The Caves of Perigord

The Caves of Perigord by Martin Walker unfortunately languished in Mt. TBR for somewhere close to 5 years before I decided to add it to my tbr_challenge list. I am so pleased that I finally got around to reading it; it's definitely worth the wait!

Set in three different time periods that are woven together expertly through one ancient artifact, Walker shows us history and its effects on us, sometimes consciously and sometimes not. We follow Phillip Manners as he shows up at a British museum to have a cave painting he's inherited scrutinized, not knowing that he's about to set off an international chain of events that will carry he and art historian Lydia Dean to France in search of the origins of the piece. We then switch chapters to see Deer, the ancient young man who paints his community's life on the walls of a cave as he pines for the daughter of a colleague. Finally, in the third installment of the story, we see how Manners's father came into possession of the piece while fighting with the French Resistance during World War 2. Walker ties all these threads together intricately and absorbingly. Excellent writing and a well-thought out story.

You can find my review of this novel written in alternating chapter viewpoints at http://tinyurl.com/5tag6e.

~taminator40

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

I love Meg Cabot. I think she's the master of her game, able to write (and write and write and write---where on earth does she find the time?) fun-filled romps for both adults and young adults that engage me effortlessly. I can turn to her whenever I'm in dire need of brain candy and know that she will once again fill my poor deprived brain cells with her marvelous sense of humor. Who cares if you can see the ending coming a mile away? Her books are what they are, and I'm grateful for it.

Big Boned is the third in Cabot's Heather Wells Mystery Series, and probably the most lightweight as far as actual "mystery" goes. I'm assuming this is the final book in the series as it seems things get wrapped up pretty completely by book's end. My biggest complaints about this one, which is the least successful of the trio (yet still fun) are that it's too short (only 270+ pages) and things are way too easily wrapped up. Yet it's still a good one, and having served its purpose well, can be recommended by this satisfied fan for the sarcasm alone. My amazon review is found at http://tinyurl.com/2drlks.

~taminator40

Abby Cooper Psychic Eye Review

I finished the first book on my tbr_challenge list last night: Abby Cooper Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie. It's a fun, cozy mystery with a psychic intuitive as the lead character. I love Laurie's writing: she makes the words flow and her characters are always realistic, even when doing psychic readings, lol. I can definitely recommend this one to those who enjoy cozy mysteries, and particularly those with a paranormal twist.
My amazon review can be found at
http://tinyurl.com/ytdkrp. I tend to give little short "reviewlets" on this page, but my amazon reviews are certainly more in-depth and a tad more flowery. Check it out if you are so inclined!

~taminator40