Friday, June 3, 2011

Friday Finds: Kushiel's Dart & The Dashwood Sisters Tell All

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading and allows readers to showcase books they have discovered over the past week.  This week I found a fantasy book and a beach read.

First up, I heard great things about Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey from the wonderful blogger Introverted Reader


Goodreads Summary:
The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good....and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission....and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair....and beyond.

Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear. Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart, a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.


Also, I discovered a great beach read thanks to Top Ten Tuesday (sorry, I can't remember which blog posted this book). The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Patillo - a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility!


Goodreads Summary:
Ellen and Mimi Dodge have never been close, but their mother's dying wish sends them on a walking tour of Hampshire, England, that follows in the footsteps of Jane Austen. Their mother also left them something else: a diary that belonged to Jane's sister Cassandra. These pages shed light on the secrets that nearly tore the Austen sisters apart and inspired one of the greatest love stories of all time. They also bring Jane to life in a way that no one has ever seen before: through the eyes of her sister. As the Dodge sisters embark on their walking tour, they too are drawn together in ways they never expected. They also discover that Cassandra's diary holds secrets, and someone doesn't want Ellen and Mimi to discover the truth. As they stumble on their way toward love, the women learn how Jane and Cassandra Austen inspired the original Marianne and Elinor Dashwood and come to realize that despite their very different personalities, they are a vital part of each other's happy endings.

I've never read an Austen retelling...any other recommendations?

6 comments:

  1. Oooh, Kushiel's Dart! Not for those who blush easily in public... and you don't want strangers reading over your shoulder.

    I like it a lot. I've read and reviewed a couple of Carey's more recent books, but I haven't been back to the start of the series in a while.

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  2. Oh really? Sounds quite randy...yes, I think I remember the reviewer mentioning that there's some, erm, unique sexytimes going on. Should be interesting...we'll see if I can handle it :)

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  3. I think I'm adding The Dashwood Sisters to my tbr list ;) Here's mine: http://nofiltermom.blogspot.com/2011/06/friday-finds.html

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  4. I love both those covers.

    Here's mine:
    http://carabosseslibrary.blogspot.com/2011/06/friday-finds.html

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  5. I really liked the first three Kushiel books by Carey. However, once she got past these and kept moving, and the books got bigger and bigger, I admit that I fond myself losing interest. I might try her newest, once it comes out (Naamah's Blessing - due out in June)

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  6. I couldn't get into Kushiel's Dart, but I hope you enjoy it if you get the chance to read it.

    I love the dresses in Dashwood Sisters though

    ~ Popin

    You can check out my finds here

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