If you enjoy reading good books, give this one a try, well this series really. This book was definitely worth the wait. I’m sure book three will be even better.

Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices)

Cassandra Clare. Margaret K. McElderry Books 2011, Hardcover, 528 pages, $12.45

When this book first came out, I read it immediately. My initial reaction to the book was fairly luke warm. I love getting lost in a Cassandra Clare novel. She ushers me into the world she’s created and quickly, lets the drama unfold. However, she seems to like the “bad boy” characters more than I do. Obviously, there’s a bad boy in this book. He’s good looking, sulky, and also cuttingly funny. If you’re thinking he sounds like Jace, another of Clare’s characters, you’re not alone. I’m finding the “bad boys” to be a bit cliche. Honestly, who wants to be treated like that, I sure hope my daughter does not become someone who tolerates that kind of behaviour. Here is an excerpt of the review I wrote on Goodreads.com just after finishing the book

What is with bad boys in YA fiction? First of all, no one deserves to be treated the way Will treats, well everyone, but especially Tessa. I get that he is damaged and wants to push her away, but still feels connected to her. I just can’t stand that she’s taking it. From all the interviews I’ve read with Cassandra Clare, I get that she wants us to excuse Will’s bad behaviour, because he’s hurting. Well, I’m not going to take it. He can take his pain somewhere else. I think it would be funny if Cassandra Clare let a psychologist talk to the shadow hunters. It would do them all a world of good. 

However, it has been over a year since I read this book, and the second one is due out next week, and all I can feel about that is excited! Seriously, I can’t wait for Clockwork Prince to line the shelves of Chapters and yes, Wal-Mart. Obviously, the bad boys are not going to keep me away from the second instalment of the Infernal Devices series. Hey, I’m even giving it away. Maybe I have a weakness for jerks after all. Or, maybe he gets a break because he’s funny? Either way, check back on the blog next week to see how to enter.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)

Cassandra Clare. Margaret K. McElderry Books 2010, Hardcover, 496 pages, $4.49

I didn’t get to know any of the characters in a way that I would have liked. I didn’t understand their choices or empathize with them. The main character, Julie/Guiletta was scattered and never really got it together. Her sister Janice was worse. The love interest was pretty in my mind. He worked at a bank maybe, or was he a police man? He had guns, and connections with the police. Maybe things are different in Italy? Oh that brings me to Italy. That was one of the things Fortier did do right. I mean, I’ve never been to Italy, but I really want to go now. It sounds beautiful and the setting in this novel made me feel like I was there.

I do have a few more complaints. This book was written in the first person. If the author wanted us to feel unsure of whether or not our Juliet would live, she probably should have written in the third person. I’ve never read a novel written in the first person where the main character dies. And this is not really an avante garde kind of book. Also, Julie/Guiletta is reading a journal in part of the novel and the journal is written in the third person. Who writes their journal in the third person? Clarissa was reading a novel today about Romeo and Juliet, she is starting to think that she should read the play again. Anyway, in my humble opinion, she should have switched them, it would have made more sense and kept us a bit more in the dark.

The Midwife of Venice is about a Jewish woman living in a Ghetto in Venice during the 1500s. She is, of course, a midwife. During this time period, she was only allowed to help other Jewish women and was barred from helping Christians. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she became known throughout Venice as a midwife who had a magical touch and miracle hands. Late one night, a Christian man comes pounding on her door demanding help for his wife.

Meanwhile, her husband has been taken prisoner by pirates off the coast of Malta and has been sold into slavery. We hear his side of the story as well. As the point-of-view switches from Hannah to Isaak, we get a broader view of the world and what it meant to be a Jew during the 1500s.

I intended to savour this book bit by bit, and read it over, at least a week, but once I started, I couldn’t put it down. Sadly, I finished the same day I started. An intense book with some meat to it.

The Midwife of Venice

Roberta Rich. Anchor Canada 2011, Paperback, 336 pages, $22.75

Told you it was heavy. Well Sarah’s Key focuses on a young survivor of the roundup. Our present day character, Julia, is researching Vel d’Hiv when she comes across Sarah’s story. The story is pretty heavy, but I found that reading about Sarah, through Julia’s eyes helped take some the  sting away. Julia is so moved and horrified by Sarah’s story that she kind of took some of my horror with her. It is still horrific, just not as much as if it were only Sarah’s story. I felt like this was a nice way for de Rosnay to tell about Vel d’Hiv. An excellent, albeit heavy, read.

Sarah’s Key

Tatiana de Rosnay. St. Martin’s Press 2007, Hardcover, 304 pages, $14.44

I felt the protagonist Jacob was well written and well rounded, but not all the characters received the same careful attention. I was disappointed in the love interest Marlena, and was slightly annoyed at her lack of dimension. Jacob is instantly and completely in love with her, but her descriptions go no deeper than ‘beautiful’ and ‘good with animals’. As my husband so eloquently asked me after watching Twilight for the first time, ‘why are these guys so in love with her’? I don’t quite have the answer to that question, but as the story unfolds it is a great ride with the perfect twist at the climax.

The story is told alternately by Jacob as an old man in an old folks home, and Jacob in the first person as the events unfold. I think this idea has been done before and I’m not really a fan of it, but I liked the way the author portrays his life and thoughts as an older man. I especially liked the ending and thought ‘why the heck not?’ As much as I don’t think the ending is likely, I read books for fun and would have been disappointed by a more realistic ending. This book has some language, a moderate amount of sex, and some violence. Also violence towards animals.

Water for Elephants

Sara Gruen. Algonquin Books 2007, Paperback, 350 pages, $5.93

Alice Munro did a terrific job giving each character a disctinct voice, and the relationships and motivations sublty unfold as the plot carries you along. I think though, that I didn’t really ‘get it’. I think Alice Munro has an incredible ability to fit an entire lifetime in a fraction of the sapce of most novelists, but by the end I had a hard time connecting the stories as a whole, or finding a truth or message to come away with. While the stories mostly involved the same central location, I kept looking for more overlap or cohesion. I didn’t find satisfaction, but that is most likely a problem with my own expectations and not the collection.

I would recommend this book if you love Canadian authors, or if you only have time to read about 40 pages in one sitting.

Open Secrets

Alice Munro. Vintage 1995, Paperback, 294 pages, $6.00

Wow, I think I may have a hard time trying not to gush about this book. I loved it. It was written in a way that was interesting, the writing style was different and the words were beautiful. You know when someone is telling a story and they sometimes trip over their words? Well there was some tripping in this book. Just a enough to keep it interesting. The style was different from what I am used to, and it took me a while to get into it. Once I was accustomed to the way the story was told, I flew through it. Couldn’t put it down. It was so moving. I guess I should tell you what it’s about.

This is a story narrated by Death. He is telling the story of a young girl in Nazi Germany during the war. Already you should know that this book is not going to be a happy go lucky kind of book. How could a book narrated by Death be anything but depressing? Yet the book is not all grief ridden. It has it’s moments, but there are also moments of fun and humour. It managed to make me laugh and then subsequently, cry. But by the end of the book, I was satisfied.

For your reading pleasure, here is a small excerpt from the book, just to show how beautiful the words are:

When Leisel left that day, she said something with great uneasiness. In translation, two giant words were struggled with, carried on her shoulder, and dropped as a bungling pair at Ilsa Hermann’s feet. They fell off sideways as the girl veered with them and could no longer sustain their weight. Together, they sat on the floor, large and loud and clumsy. I’M SORRY (p. 146).

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak. Alfred A. Knopf 2007, Paperback, 576 pages, $5.77