Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: Shades of Milk and Honey (The Glamourist #1)

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Publisher: Tor 2010

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 306

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy - Red in a Day; A to Z - S; I Love Libraries

Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane's skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody's suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right-and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical of this book when I first started reading. Based off of the blurbs from the back, I was unsure of how this book could live up to a description of it being a cross between Jane Austen and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. And yet, the volume delivered on the promise. I was immediately drawn into a seemingly Austen-like world except for the fact that magic in the form of glamours is real. I connected to Jane and dove straight into her world. I ended up speeding through this book, finishing it in less than 24 hours. I just had to see what became of Jane and Melody and Beth, what Mr. Vincent created, who the scoundrel was, and how everything would be resolved in the end. This volume can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I'm glad and excited to read the rest of the series soon.

The Glamourist

#1 Shades of Milk and Honey
#2 Glamour in Glass
#3 Without a Summer
#4 Valour and Vanity
#5 Of Noble Family

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Title: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Scribner 1982

Genre: Horror

Pages: 251

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Scifi; Popsugar - Antihero; I Love Libraries

A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.

This series has been on my lists for years, years I tell you! I don't know why I waited so long to start this one. I finally did and it's amazing! I have enjoyed some of King's writing and this one seems to be the kind of King that I enjoy. We get a big world(s), some spooky happenings, cryptic messages, an antihero, a villain, an audience connection point, and plenty of atmosphere. The first book isn't super long, but even then, I sped through it in two days. I just couldn't stop myself from reading about The Gunslinger's walk getting him closer and closer to the man in black... On to the next book soon!

The Dark Tower:

#0.5 The Little Sisters of Eluria
#1 The Gunslinger
#2 The Drawing of the Three
#3 The Waste Lands
#4 Wizard and Glass
#4.5 The Wind Through the Keyhole
#5 Wolves of the Calla
#6 Song of Susannah
#7 The Dark Tower

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramon Perez

Title: Jane

Author: Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramon Perez

Publisher: Boom 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

A powerful modern day reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre. Jane learns that in the world of New York’s elite, secrets are the greatest extravagance and she must decide if she should trust the man she loves or do whatever it takes to protect his daughter from the consequences of his deception.

I didn't realize that this was a Jane Eyre adaptation when I grabbed it at the library. Pleasant surprise over here... Once I realized what it was, I really enjoyed this slim volume. The updates were very in tune with the 21st century.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Literary Wonderlands Edited by Laura Miller

Title: Literary Wonderlands: A Journey Through the Greatest Fictional Words Ever Created

Edited by: Laura Miller

Publisher: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers 2016

Genre: Nonfiction - Literature

Pages: 319

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: A to Z - L; I Love Libraries

A glorious collection that delves deep into the inception, influences, and literary and historical underpinnings of nearly 100 of our most beloved fictional realms.

Literary Wonderlands is a thoroughly researched, wonderfully written, and beautifully produced book that spans four thousand years of creative endeavor. From Spenser's The Fairie Queene to Wells's The Time Machine to Murakami's 1Q84 it explores the timeless and captivating features of fiction's imagined worlds including the relevance of the writer's own life to the creation of the story, influential contemporary events and philosophies, and the meaning that can be extracted from the details of the work. Each piece includes a detailed overview of the plot and a "Dramatis Personae." Literary Wonderlands is a fascinating read for lovers of literature, fantasy, and science fiction.

Random library pick that I really loved! This collection of essays explore 98 works of of fiction involving amazing created worlds. While I recognized most of the works (and have read a good chunk of them), I loved reading about the origins, meanings, and interesting facts about each one. Miller organizes the works chronologically with references to previous works and other well-known works. I loved reading these short essays so much that I decided to create a new perpetual reading challenge for the works presented.

Next up on the TBR pile:

ApocalyptiGirl by Andrew MacLean

Title: ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria For the End Times

Author: Andrew MacLean

Publisher: Dark Horse 2015

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 96

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Alone at the end of the world, Aria is woman with a mission! Traipsing through an overgrown city with her only companion, a cat named Jelly Beans, Aria's search for an ancient relic with immeasurable power has been fruitless so far. But when a run in with a creepy savage sets her on a path to complete her quest, she'll face death head on in the hopes of claiming her prize and, if all goes according to plan, finally returning home.

Another random library pick for the win! This slim comic is a great adventure story set after the apocalypse. I loved Aria and Jelly Beans and their explorations. Really enjoyed this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Revival Vol. 6-7

Title: Revival Vol 6: Thy Loyal Sons and Daughters

Author: Tim Seeley, Mike Norton,

Publisher: Image 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now it's up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that has come with them. In the aftermath of a terrorist attack, Dana and Em must overcome new obstacles in a city where nothing is as it seems.

Title: Revival Vol 7: Forward

Author: Tim Seeley, Mike Norton,

Publisher: Image 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now it's up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that has come with them.
Now, with Dana and her Reviver sister on the run from the law and an Amish assassin, acting Military Governor, General Cale unleashes her plan for the citizens of Wausau.

I finally made it through the stack of back Revival comics that I grabbed from the library. I read these two volumes back-to-back after being fully drawn into this crazy story. Things are progressing at a scary-fast pace now. Answers are beginning to come into the light and the number of unanswered questions is growing smaller. Now to attempt to get a hold of Volume 8 to see what happens next!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Poet and the Murderer by Simon Worrall

Title: The Poet and the Murderer: A True Story of Literary Crime and the Art of Forgery

Author: Simon Worrall

Publisher: Plume 2002

Genre: History

Pages: 270

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - True Crime; A to Z - P

In The Poet and the Murderer, acclaimed journalist Simon Worrall takes readers into the haunting mind of Mark Hofmann, one of the most daring literary forgers and remorseless murderers of the late twentieth century.

I really really really wanted to enjoyed this mystery/history, and yet I didn't love it. It's a good book and a very interesting premise. I love books about solving history's mysteries, but this one just fell flat for me. The writing style is a bit dry and plodding. I would have loved a narrative history approach to this one. But instead, we get what reads like a newspaper article. A 270 page newspaper article. I just couldn't stay connected to the story. Good book, just not for me...

Next up on the TBR pile:

Revival Vol. 4-5

Title: Revival Vol 4: Escape to Wisconsin

Author: Tim Seeley, Mike Norton, Jenny Frison

Publisher: Image 2014

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 128

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now the living and the recently returned struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy, amidst political and religious conflicts. Dana Cypress must solve the murder of her revived sister, as her own life falls apart around her.

Things in Wisconsin have gotten very interesting in this story. I immediately fell right back into the world and the mysteries that abound. And the interlude in New York was a nice little change of setting. The addition of the big reveal at the end of volume clinched my desire to immediately continue the series.

Title: Revival Vol 5: Gathering of Waters

Author: Tim Seeley, Mike Norton

Publisher: Image 2015

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 128

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now it's up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that have come with them. As the pregnant Em searches for the missing father of her child, Dana is embroiled in a conspiracy to contain Revivers that ends in fire.

Oh man! The twists in this volume had me screaming for more. So very good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Monstress Volume 2

Title: Monstress Volume 2

Author: Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda

Publisher: Image 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 152

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

The Eisner-nominated MONSTRESS is back! Maika, Kippa, and Ren journey to Thyria in search of answers to her past... and discover a new, terrible, threat. Collects MONSTRESS #7-12

I really enjoyed the first volume in this series, but this one was so much better! Maiko is officially off on her own adventure searching for answers to all kinds of questions. I loved the introduction of many new great characters and even some new species. Plus we get the visit to the mysterious Island of Bones. Very scary! Definitely a series that I am going to continue to read!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Low Vol. 1

Title: Low Volume 1: The Delirium of Hope

Author: Rick Remender, Greg Tocchini

Publisher: Image 2015

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Millennia ago, mankind fled the earth's surface into the bottomless depths of the darkest oceans. Shielded from a merciless sun's scorching radiation, the human race tried to stave off certain extinction by sending robotic probes far into the galaxy to search for a new home among the stars. Generations later, one family is about to be torn apart in a conflict that will usher in the final race to save humanity from a world beyond hope.

Dive into an aquatic fantasy like none you've ever seen before, as writer Rick Remender (Fear Agent, Uncanny Avengers) and artist Greg Tocchini (Last Days of American Crime) bring you a tale mankind's final hour in the cold, deathly dark of the sea.

This was a weird one, but in a very good way. I love the entire premise of this series and that's initially drew me in. How would humanity cope with being under the water for that long? What would happen to our great cities? Would we continue to hope for a future or resign ourselves to the end? I loved how the opening panels created the world and more importantly the two sides of the human outlook in Johl and Stel. Such a great set-up! From there, I followed the storyline as it jumped forward in time and plunged us into the water and into another city. I can't wait to read the next volume.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Title: Kingsman: The Secret Service

Author: Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons

Publisher: Image 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 176

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

THE SECRET SERVICE: KINGSMAN is the critically acclaimed comic book series by Kick-Ass writer MARK MILLAR and Watchmen's DAVE GIBBONS. Now a Hollywood blockbuster starring Colin Firth and Taron Egerton, and directed by MATTHEW VAUGHN, KINGSMAN reinvents the spy genre for the 21st century. The story follows a British secret agent who takes his wayward nephew under his wing and trains him to become a gentleman spy. Together, they uncover a plot that links kidnapped celebrities with a plot to eradicate 90 percent of the human race!

I picked this up at the library because I really enjoyed the movies. After reading through the comic, I can see the bits that the movie pulled and the bits that it changed. I did really enjoy the volume and the characters introduced. The villain storyline was a bit weak, but that's okay. The villain storyline isn't really the focus. Overall a very entertaining story.

Next up no the TBR pile:

Moonshine Volume 1

Title: Moonshine Volume 1

Author: Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso

Publisher: Image 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Set deep in Appalachia during Prohibition, MOONSHINE tells the story of Lou Pirlo, a city-slick “torpedo” sent from New York City to negotiate a deal with the best moonshiner in West Virginia, Hiram Holt. Lou figures it a milk run, but what he doesn’t figure is that Holt’s just as cunning and ruthless as any NYC crime boss. Not only will Holt do anything for his illicit booze operation, he’ll stop at nothing to protect a much darker, bloodier family secret.

Random pick from he new books shelf at the library. Hmmm... a Prohibition era horror comic? I'm totally down for this one. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. However, I wish the storyline would have moved a bit faster. Still an enjoyable volume.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Toxic Trousseau by Juliet Blackwell

Title: A Toxic Trousseau (Witchcraft Mystery #8)

Author: Juliet Blackwell

Publisher: Obsidian 2016

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Pages: 332

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Local Author; I Love Libraries; Finishing the Series

Even the most skilled sorceress can’t ward off a lawsuit, and Lily is not at her enchanting best with her hands full as the temporary leader of San Francisco's magical community. So after her potbellied pig Oscar head-butts rival clothier Autumn Jennings, Lily tries to make peace without a costly personal injury case.

But any hope of a quiet resolution is shattered when Autumn turns up dead. As one of the prime suspects, Lily searches for a way to clear her name and discovers a cursed trousseau among Autumn’s recently acquired inventory. Lily must deal with a mysterious dogwalker and spend the night in a haunted house as she delves into the trunk’s treacherous past. She’s got to figure out who wanted to harm Autumn fast, before the curse claims another victim…

The last volume in this series was a bit of a disappointment when comparing it to the rest of the series. Thankfully this one brought the storyline and characters back to where they should be. We get an interesting storyline, the inclusion of the Winchester House (I'm sorry, the Rodchester House), and some great revelations. I loved the side plot of Aidan going out of town and Lily becoming the holder of the satchel! This story finally revealed a bit of what has been teased in the last couple of stories about a gathering story in San Francisco. Hopefully the next book in the series will have more revelations. Loving this one!

Witchcraft Mystery

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1)

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Disney Hyperion 2010

Genre: YA Paranormal

Pages: 323

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (YA of US); Popsugar -- Alliteration; Finishing the Series

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium

I have School Spirits sitting on my unread shelves and put it on my TBR list for this year, but didn't realize that this was a spin-off series. So I decided to start at the beginning with Hex Hall. I sped through this book, not that it was life-changing or super emotional, but because it was highly enjoyable and easily read. I immediately loved Sophie and the assortment of side characters at Hecate Hall. I was drawn into the world and loved discovering the secrets locked within. I will definitely be continuing on with this series. In fact, I've already put the other two books in the trilogies on hold at the library.

Hex Hall:

#1 Hex Hall
#2 Demonglass
#3 Spell Bound

Next up on the TBR pile:

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Title: Herland

Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Published: 1915

Genre: Classics - Feminism

Pages: 128

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (Feminism); Reading Assignment; Popsugar - About Feminism

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was an American sociologist, writer, and a lecturer for social reform. She was a utopian feminist. Her best remembered work today is her short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper".
"Herland" (1915) describes an isolated society comprised entirely of women who reproduce via parthenogenesis. The result is an ideal social order, free of war, conflict and domination.

I've read and loved Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper", but somehow I never picked this one up. Thankful that I did as it's an interesting bit of feminist history. I immediately fell for the account of this utopian society populated only by women. Gilman allows the reader to feel the wonder and confusion along with her three main male characters. Her thoughts of motherhood and societal worth are interesting if a bit outdated. But reminding myself that she wrote this in 1915 gives me the correct lenses to read it through. I don't expected 21st feminist critique from her, but am fascinated by her early 20th century approach.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark

Title: The Angel Stone (Fairwick Trilogy #3)

Author: Juliet Dark

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 303

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; A to Z - A; Finishing the Series

For Callie McFay, a half-witch/half-fey professor of folklore and Gothic literature, the fight to save the enchanted town of Fairwick, New York, is far from over. After a hostile takeover by the Grove—a sinister group of witches and their cohorts—many of the local fey have been banished or killed, including Callie’s one true love. And in place of the spirit of tolerance and harmony, the new administration at Fairwick College has fostered an air of danger and distrust.

With her unique magical abilities, Callie is the only one who can rescue her friends from exile and restore order to the school—a task that requires her to find the Angel Stone, a legendary talisman of immense power. Propelled on an extraordinary quest back to seventeenth-century Scotland, Callie risks her life to obtain the stone. Yet when she encounters a sexy incarnation of her lost love, she finds the greater risk is to her heart. As the fate of Fairwick hangs in the balance, Callie must make a wrenching choice: reclaim a chance for eternal passion or save everything she holds dear.

I really enjoyed the last book in this fun trilogy. I was looking forward to this volume, but was unsure of where this was going to go. I was concerned about the the premise of Callie going back in time to find the Angel Stone. I was afraid it was going to be too rushed or drag on too long. Instead, It was a nice change of setting and helped to move the plotline along. I really fell back in love with Callie and William. Definitely a good conclusion to the story.

Fairwick Trilogy:

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell by Mira Grant

Title: The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell (Newsflash #3.6)

Author: Mira Grant

Publisher: Orbit 2014

Genre: Horror

Pages: 105

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; What's in a Name - Word "the" used twice

A new Newsflesh novella from the New York Times bestselling author that brought you Feed, Mira Grant.

Outside the classroom walls the Rising was spreading, but inside was a carefully protected sanctuary against the growing threat.

Or so the teachers and students thought.

I thoroughly enjoyed Grant's original Newsflesh trilogy a few years back and have been enjoying the additions of the short stories and continuations of the story. This short little story was full of all the horror and expert writing I have come to expect from Grant. I was completely horrified by this tale of a teacher attempting to save herself and her students from the unspeakable horror of the infected. I sped through this story and loved very bit of it. Such a great story!

Newflesh:

#0.5 Countdown
#0.75 San Diego 2014
#1 Feed
#1.5 Fed
#2 Deadline
#3 Blackout
#3.5 How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea
#3.6 The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell
#3.7 Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus
#4 Feedback
#4.5 All the Pretty Little Horses
#4.6 Coming to You Live

Next up on the TBR pile:

Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman

Title: Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire

Author: Neil Gaiman and Shane Oakley

Publisher: Dark Horse 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 48

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

A celebrated send-up of gothic literature, beautifully adapted into a dark, brooding, and oddly comical graphic novel. Somewhere in the night, a raven caws, an author's pen scratches, and thunder claps. The author wants to write fiction: stories about frail women in white nightgowns, mysterious bumps in the night, and the undead rising to collect old debts. But he keeps getting interrupted by the everyday annoyances of talking ravens, duels to the death, and his sinister butler.

How did I not know that this comic existed? I love the weird and wonderful writings of Neil Gaiman. This slim volume is a treat. The writing is gorgeous, of course, it's Neil Gaiman. But it's the art that really shines in this volume. So gorgeous! I sped through this in less than 15 minutes, because it is just so amazing! Definite. recommendation.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The English Wife by Lauren Willig

Title: The English Wife

Author: Lauren Willig

Publisher: St. Martin's Press 2017

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 376

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Share-a-Tea; What's in a Name - Nationality

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life in New York: he's the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he's recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she's having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay's sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?

This was my first Book of the Month selection from December 2017. I didn't get the book until I returned to California, but was super excited to read it. I loved Willig's Pink Carnation series and hoped this volume would also keep my attention. And keep my attention it did! I immediately dove into this historical murder mystery. Who killed Bay? What happened to Annabelle? I loved the premise and then really fell for the characters. Janie was my favorite character. I loved her growth throughout the book. I loved the family intrigue and secrets. Overall I really enjoyed Willig's story and writing. There were passages that reminded me of her Pink Carnation series even though this book was a lot more serious and straight forward. Definite recommendation!

I'm counting this book for part of the Share-a-Tea Reading Challenge. This was the perfect book to read while enjoying a nice cup of tea. For this particular book, I was enjoyed Zhena's Gypsy Tea's Raspberry Earl. Loved the hints of sweetness overlaying a classic black tea. Yummy!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Bostonians by Henry James

Title: The Bostonians

Author: Henry James

Publisher: 1886

Genre: Classic

Pages: 496

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Pile; Modern Mrs Darcy - Classic I've Been Meaning to Read; A to Z - B

The Bostonians is a bittersweet tragicomedy that centers on an odd triangle of characters: Basil Ransom, a political conservative from Mississippi; Olive Chancellor, Ransom's cousin and a Boston feminist; and Verena Tarrant, a pretty, young protegee of Olive's in the feminist movement. The story-line concerns the struggle between Ransom and Olive for Verena's allegiance and affection, though the novel also includes a wide panorama of political activists, newspaper people, and quirky eccentrics.

Hmmm... so I wanted to like this novel as it deals with some interesting themes, but I just couldn't get over James's seeming derision of the feminist movement. I was very interested in the dichotomy between the Basil and Olive's cultures. The novel is a fascinating look at the North/South divide, the conservative/progressive struggle, and in general men and women. I was fully into the premise of setting the two main characters up as competitors for Verena's affections and loyalty. What I wasn't too keen on is the portrayal of the feminists and as silly and even caricatures of people. In the end, Verena's choice is presented as a possible mistake, but James plays it coy. So I felt like James wasn't really taking either side in the debates he set up on the book. Overall, a bit of a disappointment for me.

Next up on the TBR pile: