Yes, my post’s title is a play on a new release’s title. Yes, I am feeling THAT little creativity today…(usually “bite me” would be inserted here, but w/ the Bronx Zoo Cobra thing, probably not a safe expression at the moment).
As per usual, I finished one of my genre binges this past month (I was on a big historical kick, focusing first on Edwardian, then Victorian, then going back to Medieval). Having done so, I went to my ever-reliable managing editor at work, requesting a new suggestion. Her response, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.
Now, when she recommended this title she described in the following way: “It’s like The Historian meets the Twilight series.”
If you’re response to that sentence was discomfort and silence, don’t worry. So was mine.
But, seeing as she’d yet to lead me astray, and she’d been the miracle worker to introduce me to The Hunger Games, I figured I’d give her the benefit of the doubt. Have to say, second greatest choice I’ve made (first being to borrow her Kindle one weekend last Fall, leading to my love of ereaders and utter consumption of all things ebook).
If you’re like me, you enjoy a little of everything in your “Contemporary Fiction”: mystery and intrigue, romance (but not bodice ripping), adventure and excitement, and as nerdy as it sounds, something new to learn. I’m a major history fan—though I have absolutely NO brain capacity to remember anything I learn. This explains my love of biographies, sports books, and certain Dan Brown novels (no judging).
So if you are in fact like me, I absolutely recommend this one. I don’t like giving too much away, but here are some fun facts to look forward to:
- References to the Salem Witch trails, the Crusades, the Templars, and MANY more historical conflicts
- Travel: US (New England and New Orleans), UK (mostly Oxford w/ a little Scotland), France
- Witches, Vampires, and Demons (oh my!)
- Yoga, Rowing (think Crew), and a little Chess (no, its not a sport)
- A surprisingly more comprehensive translation of Darwin’s On the Origins of Species
- Alchemy and geneology
- And of course—here’s where the Twilight reference comes in—forbidden love
Check it out, but be forewarned (I discovered this too late), this WILL be a series, and this first book was released in Hardcover last month. For those of you not sure what that means, it’s going to be a long wait for book two (well, long if you read more than one book a year).
Enjoy!
nycbookgirl 