While not as humorous as his Artemis Fowl series, Eoin Colfer presents an engaging story in Airman. Conor Brroekhart leads a charmed life with a princess for a best friend and a fellow aeronautics enthusiast as a teacher. Everything falls apart when Conor witnesses the murder of the king and gets sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

The story is captivating from the beginning, although it does slow and drag a bit in the middle. Conor spends far longer in prison than either he or the reader would like. Conor’s intelligence makes him a more likable character than some because he is not constantly making stupid mistakes and he is able to get himself out of the occasional mess. His stubbornness, on the other hand, gets a bit irritating.

The action is exciting and the plot interesting enough that even in it’s slower moments the book is hard to put down. It is a little predictable, but in a good way. A plot without a little predictability feels strange to the reader.

Airman is an enjoyable read. I’m usually turned off by historical fiction, but Airman feels almost more like science fiction than historical fiction. Lovers of both genres will enjoy this book.

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I read the 4th book in the Essex sisters quartet first and I wasn’t a big fan. (Pleasure For Pleasure) I wrote a review for it stating that I should probably go back and read them in order. I’m glad I did.
The story of Tess Essex and Lucius Felton was very satisfying. The development of their relationship was interesting and I wanted to follow it through to the end. But what I liked the best about this book was the relationship between Tess and her three sisters. The realistic way they interact with each other helped to give the book depth. Too often in romance novels, the heroine and the hero are the main characters and everyone else is in the background. Portraying Tess against the backdrop of her relationship with her sisters helped to make this story seem truthful.
Tess and her three sisters are left impoverished when their racehorse mad father dies and leaves them in the care of Rafe, Duke of Holbrook. Their father leaves them each a racehorse as a dowry and Tess needs to get married quickly so she can support her sisters in their Seasons of husband hunting. Initially she’s engaged to the Earl of Mayne but doesn’t really want to go through with it. Luckily Lucius “rescues” her by asking Mayne to step aside.
An interesting note: there is a poem by Catullus that is quoted by Lucius and Tess called “How Many Kisses: For Lesbia”. I had never read Catullus but I will now be adding his works to my reading list.
Overall a good book and a great start to a series that I plan on completing!
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Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson

Goldy Schultz is at it again, she has somehow found another dead body in the midst of a catering job. Not only that… she has seen a ghost! Sandee Brisbane is back from the dead, everyone thought she was killed in the forest fire after admitting to kill the Jerk (Goldy’s ex-husband), but it seems she has unfinished business and she has her sights set on Goldy’s golden locks. Even though the death of Drew Wellington is not not causing anyone lose sleep; he was a liar, thief and a statutory rapist, but his death did make headlines, since he once was the district attorney. Not only did Goldy find the body, but she’s also been asked by her friend, Patricia Ingersoll, to help find the murderer. Of course, Goldy gets herself into trouble, but, as always, Tom, Arch, Julian and Marla are there to help her out.

This 14th installment of the Goldy Schultz series is similar to the rest… great. Just when I thought 14 books about the same family could get stale Diane Mott Davidson delivers another thriller with some wonderful recipes. The one thing I did find lacking in this episode was Goldy’s helping out her neighbors with some frozen spinach soup (the best Goldy recipe EVER, in Death by Chocolate).

Even though I enjoyed the book, things are changing with Goldy. Arch is growing up and as a teenager he does not seem to be present as much. The victim was more removed from Goldy’s life than have been in the past, but I guess after a time all your friends, family and their families die off and the victims must come from the outside.

Overall, again, it was a good read and I not only recommend “Sweet Revenge”, but the first 13 Goldy Schultz books as well. And you must try some of the recipes, especially the spinach soup.

EW

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The Second Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare

Typical story line… young girl (Lizzie) winds up in Los Angles with no clue as to how these strange people live. Filled with her naïve faux pas and ultimate transformation, complete with “Hollywood Honey” hair and sarcastic cynicism, this story is everything it has always been before. She moves to a town where she knows no one, finds the one “good” person in Hollywood (Lara) to be her friend, sleeps with all the wrong people (Bob) and some how not only makes it out alive, she thrives. Have you read this book before… I know I have.

OK, that is about all I can say. It was OK, I wasn’t compelled to stay up until 2am finishing it (see my review for Big Boned by Meg Cabot), but I did finish it. The book did its job, kept my mind off the fact that I was being hurled though the air with 250 strangers, at 30,000 feet, across an ocean.

The first thing that boggles my mind is how two people author a book together; I have a hard time writing a baby shower invitation with another person, much less agreeing on 321 pages of a character’s thoughts, actions and values. Because of this I think some of the detail of the character is lost. In the end Lizzie ends up being very stereotypical in her actions and views.

I started reading this book and the thought, “I’ve already read this,” cross my mind. Then it dawned on me, it’s the same as “You’ll Never Nanny in This Town Again,” only replace the word Nanny with Second Assistant. However, this Second Assistant doesn’t seem as star stuck as the nanny and in the end she seems to stick around Hollywood to become a First Assistant, a producer and to date someone “in the business”, something she vowed never to do in the beginning.

Even though the book was mediocre, the First Assistant is still on my reading list and I am looking forward to these two ladies’ screenplay, The Accidental Husband, due in theaters soon, starring Uma Thurman and Denny from Grey’s Anatomy. I’m hoping that when it comes to movies, two heads really are better than one.

EW

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Everyone has a story. That’s the premise of The Knitting Circle. Which is true. We all have a story and have all overcome our own personal tragedies. It’s how they are told that makes them worth reading or not.

Our lead character, Mary, lost her daughter. It was an accident, truly no one’s fault. When one loses a child though, fault doesn’t seem to truly matter because that child is still gone. Mary’s mother convinces her to learn to knit as a sort of therapy. Something to keep her mind off things; something that is not overly strenuous that will occupy her mind. Her mother encourages her to knit to save her life. An admirable goal.

Through a knitting circle she joins, Mary meets a group of people who are not all that they appear to be at first. But then, who is? Slowly, she learns their stories. While knitting they explain to her why they began to knit. The phrase “I knit to save my life” is uttered over and over. Don’t any of these people simply enjoy knitting? No, they all have various heart wrenching tragedies that pushed them to knitting.

I have no doubt that this activity has been helpful to some in getting over their grief; that it can take one’s mind of their problems. It just seemed contrived that no one in the group had the types of issues you hear about every day. Those issues can sometimes need relief as well. However, that would not be conducive to the story. The pieces all fit together a little too neatly, a little too forced. They are not knitted into the beautiful tapestry they could have been.

- Kristin
Diverxtrme

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