Under Greenwood Tree

By: Thomas Hardy
Genre: Literature

OMIGOD, I did not believe it was possible to dedicate an entire book to so little in terms of plot. LOL. Basically, we have a young woman, named Fancy Day, who attracts the attention of all the men in the rural english countryside, near Casterbridge. The only other event in the book is the introduction of Fancy as the organist, to replace the string choir, at Church. Yep, that is really it folks. But some of the ways that Hardy describes the simple life in 18th century England is kinda interesting. Ya, read it if you're bored.

Book of Revelations

By: John, maybe...
Genre: Biblical Doomsday account

There was nothing besides Giddeon's version of the New Testament at the Karoo Inn....Michelle was making rice, then I took a nap. After that, I felt like reading the Book of Revelations. My first time. Interesting. I think I will take Michelle's advice and read it along with the Idiot's Guide...more background would help in understanding wtf they mean. LOL, popular numbers include 666, 7 and 13. Women are apparently the bain of all existance as well.

The Rule of Four

By: Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason
Genre: Suspense

Ha ha, this takes me back to my university days. LOL, that was 3 months ago I guess! In The Rule of Four, we follow the post-teenage angst, pre-graduation period of four best friends at Princeton University. Tom sullivan is the son of a historian, who dedicated his entire life to the study of Hypnerotomachia, a Renaissance manuscript whose mysterious contents have hitherto remained undeciphered. His father, and two Princeton professors, Dr. Richard Curry and Dr. Vincent Taft are now estranged nemeses...each wanting the glory of uncovering the secret of the book written by Francesco Colonna in the 1400's. Paul, one of Tom's roomates, is equally as driven to discover the mystery behind the book, which includes sordid murders and a secret crypt somewhere in Rome. These two first time authors have woven a suspenseful tale that incorporates a digestable amount of history and interesting code cracking techniques.

Northanger Abbey

By: Jane Austen
Genre: Romantic/historic literature

This was Jane Austen's earliest novel, though it was published posthumously. Definitely not on par with her most famous and celebrated work, Pride and Prejudice. But nonetheless, this was a fun read. Finished it in Mauritius, while staying at the deluxe Maritim hotel!!

Catherine Morland is the deserving female heroine of the novel. During her first outing away from home, she stays in Bath, the vacation capital of England, with Mr. and Mrs. Allen. They are a well-to-do, but not excessively rich, childless couple.During an outing to the Pump room, Catherine meets Mr. Henry Tilney, the love interest of this novel. In Bath, she also engages in close confidence with Miss Isabella Thorpe, a beautiful, prideful and vain young lady. Being a few years older, she takes the unpretentious, honest Catherine under her wing, and shows her the ways of a young lady in the social circles. Eventually, Catherine is invited by the Tilney family to visit Northanger Abbey, on the premise that Catherine would be a good match (financially speaking) to the upper class Tilneys. She is thrown out as soon as her false repuation is uncovered but true love will finally conquer all.

The main attraction of this novel is Austen's description of the social norms of the era. The plot is single threaded and somewhat predictable, but it is a light, enjoyable quick read!

My Sister's Keeper

By: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Contemporary fiction

This book deals with many interesting moral family issues. Kate has been diagnosed with a rare form of lukemia. Her parents make the questionable decision of having a "designer baby" whose blood from the umbilical cord would be used to help Kate into remission. Unfortunately, this plan only works for a few years and by age 13, Anna has undergone many invasive treatments to keep Kate alive. Both Anna and her older brother, Jesse feel resentment towards her parents for always looking out for Kate.

Now, Kate needs one of Anna's kidneys...Anna's response is to sue her parents for medical emancipation. She hires her own legal counsel we follow her through the thick and thin of a legal battle. Her mother, Sara, happens to have been a lawyer before becoming a full time Mom and perennial worry-wart.

Each chapter of the book is written in the perspective of a different main character. This is one of the first family dramas that I have read. Interesting questions about identity, legal matters concering medical treatments and moral issues with suicide. There was also an interesting side plot between Anna's legal guardian and her hired counsel. A captivating page turner!

Emma Brown

By: Clare Boylan
Genre: Historical Drama

One of the biggest draws to this novel is the fact that it is based on an unfinished work by Charlotte Bronte, acclaimed author of Jane Eyre. Clare Boylan has taken the liberty of expanding on her first few chapters and produced a solid work that explores identity, social and moral issues.

We are introduced to a frail child, Matilda Fitzgibbon, who is dropped off at a struggling boarding school, Fushia Lodge, run by the Wilcox sisters. Under the impression that Matilda is the heiress of a large fortune, the sisters shower this unsociable child with extra attention...until they discover before the holidays that she has no fortune to speak of! The child reveals nothing because of her amnesia. Mr. Ellin, a good friend of the Misses Wilcox, takes pity on the child and strives to uncover the mystery behind her past. He puts her under the kind care of widow Mrs. Chalfont, but Matilda is just as driven to discover her own identity. Stealing the funds that were meant to cover her tuition, she runs off to the city, only to end up in the dirty slums of Victorian London. All the characters are intertwined in an incredibly unbelievable way, but it makes for an interesting ending!

The Romanov Prophecy

By: Steve Barry
Genre: Historical Suspense/Adventure

Michelle picked this one up...and couldn't put it down...in South Africa.

Imagine a world where: The Russian Monarchy is to be reinstated due to the political instability and social strife suffered in post-communist Russia. We track the adventures of a black American Lawyer, Miles Lord, who is a member of the Russian Commission that eventually will select the next Tsar of Russia. Lord probes a little too deep into the fuzzy history of the Romanov royal family and meets trouble with almost everyone. The problem with this book is that Barry reveals the villans within the first few chapters of the book! However, the historical facts and interesting tidbits of research that Barry infuses into the book more than makes up for the lack of suspense. Actually, I take it back. There is suspense! You really want to find out more about what REALLY happened to Tsar Nicholas II and his family in those last fateful days in 1914.

The World of Suzie Wong

By: Richard Mason (1957)
Genre: Social Commentary

An enjoyable look into the backstreets of Hong Kong in the 1950's. A struggling, aspiring painter Robert Lomax meets Hong Kong prostitute Suzie Wong. The first part of the novel is the story of their undeclared love, complete with many jealous lovers along the way. I especially enjoyed the references to old world Hong Kong and the familiarity of the locales increased my personal attachment to the characters. Mason weaves such a convincing portrait of Suzie and Robert's romance that you really could believe it was a true story. This book is chock full of family tragedy, vindictive characters, and plot twists. Hong Kong provides the perfect backdrop for Mason's universal message of true love that surpasses social and cultural barriers.

Animal Farm

By: George Orwell
Genre: Literature

A classic! Orwell explores the inevitable evolution of an egalitarian system into a hierarchy through a brilliant analogy. The animals really take on a life of their own! After overthrowing the evil human owner, the residents of Animal Farm instate a commmunist system. Slowly but surely, power corrupts. Steadfast rules change in an insinuating manner and the pigs end up ruling the farm with an iron fist.

Also read this one on the flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong, in transit to Johannesberg.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

By: Jules Verne
Genre: Science Fiction

This is a popular title by the father of modern sci-fi. I read this one on the flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong, on my way to South Africa. I believe it was an abridged version. Being a budding geophysicist, I enjoyed the imaginative prose used by Verne to describe his idea of what is inside this planet of ours. This is a real page turner... you follow the exciting, perilous and often desperate adventures of Professor Lindenbrock, his newphew, and their guide from England, to Iceland, then through a crater into the vast seas and underground caverns of the planet Earth, back up to the surface!

Find an e-version of the book here!

http://jv.gilead.org.il/vt/c_earth/