The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

"The Blind Assassin" is a puzzle of a story, with multiple tales within tales. It starts with the main character, Iris, telling us of the day when her sister Laura drove off a bridge, then shifts to Laura's posthumously published novel The Blind Assassin about two unnamed lovers who meet clandestinely and in which the man entertains his lover with pulpy science fiction stories, mostly about a blind assassin and a sacrificial virgin who fall in love against all odds. Then the story shifts again to Iris who, now an old woman, recalls her early years and the events leading to Laura's death. What is it all about I wondered? Why did Laura die? Why novel within a novel? Who are these secret nameless lovers? I didn't understand the significance of Laura's The Blind Assassin for a while - awful sci-fi junk and all, and yet it turned out to be the most symbolic, the most intimate piece of (bad) fiction I have ever read. 


It's a good book but not a perfect book. It's great at vividly describing events and situations, but less successful at relating emotion.
I appreciate the way this is different from most of Atwood's other novels, but at the same time it leaves me hanging and saying "that was it?" Also I saw one of the twists towards the end of the book coming from miles away. I think this was a bit purposeful as well, but it was almost a little too obvious for me.  

Veil of Midnight

Nikolai has been sent by his commander to Montreal to find a Gen One vampire that is in danger. The blond warrior gets more than he bargained for when he is tricked by a beautiful woman named Renata and is immobilized by her psychic force. Upon awakening, he finds his quarry and is invited into the Gen One's lair. Once there, Niko comes face to face with the atrocities this vampire has been hiding on his land. When Niko loses his temper, he is thrown off the vamp's land. Niko, however, isn't leaving without a fight and he for sure isn't leaving without Renata, the woman with whom he saw his destiny. 

Renata has been a prisoner of Yakut's, a Gen One vampire for two years. First brought to his home as a woman to hunt, Renata impressed the forceful vampire with her psychic ability and made her one of his bodyguards. When Renata overhears the huge blond warrior asking about her boss in a club, she sets him up for capture. The tables are turned, however, when he is invited to Yakut's home. No matter how much the warrior makes her tingle, Renata will not forget the seriousness of her life nor will she forget her promise to keep the child Mira safe. When Mira is sold out from under Renata, she vows vengeance. 

Nikolai and Renata set out to find the sinister Rogue that has suddenly become more powerful than any of his Order thought. With vampires being murdered and allies turning against each other, the only two people Nikolai and Renata can trust are themselves and in turn that trust leads to a bonding - breed style. 


Nikolai and Renata are both no-non sense characters, fit to the world proposed by the series. Both have ghosts from the past, but they don't let their traumas stand on the way of making a good story. Renata is brave and knows very well what she wants, while Nikolai is direct, practical if not a little too spontaneous. They both give in to explosive reactions and that makes everything a little more engaging and dangerous too.

Renata's breedmate gift so far is the most useful in the world of warriors and she's not afraid of using it. She's definitely not your regular lady in distress.

The Beckoning Ghost by Catherine Kohman

The ghost of dashing explorer Brendan Tyrell haunts Marissa Erickson, his biographer. Their meeting stirs up dangerous currents from the past as well as unsolved mysteries. What happened to Brendan’s unpublished manuscripts? Who was the heavily veiled woman at Brendan’s funeral? And finally, how did Brendan really die? Marissa must find the answers to these troubling questions to free Brendan’s earthbound spirit.


A nice enough light read.  Didn't grab me.

Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian

Rio, scarred and wounded after the betrayal of his Breedmate Eva. Rio was meant to have destroyed a cave which contained the hibernation chamber of one of the Ancients in the middle of nowhere in the Czech Republic but as the story opens he hasn't yet done it. Several months have passed with Rio living in the cave almost like some kind of animal, suffering from the blackouts and mood swings as a result of his injuries in the explosion in the first book, trying to work up the energy to destroy the cave - and himself with it. Unfortunately for Rio the cave is discovered by a young American woman on holiday with some friends; not only does she discover the cave and see Rio, she photographs the contents. Rio desperately needs to do some damage limitation to prevent the photographs being shared with other people and the existence of the Breed perhaps being made known to the world. He tracks the woman, Dylan Alexander, but when he finds her he discovers things are worse than he had feared - she's a reporter and has sent the photographs back to her editor in America who has passed them on to some other people. 

Rio realises all he can do is destroy the cave, kidnap Dylan and take her back to the Breed headquarters in Boston to get the other warriors to help to scrub the minds of the people who have seen the photographs before they are printed in the magazine. Things are even worse when Rio discovers Dylan is a Breedmate and that she has a very strong reason not to settle into the Darkhavens but to carry on her life in New York City. As Rio and the other warriors try to keep their secrets under wraps, investigate some strange murders and keep Dylan safe, things get very complex indeed. 



Enjoyed it a lot, looking forward to the next in the series.

Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian

Elise saw her rouge son killed infront of her eyes four months ago. She is now on a vendetta against the rouges and minions. Elise has been hunting and killing. One night she is out too late and is caught by a couple of rouges. Tegan comes to her rescue, unable to help himself he follows Elise to her new apartment. She has left the Darkhavens and now her gift is making her suffer. She has the ability to hear dark thoughts from humans. Tegan has a similar ability, but he has been practicing his apathy for centuries. These two are both wounded people by this war. Elise turns to Tegan for help and relief with her gift. Elise intercepts a package from a minion and it sends her and Tegan on a mission. 


Tegan spends most of the book ignoring his feelings for Elise. Their connection is evident, these two are perfect for each other.

A Guide To The Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson

A beautiful story about a duel between two men for the honour of being able to ask Rose Mbikwa to the upcoming Nairobi Hunt Club Ball (the premier social occasion of the Kenyan calendar). For three years, the widower, Mr Malik, has been secretly in love with Rose, who leads the weekly bird walks sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. He is a short, slightly overweight, middle-aged man with a combover, however beneath that plain exterior lies a warm heart and a secret passion.

Just as Mr Malik plucks up the courage to invite Rose to the ball, who should pop up but his nemesis from his boarding school days. The womaniser Harry Khan. Wealthy and flashy he has also become enraptured with the delightful Rose and also voices the desire to ask her to the ball.

In order to decide fairly who should have that honour, a competition is set up by Mr Malik's club. The two men have one week to 'spot' as many birds as they can. The one who has the largest list has the right to ask Rose to the ball.

Harry Khan, is willing to pay anything for victory, he hires two Australians to guide him and takes day trips to Mount Kenya and other bird-rich locations. Mr. Malik decides to stick closer to home, but has some major setbacks like his car and his bird list notebook being stolen, and being threatened by Somali gunmen. So who will win?



A beautifully written, charming story full of wonderful characters and quiet chuckles.

I loved it, hope you do too.

Portrait In Death by J.D. Robb

A bright young college student is murdered and thrown in a recycler like so much trash, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is, determined to stand for the dead and find the killer. But perhaps most disturbing about this particular case, is that prior to the discovery of the body, a package of photos of the murdered girl were sent to Eve's friend, Nadine Furst, a well-known TV reporter. It's clear that the killer photographed the victim for some time before the death, without her knowledge, and it's also clear that in the picture, the girl is already dead. The killer wants Nadine's help in showing his work. Then the second victim in found and once again it revolves around their picture the killer had taken. 


Once again another great addition to the In Death Series.

More of Roarke and Dallas's personal stories were revealed, but this time the shoe was on the other foot. There is a secret Roarke discovered. You learned a new side to him as he also learned this side. You also saw a side to Eve as she put her work case second and her husband first.

A page turning thriller. 

Treasure By Post by David Williams

Investment banker and amateur sleuth Mark Treasure makes his 14th appearance in this uncharacteristically tedious tale. Asked to serve as a trustee for a convent in England's West Country, Treasure soon learns that all but one of the shareholders on the board support dissolution of the 11 million assets of the convent, where only three nuns reside. The demanding historical and legal intricacies of the trust overshadow a mugging that fells the convent's elderly organist, which is followed by a suspicious fire that destroys the convent. When one of nuns, who has been printing copies of rare colonial British stamps, dies, Treasure must discover who was supplying her with ink and motivation. 


 Pretty standard cosy. I worked out who before the end, but there was enough red herrings to keep me reading. 

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Elizabeth Peters's unforgettable heroine Amelia Peabody makes her first appearance in this clever mystery. Amelia receives a rather large inheritance and decides to use it for travel. On her way through Rome to Egypt, she meets Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young woman abandoned by her lover and left with no means of support. Amelia promptly takes Evelyn under her wing, insisting that the young lady accompany her to Egypt, where Amelia plans to indulge her passion for Egyptology. When Evelyn becomes the target of an aborted kidnapping and the focus of a series of suspicious accidents and mysterious visitations, Amelia becomes convinced of a plot to harm her young friend. Like any self-respecting sleuth, Amelia sets out to discover who is behind it all. 


The characters, plot and description are all delightfully entertaining, but the characters are definitely the most entertaining.

Faeries Gone Wild

[TALL, DARK AND NOT SO FAERY] by MaryJanice Davidson, When six feet and four inches of counting obsessed faery comes looking for Lent, the Violent Fairy to do the duty the faery king has sent her to do silliness ensues. Fortunately, Judith, the enchanted car decides there's another town resident that this gigantic faery should count and she won't take no for an answer.


[PIXIE LUST] by Lois Greiman, Avalina is on a mission to find a very special fern in the woods of the Pacific Northwest but when a human unknowingly interupts that quest it will change both of their lives in ways neither expected. 


[A LITTLE BIT FAERY] by Leandra Logan, When her living situation in the faery realm gets shaken up Tia goes on an adventure from the Isle of Man to the Island of Manhattan in search of a new life. While there she enchants a down-on-his-luck fireman and gets more than she bargained for in her search for her father.


[DUST ME, BABY, ONE MORE TIME] by Michele Hauf, When you're the tooth fairy, having a love life can be more than a little complicated. Especially when the rules of your job include a no fraternizing with other night-workers clause and your best chance at some male attention is a premature dusting sandman. -- I dunno what it was about this one but it was so silly it was cute and I loved it.  My favourite, especially her solution to his premature dusting problem.