Books for Writing, Books for Fun

by Julie Coulter Bellon

An editor recommended to me once, that, if I wanted to read a book with outstanding pacing and suspense, I should read The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. I picked it up a week ago and it is definitely not light reading. It’s an 642 page march through Eastern Europe and is a historical fiction lover’s dream. The chapters are short, which adds to the suspense, but also breaks up a long book. It’s deliciously creepy and suspenseful, chronicling a search for Vlad the Impaler who some call, Drakulya. The author blends fiction with reality in that Vlad was a real historical figure and an immensely cruel man, but the premise of the book is that perhaps his cruelty may live on if he achieved immortality. A note to the reader begins, “This is the story of how as a girl of sixteen I went in search of my father and his past, and of how he went in search of his beloved mentor and his mentor's own history, and of how we all found ourselves on one of the darkest pathways into history." People disappear on that path. And die in mysterious ways. And have paintings with dark figures behind them painted. That path will give you a shiver of fear before you turn the page, that’s for sure.

I’ve been reading a few chapters of The Historian every night before bed and I’m getting to really creepy parts that make me think I might want to start reading in the daylight. It’s not horror, or anything like that, but very suspenseful and mysterious. I’m also learning a lot about eastern Europe and it makes me want to visit there someday. I’m enjoying the author’s writing more than I thought I would, and the size of the book seems manageable once I got into the story. I’m told there’s a little of everything in this book, from suspense all the way to romance, but since I’m not quite halfway through, we’ll have to see about that.

I also read, The Icing on the Cake, by Elodia Strain this week. It is the complete opposite of The Historian, in the fact that it is a romantic comedy. I thought Elodia did a wonderful job with the main character who was so believable and funny. I laughed through the entire thing and even had my heartstrings touched with a subplot to the story which really brought out the skill of Elodia’s writing. She has a freshness about her style and I think she has a great career ahead of her. The Icing on the Cake is definitely a fun summer read, and I’m told there’s a sequel to it, which I am planning to check out.

My to-read list for the summer is long. My ten year old son and I have a book club in which I am finishing the fifth book in the Lightning Thief series by Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian, and we’re about to start The Shadow Children series. My nightstand has, The Hourglass Door, by Lisa Mangum on it, Recovering Charles, by Jason Wright, and Agent in Old Lace, by Tristi Pinkston. They all sound like great reads and I’ll have to let you know what I think.

What’s on your nightstand for your start to summer reading this year?