Book Review: The Right-Hand Shore: A Novel by Christopher Tilghman

The Right-Hand Shore: A Novel by Christopher Tilghman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although this book took a few chapters to get in to, by the middle, everything seemed so real and NOW that I forgot it was told as a series of flashbacks!

Beautifully told, history (late 1800's-early 1900's), race relations and economics are viewed through the lens of the Mason family in the northeast United States. There are too many memorable characters to name, both good and bad. There's enough heartache, triumph and drama to make you beleive the Masons are a real family, and live on a real farm.

My favorite aspect of the book concerns a forbidden love between a young white man and his childhood friend, who happens to be a black woman. Although many stories are told in this novel, this one stands out to me. The two involved families try in vain to separate the couple, knowing they have nothing but pain ahead of them. The young people even try themselves to forget their love and move on. In the end, they cannot stay away from each other, and a daring plan is devised that offers some hope.

At its core, this book centers on race division and its effect on the inhabitants, both white and black, of the Mason Retreat. Take time to enjoy this book, the conclusion is well worth it!

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Book Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

11/22/63 by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This almost qualifies as historical fiction, if it weren't for the classic supernatural SK bent. Published in 2011, this may be my favorite recent work from King.

Our protagonist Jake (King sure likes that name, huh?) is a humble schoolteacher who finds himself on a time-traveling quest to thwart the assassination of John Kennedy. Jake orginallly believes that each time he goes back to his "now", everything he changed during his time travel is reset- wiped out. As he becomes more familiar with the dubious rules of his "rabbit hole", he finds out this is not the case. The expected moral delimma about messing with the space-time continuum unfolds, and Jake is faced with the potential consequences of saving the woman he loves.

This book has the wonderful, spine-tingling weirdness of some of my other favorite King stories, like Duma Key and Rose Madder...characters you come to love...a bittersweet ending. SK fans and conspiracy theory nuts alike will enjoy this jaunt into the late 1950's and early 60's.

All that being said, there are some very passionate and eloquent reviews by fellow Goodreads members- I urge you to check them out!

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Book Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love books that manage to combine all my favorite things...mystery, the supernatural, suspense, history, and romance. Although this book is really long, it moves quickly and keeps you guessing.

The premise is a hunt for the real Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. The mystery takes the characters (and readers) across the globe- America, Turkey, Bulgaria- all over Eastern Europe, really. As the historian follows clues taken from actual historical fact, danger follows him and those who assist him on his mission.

Kostova uses private correspondence liberally throughout to provide emotion and as a way to reveal secrets. A similar strategy was used in The Swan Thieves, another novel by the same author. This is very effective in breaking up the narrative and letting the reader see different sides to the characters.

Overall, a suspenseful story steeped in history. Highly recommended.

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Book Review: The Swan Thieves

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A beautiful contrast between two painters: the madness of one in the modern day and the mystery surrounding one in the 1800's.

Kostova blends art, history, psychology and love story seamlessly in this tender and gripping novel. Robert, the disturbed painter, is seen through the eyes of two women who had tried to love him. The life of Beatrice, the 19th century artist, is discovered through private correspondence between her and her forbidden lover. Their stories are tied together by Andrew, the psychologist who finds himself wrapped up in Beatrice's mystery in order to help his patient, Robert.

Past and present, first-person narrative and antique letters: woven together, the characters are real and sympathetic, their stories ring true, and the reader finds herself frightened, angered, thrilled, hopeless, and uplifted, all at the right moments.



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