A Fistful of Books
41. Lying Awake by Mark Salzman
A really interesting book about a Carmelite nun who realizes her ecstatic visions might be caused by epilepsy. It explored very interesting issues of faith--were the visions "just" illness or are they a gift? What should she do about the visions, and how does she know her choice is being made for the right reasons?
42. By Blood We Live. Ed. by John Joseph Adams
This is a great anthology of vampire stories compiled by the same editor who did the dystopian anthology Brave New Worlds. It looks like he has some other interesting anthologies as well, including one on stories of the apocalypse. I was actually really surprised at the range of stories here. There were gothic vampires, sci-fi vampires, alien vampires, Neanderthal vampires, and vampires in so many different cultures and historical settings. They ranged from wistful to horrifying, dramatic to satirical. Many have really interesting takes on the vampire legend, literature, or historical events. I got it from the library, but may have to buy a copy, because it's really quite good. It would be a great anthology to give to someone who's skeptical that anything about vampires could be quality literature. (Nota bene: None of the vampires sparkle, as far as I remember.)
43. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
This was okay. It was about a young woman from a family who can read futures in lace patterns coming home to come to terms with her past after her great-aunt dies. I was a bit thrown by the author's choice to switch from first-person to third-person limited when she took the focus off the main narrator's story. I don't think she had as firm a control of those character's voices and personalities as she did of the main character, and it was just weirdly distancing. The ending was also a bit strange, and I'm not sure whether I buy it or not. It was an ambitious thing to try, but I don't feel like the author could quite pull off that kind of twist ending.
A really interesting book about a Carmelite nun who realizes her ecstatic visions might be caused by epilepsy. It explored very interesting issues of faith--were the visions "just" illness or are they a gift? What should she do about the visions, and how does she know her choice is being made for the right reasons?
42. By Blood We Live. Ed. by John Joseph Adams
This is a great anthology of vampire stories compiled by the same editor who did the dystopian anthology Brave New Worlds. It looks like he has some other interesting anthologies as well, including one on stories of the apocalypse. I was actually really surprised at the range of stories here. There were gothic vampires, sci-fi vampires, alien vampires, Neanderthal vampires, and vampires in so many different cultures and historical settings. They ranged from wistful to horrifying, dramatic to satirical. Many have really interesting takes on the vampire legend, literature, or historical events. I got it from the library, but may have to buy a copy, because it's really quite good. It would be a great anthology to give to someone who's skeptical that anything about vampires could be quality literature. (Nota bene: None of the vampires sparkle, as far as I remember.)
43. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
This was okay. It was about a young woman from a family who can read futures in lace patterns coming home to come to terms with her past after her great-aunt dies. I was a bit thrown by the author's choice to switch from first-person to third-person limited when she took the focus off the main narrator's story. I don't think she had as firm a control of those character's voices and personalities as she did of the main character, and it was just weirdly distancing. The ending was also a bit strange, and I'm not sure whether I buy it or not. It was an ambitious thing to try, but I don't feel like the author could quite pull off that kind of twist ending.