Rhiannon Recommends: My Top 10 Reads of 2018

My Top 10 Reads of 2018

Click on each title to jump to my review or Instagram post for each release.

 A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
 Mr & Mrs American Pie by Juliet McDaniel
 The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
 Vox by Christina Dalcher 
 An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
 The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger
 The Beekeeper : Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq by Dunya Mikhail 
 Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
 The Girl on the Velvet Swing by Simon Baatz
 Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield 

Review: Tater Tot at the Chase: A Happy Helper by Laura Holman Byrne

My mom lives in @chaseparkplaza, a super cool hotel with residences in the Central West End of St. Louis. Her building is full of the cutest pups, including @tatertatertot who has written the sweetest little book "Tater Tot at the Chase: A Happy Helper" (with help from his "mom" Laura Holman Byrne).

Tater Tot is always eager for new adventures and often learns that mistakes can be valuable lessons for life! A few life lessons Tater Tot learns in this book are: keeping your word, being selfless, honesty, sportsmanship, practicing moderation, listening, forgiving, being appreciative, accepting, understanding consequences, and many more.

If you can't meet Tater Tot on his glamorous, sold out, worldwide DJ tour / book tour, be sure to follow Tater Tot's adventures on Instagram and then order your copy of his book HERE

Review: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"Hello, Hollywood...I'd like to play Daisy Jones."

"No, I don't have any acting experience, but since I was named after one of the biggest hit singles from one of the highest-selling rock bands of all time I think I'm totally qualified."

"Hello...?"


I was OBSESSED with Taylor Jenkins Reid's "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" last year and was anxiously awaiting her new release, Daisy Jones & the Six (releasing March 5, 2019 / Ballantine #partner) When I read the summary I was even more head over heels. A legendary rock band splits at the height of their popularity and no one knew why...until now. The book is styled as a series of interviews and the pacing is absolute perfection (longer sections of dialogue and descriptions from the main band members mixed with quick snippets from friends and acquaintances in the band's outer circle). I loved every page and knew this would be another book by Reid that I would be telling everyone about but I had no idea that I was going to get an ending like that--I've never had chills upon chills upon chills like I did reading the final pages of Daisy Jones & the Six.

Goodreads Summary:
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

Click a link below to pre-order (seriously, you'll thank me later):
Charis (my favorite independent feminist bookstore)
Amazon

Review: The Periodic Table of Feminism by Marisa Bate

The Periodic Table of Feminism by Marisa Bate  (October 16, 2018 / Seal Press)

My Review:

This fun and unique book features dozens of feminists by dividing them into "chemical" groups like the periodic table. For example, the catalysts section features "pioneers and fire-starters," like Susan B. Anthony and Sheryl Sandberg and the explosives section features "radicals and anarchists" like Adrienne Rich and Roxane Gay. As the book progresses from members of the First Wave through the Fourth Wave, a reader can follow the many paths, focal points, and theories that lie beneath the wider umbrella of feminism. This book obviously cannot cover every aspect of feminism but it offers lots of information...all in under 200 pages. Its small size makes it the perfect addition to your travel bag or purse. It is ideal for reading snippets and sections here or there as time allows or you could probably devour it in a single sitting. My reading fell somewhere in between because I found myself researching women and topics I hadn't heard about before like publishing pioneer Barbara Smith or rebellious priest Una Kroll. A definite "must have" if you want to know more about the main players in the feminist movements. 

Review: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (The Road to Nowhere #1) by Meg Elison

When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.

Goodreads Summary: In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth’s population—killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant—the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power—and the strong who possess it. A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men’s clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she’ll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence. After all, if humanity is to be reborn, someone must be its guide.

My Review: 
First published in 2014, this debut novel has been on my radar for years, but as reading lists go...I just hadn't gotten to it yet. I decided to circle back and check it out after becoming a bit jilted regarding the current deluge of (unfortunately mostly subpar) feminist dystopian fiction. This story inspired me to move up several other feminist dystopian backlist releases that have gotten pushed back on my reading list. 

After a worldwide plague wipes out almost all women and babies, the unnamed protagonist of this story disguises herself as a man and ventures out in search of women to save or help. As a labor and delivery nurse she is knowledgable about women's health and she is equipped with birth control and medicine to help the women she can't save. (As a logical mind can imagine almost all of the remaining women are being used as sex slaves). The unnamed midwife keeps a journal of her experiences and her memories which serve as insight into her humanity and sexuality. It was fascinating to imagine a fierce woman determined to not only survive in this new world but to help fellow women in any way she can, no matter the danger. As a Philip K. Dick Award Winner for Distinguished Science Fiction, this novel is a true feminist dystopian masterpiece and I highly recommend it.

My New Feature in Cherry Creek and Boulder Lifestyle Magazines

I love suggesting and reviewing books and I love writing for magazines, which probably makes my Page Turners features my favorite articles to write! Check out the magazines here: 

https://issuu.com/lifestylepubs/docs/boulder_2018_12_print/56

https://issuu.com/lifestylepubs/docs/cherry_creek_2018_12_print/26

Winter Warmers: Cuddle Up with These Winter Themed New Releases

by Rhiannon Johnson

photography provided by publishers

Ways to Hide in Winter by Sarah St. Vincent

MHPBooks.com $25.99

Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a young widow befriends a mysterious foreigner; setting in motion a politically charged journey of violence, betrayal, empathy, and reconciliation.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

ECWPress.com /$14.95

Leaders must restore order and save their people from a grave fate as their small northern Anishinaabe community faces winter without power or communication. 

Winter Loon by Susan Bernhard

AmazonPublishing.Amazon.com $24.95

A haunting coming-of-age story about a resilient boy confronting the burden of his family’s dark, broken past and finding the freedom in letting go.

Winter: Warm Recipes for Cold Nights by Louise Franc

SmithStreetBooks.com $40

140 classic and modern recipes from around the world that not only taste amazing but will keep you warm on cold winter nights.

Review: The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this release in exchange for an honest review. I was not given any additional compensation. 

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh releases 1/8/2019 from Hamish Hamilton (#partner). Described as The Handmaid's Tale meets The Virgin Suicides, this debut novel was long listed for the Man Booker Prize for 2018 and I predict it will be one of the first big hits of 2019.

Netgalley Description:
"King has tenderly staked out a territory for his wife and three daughters, Grace, Lia, and Sky. He has lain the barbed wire; he has anchored the buoys in the water; he has marked out a clear message: Do not enter. Or viewed from another angle: Not safe to leave. Here women are protected from the chaos and violence of men on the mainland. The cult-like rituals and therapies they endure fortify them from the spreading toxicity of a degrading world. But when their father, the only man they've ever seen, disappears, they retreat further inward until the day two men and a boy wash ashore. Over the span of one blistering hot week, a psychological cat-and-mouse game plays out. Sexual tensions and sibling rivalries flare as the sisters confront the amorphous threat the strangers represent."

My Review:
This dystopian fiction story of 3 sisters raised to fear men and kept separate from the rest of the world was a bit of a slow starter for me. However, once I got my footing on the structure and style of the story, I tore through it. Author Sophie Mackintosh's writing is clean but raw, it will slice your heart and drop your jaw. This is a novel that is difficult to explain without giving away any spoilers, but I definitely agree with the description of The Handmaid's Tale meets The Virgin Suicides. I know that every feminist dystopia is labeled "the next Handmaid's Tale" but I rarely agree (Vox may have been the closest). The Water Cure is primal and psychologically addictive. I recommend this if you love feminist fiction and are comfortable reading something a bit left of mainstream.

Review: Murder by the Book by Claire Harman

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I received no additional compensation.

Goodreads Summary:
A gripping investigation into the crime that scandalized literary London, from Dickens to Thackeray.
On a spring morning in 1840, on an ultra-respectable Mayfair street, a household of servants awoke to discover that their unobtrusive master, Lord William Russell, was lying in bed with his throat cut so deeply that the head was almost severed.
The whole of London, from monarch to maidservants, was scandalized by the unfolding drama of such a shocking murder, but behind it was another story, a work of fiction. For when the culprit eventually confessed, he claimed his actions were the direct result of reading the best-selling crime-novel of the day. This announcement amazed the key literary figures of the time, from Thackeray to Dickens, and posed the question: can a work of fiction do real harm?



My Review:
Murder by the Book: A Sensational Chapter in Victorian Crime by Clare Harman is historical true crime at its absolute best. Author Claire Harman transports readers to 1840 London and the sensational murder Lord William Russell. Russell was found on a May morning by his maid, with his throat slit so severely that his head was almost completely detached. The upper class neighborhood where the murder occurred was suddenly in a panic, and so was all of London when the murderer claimed to have been inspired by a newly released novel. Featuring several of the key literary figures of the time (including Dickens, Poe, and Thackeray) Murder by the Book will have you thinking about life imitating art, censorship laws, copycat killers, and the sensationalism of murders in the media. This slim novel (170 pages + several reference pages at the end) is a quick read and the literary element kept me intrigued until the last page.

Review: Physical Disobedience by Sarah Hays Coomer

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I received no additional compensation.)

Goodreads Summary:
Even as a wave of renewed feminism swells, too many women continue to starve, stuff, overwork, or neglect our bodies in pursuit of paper-thin ideals. "Fitness" has been co-opted by the beauty industry. We associate it with appearance when we should associate it with power.

Grounded in advocacy with a rowdy, accessible spirit, Physical Disobedience asserts that denigrating our bodies is, in practice, an act of submission to inequality. But when we strengthen ourselves--taking broad command of our individual physicality--we reclaim our authority and build stamina for the literal work of activism: the protests, community service, and emotional resilience it takes to face the news and stay engaged.

Physical Disobedience introduces a breathtaking new perspective on wellness by encouraging nonviolence toward our bodies, revitalizing them through diet and exercise, fashion and social media, alternative therapies, music, and motherhood. The goal is no longer to keep our bodies in check. The goal is to ignite them, to set them free, and have a mighty fine time doing it.

About the Author: 
Sarah Hays Coomer is a self-proclaimed “diet abolitionist” and a lover of all things sugared, salted, fried, or dipped in dark chocolate. She is the author of Lightness of Body and Mind: A Radical Approach to Weight and Wellness. She kind of likes to exercise, kind of not. Sarah is a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association; a member of the American College of Sports Medicine; and a certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant and Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist with American Fitness Professionals & Associates. 

My Review:
This book is part motivational mantras, part social analysis, and part workbook. It is divided into small chapters so you can read and then think on each section bit by bit. While this book focuses on taking care of your personal health it also emphasizes the importance that we aren't perfect and we need to stop expecting ourselves to be. This would be perfect to have on your nightstand to read a chapter each night or first thing in the morning. 

Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield releases December 4, 2018 from Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I received no additional compensation. 

Goodreads Summary:
A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child.
Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.
Is it a miracle?
Is it magic?
Or can it be explained by science?
Replete with folklore, suspense and romance, as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield’s bestseller The Thirteenth Tale.

My Review:
I was very nervous about reading this book. I (along with almost every book lover I know who has read it) loved Diane Setterfield's debut novel The Thirteenth Tale. However, her follow-up fell terribly flat. Five years ago I read and reviewed Bellman & Black (read my review HERE) and it was one of the worst books I've ever read. I tried so hard to find something good to say about that book, but I just could not. So...since I loved her first novel and definitely did not love her second novel, I obviously had no idea of what to expect from Once Upon a River. Short answer--I loved it! I was holding my breath and crossing my fingers that I would and I am excited to say that it is fabulous. The characters, community, and their customs drew me in and the twists and turns of the story were just slippery enough to keep me guessing and then come together for a perfect ending. I think this book will appeal to a wide variety of readers and will probably be a popular book club pick in 2019!

October 2018 Wrap-Up

Wow! October was a weird one. I had a huge stack of books I planned to read but I ended up only reading 4...okay 3 and a half.

The Readalongs: Rachael (@anovelfamily on Instagram) and I hosted 2 readalongs: Dracula at the beginning of the month and The Historian for the 2nd half. Thank goodness we were partnered on this because I was traveling to visit family during the beginning of the month and I was having a hard time getting my reading time in for Dracula. Then when I got home I got a cold that threw me even more off schedule. I kept at it as long as I could and made it about 1/2 way through but then I gave up. I wasn't loving it (even though I read it years ago and thought I did). She definitely carried the weight with the discussions on that one! Thanks Rachael! When we got rolling with The Historian (which I've also read before and KNEW I loved) she found that she didn't like it. It made for a perfect tradeoff. I liked talking to other readers during the readalongs and I learned a lot that I will take into account when I host my next readalong. Mainly, more planning ahead and reading ahead! 

The other 2 books I read were Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner by Katrine Marçal (which I have already reviewed) and Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (which I will be reviewing in the next few days). 

Now I'm off to put together my November reading list. What was your favorite read last month? What are you most excited to read in November. 

Review: Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner? A Story of Women and Economics by Katrine Marçal

Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner? A Story of Women and Economics by Katrine Marçal

Goodreads Summary:How do you get your dinner? That is the basic question of economics. When economist and philosopher Adam Smith proclaimed that all our actions were motivated by self-interest, he used the example of the baker and the butcher as he laid the foundations for 'economic man.' He argued that the baker and butcher didn't give bread and meat out of the goodness of their hearts. It's an ironic point of view coming from a bachelor who lived with his mother for most of his life — a woman who cooked his dinner every night.


Nevertheless, the economic man has dominated our understanding of modern-day capitalism, with a focus on self-interest and the exclusion of all other motivations. Such a view point disregards the unpaid work of mothering, caring, cleaning and cooking. It insists that if women are paid less, then that's because their labor is worth less. Economics has told us a story about how the world works and we have swallowed it, hook, line and sinker. This story has not served women well. Now it's time to change it.


A kind of feminist Freakonomics, Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? charts the myth of economic man — from its origins at Adam Smith's dinner table, its adaptation by the Chicago School, and its disastrous role in the 2008 Global Financial Crisis — in a witty and courageous dismantling of one of the biggest myths of our time.



My Review:
This book has been on my list for a while and I finally got around to reading it. While I did learn several things from the book, I was expecting to find more information about the financial contributions that women's unpaid labor provides to the economy as a whole. There was a lot of introductory economic theory which was informative and easy to understand, but the focus was almost always on "economic man". I feel like this whole book was a great starting point, but it never really got to what I wanted, which was the second half of the title, the story of women and economics. I would recommend it to someone looking for an approachable intro to economics.

Review: Melmoth by Sarah Perry

Melmoth by Sarah Perry (published 10/16/18 from Custom House)

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary:
For centuries, the mysterious dark-robed figure has roamed the globe, searching for those whose complicity and cowardice have fed into the rapids of history’s darkest waters—and now, in Sarah Perry’s breathtaking follow-up to The Essex Serpent, it is heading in our direction.
It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a home of sorts—or, at least, refuge. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter in the library, a strange confession and a curious warning that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark legend found in obscure fairy tales and antique village lore. As such superstition has it, Melmoth travels through the ages, dooming those she persuades to join her to a damnation of timeless, itinerant solitude. To Helen it all seems the stuff of unenlightened fantasy.
But, unaware, as she wanders the cobblestone streets Helen is being watched. And then Karel disappears. . . .

My Review:
I thought this would be a perfectly spooky read but I was so disappointed. I was actually so excited to read this that I read Sarah Perry's previous novel, The Essex Serpent, first (which I didn't love, but I know lots of people did). Melmoth had all the makings of a story I thought I'd love: dark legends, superstition, an immortal woman...but I felt like it was assigned reading in college (morality and conscience, all with a biblical undertone). 

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova Readalong / Summary (#historianreadalong)

This month's first readalong, Dracula, didn't go quite as planned (I got a little and then a lot behind when I was traveling) so I'll be updating that blog post throughout the rest of the month. The 2nd readalong will be for The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova October 11-31. While I love Instagram, I also want a place where we can discuss the topics of each chapter in further detail and not give away any spoilers to readers who may be a bit behind. I will be giving my daily updates here and I am looking forward to hearing everyone else's comments, so check in often and let me know your thoughts (here and on my Instagram stories).

Day 11: Chapters 1-4

• Before Chapter 1, we are given "A Note to the Reader" where the 52 year old narrator introduces us to her story, beginning when she was 16. This 2 page introduction sets the tone for the historical aspect of the story to come. We are also given a quote from Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was fun to read since it was the selection for our last readalong.
• Chapter 1: We begin with the narrator's travels at 16, just as she first suggested in the note. She is motherless and her diplomatic father works late and travels often, leaving her in the care of housekeepers. The narrator finds an old book and envelope of papers high on a shelf in her father's library. The topmost letter is dated 1930, sent from Oxford, and addressed to "my dear and unfortunate successor". Something about this discovery shakes the narrator out of her constant obedience and causes her to insist on accompanying her father on his next trip.  --by train to the Slovenian Alps. Ducking out of the rain into a teashop, she asks her father to tell her a story and tells him about the book she found in his library. 
• Chapter 2: The father (Paul) tells the story of how he came into possession of a book with a dragon on the spine and we are given a history lesson of Vlad III (Tepes) of Wallachia (1431-1476). He tells of his friend and mentor Professor Rossi who has a similar book and has already done some extensive testing and related research travel to come to the conclusion that Dracula--Vlad Tepes--is still alive. 
• Chapter 3: The narrator and her father are back home in Amsterdam and then they take another journey.
• Chapter 4: The father starts back up on the story where he left off with his daughter at the end of chapter 2. He tells of Rossi's studies in Istanbul and the strange occurrences in while he was there (the visitor, the maps, and his confiscated belongings at the hotel room).

My thoughts on this section of reading: I instantly love the 16 year old narrator and who can't empathize with her when she describes her fear of boys and girls her age and her annoyances with her father's habits? I am mesmerized by the descriptions of the castles and autumn arriving in the countryside and I instantly fall in love with the academic and library settings. I also love the concept of a story within in a story with the father telling one story to his daughter and we, as readers, receiving a larger overarching story complete with extensive historical data. Who the man was who visited Professor Rossi in the library in Istanbul? Where is the Unholy Tomb? Does everyone else feel like if history was presented in school like it is in this book that they would have been much more interested? 

Day 12: Chapters 5-8

• Chapter 5: The narrator begins a bit of research herself and she and her father visit some of his friends, Massimo and Guilia, in Tuscany. Over dinner, Massimo comments on Professor Rossi's disappearance years ago. 
• Chapter 6: Paul continues telling his story to his daughter, including all he knows about Rossi's disappearance and the contents of the envelope. 
• Chapter 7: The narrator continues her research at the library and her father and her take another trip. The maître d' at one of the restaurants they stop at tells them a story about a young monk and an "alive, but not really alive" monk. 
• Chapter 8: This chapter begins with a letter from Rossi, addressed to "my dear and unfortunate successor" which includes some of his research into the Order of the Dragon and Vlad Dracula. Paul meets a dark haired woman in the library as he is looking through Rossi's envelope of documents. She is reading Dracula and tells him she will soon be traveling to Istanbul. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I am impressed by how Kostova is able to apply the push/pull of a father/daughter relationship to this story. The frustration from both characters is palpable and I'm sure the daughter is hanging on every word the father offers about the woman he met in the library. As a foodie, I'm also loving the descriptions of everything they eat and how and where they eat.

Day 13: Chapters 9-12

• Chapter 9: Rossi tells more about his journey from England to Greece in another letter. He has great luck on his journey but then takes a jaunt to Istanbul (where the bureaucrat with the bite marks stole his map in the library) and everything starts going wrong. He's so shaken up that he vows to request to go to the States once he returns to England. 
• Chapter 10: The narrator and her father are visiting Saint-Matthieu-des-Pyrénées-Orientales when she realizes she will have to begin searching for her own clues. 
• Chapter 11: The narrator is back in the library in Amsterdam and her librarian friend is helping her find some great information. Her father and her take a trip to Venice where he accidentally let's the cat out of the bag that he has been to Istanbul. 
• Chapter 12: Another of Rossi's letters tell of how he finally notices where the dragon's tail points and how his friend "Hedges" is found dead right outside his door.  The narrator and her father are approached by an artist who has painted them (and "someone/something else") as they sit at an outdoor cafe!

My thoughts on this section of reading: I had a bit of a hard time getting my timeline straight because the dates on Rossi's letters aren't the dates when the events he's describing happens. I had to reread to figure out when he went to Istanbul. I loved the first paragraph of Chapter 10 discussing seeking a place a second time when traveling and how it is never quite the same, and when the narrator said she would start searching for her own clues at the end of the chapter. Chapter 12 was a really good one! When Rossi figures out where the dragon tail points and when the narrator sees the dark man in the painting! Also, I'm craving orange soda. 

Day 14: Chapters 13-16

• Chapter 13: Another trip, some more of the story, another letter from Rossi. Upon receiving his book back from testing at the Smithsonian, Rossi learns of a new map inside his book with his name replacing the previous name on the labeled tomb. 
• Chapter 14: The narrator's librarian friend is killed while he is helping her with her research. 
• Chapter 15: Paul sees the map with Rossi's name and his stray cat is killed and left on his windowsill. 
• Chapter 16: Paul tells of how cards relating to Dracula were pulled out of the library's card catalog and of a strange professor being nosy when he tries to get information from the librarian. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I didn't think these chapters were as exciting as some of the previous ones. 

Day 15: Chapters 17-20

• Chapter 17: Another city (Athens) and another date (February 1974) from the narrator. Paul tells his daughter about meeting Helen Rossi for coffee, sharing their backgrounds, and going over their combined interest in Dracula. While Helen claims to be Professor Rossi's daughter, he claims (according to Helen) that he never traveled to Romania or met her mother. She has taken on the Dracula legend as a sort of academic vendetta against him. 
• Chapter 18: Slovenia, then Emona, then back to Amsterdam. Touring a castle in Slovenia, the narrator believes a corpse smiles at her. Paul asks his daughter to begin writing down the stories he is telling her and he appears to be tiring, losing energy, or slowing down.
• Chapter 19: Paul and Helen continue their discussion in the diner and make arrangements to meet in St. Mary's Church in 30 minutes so he can show her his papers (which he has in his briefcase but doesn't want to tell her).
• Chapter 20: Paul arrives at the church before Helen. When Helen arrives she tells Paul that someone was following her from the library (where she went to check out his story about the missing card in the card catalog). Paul figures out that this must be the strange librarian he encountered when inquiring about the card catalog himself. The librarian enters the church. Helen and Paul are able to hide and an altar lady redirects the man. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I still get confused with the dual timeline and order of events sometimes, but hello Helen! I'm ready for a female storyline (beyond the narrator's), but I'm frustrated by how much Paul keeps saying how "masculine" and "cold" Helen is, or making dismissive (derogatory?) statements about her clothing choices, i.e."mannish white blouse". We get it, she's not a silver screen siren who has you reeling with emotions...she doesn't seem too impressed with you either, Paul! 

Day 16: Chapters 21-24

• Chapter 21: Helen and Paul grab 2 crucifixes as they leave the church and then use one against the librarian when he attacks Helen back at the library. They get some information from him but then he is killed when he runs into traffic leaving the library. 
• Chapter 22: Paul and his daughter visit Oxford. Paul's contact, Master James, assigns Stephen Barley to show around the narrator while her father attends to his meetings. When she requests to see the Radcliffe Camera (a round room of books?) she finds her father studying the books there pertaining to vampire history and legends. 
• Chapter 23: Switch back to Helen and Paul after the accident. Paul decides to take off for Turkey in the hopes of finding Rossi and while Helen knows it will be more difficult for her to travel, she states that she will be going with him. 
• Chapter 24: During the night (at Oxford) Paul takes off and leaves a letter to his daughter with instructions about how to wear a crucifix and put garlic in her pockets. Stephen Barley is assigned to accompany her on her train trip back home. Upon her arrival back home she searches through her father's papers and finds that he has gone to search for her mother. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: Too bad about the librarian dying, I was hoping that Paul and Helen could have gotten some more information out of him. I'm hearing from a lot of people that they are not enjoying the book--I'm thinking they were expecting more action. I love this story so much because I swoon over each library, building, and trip and love the historical, anthropological, and architectural details.

PART TWO

Day 17: Chapters 25-28

• Chapter 25: The narrator sets off by train from Amsterdam to Paris and reads more about her father's past adventure/research expedition from letters he has left her. He tells of him and Helen arriving in Constantinople and their initial search for a small mosque build by Mehmed II. They stop at a restaurant and (coincidentally?) meet a fellow historian, Turgut. Helen also gets "told off" by a Gypsy woman. Barley find the narrator on her train.  
• Chapter 26: The narrator shares some of her father's letters to Barley in an attempt to explain why she is running away. Turgut reveals that his specialties are Shakespeare and vampires. Turgut shares some of his learned history regarding Dracula and tells of a library created to fight evil...created by Sultan Mehmed II. Something seems familiar to Barley about Paul's experiences in graduate school being something similar to something that has happened with Master James, but he can't remember just what it is. 
• Chapter 27: Helen and Paul walk through the market and look at books before meeting Turgut. Turgut's contact in the library brings out a box of letters which has been locked since 1930 and contains Sultan Mehmed's documents from the Order of the Dragon. The narrator sees a suspicious woman outside of the train's window at the Brussels station. 
• Chapter 28: The contents of the locked box are removed: a ledger of war expenses, a letter from the pasha of Wallachia to Sultan Mehmed promising to send any documents about the Order of the Dragon, scrolls listing trading transactions, a map, and a bibliography of the Order of the Dragon. After Turgut, Helen, and Paul puzzle over the strange list of books, Paul notices the name Bartolomeo Rossi on the map and when he cries out. Barley decides to accompany the narrator on her journey. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I loved picturing Helen and Paul in the restaurant, their hotel, walking around the city, and sitting side by side in the library. Wouldn't you be creeped out if you went to research something and the librarian brought you a big old locked box? 😱

Day 18: Chapters 29-32

• Chapter 29: Barley knows that the narrator is heading off for the monastery at Pyrénées-Orientales and happily agrees to not call anyone to alert them, but instead to tag along on her journey. Helen, Paul, and Turgut figure out that they all know (or know of) Professor Rossi. A little man with a white cap and gray beard was the last one to access the documents the three are looking at and was upset when with Mr Erozan when he found out that H, P, and T were all looking at them. Turgut invites H&P to his home to see his collected materials.  
• Chapter 30: Barley heads to the dining car for tea and the narrator takes a nap in their train car. She awakens to a man sitting across from her who will not move his head out from behind his newspaper.  
• Chapter 31: The man still doesn't move his newspaper, but asks her about her father. She runs to find Barley and with some help from a kitchen worker they are able to escape man hunting them by departing the train but leaving their bags behind. 
• Chapter 32: Turgut feeds P & H and shows them his collections including a large painting of Vlad Dracula, Wallachian torture instruments, and a vampire hunting kit.

My thoughts on this section of reading: While Barley and the narrator may be young, I can't imagine either of them thought that she should be sleeping in a car alone. I love that the duo on the hunt for Professor Rossi has gained a new member to form a trio! 

Day 19: Chapters 33-36

• Chapter 33: Barley and the narrator stay at a farm for the night. Helen thinks up a plan to get her and Paul into Romania. Paul sees the little man with the gray beard and white hat outside the Hagia Sophia, and he has the face of the dead librarian. 😱
• Chapter 34: The bookseller from the market turns out to be Turgut's friend Selim Aksoy, who possesses a great knowledge of books and the history and legends of Istanbul. The creepy librarian shows up at the library again when they are all heading to see the collection and Helen shoots him. 
• Chapter 35: The librarian gets away and the group discover that Mr Erozan has been bitten. Selim Aksoy takes over library duties for the day and Mr Erozan is taken to Turgut's to be cared for by him and his wife. 
• Chapter 36: The narrator sees a dragon fly in front of the moon. There is some speculation about a lost work by Shakespeare which is based on Dracula. Turgut gives Paul his vampire hunting kit. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I found the part about Shakespeare's lost work "The King of Tashkani" the most interesting and so I looked it up. Several books Kostova included in this novel are fictional. Click HERE and then scroll down to her name to see the full list. 

Day 20: Chapters 37-40

• Chapter 37: Paul tours the Topkapi Palace as Helen rests in the hotel. Helen's aunt Eva arranges for Paul and Helen to get into Budapest by arranging for them to attend a conference (and for Paul to be the keynote speaker 😆). The narrator and Barley head out for Perpignan. 
• Chapter 38: Helen and Paul attend the conference and meet Eva. 
• Chapter 39: Eva, Helen, and Paul go to lunch, Helen translates (but Eva probably understands more than she lets on), and Paul and Eva get along very well 😊. 
• Chapter 40: Helen tells Paul more about her mother and Eva. Helen tells Paul not to talk to Professor Géza József and Paul befriends Hugh James (who knows Professor Rossi and has received a book like Paul).

My thoughts on this section of reading: I love Eva and am very curious as to why Helen does not want Paul to talk to Géza József 🤔). 

Day 22: Chapters 41-45

• Chapter 41: Paul gives his lecture. Helen and Paul tour another library and find a book with the lyrics to a folk song talking about monks riding up to the gates of a great city, an illustration of a tiny dragon, and the word "Ivireanu". After returning to the hotel, Paul finds his room ransacked. 
• Chapter 42: It is implied that Helen's room was also ransacked (but it was also a bit unclear to me). Paul has dinner with Hugh (while Helen has dinner with Eva) and they exchange stories about their books, Rossi, and their personal backgrounds. Hugh says he has also come across the word "Ivireanu" recently, in a Romanian New Testament bible. A hotel worker tells Paul he has information about his room being tossed so Paul bribes him for the info and the worker points to the vampire librarian just outside. After Hugh and Paul try to chase him down, Paul calls to Turgut to give him an update. 
• Chapter 43: The narrator and Barley make it to Perpignan. Helen and Paul go to visit Helen's mother, who gives Paul a stack of Rossi's letters. 
• Chapter 44: Helen's mother tells her story of living in a village near Dracula's castle, receiving a gold coin from an old woman healer, meeting and falling in love with Rossi, and how Eva helped her to leave her village and care for her. She also gives Paul Rossi's ring. 
• Chapter 45: This chapter is a series of letters from Rossi to his friend (Hedges?). He tells of being frightened in Istanbul but continuing his quest to find Dracula's tomb before he must be in Greece. Rossi heads to Lake Snagov and meets Mr Georgescu who helps him a bit with the local history, including the fact that Vlad Dracula was not buried there. Over dinner the two share a bit about their pasts and Georgescu offers to take Rossi to the ruins of Dracula's castle. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: Today's reading section was pretty long (almost 70 pages) so I'm glad I started a little of it on our catch up day yesterday. Since the dragon on Helen's mother's shoulder is a tattoo, I spent some time wondering how common tattoos were among Romanian villagers during this time period and how old she must have been when it was done because she doesn't seem to remember having it done, just that it's always been there. Also, I love that Eva and her husband helped to rescue Helen's mother. 

Day 23: Chapters 46-49:

• Chapter 46: More of Rossi's letter(s) to Hedges about his travels with Georgescu to Vlad Dracula's fortress on the Arges. R&G examine the ruins and camp out there for the night. G tells Rossi some local myths, legends, and history about the castle and Dracula, including how the last of the last of Dracula's children with his second wife married into the Getzi family. During the night, Rossi wakes to find a huge wolf with red eyes staring at him and then it runs away. He looks over a nearby wall and sees lights in the forest. G wakes up and he and Rossi see a bunch of men (the Legion of he Archangel Michael/The Iron Guard) in suits saluting around a fire. Rossi sees a man in a cloak on the other side of the fire, watching the group and then returning to the trees. 
• Chapter 47: R&G return to the village below Dracula's fortress. G heads back to Snagov and Rossi meets a peasant girl, Helen's mother. Rossi falls in love with Helen's mother and plans to return for her in one month so they can marry and move to England. 
• Chapter 48: Paul and Helen return to their hotel and meet Eva for dinner. Eva tells them that Géza József sent a police detective to interrogate her about P&H. Helen tells Paul the GJ is a member of the Secret Police and that they had a "relationship" before she left the country. Turgut tells P&H to prepare for a new adventure in Bulgaria.

PART THREE

• Chapter 49: The narrator shares a love letter that her father wrote to her mother about the early days of their relationship, although it was probably written "when it could no longer have been delivered to her." 

My thoughts on this section of reading: Chapter 46 was the creepiest chapter, right? We learn that Helen's mother is a descendent of Vlad Dracula, a scary wolf wakes up Rossi, and there is a Nazi ceremony happening near the castle ruins. In Chapter 48, when Paul tells Helen that she is a descendant of Vlad Dracula I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I mean, she's reading the letters right along with you Paul! Plus, I'm pretty sure she already knew. These chapters also had a lot of romance: Rossi's days with Helen's mother, Paul kissing Helen's neck on the bridge, and the love letter. 

Day 24: Chapters 50-54:

• Chapter 50: Turgut and Selim Aksoy meet P&H at the Istanbul airport and they all go back to Turgut's. They tell H&P that Erozan has been attacked a 2nd time. Turgut translates how Selim found a letter in the archives from a monk discussing them going into infidel lands. Helen connects this to the folk song about the men of God from the Carpathians. Turgut suggests that H&P contact Anton Stoichev when they reach Bulgaria and Turgut and Selim reveal to H&P that they work for the sultan. 
• Chapter 51: Turgut gives the history of the Crescent Guard and its relation to the Order of the Dragon. Turgut receives a phone call that Erozan has been attacked for the 3rd time.
• Chapter 52: The narrator and Barley share a room in France. They make out a bit but Barley stops them from going further. 
• Chapter 53: Turgut drives a silver stake through Erozan's heart and they all agree that H&P must leave for Bulgaria ASAP. 
• Chapter 54: H&P are greeted at the airport in Bulgaria by an officer who appears to be amazed that they have been let in the country and then he calls their guide, Krassimir Ranov. Ranov doesn't seem to like H&P too much and while he first says that they can't see Anton Stoichev because he "is an enemy of the people", he quickly says that he can arrange it because he has been told to give them whatever they want. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I do love the details of this book but all of chapter 53 was about killing Erozan and we are barely getting any info on the narrator and Barley. As for Ranov, we obviously know he is untrustworthy and it's pretty easy to see that he is monitoring H&P. 

Day 25: Chapters 55-58:

• Chapter 55: Helen, Paul, and Ranov arrive at Stoichev's under the pretense of studying medieval Bulgaria and the pilgrimage routes of monks. Stoichev's niece Irina helps to distract Ranov so the 3 historians can discuss Brother Kiril's letters. 
• Chapter 56: The narrator and Barley reach Paul's room in Perpignan and find it in disarray. 
• Chapter 57: Stoichev also has one of Brother Kiril's letters. The three of them compare the letters and Stoichev invites them back the next day for a celebration. Paul and Helen figure out that Rossi must have had amnesia, which is why he doesn't remember Helen's mother and his trip to Romania 
• Chapter 58: Helen, Paul, and Ranov return to Stoichev's for the celebration and find that he also has a dragon book. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I loved the storybook setting of Stoichev's home and yard. Paul notes that if one would have to be exiled that this would be quite the lovely place. It is so idyllic and he has lots of reading materials. I think I'd like to vacation there for a month or two. 

Day 26: Chapters 59-63:

• Chapter 59: This chapter is a "the 'chronicle' of Zacharias of Zographou, discussing a monk's (Stefan the Wanderer) travels (as told to Zacharias) about an interesting journey he took through Bulgaria and to Sveti Georgi.
• Chapter 60: Stoichev tells the story of how he received his dragon book and Helen and Paul enjoy watching the singers and dancers at the celebration. 
• Chapter 61: Helen, Paul, Stochiev, Irina, and Ranov go to Rila Monastery where Helen figures out that the monks were on a journey to bring Dracula's head back to Constantinople.   
• Chapter 62: Paul asks Helen to marry him and she accepts.
• Chapter 63: Barley and the narrator find some pictures and postcards from Helen to her daughter. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: Ugh. Chapter 59 had my head spinning. I had no idea what I was trying to figure out with the monks journeys. I thought the pictures and postcards from Helen to her daughter with sad but sweet. 

Day 27: Chapters 64-68:

• Chapter 64: Paul sees Ranov talking to Géza József. Ranov, Paul, and Helen stay overnight in the monastery. 
• Chapter 65: 3 more letters from Helen to her daughter. 
• Chapter 66: Helen is bitten again while at the monastery, after ripping off her rosary. 
• Chapter 67: Ranov, Helen, and Paul are off to a monastery at Bachkovo. One of the monks tells them a story and tells them about another folk song. They decide to talk to a lady who sings the folk song the next day. 
• Chapter 68: More letters from Helen to her daughter. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: I can't believe that Helen was bitten again (at a monastery!) and I can't believe she ripped off the rosary. I like all the letters and I like knowing that Helen has enough money to pursue her journey and research. 

Day 28: Chapters 69-73:

• Chapter 69: Helen, Paul, Ranov, and Brother Ivan travel to a village near Bachkovo to attend the festival and meet Baba Yanka. BY sings two songs, the second of which she is scared to sing. They all attend the festival where BY and her sister sing and do fire walking. H&P notice the dragon relic used in the ceremony. 
• Chapter 70: More of Helen's letters to her daughter. She is researching and dreaming about what her daughter looks like. 
• Chapter 71: H & P request a tour of the church by the priest and then H, P, Ranov, and Brother Ivan return to BY's house. H & P sneak out while Ranov and Brother Ivan discuss politics. They return to the church and open the tomb of a saint to find Professor Rossi. 
• Chapter 72: Rossi remembers Helen's mother when he looks at Helen's face. Paul tells Rossi he's going to marry Helen. Rossi tells them he has hidden a book in Dracula's library. H & P drive a dagger through Rossi's heart. 
• Chapter 73: Rossi has written a dairy of his experience being taken by Dracula and being kept as his personal librarian. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: Wasn't it weird that Helen and Paul are just chatting away with Rossi as he's chilling in his tomb? Chapter 73 finally gave us Dracula and let us know what the woodcuts mean and what he wants from Rossi (and the world). I know that it's evil, but I'd love to see that library! 

Day 29: Chapters 74-77:

• Chapter 74: Paul and Helen find a latch in the wall/floor to gain access to Dracula's library, which is empty except for a sarcophagus. Géza József, Ranov, Stoichev, Brother Ivan and a "wiry little bureaucrat" who turns out to be the librarian vampire who keeps following them. This vampire bites Ranov. 
• Chapter 75: Helen and Paul are safely back at the Boras. They let Turgut and Selim know that Dracula knows about the special forces looking for him in the Crescent Guard. Helen managed to smuggle out the jewel encrusted book that Rossi hid his journal inside of. 
• Chapter 76: H & P move to NYC where Helen receives her doctorate and Paul completes his dissertation. They sell the Life of Saint George book and (after several miscarriages) have their daughter. Helen is happy with the baby but sad in general. A trip to France raises her spirits. They travel to Saint-Matthieu-des-Pyrénées-Orientales and Helen disappears in the night. After putting together a few clues about the monks keeping vigil in the crypt and the repetition of names, he asks to look inside the sarcophagus in the crypt and sees that it is empty. Blood is found on some rocks at the bottom of a cliff, and Helen is believed to be dead . 
• Chapter 77: Paul grieves at the monastery and nearby Les Bains. 

My thoughts on this section of reading: Why are there always people like Géza József waiting for someone to do all the hard work so they can swoop in and take the credit? Does Helen have postpartum depression? 

Day 30: Chapters 78-Epilogue:

• Chapter 78: Barley and the narrator travel to Saint-Matthieu, where they find Paul in the crypt. They again find the crypt to be empty, but Dracula appears out of the shadows. Helen and Master James also appear and Dracula kills Master James. 
• Chapter 79: Barley, Paul, Helen, and the narrator gather in the parlor of the hotel in Les Bains. Barley is saddened by Master James' death, and we learn what Helen has been doing during the years she has been gone. 
• Epilogue: During a conference for medieval historians in Philadelphia, the narrator visits a museum and upon leaving is given a notebook she forgot (but swears she placed in her bag) and a dragon book.  

My thoughts on this section of reading: We learn that Helen and Paul have both died and that now the narrator is one of the new historians. What happens to Barley, Ranov, and the Boras? Did Helen ever get to visit her aunt or mother again? Is Selim continuing the Crescent Guard's vigilant society?