Julie Clawson

So here I am actually sitting at the computer while I eat breakfast (code for Emma’s asleep)and I figure I should post something on my blog. So I decide to say something about the vampire books I read this summer. I should probably say that I’m not a fan of vampires – I haven’t read Anne Rice and I gave up watching Interview with a Vampire after about 10 minutes. So the fact that I read two vampire books this summer is a bit odd. But these weren’t your typical pseudoerotic bloodsucking variety.

The first one I read was Sunshine by Robin McKinley . I had to make myself read it because I love Robin McKinley, but, like I said, dislike vampire books. But of course since it was Robin McKinley it was wonderful. She has this amazing talent for creating alternate worlds – and this one happens to be populated with vampires. The main character, Sunshine, is a baker who thrives on the element of sunshine which makes things interesting when she gets mixed up with vampires. It is actually a good look at the nature of evil and of how nothing is inherently evil but can be used for either good or evil. There is adventure and some scary elements here, but nothing overwhelming.

Then I also picked up The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova which has been on the bestseller lists all summer. It too proved to be a fascinating read. It is set up like a history documentary and follows three generations of a family as they stumble upon and are drawn into researching the Dracula legend. Every time they come close to a clue something dangerous happens to push them away. It is a very well written tale and the unfolding of the story holds your attention. As a reader you find out bits of the story at a time until the whole picture is revealed at the end. Although it has horrific elements, it is not scary. For unlike most vampire books it is not a fantasy novel – it is “historical” fiction.

So there are my encounters with vampires this summer. Will I read more? – most likely no. But these were good books that I would recommend.

I recently read The Genizah at the House of Shepher by Tamar Yellin. It was a very different type of book than those I usually read – very slow, but rich in the unfolding of a story.

The main story focuses on a Jewish women who although she doesn’t really follow the faith teaches on religious and Biblical writings in England. She travels to Jerusalem to visit family and in the process discovers her family’s history. Her present day story weaves in with the stories of four generations of her family. Part of that history is how the genizah (trove of old (unwanted?) documents) came to exist in the attic of the Shepher house. Right before her arrival an old codex of scripture was discovered. Fights over who it belongs to as well as its true nature (is it a cheap fraud or the accurate variant of scripture) frame her time in Jerusalem.

The book is a good commentary on story and the discovery of truth (if it is possible). One is faced with commonly accepted knowledge, but the discovery of evidence to the contrary causes one to reevaluate how one perceives the world. Such evidence can change ones memories, relationships, and faith. The book also is a vivid look at Jewish culture during the past 150 years. The author based some of the stories on her own family and it was an enlightening experience to read about the common Jewish life.

One of the things I want to do here is post about books I am reading. I just finished Katherine Neville’s The Magic Circle. I had read her bestselling book The Eight and was interested in discovering more by her. I came away from this book a bit disappointed, but glad for the interesting read.
Neville writes in the whole mystery/thriller/conspiracy theory genre that has become so popular these days. Her books are very similar to Dan Brown’s – with the same intense pace and focus on both sacred and secular mysteries. In fact The Magic Circle has many of the same elements as does The Da Vinci Code (although Neville’s book was published first).
The book centers around a young scientist, Ariel, who recently inherited a strange manuscript from her cousin. This event sparks an adventure as others rush to gain possession of those documents. The story tells of her attempts to protect those documents while trying to discover what their significance is. As Ariel gains knowledge of history, she discovers that her strange family history is wrapped up in the significance of the papers. The reader is treated to an intricate story of history, mythology, faith, and power. Tales of Christ, Mary Magdalgne, and Joseph of Arimathea weave together with that of the Ceasars and Hitler. The relentless search for the truth turns Ariel’s perception of history and her family upside down.
Although the complex story was fun to read, it ended up as being just a mess. It was complex just to be complex. The end resolution was very rushed and disappointing. All of the significant religious, mythic, and scientific revelations were pointless in the end. The book fell ito the predictable pattern of gnostic fiction – the concept of the existence of secret knowledge became more important that the knowledge itself. In addition as each new level of the family relationship in the book unfolded, the story became more and more unbelievable. I was reminded of the TV show Alias – where everyone has two or three secret identities. It becomes too unbelievable after a time.
I would recommend this book only if you really like the genre and are hungry for an intricate story. Neville’s novel The Eight is much better, as are other intellectual thrillers such as those by Dan Brown, Umberto Eco, or Arturo Perez-Reverte.