways. Aline Templeton puts you inside the mind of DI Fleming and also the community in which the crime takes place. You feel the anguish of the people involved and get a good understanding of the complex situation which the police are trying to unravel.
Lying Dead In book 3 of the series, Marjory’s investigative team is stretched to the limits, there are so many possible villains. It turns out that a woman found bludgeoned on a mountainside had prior relationships with many of the locals, including one of DI Fleming’s own detectives. What I especially like about these mysteries is Templeton’s method of letting the reader follow each detective’s logic (and intuition). We can “hear” Marjory mentally weigh the pros and cons of the possibilities. I’ve got sucked in to every story so far.
Many readers of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache/Three Pines books don’t know what to make of the 10th installment in the series, The Long Way Home. Some found the conversations boring, others wondered where the action was, and quite a few Amazon reviewers just plain didn’t like the ending.
Me? I thought it was her best book to date.
And the ending made me cry. At one in the morning, when I finished reading the story and then tried falling asleep.
Except I kept thinking about the book. And when I woke up in the morning, I was writing a review in my head.
Redemption for… Gamache, Beauvoir, the Morrows and a couple of art professors
After the bang-bang, shoot-shoot excitement of the previous book, How the Light Gets In, and its facile ending, I wondered where Penny would go with this 10th book featuring Chief Inspector Gamache. Could she redeem her writing reputation with this new book?
Well, yes.
The Long Way Home is as much about Penny’s redemption as it is about Gamache’s and Peter Morrow’s… and the two art professors who are at the center of the story.
The usual cast of characters is present: Jean-Luc Beauvoir, Gamache’s son-in-law and police sidekick for many years, the artist Clara Morrow, Myrna the bookstore owner/psychologist, comfort-food dispensers and Bistro owners Gabri and Olivier, and Ruth, the famous poet. Armand Gamache’s wife, Reine-Marie, plays a bigger role in this book than in most of the others. And that’s not surprising, given the emotional and physical turmoil Gamache was left to bear at the end of the last book.
The Gamaches have moved from Montreal to the village of Three Pines. Gamache has retired from the force, and is enjoying the peacefulness of his new life, after dealing with murder for so many years. He is also undergoing therapy with Myrna and daily confronting the fear and guilt that still linger after his injuries.
Revelations on a park bench
Very early every day, Armand Gamache walks over to the bench overlooking the village and opens a tiny book that he refuses to show anyone. He reads a few lines, comes to a bookmark placed there by his father and realizes he is not ready to go farther. Clara Morrow joins him on the bench and he senses she wants to reveal something important… but she stops before she can do so. Likewise, he is not willing to share what he is seeking: balm for his wounds.
The book he is reading: There Is A Balm in Gilead.
One day she tells him. Her husband, Peter, was supposed to have returned after a year’s trial separation – and didn’t. She would like Gamache to investigate why, fearing that Peter may have done harm to himself or that he didn’t love her anymore. She had an urgent need to know and, despite his fears about getting back into the investigation game, Gamache agrees to help her. In fact, all of their friends get involved in this intricate puzzle of the travels and whereabouts of Peter Morrow.
A breakdown? Or a breakthrough?
What I appreciated about “the long way home” that Penny traveled in this search for Peter was the intricate building of clues, the superlative dialogue, and the willingness of the characters to see past the obvious. The story essentially is a detailed travelogue into Peter Morrow’s mind and emotions.
If you’ve read any earlier books in the series, you’ll recall that Peter tended to play it safe and became bewildered and jealous when his artist wife, who took artistic chances, became more famous than him. As Peter unravels and then reintegrates the pieces of himself, we only see him through the clues he leaves. And through the feelings of those who love him.
The solutions to figuring out Peter’s whereabouts came partly through his credit card charges and partly through works of art he sent his nephew for safe-keeping. The Three Pines “explorers” who followed his tracks realized that Peter was either having a nervous breakdown – or a major artistic breakthrough.
Their first impression was negative, but when they looked more closely, they found things they hadn’t seen before. When they turned one of the pictures upside down, they saw a totally different work of art, evoking another emotion entirely. The “way home” to creative genius starts with a few painful steps, a few brush strokes on paper or canvas. Does Peter make it all the way? Well… that conclusion comes at the end of the book.
My summary: Louise Penny hits a home run with The Long Way Home
My previous favorite of the Gamache/Three Pines series had been The Beautiful Mystery. After reading the one in between that book and this one, I wasn’t at all certain that I’d continue following Louise Penny’s mysteries.
I’m very glad I did. This book kept me in a state of wonder all the way through. The relationships, the impeccable dialogue and the seat-of-the-pants journey made me a Louise Penny fan all over again.
The ending was tough, but the book was, after all, about courage, about facing our bogeymen, about redemption. About release, about coming home.
Chief Inspector Gamache books in order
I highly recommend that you read the Gamache/Three Pines books in publication date order. The relationships are such a part of each story and the characters grow (or regress) according to Penny’s story line.
Those of us who really get into these books almost feel like members of the village. We eat at the Bistro, buy our books in Myrna’s book shop, wave hello to Rosa the duck as she waddles after Ruth, the poet. We sink our tushes into the Adirondack chairs in Clara’s garden and feel the soothing peace that emanates from Three Pines (a village that, for some reason, does not appear on any map).
If you haven’t read the books, here’s the list in order of publication.
Still Life (start here to get a feel for the place and the characters)
The Aubrey-Maturin Series by Patrick O’Brian… with Reading Order List
H.M.S. Surprise by Logawi via Creative Commons
Master and Commander is the first book in Patrick O’Brian’s wonderful 21-book historical fiction series known as the “Aubrey-Maturin Series.”
It is also the name of the adventure movie with Russel Crowe although much of the action in the film was actually derived from books much farther down the list, especially Number 10, The Far Side of the World. So the 21 books are now known by the series title “Master and Commander” as well as “Aubrey-Maturin.” Not too confusing, I hope.
The Aubrey of the beloved books is Jack Aubrey, an officer of the Royal Navy whose heroic exploits we follow through 21 delightful books and much of the Napoleonic Wars. Stephen Maturin is his unlikely sidekick, confidant and best friend… the ship’s surgeon and an intelligence officer whose doings are not always known to Jack Aubrey.
So here we go… off to sea and the farther reaches of the earth. No Dramamine needed. Just bring your imagination and let’s see if I can convince you that Patrick O’Brian’s sea-faring adventures will keep you engrossed – I mean so completely engrossed – that it might be some time before you come up for air. There are 21 books in the series, after all… and not a moment to be lost!
[PS] If you get hooked on the series like I did, you’ll want to bookmark this page for future reference. Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin books are listed in order below.
[PPS] I don’t normally re-read novels, but this series is so good, I’ve read the entire series 3 times (so far). I catch a different nuance every time and it never, ever bores me.
Imagine yourself sitting in the music room of the Governor’s House on the island of Minorca in the year 1800, listening to a concert in which you are so transported by the music that your right hand moves in time with the violins – up, down, sideways. Ahhhh… bliss.
And then the concert-goer next to you has the audacity to suggest that you were not even keeping time with the music. And then as you gently, quietly hum in unison with the cello pom, pom-pom-pom, poom, your head bobbing in time, an elbow smashes into your ribs and an angry voice hisses at you to “shush.”
For Lieutenant Jack Aubrey, that was one more negative piled on to an already large heap that included his promised command of a ship being taken away at the last moment. Hopes high, then dashed low. A familiar theme throughout these books… and part of what keeps us readers engaged book after book.
But the news turns brighter when Jack receives a commission for a naval vessel – at long last. Not a war-ship, of course; rather a little transport sloop known as the Sophie. He will be its Master and Commander… not yet a Post Captain, eligible to command larger vessels, but it will do for now.
And the surly patron of the arts from the concert turns out to be a trained physician in need of transportation. As “luck” would have it, the Sophie’s previous surgeon has gone to another ship and so Stephen Maturin is invited to become the Sophie’s new surgeon. Stephen is not particularly adept at remembering where to stand when sails need to be raised or how to safely climb aboard the ship after a trip to port and, for a man with a command of so many other languages, the lingo of seamen seems to be somewhat beyond his ability to grasp. On the other hand, he performs wonderfully as a physician and surgeon, keeping wounded sailors alive better than most in his profession.
Jack Aubrey takes command of the Sophie, a rather sluggish boat with an under-manned crew, the remains of its previous crew who were not invited to join the departing captain on his new ship. But Jack is nothing if not resourceful and is able to call in a couple of favors to replenish his manpower, allowing him to set off on his first official voyage, that of convoying a small fleet of merchant ships to Cagliari, an island in the Mediterranean.
This is a humdrum routine for Captain Jack Aubrey, whose first task is to get his gun crews up to speed and his second, to outfit the Sophie to sail much faster. Daily practice at the fourteen 4-pounder cannons accomplishes the first mission. The second mission required a little delicate subterfuge with the navy stores, but it earned the Sophie a new mainyard and much more speed for Jack’s preferred plan of taking prizes. For Jack Aubrey is a master at capturing enemy ships, whether it is part of his naval orders or not. “Lucky” Jack Aubrey, they call him, for good reason.
On land, Jack does not function as well as he does at sea. Dr. Maturin, on the other hand, loves his opportunities to go ashore and find new specimens of flora and fauna to inspect and dissect. Maturin’s sea legs are a little slow in coming and the eye that is so keen at birdwatching does not always figure out what is happening in front of him on the ship’s deck, no matter how many times it is patiently explained by one crew member or another. This theme runs through all the books and makes the usually competent Maturin an entirely endearing character. Trepanning the gunner’s brain on the deck of the Sophie is child’s play compared to recalling the names of the 21 flags and multiple masts on the ship.
Aubrey lets his anger and impetuousness get the better of him on land, the main reason his promotions are always slow in arriving, but at sea he is a master in battle planning and quick life-saving action. Ineffectual as a sailor, Maturin otherwise is a master botanist, studious zoologist and resourceful ship’s surgeon. His intelligence work is merely hinted at in the first book, but his importance to government affairs becomes much more evident as the series progresses.
An invitation into the wonderful world of Aubrey and Maturin
Master and Commander lays the foundation for a deep understanding of man-of-war ships, of naval etiquette and bravery, of early 19th century medical procedures, of close and lasting relationships and long-into-the-night reading. The journeys of the Sophie and the adventures of her captain and crew are a captivating, colorful tapestry created by Patrick O’Brian’s dry, sly wit and exemplary writing.
This first book in the series introduces us to life on the shores of the Mediterranean in the year 1800 and to the very real dangers faced by captain and crew on the oceans of the world, especially in times of war – in this case, war with France and Napoleon. In fact, Jack and his crew are captured by the French toward the end of the book and must face a court-martial for the loss of their beloved Sophie, who now belongs to another navy altogether.
Ups and downs, like the waves on the ocean. High then low, with a few storms and calms interspersed. A life lived boldly. Loves felt deeply. Rewards given handsomely… or taken away by spite. A rich storyline, endearing people and so much to learn. My favorite combination for a fiction novel.
I hope you’ll decide to travel with Jack and Stephen and the Sophie and the Surprise and the loves of their lives… for they are coming into the picture, too. Come… the winds are in our favor – and there is no time to lose.
What’s a destitute sea captain to do when peace is declared? Hide from his creditors on land… or become a temporary substitute captain on another man’s ship? For Jack Aubrey, the choice is clear and he is given the acting command of an awkward vessel called the Polychrest, which had somehow acquired an alcoholic gibbon named Cassandra. New tensions between Aubrey and Maturin increase because of… what else… a woman. And not just any ordinary woman. Diana Villiers is an important part of the story and this second book sets that stage brilliantly.
Aubrey and Maturin’s main voyage in Book 3 is a long one: to deliver an emissary of the King of England to the Sultan of Kampong. Their travels take them by way of Bombay, India where Diana Villiers is now living. Jack Aubrey has been given command of an older but reliable vessel, H.M.S. Surprise and his completely competent capabilities at sea are proven over and over on this long, eventful trip.
The action in The Mauritius Command is based on real events during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the novel, the British Navy elevates Captain Jack Aubrey to acting Commodore of a small fleet aimed at taking over some harbors currently occupied by the French in and around the island of Mauritius (east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean). Aubrey, accustomed to being a hands-on captain of a single ship must now organize and placate a number of individual post-captains, each of which has his own advantages and idiosyncrasies.
Watching Captain Aubrey struggle with the politics of the situation and then rise to the occasions as needed is a treat. You feel like cheering by the end of the book when… (oh, I won’t give it away, sorry).
Dealing with Captain Bligh (he was a real naval officer and The Bounty was a real ship). Transporting prisoners to Australia. Spy stuff. Battles at sea. Shipwrecks. And rescues (sort of). Oh yes, icebergs, too. The action in this book never stops. It took me a while to catch up on sleep after staying up late reading this book.
The United States finally declares war on England, but many in the newly fledged country still have ties with Great Britain and aren’t happy with President Madison’s war, as they called the War of 1812 back then. Captain Aubrey and Stephen Maturin still haven’t made it home, and end up in the United States as prisoners of war after yet another naval battle in which the Americans were victorious. Their escape is fraught with danger, yet thrilling. Oh yes, Diana Villiers features prominently, which adds to the tension and suspense. Another book to keep you reading late into the night.
After escaping from America, Stephen urges Diana Villiers to marry him, so that she may not be an alien on British soil, subject to possible incarceration, since the two countries are at war. When she does not agree, other measures must be taken, including a trip to France, which is also at war with England. Stephen gives a talk at the Institut, and installs Diana with a friend for her own safety.
Jack, in the meanwhile, gets to know his children again, after such a long absence at sea. But, of course, duty calls (by way of Stephen’s intelligence work this time) and the two head for the Baltic on a delicate mission.
Threading their way through treacherous waters, the boat hits a reef and Aubrey and Maturin and their crew are once again in the hands of their enemies… this time the French. But you know that there are 21 books in the series, so an escape is made (this one rather unusual) and the pair are headed back to England once more, with Diana Villiers.
Stephen dutifully asks for her hand in marriage and she says……… (oh, c’mon, I’m not giving that away).
Because of his legal problems at home, Captain Jack Aubrey has accepted a commission to join the blockade squadron at Toulon. The ship he commands is the unseaworthy “Worcester.”
At least he has many of his former crew and Stephen Maturin joining him on this tedious work of sailing back and forth, back and forth… in perfect formation with the flag ship. Jack’s nemesis, Admiral Harte, gives incomplete details to Jack on a delicate mission… one that is bound to fail because of that.
Fortunately, Jack had demanded his orders in writing and he was later given temporary command of his beloved old ship “Surprise” for an even more delicate mission to determine which of three local leaders would best provide port privileges for the Royal Navy while thwarting inroads from the French at the same time. We get to see Aubrey-as-politician at work, with surprising results.
While waiting for refitting in Malta, the Surprise’s sailors become more and more dissolute, with money to pay for “fancy girls” and liquor. French intelligence, at the same time, is getting increasingly knowledgeable about Royal Navy affairs and Dr. Maturin, meanwhile, is entering into an interesting relationship with a would-be lady spy.
In addition, the identity of a traitor in the naval hierarchy is revealed, but the only ones who know who it is… are us readers. I won’t divulge what happens to “that scrub Admiral Harte” in the book, but Jack’s nemesis finally gets what’s been coming to him through 8 previous books.
Captain Jack Aubrey receives an unexpected commission in his beloved ship Surprise that will take him to “the far side of the world” protecting British whalers from the American ship “Norfolk.”
By the time I was halfway through the book there had already been a pregnancy, two suspected murders, storms and the taking of a prize.
If you saw the movie, you’ll have heard about the ship’s “Jonah.” That’s here, too.
The action in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is taken from more than one of Patrick O’Brian’s books and primarily from #10 The Far Side of the World. Russell Crowe dyed his hair blonde and gained weight for the role, creating a very good facsimile of how I envisioned Captain Jack Aubrey. Paul Bettany as Dr. Stephen Maturin was altogether too good-looking for the part, given the descriptions of Maturin in the books. But he was still a good foil for Aubrey’s ebullience and sense of duty.
The movie is definitely worth seeing to get the flavor of the times and the sense of being at sea in the early 1800s, without all of the conveniences we now enjoy for our comfort and safety. Captain Aubrey was known for thinking on his feet and Crowe portrays this very well in the film.You can almost smell the gunpowder from the cannons in the battle scenes and I can still see Jack Aubrey with tongue in cheek discussing the “lesser of two weevils” with the officers at dinner.
If you’ve read any of the books, you’ll appreciate seeing how the movie portrayed Captain Aubrey’s steward “Killin” and also his coxswain “Bonden,” both of whom were very well cast. Tom Pullings, too. The replica ship Surprise used in the movie is now on display at the San Diego Maritime Museum.
UPDATE: I watched the film again last year (had to get a DVD copy from the library; mine was a videotape and my VCR is long gone) and so much of the action feels just like O’Brian’s descriptions in the books. Lots of material from the books is crammed into the movie, but I enjoyed seeing these “old friends” in action, rather than just imagining them.
Books 11-21 Are Listed Below:
I included Amazon links for the first 10 books in the series, but for the next 11, here’s a direct link to Amazon’s listing of the Aubrey-Maturin books on Patrick O’Brian’s author page.
(11) The Reverse of the Medal
(12) The Letter of Marque
(13) The Thirteen Gun Salute
(14) The Nutmeg of Consolation
(15) The Truelove
(16) The Wine-Dark Sea
(17) The Commodore
(18) The Yellow Admiral
(19) The Hundred Days
(20) Blue at the Mizzen
(21) Unfinished final book **
** Patrick O’Brian was working on book “21” when he died in 2000. Diehard Aubrey-Maturin fans were grateful for these few chapters of what, we’re sure, would have been a glorious closing to the Aubrey-Maturin tales.
I re-read Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander for our book club… and got so caught up in the story again, that I devoured the entire series – for the second time. Here’s my review of Book 1.
Outlander is the first in a series of nine books written by Diana Gabaldon. I was introduced to this wonderful series by a librarian sometime in the 1990s, when only the first two or three of the books were in print. Then had to wait what seemed like eons for the next ones to be released.
Outlander was back on my mind because it was our book club choice a few months ago. Luckily the member who suggested the book gave us lots of warning and, at 850 pages, we needed it. I downloaded the book to my Kindle so I could savor the story at my leisure, without worrying about getting it back to the library in 3 weeks. What am I saying? There wasn’t even a copy available in the county’s entire library system… they were all out. It was that popular.
Categorizing Outlander is not easy, to be honest. We could call it historical fiction, fantasy, romance, or adventure… and, in fact, it is all of those. Spanning the years from 1743 to 1945… Outlander takes us from the edges of World War II in Europe back to the Highland uprisings of the 1740s and the Battle of Culloden (in that order).
Oh… did I mention the time travel? The standing stones?
Claire Randall, the heroine of the story, accidentally slams back in time from 1945, having just completed her stint as a wartime army nurse, to the year 1743 when she happens to run into a man who was her husband’s great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. His name is Black Jack Randall… the “bad guy” of the tale. But she is rescued from the clutches of this nasty fellow by James Fraser, a Highlander who is younger than Claire by a few years… and who is one of the most memorable characters ever written into an historical fiction adventure. The relationship between 20th century Claire and 18th century Jamie turns into one of the best love stories – ever.
Diana Gabaldon is a fabulous story-teller
Diana Gabaldon’s story-telling is so adept that you feel completely engaged in the deep, deep love that develops between Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser… a love that grows over the entire series. I don’t want to give too much of the story away if you haven’t read the books yet, but you must trust me on this one. If relationships are your thing, this is one of the best-developed I’ve come across in a series of novels.
I’ll mention, too, that the history is well-drawn and accurate. The adventures are gripping, the battles heart-wrenching, the “evil-doers” as nasty as you like. The story drew me in and hasn’t let me go 15 or more years later. I’ve been waiting, like the rest of Gabaldon’s legion of fans, for the newest book to come out. This is a story worth following, in other words.
Intrigued? You can check out some of the million-plus book reviews by clicking on the book’s cover, above or right here.
“A Discovery of Witches” – Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
In A Discovery of Witches, author Deborah Harkness presents a plausible story of the relationships between the three (sub)species of witch, vampire and daemon… including their battles and their loves. I’m still wondering how I missed hearing about the book when it was released in February 2011.
I first “discovered” A Discovery of Witches in Barnes and Noble one Friday evening in July 2012 when I was desperate for new reading material… and the library was closed. The author’s new book, Shadow of Night, had just been released, with a prominent display in the bookstore. And beside it… paperback copies of Book 1, with the words “New York Times Bestseller” emblazoned across the top.
I left the shop with a new book to read – about witches. Right up my alley (but that’s another story).
In my review of A Discovery of Witches, I’ll give you a short synopsis of the story and my thoughts on the subject matter: an inter-species relationship between a witch and a vampire.
I’ll talk about why I was so engrossed in the story that I flew through book one and ended up buying the second book, too. (And eventually, all the other books in the series.) This is a complex, conceptually intriguing series of books that I’m already wishing would go on longer. In other words. I really, really like these stories.
How a reluctant witch begins exploring her witchy heritage
The witch in A Discovery of Witches, Diana Bishop, looks like – and is – a college professor, who is more likely to be carrying a briefcase than a broom.
Not that brooms don’t enter into it. Diana comes from a powerful witch lineage, including her late mother and her very lively aunt. Aunt Sarah most definitely uses brooms for magic. And has a cat “familiar” named Tabitha. And a sentient house with a mind of its own. Diana’s ancestor, Bridget Bishop, was executed for witchcraft in Salem. Pretty powerful credentials for a woman who does NOT want to be a witch.
Most of the first book in the All Souls Trilogy revolves around this basic problem. Diana has repressed her witch powers to the point where she cannot wield them effectively. And as she discovers, she has very powerful potential, if she learns to use it. If she wants to use it.
This book is not just about witches, however. Equally important in the story is a 1,500-year-old vampire named Matthew Clairmont who, against his better judgment, falls for the young professor. Now, typically, vampires and witches are like oil and water. They don’t blend well. Plus… vampires need to feed on blood, and witches don’t like to be filling stations for other species.
But you’ve heard of the concept called “soul mates,” I’m sure, and this is what Diana and Matthew discover about themselves and their relationship.
Matthew Clairmont is a vampire who knows his lineage and his powers
The story begins with Diana in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University doing historical research on alchemy. She requests a book called Ashmole 782 and, as she holds it in her hand, she realizes that she has unlocked something previously hidden within the book. As a college professor who doesn’t want to mess with otherworldly “magic,” she returns the book immediately… and then spends the next few hundred pages looking for it again.
A few dozen other people also want to understand the contents of this historical tome, including a vampire she encounters in the library. (This is Oxford University, you know. All kinds of witches, vampires and daemons browsing the books there, amongst the more mundane humans.)
Daemons, by the way, are not devils; rather they are creative, artistic beings living in a no-man’s-land between madness and genius. You never know for sure what they will do for you… or to you. They feature peripherally in the first book and in a much more prominent (and really interesting) way in Shadow of Night.
After quite a bit of sparring and fencing, Diana and Matthew start gravitating toward each other and eventually recognize that they are somehow bound together and so begins a conceptually fascinating and romantic story about an inter-species relationship.
Except Matthew has been researching Ashmole 782 since the mid-1800s and is convinced that it holds the key to understanding the origins of all organic beings on planet Earth. He thought it was possible that witches, vampires, daemons and humans originated from common ancestors and have more in common with one another than is currently allowed for.
Diana, meanwhile is uncovering more and more of her magical powers, but does not know how to control them. And in 21st century England, it is wise not to draw too much attention to the fact that you are a witch… or a vampire or daemon, for that matter. It turns out that Diana has heightened powers in a number of areas, including “witchfire” and “witchwater” which occasionally turn themselves on when she is least expecting them.
Diana’s powers do not remain secret from the other witches in the region for long and this creates an extremely dangerous situation for her, especially in light of her forbidden relationship with a vampire. After a few terrifying encounters, each escalating as her own powers become more apparent, Diana and Matthew figure that the only way to get the training she needs is to travel back in time to the Elizabethan period, where Matthew has a home from the days when he served Queen Elizabeth I (remember he’s 1,500 years old).
Matthew is convinced that this is the only way for them to find powerful witches to guide Diana’s magic. They might even find the original manuscript of Ashmole 782 before people tore pages from it and messed with its magic. A two-fold mission, an extremely dangerous venture… but staying in the 21st century has major disadvantages, too.
A Discovery of Witches ends with Diana and Matthew stepping into the unknown, not being remotely sure that they will land where they hope to.
How DO a witch and a vampire “get it on” together?
Witches and vampires had been told for generations that “their kind don’t mix.” In fact, there is a joint group called the Congregation that enforces the rules set down for the deportment of witches, vampires and daemons.
As a vampire, Matthew shows very great restraint when it comes to his food menu. Deborah Harkness does not skirt around the fact that vampires need blood for strength and survival. And she explains carefully and sensitively that, with vampires, procreation is not managed the way humans and witches create babies. Vampires reproduce themselves through the taking of another’s blood.
While in France, Matthew and his mother, Ysabeau, take Diana on a “hunting” trip so that she can see for herself how her husband feeds himself. Fortunately, a deer’s blood will sustain them almost as well as human blood, but it is still quite a sight to see your boyfriend with his teeth tearing into a dying stag’s neck. Diana is a pretty tough lady, though, and accepts this aspect of Matthew’s life.
But vampires can sometimes get into a feeding frenzy where they cannot control themselves and Matthew is very afraid that his emotions might get the better of him if he moves too quickly into a physical relationship with Diana. She’s not worried. He is, because it happened to him once before. To his credit, he holds back with Diana until he is very, very sure of his ability to restrain himself completely.
In A Discovery of Witches, the embraces and kisses are intense, the sex non-existent because of a question no one knows the answer to: what would a child of a female witch and a male vampire be like? How safe would it be for a witch to carry a half-vampire within her womb?
All of these questions are raised and play an integral part in the story. Along with magic, time travel, politics, ancient societies, and family squabbles. And I’ve only scratched the surface.
I believe I mentioned that this is a conceptually intricate and intriguing book. You can’t skip sections because of the inter-relatedness of the various issues and plot lines. The writing is pretty doggone good, too. And the wait list at the library will be much shorter than it was in July, when I was 256 on the list for Shadow of Night.
If you haven’t read A Discovery of Witches yet, and if you enjoy a well-written “historical fantasy,” this book is definitely worth a look. Happy reading!
Chris Guillebeau’s book The Happiness of Pursuit shifted my perspective on aging
The Happiness of Pursuit
Have you ever read a book that set you on a whole new path in life? Or that joggled your sense of passion and purpose into practical action? I did… and I’m on a 30-year quest because of it… from age 70 to 100.
In 2014, I devoured Chris Guillebeau’s book “The Happiness of Pursuit” which documents Chris’s and other people’s “quests” – grand adventures that took them out of humdrum and mainstream and led them to challenge themselves, rediscover themselves and enjoy themselves.
The concept of quest and adventure became so tantalizing to me that ideas kept popping up as I was reading. I took notes and more notes… and then one idea overtook all the others and I knew what my quest was going to be.
People launch quests for a variety of reasons:
They are discontented with some aspect of their life (or the rut they’re in).
They feel a calling to do something, without sometimes knowing why. They just HAVE to do it.
They feel a need to test themselves in a bigger way.
They want to make a difference in the world.
They’re ready to put their money where their mouth is or to start their “bucket list” now.
A life-altering situation such as a job loss, illness or divorce startles them into action.
In my case, the “life-altering” issue was the thought/reality of my 70th birthday in June of 2015. As I read Guillebeau’s book and the stories of the quests begun by people 20, 30, even 50 years younger than me, I recognized that the very long, physical quests were not for me at age 69, when I first read the book.
But I also made a note of the dissatisfaction I felt about the way I was living life… it felt too safe and stale to bring about much personal development. Definitely not much adventure involved. And where was my contribution to the world, I wondered.
I realized that I didn’t want to fall into the rut of “old age.” I also allowed myself to see that what I really enjoy doing is reading and reviewing potentially life-changing books like this, and then posting my thoughts online, with the hope of inspiring others through my words.
Reading a book like The Happiness of Pursuit makes my mind fly. Guillebeau has inspired me to take action. And so I am. And it feels good. As Guillebeau explains, a quest is more than a personal growth project or fitness schedule or get-out-of-debt plan.
Quests have 5 key components:
A clear goal and a specific ending point.
A challenge, something that must be overcome.
A sacrifice of some kind. What are you willing to give up in order to complete your quest?
A sense of calling or mission that keeps you motivated to continue.
A series of steps, with incremental progress toward your goal. (It’s not an overnight sensation.)
Guillebeau emphasizes the importance of planning before starting your quest, to make sure you can handle it financially and emotionally. But he cautions readers to not get stuck at the planning stage. This is an adventure, after all, and the journey doesn’t come with guarantees. When you’re “ready enough,” just start.
That’s what I’m doing.
Reviewing thought-provoking books has now become part of my quest to cease feeling like an old fogey and start living an adventurous life again. Butt-kicking ideas will help me achieve this.
I’m also trying to figure out how to translate my fascination with “tiny houses” into an actual physical community for seniors and others with limited incomes.
My quest starts at age 70
My quest has a 30-year span, with the aim of keeping myself young in body, mind, and outlook from age 70 to 100. Anything past 100 is a bonus.
My larger challenge is to stay open to new ideas, to be willing to shift perspectives, and to learn new ways to keep my mind and body functioning at optimum levels. Oh yes, and to develop the discipline to practice what I preach.
Quests aren’t just for dissatisfied workers in cubicles. Society’s elders have lots to contribute and sometimes just need a way to focus their efforts. I’ve waffled long enough. Now I’m ready to get going.
A quest was just what I needed to launch me off the skinny branch and into the air.
I want to be a healthy, vital, active, interesting, adventuresome woman well into the next three decades of my life. Why not?
This sounds like fun to me, because it IS me to the bone. Playing with ideas, even if they’re other people’s ideas to start with. A book like Guillebeau’s The Happiness of Pursuit recharges – even rejuvenates – me.
And that’s the whole reason behind my questing. Making the years between 70 and 100 the most fun yet. I feel excited for the first time in ages.
As I write the words of this book review, I sip the “Magical Weight Loss Potion” that I energetically created a few minutes earlier, using Pam Grout’s suggestions in Experiment 8. I’m proving that my beliefs are changing my physical body through a harmless placebo (spring water) that I altered simply by using my personal energy and my intentions.
I’ve convinced myself that my magical elixir is the healing tool that will curb my nighttime snacking and cause a drop in weight over a 3-day period. Every time I pick up my glass to take a drink, I thank my magic potion for its good work. It feels right to do and, in fact, I’ll continue this activity for at least a month, to prove my point… and lose weight at the same time.
Grout cites example after example of how the “placebo effect” works in action. She makes me a believer… enough so that I’m telling the world about my magical potion experiment, enough so that I’m sure it will work.
And that’s the point of Pam Grout’s newest book E-Cubed.
A sequel to her highly popular E-Squared, E-Cubed continues to jostle our age-old beliefs about ourselves and the universe we live in. As a student of metaphysical teachings for 25 years, I was already pretty much in alignment with Grout’s ideas in the first book, but she explains things so clearly… and with enough scientific proof to really cement in the new ideas that I pre-ordered E-Cubed before it was released.
Of course, it’s tough to delete or even revise concepts we’ve had for decades, ideas and beliefs we grew up with and “rules” that are reinforced by churches, governments, and parents. Grout acknowledges this at the outset. And then hands over responsibility for belief restructuring to us, by means of 9 experiments that prove what she is saying.
Grout introduces us to Worldview 2.0 which shows us how the energetic world most of us can’t see is the foundation on which everything else rests. Scientists often call this energy “The Field,” and Grout explains in very clear language how we, as humans, can impact the energy around us – our life, in other words – by our thoughts, words and intentions. She points to the “observer effect” in quantum physics which says that it is impossible for us to look at something without impacting whatever it is we are looking at.
My spring water, for example. My conscious belief in its miraculous properties to curb my snack attacks has created a new elixir that is going to work as long as I believe strongly that it will.
I found the chapter on synchronicity to be quite revealing and underlined a few sections so I could find them easily when I needed a reminder that “coincidences are a glimpse into the underlying order of the universe.” We can never feel alone when the connectedness of all things aligns into solutions that help us out when a strong need arises. I’ve also heard it said this way: “The Universe conspires in our favor.”
Each of the 9 experiments is designed to prove a point, whether it’s “finding” money in the chapter on changing money beliefs or understanding that all of nature is sentient and could have messages for us, if we would just notice and listen.
The first 60 pages of E-Cubed present the theories that Pam Grout wants us to prove through her experiments. Like Pam, these are more than theories to me; they are more like a way of life. But for many, they are new (possibly disturbing) ideas that contradict many (most) mainstream teachings.
Who has ever told you that happiness is the big game-changer? Who urges you to start the day with “happy” music? Who claims that the more fun you have, the better your life will work? Well, Pam Grout does, for one.
Fear is such a motivator, one wonders why it’s so prevalent. Is it on the school curriculum? Is it the method through which businesses remain financially secure? Is it how governments maintain such control over people’s lives?
Pam Grout, in her two books, attempts to hand control over our lives back to us. She does this in plain language with convincing examples of how we gave so much of ourselves away. She isn’t into judging, casting blame, or advocacy. She just explains it.
And presents a few ideas of what we can do about it.
As a “senior citizen” in a culture that doesn’t value its elders, I’m all in favor of tapping into as much help as I can get from the field of infinite potentiality. I know it’s there; I’ve had personal evidence of it. But I haven’t got the hang of using it in a consistent way yet.
I’d like to get better at receiving messages from the unseen worlds, for example. Not because I’m preparing to cross over to where they are – not yet! But because I’m semi-retired and have the space in my life where I can do this now. Life is so full of possibilities – and I’m ready to experience and enjoy them.
Books like E3 remind me to expand my life’s options, rather than contract into the stereotype of old age. And, I can honestly say that I feel more fired up than I have in a decade or more.
Generations ago, the world suffered an upheaval of some kind. Everything about the “old world” has been forgotten, the memories obliterated. Your current world in an underground silo is all that exists… as far as you know.
If you were born and lived your whole life in the lower third – the down deep – between floors 97-144, you’re likely a farmer, mechanic or supply employee. You may not ever have made the climb to the top to look outside the very few sensor windows existing above ground.
Workers in the “mids” – levels 49-96 – are in charge of the smaller hydroponic gardens and animal farms. Like the families below here, a trip to the top of the silo might happen once every few years.
The upper levels contain the mayor, the sheriff, medical facilities and the information technology department. IT looms large in the life and lie of the silo.
Because there is no way to safely expand the silo, marriages and births are “won” through a lottery system. The land outside is known to be toxic… and is only seen through the aboveground sensor windows at the very top, on level one.
How a novelette became a trilogy
This silo world came to life in 2011, when Hugh Howey self-published a Kindle novelette that he called “Wool”.
Wool was so popular with Amazon Kindle readers that Howey was urged (by his fans) to write more about the people who inhabited the multi-level silo which encompassed the entirety of their lives. The original 58-page novelette became a 5-part “Wool Omnibus” which is what I’m reviewing here. It’s Part 1 of the “Silo Saga,” and was followed by Shift and Dust to complete the trilogy.
Parallels with Thom Hartmann’s The Crash of 2016?
If you read my review of Thom Hartmann’s book “The Crash of 2016,” you’ll likely see come of the parallels occurring in our own world – right now. And that’s what makes this dystopian fiction book worth drawing to your attention. It’s a great read for sure, but it’s also a brilliant reminder to not take everything we’re fed at face value.
Wool is about political control, worker subjugation, reinventing history, hubris… and courage.
It’s about Sheriff Holston, who finally understood some of the truth – and wanted out… even though he knew it meant forfeiting his life. The powers-that-be decided that he’d become too dangerous and consigned him to certain death outside the silo, “cleaning” the sensors through which they caught glimpses of the outside, toxic world.
Cleaning, of course, was the euphemism for capital punishment, a way to keep the inhabitants fearful of rocking the status quo. There was no jail time, not judge and jury. Just “cleaning.” The tools used for scrubbing the windows were wool pads, hence the name of the novel.
The cleansing of toxic gunk on the window sensors was cause for celebration for those left inside – safe for now – as long as they didn’t think too much. With each cleaning, they were afforded a clearer glimpse of the outside world they had never experienced and would not, unless they actually expressed an interest in doing so. Or broke some other rule.
Verbally longing for freedom meant certain death
As the novel unfolds, the ugly truth behind this certainty stirs something in both the inhabitants of the silo… and in the readers who can’t help rooting for the underdogs underground.
The deaths of a “good” mayor and decent deputy sheriff make waves… a little. The subsequent elevation of Juliette Nichols from the down deeps of Mechanical to Sheriff up-top was not what the unseen powers had in mind and so she earned a quick demotion to “cleaner.” Questioning the rules was not allowed. Too much chance of instigating an uprising.
I’ve glossed over a few key elements, because they are what make the book fascinating reading. Does Juliette stop to clean the sensors, like all the other cleaners before her? Does she make it to safety, unlike all the other cleaners before her? Are there more silos out there? And what the heck is IT’s role in all this?
Characters you can identify with
You’ve got to read the book to know what happens… to get a glimpse of the real villains in the story; to see who step up to become heroes; to watch individuals consider the costs of thinking for themselves, of overturning all they have been taught to believe.
Books like Wool make me wonder when and if I’ll ever step up and take a stand for something that I think is right. If I’ll be able to write about it without concern for the consequences.
It worries me that I identify with people stuck underground in a silo.
I read The Hunger Games trilogy from two perspectives: that of senior citizen… and also a 1960s hippie. I was impressed on both counts.
I may be a senior citizen now, but I’m also a counterculture hippie-type person from the 60s. So I read and then reviewed The Hunger Games trilogy from two perspectives. Old fogey me and rebel hippie me. Quite a head trip, I can tell you. In other words, these aren’t your ordinary cookie cutter-type book reviews.
One viewpoint says, “Why rock the boat? I’m on social security, for heaven’s sake!” The other side of me doesn’t like what I see happening in society today… any more than I did in the sixties.
Did The Hunger Games books awaken that? Or did I choose to read the trilogy because of that?
And another thing… I usually get my books from the library. I actually purchased ALL 3 books in this series, because I couldn’t wait for the library to catch up with my reading.
Something’s afoot.
Reading The Hunger Games
My Review of The Hunger Games – Book 1 of the Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Why this book got me thinking…
The Hunger Games begins a little slowly, actually. So slowly, that I had to ask my son if it picked up some once I got into it. “It’s a good book, Mom,” he assured me so I kept reading. And found my head twisting round and round with the bizarre turns of events that kept showing up.
The books could be classified as Science Fiction or Fantasy, and I wonder if author Suzanne Collins is a bit of a mystic herself. Like J. K. Rowling, whose Harry Potter books books hit a chord with kids and adults alike… Collins portrays circumstances and characters that we all recognize… or that we live within. The controlling, centralized institutions, the hard-scrabbling general population, the very young who recognize injustice when they see it and, thankfully, haven’t yet made themselves “put a lid on it” as their elders have done.
The Game of Thrones series was also heading in the same direction, where the youngsters are the courageous ones who are willing to risk, well… anything… to make things right again, while the adults are hanging on for dear life to whatever they have left.
Okay, three series that have made me think – Potter, Thrones and Hunger Games. The fact that all three of these book series have been made into popular films says something. The fact that all three series were best-sellers for months on end says more. People were resonating with the stories in them.
And maybe taking hope.
A prophetic view of our future?
I wondered if the books were written as reminders not to cave in to lemming mentality… even though it’s easier. When we go along with things – even though they don’t feel right to us – a piece of our integrity gets chewed off. Do young adults have enough experience yet to know this? They are the intended audience for The Hunger Games, after all.
The books also drive home a couple of other points: when we ignore the suffering of others and hide behind our shutters, we lose a bit of our humanity. And when we let ourselves be walked all over by our governments and public institutions, there goes our freedom out the door… in fiction and in real life.
Katniss Everdeen, the young heroine of The Hunger Games hasn’t yet had the training to stifle her sense of what’s right. Luckily, she’s a plucky thing and paid attention when her dad taught her to use a bow and arrow. She’s responsible for feeding her family most of the time, even as a young teenager. She has learned a few survival tricks that serve her well at the Hunger Games, where it’s every person for himself or herself until you’re the last one standing… literally.
The Hunger Games are just that – annual events with untrained, unwilling “gladiators”… who are forced to participate in a cruel tradition meant to keep the general population under control. At the same time the games provide bloodthirsty entertainment for the privileged classes of the Capitol… the seat of power of Panem, a geographic area previously known as North America. Each of the twelve districts of Panem is required to send one male and one female “tribute” to the Games, where they will need to fight tooth, nail, claw and hammer to stay alive. Their ordeals are unimaginable. Their courage unbelievable.
The Hunger Games got me thinking… and remembering. The marches for peace and civil rights. The non-violent methods of Martin Luther King, Jr. The counterculture thinking of the 1960s. And I wondered what happened that so much of it has slipped away in the name of… what? Security? Or maybe lack of energy from the aging process?
Where did our – MY – rebellious spirit go?
Reading The Hunger Games brought some of that back to me.
This old fogey is starting to remember. And so, it seems are a few others. “Occupying” is not a new idea at all. Many of us remember taking part in “Sit-ins” way back when.
On the other hand, maybe the fascination with “young adult rebellion” books is just a cyclical thing, where younger generations have to push against the status quo regardless of the reasons why.
I don’t know… but it seems that the books are hitting home with the older generations, too. Or perhaps Suzanne Collins is just a great adventure writer and once the story’s over, we go on to other things.
We’ll see.
Catching Fire – Book 2 of The Hunger Games Trilogy
Catching Fire starts up where Book 1 left off. Katniss and her Hunger Games partner, Peeta Mellark, are back in their District – Number 12 – thinking to live the good life… for the rest of their lives.
Well, whatever’s left of their lives, at any rate.
Katniss is well aware that she is in disfavor with the powers-that-be in the Capitol and that they will stop at nothing to destroy her. But even she couldn’t have imagined what they had in store for her.
If you have not read the books yet, I ain’t givin’ away the plot, sorry. But your jaw will drop and your heart might flutter some when you see the lengths to which the status quo will go to when threatened.
Catching Fire – even more than The Hunger Games – stirred the rebellious spirit within me, as I witnessed (in my mind) the courage of people with nothing left to lose. There’s always a straw that breaks the camel’s back, whether it’s a tax on tea or making people face the severest horrors imaginable – twice.
So rebellion spreads in the districts, fueled largely by the intransigence of young Katniss, whose actions in Book 1’s Hunger Games have triggered an uprising she hadn’t intended.
The ending of Catching Fire caught me by surprise.
When I reflected back a bit, I remembered little snippets that gave tiny clues as to what was going on beneath the surface, but, because the books are written from Katniss’ perspective and understanding of events, I didn’t figure things out any better than she did.
And Katniss, having been left out of the secret loop on purpose, is ticked, royally.
And on that note, the second book ends. Our young rebel is rebelling against the rebels.
And now it’s on to Book 3 Mockingjay to see where it all leads.
You must read Mockingjay to complete the series… but it hurts
At the time I wrote this review, the book Mockingjay had much lower ratings on Amazon than the first two books in the series. There are a couple of reasons for this. After the long build-up in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the climax in Mockingjay winds the series downward with outcomes that most of us wish hadn’t happened.
The agonies suffered by Peeta and Kinnick, for example… two stalwarts we’d grown to respect and maybe love. The loss of so much life in the name of revenge. Katniss knew her rebellious actions might cause trouble for a lot of people, including her family, but even she wasn’t prepared for what happened in the final assaults on the Capitol.
The second reason I think the reviews were less enthusiastic for Mockingjay is the many pages devoted to Katniss’ inner anguish and introspection. In the first two books, she is larger than life – the type of heroine you’d see in an action movie. In the third book, Katniss turns inward much more. She second-guesses her motives, loses hope and becomes depressed to the point of stupor.
Spunk gone, guilt rampant
Katniss’s final act of rebellion is one that should have ended her life. It didn’t, but the Katniss we got to know is gone forever. And readers didn’t seem to like that one bit.
The epilogue seemed like a throwaway to most readers, myself included. Those two pages more or less stripped the life out of the story at the end. On the other hand, we didn’t have to live through two sets of Hunger Games and, from Katniss’ perspective, perhaps safe and normal felt more like “life” than facing death minute-to-minute as the girl who kept “catching fire.”
For me, Mockingjay was the most gut-wrenching of the three books in the Hunger Games trilogy. It asserts Suzanne Collins’ anti-tyranny message the strongest. So I’d give Mockingjay higher marks than most readers, because the author reflects my thinking so well in this.
There’s another book that was published after the trilogy… The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to round out your Hunger Games experience.
A new Hunger Games book – in 2025
In March of 2025, Suzanne Collins released a “prequel” to The Hunger Games. It’s called Sunrise on the Reaping and is worth a look. I recommend NOT reading it before you read the Trilogy. This book fleshed out some of the key familiar characters in Book1 but since it took place before the Katniss Games, it also gives away some of the info that would change how you looked at things in the first book. So read it last.
As an Amazon associate and Clarke Courses affiliate, I earn a fee from qualifying purchases. My Senior Side Hustle is designing for a print on demand site called Zazzle. I receive a royalty on my designs when you click a link to purchase on Zazzle.com. Thanks for visiting… I hope you found the info on my website helpful. –Barbara
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