The Lake of Dreams

Author: 
Kim Edwards

Publication Date: 
2011

Category: 
Family Saga/ Mystery

Who'll want to read it? 
Dreamers

Point of no return: 
Well, it was more of a feeling. The brother's boat was called 'Fearful Symmetry', which up until now I had thought was a clever title thought up by another Author (my heart is beating) ... it is in fact a William Blake poem (also a name of a band, a Spiderman graphic novel and a X files episode)

Classic line:
(In regards to the Suffragette movement) The rights I took for granted seemed suddenly very new, measured against the centuries.

What's it all about? 
Lucy's father died a decade ago and she goes back to her home town to care for her mother and uncovers a secret, hidden in the house's wall cavities.
There was a bit of romance and self-discovery, which was boring, there were 'things unspoken'- in relation to the fathers death, which was mildly intriguing, but the real story was about uncovering and researching the family's past and and learning of the existence of Rose, whose story is tragic and wonderful at the same time. It gave a fantastic insight to the Suffragette movement and it's effect on smaller communities, as well as some insight into women in the church/ religion in the same time period.
The Lake of Dreams was a quick read and kept my interest, I skimmed some of the relationship stuff to find the intriguing parts from about half-way- nowhere as good as 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter', her first novel publisher in 2005.

Publisher:
Penguin

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Delicacy

Author: David Foenkinos, translated from the French by Bruce Benderson.

Publication Date: 2009 in France as "La Delicatesse", 2011 in English

Category: Adult fiction

Who'll want to read it? Anyone looking for an intelligent, funny and uplifting story about overcoming loss and finding love a second time.

Point of no return: I wanted to read this because I love this author's style.

Classic line: "For him, she represented a certain kind of inaccessible woman, doubled by the fantasy that some people develop toward all superiors, or anyone in a position to hold sway over them." pg 78

What's it all about?  Natalie is beautiful, happily married and has a succesful career. She loses her husband  Francoise in a tragic accident and is faced with rebuilding her life. Her journey is long, but suddenly her angst disappears and she impulsively kisses a colleague. Natalie's act in the middle of a daydream creates a moment that Markus describes as "the realest of my life." pg 95. The office politics that result are both damning and hilarious.

The novel is full of funny little observations, with more than one person lamenting the invention of wall-to-wall carpet in the office environment and it's dampening affect on sensuality - after all no-one can hear spike heels clicking on carpet. I also loved the situations people created, particularly co-incidences:

"Markus couldn't concentrate. He wanted his explanation. There was only one way to get it: create a fake coincidence. Keep going back and forth in front of Natalie's office - all day if he had to. There'd have to be a moment when she came out and ... bam ... he'd be there, by pure coincidence, walking in front of her office." pg 86.


"... as Natalie arrived at the office, she ran into Chloe. Let's admit it on the spot: the latter was also well versed in phony coincidences. Therefore, she just happened to be walking back and forth in the hallway when she encountered her superior.*"

Footnote: "* We may finally ask ourselves whether coincidence really does exist. Maybe everybody we run into is walking around near us with the underlying hope of meeting us? To think of it, it's a fact that they often seem out of breath." pg 141

Delicacy is an enjoyable book and more uplifting than the beginning makes it seem. Readers will enjoy seeing the "delicacy" in both Natalie and Markus and the unlikely relationship that evolves for them. I can't wait to see the film!

Publisher: Bloomsbury

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Birth of a Book

I came across this video and thought you might like to know how books can be made.

Birth of a Book from GLEN MILNER on Vimeo.

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The Mayan Prophecy

Author: Steve Alten

Publication Date: 2011 (apparently published as Domain in 2001)

Category: Conspiracy theory, Doomsday fiction

Who'll want to read it? People who like conspiracies, end-of-the-world fiction, and are willing to take their history with a grain of salt.

Point of no return: Dinosaurs and aliens! After a description of alien battle, on page 10:
"In deadly silence, the pack of Velociraptors closes around its prey, a 31-foot-long female Corythosaurus."

What's it all about? The Mayan calendar ends on 21 December 2012. Archaeologist Julius  Gabriel works his entire life to ensure that this does not mean the end of the world, or the end of the human race. He dies, failed. His only hope is that his son can carry on his work, unravelling the mysteries of the tall, bearded Caucasian teachers in history, who were instrumental in the building of the pyramids of Egypt and Mexico, the Nazca desert drawings, even Stonehenge. But his son, Michael, is locked in an asylum. The fate of the world now rests in the hands of his new psychiatrist, Dominique Vazquez, who may be the only one who believes he wrongly incarcerated.

This is an action-packed, history-filled, flight of fancy, that stretches the imagination and takes you on a journey from deep outer space to deep underwater. It is well written, well researched, and well imagined!

Publisher: Quercus

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Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral

Author: Kris Radish

Publication Date: 2006

Category: Fiction

Who'll want to read it? Women. Possibly older women, who have teenage or older kids, but I think all women will get it.

Point of no return: The title. I saw it more than a year ago, but only just borrowed and read it. Now I want a travelling funeral!

Classic line: 'Laura: "Kind of psychic, Have this missing-daughter thing. Not happy in Chicago. Husband stuff okay."
Rebecca: "You know me, Marie. Stuck in reverse. Filled with loss. Tired of people dying. Feel as if the world has betrayed me. Have not been laid in way too long."
Jill: "You know me a little bit, too. A professor. Wallowing in self-pity. Closeted lesbian - My God, Marie. That's enough. I've never even said that out loud before."
Balinda: "Tired. Tired of sacrifice. Have also not been laid in a very long time. Desperately seeking my own life."
Katherine: "I'm going to laugh, Marie. Let's see ... Supporting the entire world has ruined my back. Missing my dead mother. Settling into life when nothing should be settled. There. That's enough. Are you happy now?"
...
Marie: "Obviously always very late. Can't let go. Too hard on myself. Need to take a course in spontaneity." '
pages 245-246

What's it all about? Annie Freeman dies, obviously. She doesn't want a traditional funeral, but instead plans a travelling extravaganza for five of her closest friends. Katherine, Jill, Rebecca, Marie and Laura only know each other through their connection to Annie. Some of them have not even met.

They are thrown together on this well-planned trip, spreading Annie's ashes in places that were special and important to her, usually turning points in her life. Along the way, they learn much about Annie, each other, and themselves.

This is a very American tale of sisterhood, but don't let that put you off. I picked it up because of the title, and was happy with my choice after reading the first couple of paragraphs, which describe the terrible tragedy of a dead bra. The rest of the first chapter, in which the owner of said bra mourns it with the UPS lady, just confirmed me in my choice. The rest of the book was likewise entertaining, heart-rending, insightful, and uplifting.

Publisher: Bantam Books

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