Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo

Goodreads
Published: February 2009
Guideposts Books

English professor Emma Douglas has always done everything just the way her minister father told her she should. Life was good until the day Emma finds her husband in bed with another woman. Suddenly, all her romantic notions, a la Jane Austen, are exposed as foolish dreams. (Source:Goodreads)

I am so glad that I read this book because I was completely unaware that Jane Austen ruined my life too! Every failed relationship, every bad day, even every argument with your parents can be blamed completely on Jane Austen and the romantic ideas that she will fill your head with!

Not really, but it was nice to have somewhere to place the blame for a few hours before I got to the final chapters :)

I l-o-v-e, LOVE, Jane Austen! I was raised to believe that Jane Austen is the sum of all wisdom. Let's face it, my cat is named after Lydia from Pride and Prejudice.. that's some deep love. While I was reading this, at about every other chapter I picked up my phone and called my mother or my sister or anyone that would listen and told them how much I hated Jane Austen in that moment and how if they would just read this then they would understand that she is a life ruiner!

Our main character, Emma, is having a rough time in life, everything is going wrong for her. A suspicious woman approaches her and starts telling her all of these tales about Jane Austen's letters that were supposed to be destroyed after her death... but they weren't!!! So Emma starts her adventures with these letters, finding out all about Jane's heartbreak that inspired one of her first novels. As Emma continues on this quest, she has a change of heart and thankfully she points you back to loving Jane Austen by the end because Jane Austen isn't really a life ruiner!

Review: The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy

Source: Goodreads

Synopsis: The three novels which make up The Forsyte Saga chronicle the ebbing social power of the commercial upper-middle class Forsyte family between 1886 and 1920. Galsworthy's masterly narrative examines not only their fortunes but also the wider developments within society, particularly the changing position of women. This is the only critical edition of the work available, with Notes that explain contemporary artistic and literary allusions and define the slang of the time. (Source: Goodreads)

One of the greatest works of literature, there's a reason why Mr. Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize for Literature for this work. An epic saga of a single extended family which spans several generations, Galsworthy creates characters that are human and fallible, noble, kind and cruel. The story is deeply moving, funny, infuriating and completely compelling. This is a huge work, but, as with all great novels, the better it is, the more you want it to continue on and on. This one does! The Saga comprises of three novels and two "interludes" or short stories between the novels. The first interlude of the saga, "Indian Summer of a Forsyte," is one of the most beautiful and poignant works I have ever read.

In addition to this first work, Galsworthy continued the story of the Forsytes for another two complete epics, creating nine novels in all. He also created a series of short stories to fill in elements of the characters backstories. 

If you intend to embark on this wonderful journey into the heart of middle class Brits at turn of the 20th century, I recommend the Oxford University Press edition, which has an extensive glossary included. Galsworthy includes a large amount of slang of the period, and this edition explains those terms. Its available at the Madison Library District for patron use.

Inferno by Dan Brown

Goodreads
Source: Library
Published: May 14, 2013
DoubleDay

Synopsis: In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.
In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.


Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. 
Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered. (Source: Goodreads)
I don't even know where to start on this one. There are times when I think I have a book figured out and it turns out that I was on target completely. Then there are times when I'm sure I've got it all and I am blown completely out of the water by what the outcome really is.
This is one of those times.
I started out thinking that THIS TIME, I was going to outsmart Dan Brown and figure the whole thing out ahead of time. He has this nasty little tendency to spring things on readers that they don't ever see coming. I WAS NOT GOING TO BE THAT READER. I was in the know! I could SEE how things were going down! 
Alas, I now have to eat crow and admit that Dan Brown is still the master of the twist. Actually, I should probably grovel a little bit, because I was COCKY going into this one.
*writhes*
I AM A WORM! I AM NOT WORTHY!
Okay, I am done beating myself up for not outsmarting Dan Brown.
What do you need to know going into this book?
Nothing is as it seems. Not one, single thing. 
No one is who they say they are. Not one, single person.
The book will suck you in, chew you up, and then spit you out at the end, and you'll feel like you just went fifty rounds on the Tilt-a-Whirl, all in true Dan Brown style.
I'm still a huge Robert Langdon fan and hope to see more books in the series down the road. For now, it looks like this might be the end. After all, our favorite professor is aging (nicely, I might add) and he can't always be the jet-setting, save the world type. He still kicks it though. Awesomely.
I'm just going to shut up now and let you go read it if you haven't. YOU SHOULD.

Welcome to the Madison Library District Blog!

Welcome to our new blog!

Here, you'll find book reviews from all genres, plus audio/visual reviews. You can read past reviews at any time by visiting the appropriate page, or by going through our blog archive. Pages will be updated as posts are made.

Since we're focusing on books that we'd recommend to our patrons, you'll find only positive reviews here. This is a place for reader's advisory and we want to push the books that we enjoy.

Have fun looking around and finding new books to enjoy!