I know it’s been a while since I finished a book.  I started this one in September and it took me a very long time to get through it. I actually considered NOT finishing it, which is rare for me.

I’ve always been fascinated by the British monarchy throughout history, so I thought the story of Elizabeth Woodville’s ascension to the throne as Queen, and her subsequent struggles to remain there despite the country being at war would be enthralling. While the story surrounding the War of the Roses is definitely intriguing, especially the aspects pertaining to the princes in the tower, I had a really hard time getting in to this book. I’m not sure if it relates to the style of writing, or just the fact that the story seemed very drawn out, but I did not particularly enjoy this book.

This is the latest book from the author of The Time-Travelers Wife. I really enjoyed that book so I was eager to read her newest contribution. This is another gothic love story, with an interesting twist. The story begins when Elspeth dies, leaving her flat next to London’s Highgate Cemetary to her estranged twin sisters’ twin daughters, Valentina and Julia. Elspeth stipulates that the twins must live in her flat for one year before they may decide what to do with it. So Valentina and Julia move to London from Chicago, and become entwined with the people who were a part of Elspeth’s life, but also encounter her ghost. The story takes some very interesting turns. I am very fascinated by Highgate Cemetary, and would like to visit it someday. But many aspects of the story were too supernatural and unbelievable for me.

This is another re-read. I wanted to read the whole Outlander series before tackling the most recent addition to the series. The books are really long and so it took me a long time to get through it, with all the other things going on in my life. Now that I’ve finished it again, I am very glad that there is another chapter being added to the saga. There were many aspects left hanging at the end of this book that I hope will be illuminated in the next one.

This is one of the rare non-fiction reads for me. It’s a book about junior hockey and scouting for the NHL. In this book, journalist Gare Joyce describes one year spent living the life of a scout. He was fortunate that the Columbus Blue Jackets opened up their “war room” to him, giving him an inside look at the NHL Draft that isn’t usually open to journalists. He was privy to discussions on the internal ranking players and was invited to be present during team interviews at the Combine. He traveled to games in North America and Europe to watch the players in action, and got the inside scoop on many of the players.

A lot of familiar names come up in the book – Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane immediately jump to mind. Then there are other up and comers who will be familiar to hockey fans – Eric Tangradi, for instance. I was really saddened reading about Luc Bourdon and Alexei Cherepanov as prospects, as both died under tragic circumstances before they had a chance to realize their potential.

If you are interested in hockey at all, this is a worthwhile read. The style of writing left a bit to be desired – this book is full of colloquialisms and is written the way I would imagine a conversation with Gare Joyce would sound. While at times I found that a bit jarring, it also fits well with the idea of writing about hockey. This is the language of the locker rooms and arena seats.

This is another mystery/crime novel translated from Swedish. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I’m enjoying these translations, since I usually hate anything translated into English. But this is another translation that is pretty seamless, I didn’t feel like I was reading a translation.

Stieg Larsson’s series has been getting a lot of attention lately, and with good reason. This book has many layers that intertwine and add rich and complex layers to the story. It touches on white-collar crime, sexual assault, a disappearance and murder. The stories come together in a strange way, and at the end of the book I kept thinking it was over, but there was still more to unravel.

Today I was invited to watch the game at my friends’ house, and the invitation is beyond amazing, so I wanted to share it.

*****

Subject: Hockey Night on (My Friends’ Street)

Hey all,

If you’re not already planning to watch the game at a bar, you’re welcome to come over for some Gionta O’Byrgers (and non-Pouliot burgers for the veggies), Pyatto Salad, and some form of Gorges dessert. Let me know if you’re coming so I can get the goods prepared so nobody’s Moens! Bring your own Subbanstances to drink!

Come over anytime after 6, we really have to outdo the animals that live below!!!

(Signed, my friend)

(look at me being a good hockey fan…Go Sens Go, shoot for par!)

*****

Isn’t she awesome?

This is one of those books that grabs you and just does not let go. I learned a great deal about some incidents in French history that I am ashamed to say I didn’t know anything about.

Sarah is a 10 year old Jewish girl, living in Paris in 1942. Her family was captured during the infamous Vel d’Hiv round up of July, 1942. When they heard the police at the door, Sarah convinced her brother to hide in a hidden cupboard, locked him in and took the key, promising to come back and let him out as soon as she could. What she couldn’t know is that she wouldn’t be back.

Julia Jarmond is an American journalist living in Paris with her French husband in 2002. They are renovating an apartment that has belonged to his family since 1942. She is assigned to write a story about the Vel d’Hiv, and her story intertwines with the story of Sarah, her brother and the forgotten travesty of the round up.

The story switches back and forth between 1942 and 2002. At first I found the alternating chapters to be annoying, but then as I got drawn into the story, that faded away. The writing isn’t stellar, but the story more than makes up for it.

The hardest part of reading this book was encountering my own ignorance. I had never heard of the Vel d’Hiv round ups, or the role of the French police in rounding up thousands of Jewish men, women and children between the ages of 2-12. The Jewish families were then take to various internment camps around Paris before being sent to their deaths at Auschwitz. I enjoy learning about history through literature, but sometimes, it feels like a slap in the face.

This book tells the story of Juliet, an author who gained some notoriety during WWII. (Yes, it’s my second WWII era book this year. The next one is likely to be a WWII book also). The book starts just following the war, when Juliet receives a letter from a man living on Guernsey Island who happened to come into the possession of a book that had been hers. The story of Juliet’s life in London and her letter writing relationships with the people of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is endearing, but I found the style of writing really annoying at the beginning. The entire book is told as a series of letters between the characters. The disjointedness was very distracting at first, but as the book continued, I found myself swept up in the story and the style became less annoying.

This book is a non-fiction science book about genetic variation and human diversity. Leroi takes an interesting approaching – weaving stories of how humans who deviate from the norm have been treated throughout history, and scientific fact together into an interesting tapestry. If you like science and genetics, it’s a very intriguing read.