I'm reading, just not romance...

Well, if you count a very young Sherlock Holmes' budding passion for his tutor's daughter, or the incredible and tumultuous love affair people have with both food and money, I guess you could say I am reading romance, just not in the traditional sense. I have a couple of romance novels started, but just haven't finished them. So in the interim, here are brief recommendations for the two books I did manage to finish in the past week.

Death Cloud
by Andrew Lane
A teenage Sherlock Holmes is sent directly from boarding school to spend his summer break with some very odd relatives and their evil housekeeper. On the plus side, his tutor turns out to be a very smart American bounty hunter who is willing to help Sherlock figure out what's going on with the mysterious dark cloud that has killed a couple of local people and started a fear of plague. A vicious and villainous Baron threaten the young detective and his friends as they solve the mystery in this entertaining and fast-paced adventure story.



Lost and Found
by Geneen Roth
The author had all her money invested with Bernie Madoff, and when he confessed to fraud she was forced to confront her issues with money. Roth is well known as a teacher and writer on the psychology of compulsive eating, and makes connections between the behavior patterns that lead to dysfunctional relationships with both food and money. For those who want a more holistic approach to examining their own "consuming behavior" this is interesting, informative, and at times painfully honest and funny.

On the Book Cart

A rather thin week, which is what comes of letting catalogers take time off...

Contemporary:
Genell Dellin Honey Grove

Historical:
Adrienne Basso How to Seduce a Sinner

Paranormal:
Katie MacAlistair You Slay Me
Melissa Mayhue Highlander's Curse

Orphans and Oldsters and Lepers, Oh My!

So, here's my question: when did it become necessary for the hero and/or heroine in an historical romance to have some higher purpose? I don't mean a religious vocation; I mean the driving need to house orphans, train the disabled for gainful employment, rehabilitate fallen women, or create some Regency version of Shady Rest for old people. I can't tell you how many books have come in lately chock full of aristocrats who feel the need to Do Good in Secret. England simply could not have held that many orphanages. Call me horrifyingly pragmatic, but it seems to me that in a land of inherited wealth, limited opportunities for women, obligations to your titled family or the Crown, and medical treatments that made leeches look state-of-the-art, actually getting to marry for love was quite an accomplishment in and of itself. If you were fortunate enough to be born into the upper classes and live to maturity, it would really be okay to want nothing more than to hang on to the family fortune, dress well, and make a good marriage. As a reader, I am happy to suffer through the wardrobe decisions, the balls, the weekend house parties, etc. I really do not need to see the heroine (I kid you not -- read this in a pre-pub notice) volunteering in a leper colony in order to feel she deserves a happily-ever-after.
Just sayin'.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

Contemporary:
Jacquie D'Alessandro Summer at Seaside Cove

Historical:
Anthology Happily Ever After in the West
Margaret Mallory The Guardian
Maya Rodale A Tale of Two Lovers
Emma Wildes One Whisper Away
Veronica Wolf Devil's Own

Paranormal:
Anthology Must Love Hellhounds
Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Side of the Moon
Marjorie M. Liu Tiger Eye

Suspense:
Cherry Adair Hush
Maya Banks Hidden Away
Marta Perry Murder in Plain Sight

On the Book Cart

Contemporary:
Beverly Barton Dead By Morning
Lori Foster When You Dare
Roxanne St. Claire Face of Danger

Historical:
Anna Campbell Midnight's Wild Passion
Heather Grothaus Never Kiss a Stranger
Madeline Hunter Dangerous in Diamonds
Kieran Kramer Cloudy with a Change of Marriage
Mary Jo Putney Nowhere Near Respectable
Mary Wine Highland Heat

Paranormal:
Michele Bardsley Never Again
Mia Marlowe Touch of a Thief

All Wedding, All the Time!

Well, not really, but since the Royal Wedding has been dominating the airwaves for months, I was inspired to pull out some of the library's extensive collection of wedding related books. Everything from etiquette to crafts is included, so when you get tired of looking at all those pictures of Will and Kate, stop by and take a look!

On the Book Cart

Rather light on the romances this week; I better go order more books!


Historical:
Christina Dodd Taken by the Prince

Paranormal:
Jacquelyn Frank Seduce Me in Dreams
Gena Showalter The Darkest Secret