Book of the Day, Week 3

Every day on Facebook we’ll be posting a short description of novels that aren’t very well-known. Be sure you check them out daily on our Facebook page or get the compiled list every Saturday here.

Jan. 17th, 2013

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, by Maryrose Wood. The Incorrigible Children, adopted by Lord Ashton, were raised by wolves, and Penelope Lumly is brought in as their governness. Pretty soon, Penelope starts to discover some rather startling things…Nice characters, with nice writing, and an interesting mystery that’ll keep you interested.

Jan. 16th, 2013

Except the Dying, by Maureen Jennings. The first book in Jenning’s Detective Murdoch series, Except the Dying is about William Murdoch, a detective in Toronto, 1895. Also very well written and with a good historical perspective, the books would interest any fans of the Murdoch Mysteries television show; the books, instead of portraying Murdoch as the straight-laced tee-totaler his character is on the show, portray him as a bit more worldly and flawed, but still an utterly relatable character.

Jan. 15th, 2013

The Liberation of Sundrian City, by Ander Louis. “If ignorance were bliss, would you seek truth? In a sheltered city that has locked itself away from the dangers of the outside world, a band of underground rebels, driven by this very question, plan to uncover the truth beyond their impenetrable wall. Meanwhile, as he struggles to bring his own life together by solving the mysterious murder of his parents, thirteen-year-old Linus Smith will come to learn – the hard way – that he is a gifted war elephant rider, and find himself in the most unlikely place – at the crux of a liberation.” This was a fun and fast-paced novel, though laden with action clichés.

Jan. 14th, 2013

A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters. The first book in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, which follow the eponymous monk, living in the 12th century, as he solves crimes. A great book for anyone who loves a good mystery and a historical setting; Peters clearly did her research. There are twenty books in all, so there’s plenty to read.

Jan. 13th, 2013

The Long Earth, by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. Individually, both of those authors are absolutely fantastic;together.. You get something quite different. This is a novel which people seem to absolutely hate, or love. I might write a full review on this at some point, but The Long Earth combines Pratchett’s satirical sense with Baxter’s Science-fiction (though, Baxter has a larger influence than Pratchett in it).

In the Long Earth, Earth is just one of many parallel worlds, and the further away you get, the weirder they become — though, it’s the only one that supports human life.