Countdown: Rome

Time for this month's Countdown!  What is Countdown?  It's a feature I have started in which I pick a topic, genre, country, or subject and list five books that I have read related to that topic or subject.  There is a 5 star read (loved it!), a four star read (liked it), a three star read (it was okay but had some issues and I'm not recommending it to 5000 people), a two star read (had a LOT of issues, I struggled with it), and the dreaded one star read (I hated it).

This month, the topic is a setting: Rome. The following are books I have read that occurred in Rome and what I rated them and why.

5 star read:

Gladiatrix by Russell Whitfield. First published in 2008. Heroines don't get any tougher than this. Amazing look at ancient Rome from the eyes of a female gladiator. There's love among women, hate, blood, gore, revenge. Would make a superb movie as well. Sequel due out this month.

4 star read:

Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray. First published in 2011. A fictional novel about Cleopatra's daughter, Selene and her young years in Rome growing up in the Emperor's household. There's forbidden romance, politicial intrigue, and religious strife. Heroine was just a tad too passive for my taste, but I understand it's just the beginning.. this is the first in a series. Sequel due out later this year.

3 star read:

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. First published in 1996. A historical novel about the woman who was pope.. this is much debated, but I believe. This woman passed herself off as a man and became pope. The first half was an intriguing look at her young life. The second half was fully of details about the papacy and war and I grew a bit bored.

2 star read:

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn. First published in 2010. Historical novel revolving around two women and a gladiator. Lots of sexual depravity.  Seems everybody is doing everybody else. Thea has a strange addiction to cutting herself, Lepida is addicted to sex, Arius just loves to kill people, and the Emperor is just plain demented and perverted.

1 star read:

Den of Wolves by Luke Devenish. First published in 2008. The narrator is over a hundred years old. People are obsessed with breasts and women piss on their husbands. "She raised her long, white stola from the coals and stood astride him, giving him his final view of her privates. Then she let go a hot stream of urine, dousing his face and hair with it until she had put out the last of the embers." EWWWWW.

 

 

Countdown: Lady Pilots

Time for this month's Countdown!  What is Countdown?  It's a feature I have started in which I pick a topic, genre, country, or subject and list five books that I have read related to that topic or subject.  There is a 5 star read (loved it!), a four star read (liked it), a three star read (it was okay but had some issues and I'm not recommending it to 5000 people), a two star read (had a LOT of issues, I struggled with it), and the dreaded one star read (I hated it).

This month's topic is one of my favorites: Lady Pilots.

Five star read:

Flygirl by Sheri L. Smith. First published in 2009. It's a YA historical about a young African American girl who wants to join the WASP during WWII... Problem is, the WASP is whites only. So what does this gutsy gal do? She passes herself off as white and she becomes a WASP even though her mother and her best friend don't approve.. Terrific look at life in the 1940s for an African American female and what life was like on Avenger field. And of course, Ida faces numerous conflicts.. A book I plan to read again.

Four star read:

The Woman in the Wing by Jean Sheldon. First published in 2008. Historical fiction and mystery. A WASP pilot, Char is "demoted" to riveter when she refuses to sleep with the boss. She thinks she is demoted, but I assure all of you that being a sheet metal mechanic is NOT a demotion. Without us, those planes would not be flying.. However, I digress. Char is undercover in an aircraft factory... someone is sabotaging the planes.. and the war effort. Has a Nancy Drew feel. Didn't hit the 5 star mark due to too much repetition, but an enjoyable read.

Three star read:

The Lady in the Spitfire by Helena P. Schrader. First published in 2006. Historical fiction, WWII again, but this one takes place in England where the heroine is a ferry pilot. Great air battles and aircraft descriptions. My quibbles: The roomate and her love affairs. Couldn't stand her. The romance between the hero and heroine fell flat and I didn't care for her love interest either.

Two star read:

The Flamboyant by Lori Marie Carlson. First published in 2002. Though it takes place in one my favorite settings, Puerto Rico, the story was rushed, the heroine rarely took the skies, and there was little to no detail whatsoever about planes. The heroine has numerous suitors that she leads along and refuses to marry, her very own leopard as a pet, and collects jewelry as a mere hobby. There is also very little conversation. It's really just a spoiled woman in PR who happens to have a pilot's license.

One star read:

I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn. First published in 1996. The worst Amelia book I have ever read. The narrative bounces back and forth constantly from first person to third. I only finished it because it was the only bit of reading material I happened to have with me on a trip to the lake. Very short read. Two hours max.

Countdown: World War II

Time for this month's Countdown!  What is Countdown?  It's a feature I have started in which I pick a topic, genre, country, or subject and list five books that I have read related to that topic or subject.  There is a 5 star read (loved it!), a four star read (liked it), a three star read (it was okay but had some issues and I'm not recommending it to 5000 people), a two star read (had a LOT of issues, I struggled with it), and the dreaded one star read (I hated it).

This month's topic is World War II. 

Five star read:  The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.  First published in 2009.  The book goes back and forth from England to a small town in the U.S during the war.  The main characters are both women, and very different from each other.  There are numerous secondary characters and each one has their own fascinating story and the war effects them all in some way.  It all came together to make an interesting and tear evoking ending. 

Four star read:  The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff.  First published in 2001.  The setting is war torn Poland.  The Jewish heroine has been married only a few months when her husband disappears, involved in an underground movement against the Germans.  Rather than go to the Jewish ghetto, she obtains counterfeit papers and obtains a job working for a high ranking Nazi officer to obtain information.. and she must go to extremes to get this information. In the end, however, I found the heroine too stupid to live and wanted to slap her so it didn't hit the five star mark.

Three star read:  Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge.  First published in 2007.  It's one of those "back and forth" books, containing a modern day heroine who just got out of jail and a woman that lived in the same house (the grandmother) during world war II.  The modern day heroine didn't appeal to me much.  She kept making bad decisions.  The world war II heroine had more interesting parts and dealt with more interesting situations.

Two star read:  Sisterhood of the Rose by Jim Marrs.  First published in 2009.  It is about a network of women that aim to bring down Hitler, but it got ridiculous and unbelievable.  It felt like Barbie and Ken go to Germany to end the war.. and enlist Eva Braun??  Even Mussolini's mistress and daughter joins the group.  Too far fetched.

One star read:  Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford.  First published in 2009.  Most people liked it.  It didn't work for me at all.  I had a very difficult time liking the hero and narrater of the book, a man I considered a stalker and a liar.. Perhaps a liar by omission, but still.. he and the story overall didn't appeal to me.

Countdown: Italy

Time for this month's Countdown!  What is Countdown?  It's a feature I have started in which I pick a topic, genre, country, or subject and list five books that I have read related to that topic or subject.  There is a 5 star read (loved it!), a four star read (liked it), a three star read (it was okay but had some issues and I'm not recommending it to 5000 people), a two star read (had a LOT of issues, I struggled with it), and the dreaded one star read (I hated it). 

This month is a country.  Five books in which the story takes place in Italy.

Five star read:          

The Barefoot Girl: A Novel of St. Margaret, Patroness of the Abused by Catherine Monroe.  First published in 2006.  It takes place in 1340 Italy.  It's about a young girl from a poor home who is married to a myserious wealthy man who abuses her.  She makes most of her situation and helps the poor.  I loved the way this book "gets to the point" and never got bogged down with irrelevant details and descriptions.

Four star read:

The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace.  First published in 2010.  It's a historical novel about a young woman going blind and the man madly in love with her who creates the typewriter for her.  The story was "told" rather than "shown" and that prevented it from being a 5 star read, but it was interesting.

Three star read:

A Golden Web by Barbara Quick.  Published in 2010.  A young adult historical novel about a young girl who wants to attend college so badly, she runs away from home and dresses as a boy to do so.  Based on the real life Alessandra Giliani, the first female anatomist.  A decent read, but the action started too late in the story and some of the characters were very annoying.

Two star read:

Juliet by Anne Fortier.  Published in 2010.  Overhyped.  A woman obtains a strange inheritance from her aunt and goes on a treasure hunt in Italy and discovers she is related to Shakespeare's Juliet.  Goes back and forth from Romeo and Juliet times to modern times in which the heroine is constantly being chased by shady characters and running away.  Couldn't stand the weak modern day heroine or the constant confessions of love between Romeo and Juliet.

One star read:

The Secret of the Glass by Donna Russo Morin.  Published in 2010.  Court intrigue, women searching for husbands, Italian aristocracy, and glass making.  Loved the glass making, hated the overuse of adjectives and abundance of descriptive details.  Also got sick of all the "mama's" and the "papa's." All the women sounded like little girls.  Gorgeous cover though.

Countdown: Queens of England

This month's Countdown is Queens of England.  What is Countdown?  It's a feature I started for my blog in which once a month, I post a list of 5 books of the same topic, genre, country, or subject matter.  There's a 5 star read (which I thought was superb), a four star read (I liked it, but there was an issue), a three star read, (it's ok but had some issues and I'm not recommending it to 5000 people), a two star read (I didn't like it), and of course, the dreaded one star read (I hated it.)

5 star read:
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

First published in 2001.  Fictional account of the lives of Mary and Anne Boleyn.  Anne was Henry VIII's second wife and yes, one that had her head chopped off.  You either love it for the writing and the scandal and the juicy narrative of Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary or you hate it for its historical inaccuracy.  I loved it.








Four star read:
Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

First published in 2006.  It is a fictional account of Lady Jane Grey who was placed on the English throne for 9 days.  She didn't want to be there, but royal connections and family placed her there in an attempt to prevent the rightful heir, Bloody Mary from taking it.  It didn't quite "blow me away" but I liked it.







Three star read:
The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes

First published in 1953.  Fictional account of Elizabeth of York who combined the white and the red roses of England and birthed a new dynasty.  Good story, but the first person narrative didn't work in this case what with Elizabeth being stuck in a monastry throughout pretty much the entire novel.  Everything exciting happening is TOLD to Elizabeth and something def got lost this way.






Two star read:
The Forgotten Queen by Haley Elizabeth Garwood

First published in 1998.  This is the only book by Garwood I didn't like.  Fictional account of the Empress Mathilda and her attempt to wrestle her throne from her cousin Stephen.  This was too preposterous for me.  Mathilda beds her cousin while acting like a petulant child and stomping her foot most of the time.  Nothing queenly about her at all.  And the love talk... ugh.







One star read: 
I, Victoria by Cynthia Harrod Eagles

First published in 1995.  Fictional diary/journal account of Queen Victoria.  Some people really like this one and I encourage everyone to judge for themselves.  For me, it was a DNF.  Victoria gets sidetracked way too much and goes on and on about palace decorations and her aunt's indigestion.  I don't like books made 200 pages longer with irrelevant details.

Countdown: Egypt

Time for my second installment of Countdown! What it is: A list of 5 books of a certain topic, subject, or setting, one book being a 5 star read (Superb!), one book being a four star read (Very good), one being a three star read (OK), one being a two star read (I didn't like it) and of course, a very bad one star read (I hated it!).

The subject of the month: Egypt.

Five star read:

Zenobia by Haley Elizabeth Garwood. First published in 2005, it is the fourth installment of Garwood's Warrior Queen series. One does not have to read them in order tho. This installment is about Zenobia (duh), queen of Palmyria in the 260s AD. (What is now Egypt) She fought the Romans and struggled to keep the throne for her sons. There is romance, war, and plenty of strong women in this one.

Four star read:

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. First published in 2007 (at least my paperback copy was). It's the tale of Egypt's famous Nefertiti told from the viewpoint of her younger sister, Mutny. Great book. The only reason it didn't get a five from me was Nefertiti comes off more as a bi polar hollywood starlet than a queen. Always having her bust done and ignoring the needs of her kingdom. I loved Mutny tho.

Three star read:
Virgins of Paradise by Barbara Wood. First published in 1989. Great look at women in Islam. Full of family scandal and secrets. Great writing style. My problem was one of the main characters, Amira. She got on my nerves so bad.. one of those characters you want to jump in the book to slap around. Unfortuneately, she had a HUGE role in the book.

Two star read:

Hand of Isis by Jo Graham. Published in 2009. It's a sequel to the same author's Black Ships, which I did not read. It's about Cleopatra and told from the viewpoint of one of her ladies in waiting. Just more of the same.. Cleopatra having lots of sex. Her women having lots of sex... They sleep with anybody that serves their purpose.

One Star read:

The Woman Who Would Be Pharoah by William Klein. Published in 2009. Picture a modern day hotel heriess (I'm not naming names) running around half naked, having wild sex, doing table dances, and making fun of her fiance's manhood in ancient Egypt. And I got nothing against little people, but the copulating dwarves in here... OH. MY. GOSH.

Countdown: Latina Fiction

Ok... I'm starting something new. The first of every month, I'm choosing a genre, a country, or a topic and picking 5 different books related to that subject to discuss. What does countdown mean? It means there's a 5 star, a 4 star, a 3 star, a 2 star.. and one that really stinks, a one star.



This month's Countdown is Latina fiction.

FIVE star read:

In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. First published in 1994. The setting is the Domincan Republic during the dictator Trujillo's reign. It is a fictionalized acount of the four Mirabal sisters, three of whom were murdered for being involved in the underground revolution. Lots of plotting, heartache, feelings running high, and Latina anger and pride. A superb read.

FOUR star read:

Beautiful Maria of My Soul by Oscar Hijuelos. First published in 2010. The setting takes place in both Cuba and Florida. It is fictional account of the woman, Maria, that inspired the hit song by the Mambo Kings, Beautiful Maria of My Soul. Thoroughly engrossing story, but too much about Nestor's pinga size. The sex was also a bit much.

THREE star read:

Last Train From Cuernavaca by Lucia Robson. First published in 2010. The setting is Mexico during the days of Zapato and revolution. Loosely based a real woman bandit, but a good 3/4 of the story is about a hotel owner and her romance with a soldier. More Angel, less Grace, I say. Also, the revolution stuff grew very confusing at times, leaving me wondering just who was killing who.

TWO star read:

Bitter Grounds by Sandra Benitez. First published in 1997. The setting is El Salvador. It is about another revolution. What I was expecting: A historical fiction novel following three decades of women and showing the world of coffee plantations, the workers struggles, and the history of El Salvador. What I got: A telenovela following three decades of "desperate housewives" and showing the world of extramarital affairs and who is having whose baby.

ONE star read:

Our Lady of the Night by Mayra Santos-Febres. First published in 2007. The setting is Puerto Rico. It is a fictional account of the life of Puerto Rico's most famous madam. Why it stank: switching narratives and time jumping. It begins with a grown Isabel then an entire chapter devoted to a prayer, then some nutty old lady that is obsessed with her crotch and praying in between thoughts of her crotch. Ugh.