The Vancouver Public Library has a book sale twice a year and its a great way to spend a few hours. The last one conclude in mid-Oct and I picked up a few fiction for $0.75 each. Even if I don't like them, the money goes back to the library and the $8 I spent in total (non-fiction was $2.50) was hardly a lot.
This is one of those direct-parallel two storyline (past and present) type novels and it features the Holy Grail mythology. I'm not a fan of Grail books but I saw this on library shelves so often and it did win some award in the UK so I figured, I'll give it a shot.
The story features Alias during Inquisition era France who becomes aware of and becomes tasks with taking care of three books which combine to protect the location and secrets of the Grail. The enemies want the books for themselves. In present times, Alice digs up a cave which had some of the Grail artifacts and it is later revealed that she is an ancestor of Alias (of course she is). Again, the enemies want the books and Grail for themselves.
The books is quite lengthy but the pacing was good. The way the stories paralleled was so transparent and at times almost forced; it didn't make this the most nuanced of reads. I read this with passing enjoyment and it didn't leave much of an impression.
My colleague was a huge fan of Rutherfurd's London (which is an amazing 1150 pages long) and told me that it was worth a read and in no-way dull or slow. I didn't see London at the sale but I did find The Princes of Ireland. I haven't read this yet but I'm interested to learn more about how Ireland's history has unfolded. If I like Rutherfurd's style I'll pick up his other historical novels; Paris might be good and of course, London.
I really enjoy a good thriller/mystery and Pretty Girls floated around my periphery for a while. Claire, a suburban trophy wife and one-time criminal (she assaulted her tennis partner...), finds some disturbing things on her husband's computer after his murder. Mix in some rape allegations, a handful of missing women, an estranged sister and family drama and you've got the set up for a Pretty Girls.
What are you reading?
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