Yvonne
This weekly meme, hosted by MizB, over at ‘Should Be Reading’, is a snapshot of where I am at in my reading schedule.
To play along, just answer the following three questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?
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As I probably won’t be able to contribute every week, I have taken the liberty of adding in a couple more W…’s, which came to mind.
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What are you currently reading?
‘An Uncertain Refuge’ by Carolyn J. Rose
‘A child orphaned by violence. A woman sworn to protect and raise him. A killer come to claim him. A few deadly minutes in An Uncertain Refuge.
Kate Dalton lives by the rules of honesty and fair play until she steps between a battered woman and the man intent on killing her. Amanda Blake barely survives; her ex-husband dies by Kate’s hand. The repercussions force Kate from her job at a domestic violence shelter. Fleeing unwanted publicity and yearning to break with her past, she heads to the Oregon coast, burdened by a coerced promise to Amanda—to care for the nine-year-old son of the man she killed and shield him from the truth.
For several weeks Kate holds a tattered web of lies together. Then Way-Ray’s vengeful uncle murders Amanda, an ambush journalist tells the story, and the boy bolts in horror. Aided by a dangerous man she only half-trusts, Kate searches for the boy she’s come to love. But a sadistic killer intent on claiming his kin is watching every move.
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What did you recently finish reading?
‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’ by James Lyon
Meticulously researched, “Kiss of the Butterfly” weaves together intricate threads from the 15th, 18th and 20th centuries to create a rich phantasmagorical tapestry of allegory and reality. It is about divided loyalties, friendship and betrayal, virtue and innocence lost, obsession and devotion, desire and denial, the thirst for life and hunger for death, rebirth and salvation. “Kiss” blends history and the terrors of the Balkans as it explores dark corners of the soul, from medieval Bosnia to enlightenment-era Vienna, from the bright beaches of modern-day Southern California to the exotically dark cityscapes of Budapest and Belgrade, and horrors of Bosnia.
“Kiss of the Butterfly” is based on true historical events. In the year of his death, 1476, the Prince of Wallachia — Vlad III (Dracula) — committed atrocities under the cloak of medieval Bosnia’s forested mountains, culminating in a bloody massacre in the mining town of Srebrenica. A little over 500 years later, in July 1995, history repeated itself when troops commanded by General Ratko Mladic entered Srebrenica and slaughtered nearly 8,000 people, making it the worst massacre Europe had seen since the Second World War. For most people, the two events seemed unconnected…
Vampires have formed an integral part of Balkan folklore for over a thousand years. “Kiss” represents a radical departure from popular vampire legend, based as it is on genuine Balkan folklore from as far back as the 14th century. “Kiss of the Butterfly” offers up the vampires that existed long before Dracula and places them within a modern spectrum.
…. so James combines Dan Brown, Indiana Jones, Bram Stoker, and Umberto Eco, with the vampires serving both as the villains and as a metaphor for the broader issues. The fact that vampires come from Balkan folklore (not Romanian), means he was able to abuse his academic training for a good cause!
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What do you think you’ll read next?
‘Double Trouble’ by Betty Sullivan La Pierre
When Nancy Gilbert’s sister, Tanya Stowell is murdered, the person she turns to for help is former Company agent Tom Casey. Afraid for herself and her family, Nancy hires Tom to protect her from her ex-husband who’s just gotten out of prison. Believing Drew Harland, the ex, killed her sister, she panics when he suddenly turns up in town.
What Nancy, Tom, and his associates don’t realize is that someone else is in the background with murder on the mind. When some of the main players, including the main suspect, start turning up dead themselves, Tom realizes that they could all be victims if this silent killer isn’t caught, and soon!
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What was the last book you reviewed?
‘The Dragondain’ by Richard Due
It’s the middle of the night, you need to send your brother to the Moon Realm, and he won’t wake up. So you improvise. . . .
When a confused Jasper awakes, he’s convinced he’s dreaming. But by the time he meets Greydor, Jasper understands that this is no dream. In fact, persuading the King of the Rinn to work with the men of Dain to defeat their common enemy is a nightmare. Then there’s the other side of the coin: convincing Tavin and Dubb that saddling a Rinn isn’t certain death. (“It’ll be fun!”) And perhaps even a greater worry: can he make friends with Dubb’s daughter Darce before she punches his lights out?
Lily has problems, too. There’s a little mousie scratching in her closet. Or at least, it sounds like a little mousie. Oh, and her second confrontation with Curse, and trying to form her first peerin. (Don’t you have to be from Dain to do that?) And where’s Ebb?
Only one thing is certain. Now that Lily and Jasper have entered the Moon Realm, nothing can ever be the same again.
You can read my review here…
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What book review are you working on now?
‘The House On Willow Street’ by Cathy Kelly
Welcome to Avalon: a quaint, sleepy town on the Irish coast. Nothing has changed here for generations – least of all the huge mansion on Willow Street; the house in which sisters Tess and Suki Power grewup.
Now, years later, Tess is trying to save her marriage and protect her glamorous sister Suki who has come back home, dreams shattered. Similarly, Mara Wilson is seeking refuge from a broken heart at her Aunt Danae’s house. And Danae, the inscrutable postmistress, is hiding dark memories of her own.
Now that the big house is up for sale, change is blowing on the cold sea wind. But before they can look to the future, these four women must face up to the past …
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Wow, you’ve been busy with your reading just lately! The Kiss of the Butterfly is the one that intrigues me the most but all of them sound interesting, especially Double Trouble. Have fun!
Hi Cath,
I am always a sucker for a good mystery story and ‘Double Trouble’ is going to fit that bill quite nicely, although my current read ‘An Uncertain Refuge’ is shaping up into a fantastic story, albeit slightly more ‘dark’ than ‘Double Trouble’ sounds.
‘The Kiss Of The Butterfly’ really blew me away. I have deliberately stayed away from reading any stories to do with vampires, however this has to be one of the best fiction books ever on the subject and definitely my best read of the year so far. Reviewing it isn’t going to be easy though, so you may have to wait a little longer to gauge whether you would enjoy it or not.
Thanks for stopping by and for the lovely comments. Spring is finally in the air, so I hope that all is well with you!
Hi Yvonne,
I really like the sound of An Uncertain Refuge. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I love reading mystery/thriller books. I think Double Trouble also looks really good.
I haven’t read many vampire books, although that’s going to change soon with a series that I’ll be starting. However, Kiss Of The Butterfly sounds very intriguing!
I hope you have a great week and that you enjoy your books!
Hi Chrissi,
‘An Uncertain Refuge’ is shaping up to be so much more than a straightforward mystery / thriller story. There are some strong opening scenes and the author, Carolyn Rose, certainly isn’t shy about dealing with some of life’s difficult, challenging and emotional issues. Great stuff!
‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’ is the first true vampire book that I have read, although that has been a conscious decision on my part. When James contacted me and explained the concept and history behind the book, I could see that it was just so much more than your average vampire story. This is still not a genre that I would choose to read on a regular basis.
Thanks for stopping by, I always value your time and comments.
I normally steer clear of vampire books, although I did like Dracula and I quite liked The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, but you’ve convinced me to look out for The Kiss of the Butterfly!
Hi Margaret,
Like yourself, I generally steer clear of vampire books, as not only do the storylines never sound very convincing or intriguing, but they are frankly often, quite badly written, if some of the synopses are anything to go by.
Please don’t all ‘shout’ at me at once, I am sure that there are many exceptions to the rule out there and if anyone has any good recommendations, then I am always open to persuasion!
It will certainly have to be some book to better ‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’ which was an exceptional book for me. Given the actual historical facts and events surrounding the history of The Balkan region, which were expertly woven into the story and the cleverly crafted storytelling and excellent presentation by author James Lyon, this certainly put vampires and indeed butterflies, into a whole new perspective for me!! …. And yes, Dracula does get a mention!!
Thanks for taking an interest in today’s post, I always appreciate your comments.
I reviewed ‘The Dragondain’ as well, I absolutely loved it! 🙂 ‘Kiss of the Butterfly’ looks gorgeous but sounds really good as well! Thanks for sharing, I’m following you on Twitter!
Here’s my WWW post!
Juli @ Universe in Words
Hi Juli,
I wonder did you get to read ‘The Mooncoin’ as well? Both were excellent books, great for adults and children alike. It’s a shame that we may have to wait some time before the next episode. I shall stop by after posting this and take a look at your review.
I think that you might well enjoy ‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’. James Lyon writes with the same enthusiasm and attention to detail as Richard Due and I found the whole concept and storyline thoroughly engrossing.
Thanks for the visit today. I always appreciate any comments and thoughts you may want to share with everyone.
It sounds like both An Uncertain Refuge and Double Trouble could be harrowing reads – the first especially so.
Like the others who have left comments I’m probably most intrigued by your thoughts on Kiss Of The Butterfly as it seems to be a book that you either love or loathe with nothing in between.
Hi Tracy,
‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’ is such a powerful book, that I guess it is a kind of ‘marmite’ thing … you either love it or hate it and I loved it big time!! Everything about it was just so well done, thoughtful and professional. I really hope that James considers writing some more fiction in the future…
The first chapter of ‘An Uncertain Refuge’ is very emotional and intense. The pace is slowing down a little now, but I can feel a slow build storyline coming on, which is going to explode again before too long. I am really enjoying it so far.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments, as always I appreciate them.
The House on Willow Street is now on my TBR list. I;m anew follower. http://georgielee.blogspot.com/2013/04/www-wednesday.html
Hi Georgie,
Thanks for choosing to stop by Fiction Books today. I love ‘meeting’ new people, so your visits will always be welcome and your comments always appreciated.
I hope to publish the definitive review of ‘The House On Willow Street’ very soon, although I can tell you now that I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing Irish saga, written by a consummate and talented author, who has been highly successful in her chosen field for several years now.