Boudicca's Daughter by Elodie Harper

 

My husband picked this book out for me for Christmas.  He has NEVER picked out a book for me, and he picked a GREAT one!  Points!!!

Perfect historical fiction during the Roman invasion of Britain.   We are talking Iceni tribes and warriors and emperors and battles.  The year is 60 CE, and the King of the Brits, who claimed loyalty to Rome to hold peace in his land, has died.  His wife, daughter of the Chief of the Iceni warriors, goes on a campaign to free her people from Rome and loses, but earns respect along the way.  This book is the story of her daughter Solina.  Part Druid, part warrior, Solina takes a risky path to survival. Harper brings humanity to a very rough time, especially for women, who are mostly considered toys when not overlooked.  Solina is different, speaks her mind, and must learn how to hide her true self from all but her most sworn enemy.  For the fans of Circe, The Lost Queen, or anything about Merlin and King Arthur!  I didn't want it to end.

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

 

This book blew my mind.  In a good way!

Do not try to read this one quickly.  Save it for when you have large chunks of time to really sit with it, read it more slowly, and think about it.  You'll be glad you did.  Especially because Brown tells us at the outset that all the experiments and science and organizations in this book are REAL.  

Yes, this book is "science-y."  Have you MET Robert Langdon??  This is the sixth Professor Langdon novel from Brown.  Here, though, he is the one learning, which is a great change up for the world renowned Symbologist who teaches at Harvard. Don't worry, his skills of course come in handy too, but it is the manuscript of the book noetic scientist Katherine Solomon has written about the brain, about consciousness, and parts of what happens after death that are the focus here.  Well, that, plus her publisher, the American Ambassador in Prague and a Golem.

It was interesting to realize that this book was set over about 24 hours. I loved that it was set in Prague - great descriptions of the city now make me want to go there.   A LOT happens - a few kidnappings, a brutal murder or two, a computer hack and a jump in the river.  Robert and Katherine have to figure out why they are being sought for her book, who is after them, and who is on their side.  Throw in a young Russian girl with a past and you have a fantastic adventure thriller mystery like only Dan Brown can write.  I heard Tom Hanks' voice throughout!!  Which we can soon see on the small screen, as Netflix is already in development for a series.    

Don't miss the acknowledgements!  You will find several clever references to real people have been peppered throughout the novel.  I loved that!

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

 

Hmmm.

I am way late to the game on this 1992 publication, and I can see why there is so much diversity in opinion about this one.  You either Loved It or thought it was crap. Like, really violently.

Your girl here is somewhere smack in the middle.

I struggled at first with this one, and almost DNF'd it.  The telling of the story is almost excruciatingly slow.  The characters are unlikable at worst, empty challises at best.  Privileged, rich, uncaring of consequences, and one character with absolutely no filter.  They all seem to have some sort of issue - devoid of emotion, too much emotion, and absolutely blind to the outside world.  These six people meet in a Vermont college and are in a very exclusive curriculum under the tutelage of one professor of the Classics.  Some of them knew each other before college; our narrator is the outlier  - poor and from California.  His acceptance into their clique is probably the most defining moment of his life, and not really in a good way.

You know from the first sentence that a murder occurs, and to whom and by whom.  The remainder of the novel is half leading up to this decision/execution, and the other half what happens After.  There is no doubt that Tartt's writing is exquisite.  I mean, on a Pat Conroy level (which is Golden from this SC girl).  And the story is not such much about the murder itself, but such a deep character study.  Psychology majors and English Lit majors rejoice!!!  Beach readers, go elsewhere.  Online reviews rave about this novel's brilliance and meaning and even debate what really happened on that fateful night.  Is it allegory?  How unreliable is our narrator, or is he telling the factual truth?  Was this destiny and were they actually crazy or just desperate?  This would be amazing in a book club that is willing to really dig deep because there really is so much to discuss here.  You just gotta get through it first!  

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

 

What a fun escape!!  One of Sanderson's Secret Projects during Covid, this fantasy (or, really, more science fiction) novel shows off his comedic chops and vast imagination while introducing an underdog you can't help but root for while you shake your head at him simultaneously.

He has no idea who, or where, he is.  He wakes up in a field, sees people dressed up like they are at a Renaissance Festival, and hears them talking about finding HIM.  Is he in danger?  Where IS he?  Can he trust these superstitious people he is meeting?  And WHY can't he remember who he is?   Adventures ensue.  I can't say much more except this was really fun, a quick and easy read, and very escapist, which was perfect for a few cold days locked in during the snow! If you liked Game of Thrones, but really are enjoying Ser Duncan and Egg better right now, this book is for you.  If you have no clue what I am talking about, or if you've wanted to get into a sci-fi read that won't break your brain, you can still enjoy this story! I really like Sanderson's writing.  His series are excellent, but this standalone might be just enough for most! 

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

 

Such a gorgeous cover!!!!  The story inside is a good one - great beach read and of course, the setting is to die for.  Pun not intended....

There is a bit of a love story here, a bit of historical fantasy, and a mystery which includes sunken treasure and volcanoes and strega, and why a nautical archeologist comes to Positano in the first place.  This is a dual timeline novel going back to the days when pirates could never quite make it into the port, and women spoke to the sea to save their people.  There is a pretty good twist with how that plot line connects to the archeologist that is not a usual one.  Not exactly a book club book but a pleasant read for sure!  Now I want to go back to Italy......

The Heart of Everything by Marc Levy

 

A fun, quick read about a man making amends with his dead father and going on a big adventure (with said father) to do so.  Yes, I did mention that his father is dead.  Read on.

This novel has some great descriptive writing.  You really feel like you are there with Thomas, a famous pianist, during his concert, during his chats with his breezy loving life Mama (I loved her!).  The entire concept of doing this favor for his dad is really creative.  Thomas learns a lot about his dad that he could not have known while his dad was alive.  Anyone that has lost a parent will know that desire for just five more minutes with them.  Thomas gets that and probably more than he ever imagined, but not more than he needed.

If I had edited this book, I would have pointed out a few things:  1 - please have Thomas (eventually) put on headphones so it doesn't look like he is talking to himself!  This actually drove me crazy.  2 - No way Thomas would have walked home from that restaurant.  Not in that city!!  3 - I don't think the book tells you what year this is set in, but they exchanged emails??  Uh, no.  They exchanged phone numbers and texted each other.  4 - There is an editorial disconnect in the dialogue on page 147, which confused me as to who was saying what.  5 - There is a word missing on page 163.  See if you can find (or NOT find) it!  

Now, these are tiny details.  I also felt like the title didn't really "match" the book.  I have started to see that more and more lately.  But these things did not deter me (nor do they have anything to do with the author in most cases) from reading this fun story, and I would recommend it.  

Note - this is my first NetGalley review.  Hoping to have more soon.  Usually NetGalley books are ARCs or newly published. 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

 

This was my classic for 2025.  And it was not at all what I thought it was!!  I always thought this story was about the Making of the Monster.  But nope, the monster is created pretty much in the first several pages.  The rest?  Oh, the regret and the terror and the chase!!!  As you'd expect, the verbiage here is appropriate to the times, and it seems so dramatic to the modern eye/ear.  But I can see why this caused such a stir  - her age, the subject matter, the gore!  As a reader, I did not know with whom my sympathies lay.  Interesting!!

[Beware, my daughter and I (no, the younger one!!) watched the new adaptation with Oscar Issac over the holidays, and it was SO GORY!   I love Oscar but this movie was not really like the book - but did redeem itself in the end.  But we almost turned it off twice.]