Taking a break from talking about books to talk about another one of our obsessions….

Whoohoo! Lost is finally back tonight after an 8 month long hiatus.

Last season ended with the losties making contact with the outside world and the promise of rescue looming in the horizon. But at the same time, we also learnt that something is not right, Desmond knows that it’s not Penny’s boat and Locke and Ben have warned them that these people are not the good news they expect. A warning that seems to be valid when we were granted the father of all twists in the recent TV history: Jack and Kate in the future, out of the island and Jack a complete mess who says that they made a mistake and have to go back!

What will happen this season? Here are a few of the questions we have concerning our favorite characters:

What will Locke do next? His connection with the island is one of the central themes of the show and seems to be growing with each season as is his willingness to do anything to save it.

Last time we saw Sawyer, he was in a pretty bad state of mind clearly going to a darker place. Will he be able to accept the good in him? Will he work out his issues with Kate? Last season he was being groomed to become a leader – will that ever happen?

Will Desmond be reunited with his Penny? How will he cope with the fact that Charlie died because of his flashes? He is the only one that knows that Naomi lied about the boat and about Penny. Will his friends believe him?

Will Kate actually make up her mind about her two boys and end the dratted triangle from hell once and for all? We doubt it, but we hope that at least she will have a storyline that does not evolve around Sawyer and Jack.

Will Sayid, the most badass of the losties side with Team Jack or with Team Locke?

How will the losties react to Charlie’s death? Especially Claire and Hurley, who know about Desmond’s abilities, and that Des apparently has let Charlie die?

What will happen to Juliet, now that she has double-crossed the Others, but still isn’t quite trusted by the Losties? More interestingly, what will happen with her as she takes on a spot in the love quadrangle of doom?

And for the unspoiled, perhaps the most important question of all:

Who are the Oceanic Six?

Title: The Sorrows of Young Werther

Author: Goethe

Review number: 9

Genre: Romance? Classic?

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Summary: Amazon uk says The first great “confessional” novel, this is a story of unrequited love, drawing on personal experience. Werther, a sensitive young man, falls in love with Lotte, knowing she is to marry another. Unable to subdue his passion, Werther’s infatuation torments him to the point of despair.

Why did I read the book: my partner has been pestering me to read this ever since we met. This is one of his favorite books.

Review:

Notable quotes/Parts: ……hummm. I can’t think of anything.

Additional Thoughts: Thackeray, a satirical writer, contemporary to Goethe, wrote a wonderful little poem that summarises Werther perfectly (thanks to Joanna Bourne for pointing it out to me):

WERTHER had a love for Charlotte
Such as words could never utter;
Would you know how first he met her?
She was cutting bread and butter.

Charlotte was a married lady,
And a moral man was Werther,
And for all the wealth of Indies
Would do nothing for to hurt her.

So he sigh’d and pin’d and ogled,
And his passion boil’d and bubbled,
Till he blew his silly brains out,
And no more was by it troubled.

Charlotte, having seen his body
Borne before her on a shutter,
Like a well-conducted person,
Went on cutting bread and butter.

Verdict: Read it if you like reading the Classics. I didn’t like it but I do not regret reading it, if that makes any sense.

Rating: 4 – Not without some merit.

Reading next: The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase

The Tate Gallery in London is currently holding an art exhibition with works by John Everett Millais and I jumped at the opportunity to see in person, the many paintings that I have loved for so many years.

Millais (1829–1896) was a British painter who at the age of eleven entered the Royal Academy of Art schools, and remains to this date, their youngest ever student. He was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and one of the most famous and successful British artists.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a Victorian Art movement founded by a group of artists that wished to return to the aesthetic experience that existed before Raphael, (the Renascence artist), hence the name pre-Raphaelite. They were part of the Romanticism which was a movement in the arts, literature, music, which tried to express strong emotion as a source for art, a need to study nature as it was, untamed and yet picturesque, along with a fascination with the medieval world and who often produced works that were linked to literature. (Note: This is a very limited summary of a very important movement who is supposed to be a response to the enormous social, industrial, etc transformations happening in Europe at that time.)

The show follows his life from the earlier stages of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood to the great Landscapes the he painted later on. As far as the exhibition goes it is the most stunning show I have ever seen. I was completely mesmerised by the collection on display.

Here are some of my favourites:

Marianna
Tate says: The inspiration for this painting came from Tennyson’s poem Mariana (1830), itself derived from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Mariana has been rejected by her fiancé Angelo and leads a solitary life in a moated grange. Millais shows her torn between spiritual seclusion and feelings of physical yearning. The large silver vessel on the altar appears again in The Bridesmaid and the drawing St Agnes’ Eve in this room, both of which also depict erotic longing.

I stood in front of this painting for a good 15 minutes completely taken by both the inner qualities of the painting and what it proposes to depict and the fact that everything in it is so vivid – the colours of the room, the dress and I was completely overwhelmed when I realised that my EYES were showing me how the velvet of her clothes and the stool would FEEL. Very disturbing but in a good way.

The Order of Release, 1746

Tate says: This picture depicts a scene following the Jacobite defeat at Culloden. Effie Ruskin posed for the Scotswoman with a written order freeing her wounded husband from an English jail. Her expression is a masterpiece of psychological intensity, her drained features revealing defiance and subjugation, as her husband and son collapse against her. Details such as the spray of the dog’s tail and child’s hands show Millais’s mastery of realism in the service of emotional intensity.

I love Scottish history and was taken with emotion when I saw this. We can see the strength and resilience of this woman, holding everything that she loves in her hands, supporting and comforting them.

There were many many other amazing pieces, which I knew and recognised, but the final room was a complete surprise to me as it contained superb landscapes that I have no idea Millais had produced. Like this one:

Dew-Drenched Furze

It reminded me a lot of Turner, which is my favorite landscape artist. I left Tate feeling like I was floating in the air. Thoroughly satisfied.

Next: Still on the topic of Romanticism, review and thoughts on The Sorrows of Young Werther.

Title: Someone to Watch Over Me

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Review number: 8

Genre: Romance, Historical

Stand alone or series: Number one of Bow Street Runners series, 3 books in total.

Summary: Back cover says A young woman awakens in a stranger’s bed, her memory gone, after being pulled from the icy waters of the Thames. Her rescuer and protector – the dashing and enigmatic Grant Morgan – insists she is Vivien Rose Duvall, one of London’s most scandalous beauties. He is the only man she dares to trust – but her heart tells her he has mistaken her for someone else.

Grant has known every kind of woman, and the one he now holds in his arms seems far too innocent and vulnerable to be the notorious lady he believes her to be. Intoxicated by her sensuality, Grant will not rest until he unravels the secrets of her mysterious lost past – for only then can they share the ecstasy of a pure and passionate love.

Why did I read the book: I read 7 Lisa Kleypas’ books and a friend told me this series should be next.

Review:

I adore Lisa Kleypas. She is one of my favorite Romance writers – I like her style, I like that most of her heroes are members of the working class and not only Lords of the Ton, I like the fact that she is able to take a much used plot and turn it something unique due exclusively to her amazing storytelling abilities.
I also adore her because she has given me my top two favorite Romance Heroes: St Vincent (Devil in Winter) and Derek Craven (Dreaming of You) . She has delighted me with interesting and spunky heroines such as Lawless Lily and Lilian Westcliff. And this is why it breaks my heart to say that Someone to Watch Over Me didn’t do much for me.

I mean, it’s not by any means, a bad book. Once again, she shows how good of a writer she is – this time she deals with the old amnesia + revenge scenario which, in the hands of a less qualified writer, would leave me wondering “why I am reading this”; but in her hands she manages to add something that gets me going. And that something is definitely the characters she invents.

Grant Morgan is a good man and a good hero. He works as a Bow Street Runner, a sort of police officer and as the story begins he is called to investigate a drowning. Once he gets to scene he recognizes the victim as Vivien Duvall, London’s most famous courtesan. She is barely alive and it is clear that the incident has been a failed attempt of murder – she has strangling marks around her neck. Grant takes her to his home so he can keep her safe and find out who is trying to kill her but when she regains conscience , they realize she does not remember anything, not even who she is. Which brings us to the revenge scenario – Grant has vowed to make her pay for some rumors that she had spread around the Ton that she refused his advances when they first met but it was actually the other way around. He sees the current situation as a perfect way of getting back at her by telling Vivien that he is her current protector – he plans to use her and dump her.

But of course, nothing goes according to plan as there is something about Vivien that is not quite right. She doesn’t behave as a courtesan; she has an air of innocence that is very puzzling and attractive to Grant. She is, in fact very adamant that she would not be capable of doing the things she is said to have done. She feels this connection to Grant because he saved her and as they go about investigating the mystery of who tried to kill her, Grant can not help but to feel utterly attracted to her and right from the very beginning he thinks that if he didn’t know that she was a conniving, ruthless woman he would be quite mad about her. And as they succumb to their attraction to each other they finally realize what is clear to us – that she is not who they think she is. And now, they must run against time to find out the truth, get the would-be killer who is still at large and to come to terms with their insecurities so they can get their happy ending.

There are amazing sequences in the book, specially the ones relating to Grant realizing his feelings and how important Vivien is to him but I also felt like there was something missing front his read and I am not sure what. Perhaps, the fact that towards the end of the story Grant became a bit too overbearing for my taste not giving Vivien the time she needed to get to grips with who she really was and what she wanted for her life.

In the end, it was a nice read but not the Amazing and Heartwarming that I have come to expect from Lisa Kleypas. I have high hopes that the other two books in this series will be better. If not, it doesn’t matter; she still is an auto-buy for me.

Notable quotes/parts: One of my favorite things about the relationship in this book is how they were attracted to each other not only physically but because they shared common interests. They both loved books and talked about poetry and philosophy and enjoyed being with each other and at one point Grant thinks:

“A beautiful woman, a fire on the hearth, a roomful of books, and a bottle of wine… It might not have been every man’s idea of heaven, but God knew it was his”.

As this is also my own idea of heaven (note: replace beautiful woman with Dear Partner) I could completely relate.

Title: The Sharing Knife: Beguilement and Legacy (books 1&2)

Title: The Blue Sword

Author: Robin McKinley

Review Number: 7

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Stand alone or series: Has a prequel (written after this book was done, though), but can be read alone

Summary: (from Amazon.com)
Harry Crewe is an orphan girl who comes to live in Damar, the desert country shared by the Homelanders and the secretive, magical Hillfolk. Her life is quiet and ordinary-until the night she is kidnapped by Corlath, the Hillfolk King, who takes her deep into the desert. She does not know the Hillfolk language; she does not know why she has been chosen. But Corlath does. Harry is to be trained in the arts of war until she is a match for any of his men. Does she have the courage to accept her true fate?

Why did I read the book: I vaguely remember reading this when I was in grade school, and when I received it for Christmas as a nostalgic present, I simply had to reread it and refresh my memory. Plus, I had recently finished reading Beauty by the same author, and really love her writing style.

Review:

Wow. I had read this book before when I was much younger, but I am incredibly glad I reread it. As with many books you may have read as a young adult, rereading them tends to be a wholly new, enlightening experience. The Blue Sword is no exception.

Harry is a young woman who has just become an orphan after the death of her father. She packs off from Home (the “Homeland” for her people) to live with her brother and a surrogate family out in Damar—a bleak, intensely hot desert land. The Homelanders live at the edge of the desert, maintaining a diplomatic border with the desert dwellers called the Hillfolk. Ms. McKinley does a brilliant job at portraying the culture clash between both groups, and the prejudices that separate the two. One day, the new King of the Hillfolk–Corlath–decides to appeal to the Homelanders for help to stop an invasion from the Northerners (a common enemy that are more beast and dark magic than man). The Homelander diplomatic outpost replies that they cannot give aid without consulting the Homeland headquarters (not to mention they don’t really care, nor do they believe the Hillfolk in this matter), and have to refuse the King—which understandably pisses him off. As he stalks off from the camp, Harry stares after Corlath and catches his gaze (which is yellowed and blazing with magic that only the Hillfolk possess). Although Harry is not a remarkably beautiful girl, Corlath cannot rid her from his mind (his magical Gift keeps irritating him by replaying the moment constantly). Because one cannot ignore the visions sent by one’s Gift, Corlath returns to the station that evening and steals Harry from her sleeping home.

This is where Harry’s adventure begins. She is no ordinary girl, as you may have surmised. She herself possesses a strong Gift for magic, and Corlath realizes that she is necessary for them to defeat the invading Northerners. Harry, who has always been restless and not quite at home anywhere, finally has the adventure she craves, and gets to explore the desert that has held such a strong appeal to her. She quickly learns the Hill tongue, how to ride and how to fight after an intense training camp. To the people she becomes Harimad-sol and the Damalur-sol—the woman warrior hero—and the first in generations to wield the great Aerin’s blue sword, Gonturan.

While I know I enjoyed this book as a young girl, I could not fully appreciate how unique and wonderful this work is. Ms. McKinley—who I don’t think is capable of writing anything less than superb—hits all the right notes with this classic coming of age hero story. Harry (brilliant name, by the way) is a very real character. She questions her abilities and decisions, but follows her heart and bravely confronts any evil and obstacle in her path. Corlath also comes to life off the page, as a responsible (but pig-headed) King, who will do whatever it takes to ensure his peoples’ safety. Even the secondary characters all have a believable voice and color and capture the reader’s affections and concerns. But truly, Ms. McKinley’s true gift is that of her world building, magical descriptions, and her words that bring to life the shimmer of desert heat or the palpable danger in a swarming army of bestial demons.

This book might be slim at fewer than 300 pages, but each sentence is loaded with purpose and magic of its own. I was riveted for every second of the adventure.

Notable quotes/parts: The showdown between Harry, facing the majority of the Northern Army led by the evil badass Thurra is terrifying. The descriptions are vivid and thoroughly engrossing—you will not be able to look away.

I also found the reunion scene between Harry and her Homelander friends when she implores them for help against the Northerners touching, and handled very well.

Additional Thoughts: There is this disconnect that turns a lot of people off from reading Young Adult books, dismissing them as juvenile or a lesser genre. I can’t imagine why this is—some of my favorite books are of the Young Adult speculative fiction variety. Perhaps this is because the intended audience is young, or because the books don’t employ a hefty amount of unnecessary verbal floweriness or redundant descriptive passages…whatever the case, I highly recommend people to get out there and read some of the wonderful YA fiction that is floating around.

Verdict: A classic! A wonderful book in every way. Buy it or check it out from your local library if you haven’t read it yet!

Rating: 9 Damn Near Perfection

Reading next: The Sharing Knife: Beguilement and Legacy

Title: Charming the Prince

Author: Teresa Medeiros

Review Number: 7

Genre: Romance – Medieval

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Summary: Amazon’s book description says He never lost a battle until he met the one woman who might succeed in… Charming the Prince

Why did I read the book: I read only one book by Teresa Medeiros so far, Yours Until Dawn and did not like it very much so decided to read a second one to form a better opinion.

Review:

Lord Bannor The Bold is the Pride of the English and the Terror of The French. He has fought many battles in the past 14 years; he has been tortured, scalded in boiling water and carries scars from arrows and sword fights. But as our book starts he is found cowering in the top tower of his fortress, praying to God to save him for he has finally met his match…..his children. All 12 of them.

For Bannor is not only all of the things above, he is also a prolific procreator. He is a legend; people say that he can impregnate a woman just by looking into her eyes. But now that the war against France is over and he has to stay put in this fortress with no wife (both his former wives died in accidents) he does not know what to do with the kids or with himself. He barely knows the children having spent most of his life away making war, coming home only occasionally to say hello for a few days and leaving the wife alive at that moment with a child in the making.

So he comes up with a plan: he needs a new wife to be a mother to them. But she must be unattractive so that he won’t feel tempted to have more children. So he sends off his steward to find a bride for him. The man goes around the country and has no luck until one day he sees from a distance a young woman, who seems to be quite plump surrounded by children, playing tenderly with them. So he goes to her father and asks for her hand in marriage for his Lord.

Enter Willow, our heroine, who of course, is not unattractive at all and as it just so happens, hates children. She grew up in a loveless home with a weak father, an eeeeevil step-mother and horrible siblings who treated her like crap. All she ever wanted was to be loved and she has this image of a prince charming coming to her rescue. So she jumps at the opportunity to get married to Bannor. She thinks she is leaving this loveless life behind but to her surprise as soon as she arrives at her new home, she is met with a band of ruthless brats and a husband who freaks out at the mere sight of her. Of course, she thinks he does not find her attractive at all and before she can say anything she is left to fend for herself. Bannor wants her to leave before he falls for her but has no courage to send her away so asks the children to drive her nuts. This way she will be the one to make the decision to end the marriage and he won’t feel guilty. But Willow is smart and turns the game around by joining the kids in their attempt to get his father’s attention.

Sounds silly right? It is. And yet this was exactly what I needed to read last Sunday afternoon when it was raining and I was not in the best of the moods. Cinderella meets Sound of Music. Without all the singing and dancing. And with sex.

It is certainly not the best of the books nor the most original out there, but it is not bad either. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments and the story turns from a comedy of errors to a true love story where we learn that there is much more to Bannor than meets the eye. As he learns to love his children and his wife and Willow finally gets her prince charming, I found myself letting out a satisfied sigh, or two. And sometimes there is all I could ask for.

Notable quotes/parts: The epilogue is a complete riot, easily one of the funniest parts of the book. The hardest battle Bannor has ever fought turns out to be the birth of his first child with the woman that he loves.

Additional thoughts: The secondary characters were lovely. The children were ever so funny and the love story between Edmund (Bannor’s oldest and heir) and Bea (Willow’s half-sister) was quite sweet. Although I did worry a bit – they were both 14 year old, isn’t that a tad too early for getting married, even in medieval times? Note to self: Must look it up!

Verdict: It is a light read for those moments when you need a pick me up. I am keeping mine for the time being but I may well give it to someone further down the road when I need the space in my bookcase.

Rating: 6

Reading Next: Someone to Watch over Me by Lisa Kleypas

This episode’s unearthings: Kushiel’s Dart and Howl’s Moving Castle

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

This book is the first of the Kushiel’s Legacy series (currently 5 books with the sixth coming soon). These books are pure magic. It has a little something for everyone. For the fan of intrigue and plot, there is enough political scheming, layering and betrayal here to be worthy of a comparison with George R.R. Martin. For the fantasy obsessed, Ms. Carey’s re-imagining of Europe and religion is flawless and utterly believable. For those craving action and adventure, there are bloody battles and escape episodes that leave you breathless. And for the romantic–there is sex, there is angst, and there is love.

Phedre no Delaunay is a child born beautiful as any D’Angelline…but for a single scarlet mote in her eye. Because of this small flaw, Phedre is denied a position as an adept in the Court of Night Blooming Flowers (the collective houses of honored courtesans), but can make her marque (paying her debt) through other work. Sold by her mother to one of the houses of the Night Court, Phedre is discovered for what she really is–the mote in her eye is not a flaw, but a mark of those god touched by Kushiel. She is an anguisette–one who can take pleasure from pain–and the only one to be born in generations. Phedre’s marque (think of it as her indenture contract) is bought by the wise and kind Anafiel no Delaunay, who trains her in the arts of espionage and secrets.

And thus, Phedre’s adventure begins as a rare and gifted courtesan spy.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, and of the series. Phedre no Delaunay is a heroine for the ages, and refreshingly knows exactly who and what she is and does not make any excuses for herself. She is cunning, smart, and yet passionately empathetic. I know the whole “pleasure from pain” thing sounds kinky and S&M–but TRUST ME. These books are not about bondage and erotica. Kushiel’s Legacy is one of the best imagined worlds I have ever had the pleasure to read. The writing is flawless, the characters are all well realized and have great depth, the villainy is very real…and the romance is heartbreaking in all its beauty.

I encourage EVERYONE to read this book (including you Ana!!!). From romance fans to fantasy addicts, Kushiel’s Dart is in a league of its own. You will love it.

Howl’s Moving Castle (2006) Hayao Miyazaki

Based on the young adult novel by Dianne Wynne Jones (also worth reading) this animated interpretation by Hayao Miyazaki is simply magical.

Sophie, a 19 year old girl, is content to spend her days making hats in her family’s hat shop. While her mother and sister are extravagant, beautiful and charismatic, Sophie thinks of herself as plain, but infinitely sensible. All this changes, however, when the local wizard Howl enters her life and saves her from ravishing at the hands of some soldiers. While Howl’s attentions save Sophie, his actions have also been detected by the Witch of the Wastes…who curses Sophie and turns her into a 90 year old woman. Sophie leaves her safe, routine, sensible world to find a way to break her spell and undergoes a wonderful, romantic adventure.

I have to admit, I am NOT a fan of anime. A lot of it seems weird to me, or kind of pervy, or…just not in general my thing. Howl is the first anime movie I had taken a chance on and watched, and I cannot say enough how happy I am that I took the gamble. Hayao Miyazaki, rightfully called the great animator of our time, is brilliant in his images, scenes, music, and characters. There is something, for lack of a better word, magical in his movies (after watching this, I quickly watched the rest of his work). Howl has a sweet love story, a smart and wonderful heroine in Sophie, and a dead sexy voice in Christian Bale as the titled wizard.

If you’ve never tried anime before, please just give this movie a shot. I couldn’t love it more!

Ana and I have decided that while we continue to branch out and review new works/movies/shows, there are a lot of older materials that we love and want to discuss and recommend. With that in mind, we have decided to give a bimonthly unearthing of our old loves and share them with you.

May we present…from the dungeons of Ana and Thea!

*Drags open heavy wrought iron door and shakes off dust*