She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (Siri Mitchell really knows how to suck you into another time and place!)
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux (This one has been on my bookshelf forever. I figured it was about time to read it!)

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig (Perfect book for a relaxing summer read)

Theological suspense. It’s really not a common genre, but Paul Maier knows how to make it work. The Constantine Codex is the third book in a series about Jonathan Weber, an archaeologist and professor at Harvard University. Jon and his wife, Shannon, discover an ancient codex, a copy of the Bible. These are extremely rare, and extremely valuable in the study of early Christianity and its beliefs. And not only is this a once-in-a-generation sort of find, but it just might contain a previously unknown book of the New Testament. All this is contingent, however, on proving that the codex is authentic and not a forgery. This process is a bit more fraught with peril than Jon and Shannon expected.

The first two books in this series – A Skeleton in God’s Closet and More Than a Skeleton – are amazing, can’t-put-them-down sort of books. The Constantine Codex doesn’t quite live up to that previously set standard, but it still is a fascinating read. Nearly the entire first half of the book is unrelated to the codex itself. Instead, it focuses on a debate about Islam and Christianity in which Dr. Weber takes part. It’s a creative way for Maier to get those arguments and proofs out there in a way that’s interesting to read and grabs your attention. I certainly learned a lot from this first half. The second half deals with the codex, and it almost feels like Maier is trying to imitate a formula that worked for the first two books of the series. It worked for this one as well. It just felt like he was trying a little too hard.

I can highly, highly recommend A Skeleton in God’s Closet and More Than a Skeleton. As in, go to the bookstore right now and buy them. They are fabulous books. And if you like those two, then The Constantine Codex is worth a read. Enjoy encountering the genre of theological suspense!

Just the title of this book alone conjures up images of adventures galore. Surely you can’t get around the world without some adventure, can you? Certainly not. And Phileas Fogg and Passepartout are no exception to this. Steamships and trains are not quite as reliable as one would expect them to be, leaving Phileas Fogg to find some creative solutions to their travel dilemmas. Following their journey around the world, despite the obstacles in their way, was certainly the most enjoyable aspect of this book.

The most surprising aspect of this book to me was the lack of emotion. Phileas Fogg was so straight-faced. Nothing fazed him. Everything had been anticipated. Did he ever smile? Or laugh? Or worry that he couldn’t win the bet, even for just a second? Apparently not. His reactions – or lack of reactions – to everything took some of the on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense out of the book. To a certain degree, I appreciated that. This could have been a very stressful book to read (if you get overly involved, like I tend to do). Instead, I could just sit back and follow the adventures without being concerned. I have to admit, though, that that disappointed me a little. An around-the-world race should be a breathtaking , heart-stopping reading experience. Apparently Jules Verne and I have different opinions of this sort of reading experience.

Despite Phileas Fogg’s stoicism, I did enjoy reading this book. Passepartout was amusing, a occasionally clownish foil to Phileas Fogg. The actual journey and the places they visited were fascinating, even if they weren’t fully described. It’s always interesting to get a contemporary glimpse of a place a hundred years ago. Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is also on my Classics Club list, and I’m looking forward to seeing his take on that sort of voyage. In the meantime, I’ll just keep plotting my own around-the-world adventure.

By the way, two female reporters did attempt to follow in Phileas Fogg’s and Passepartout’s steps. You can read all about their journeys in Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman. And you can read my review of said book by clicking here.

This is not your typical book about vampires in Transylvania. Wildwood Dancing follows five sisters who have discovered a portal to the Other Kingdom in their bedroom. This portal allows them to visit the Other Kingdom on the night of the full moon each month. There, they dance with fairies and trolls, debate with philosophers, and enjoy audiences with the queen of the forest people. It’s a wonderful escape from their difficult everyday life, in which their father is very ill and runs a trading business that is suffering the effects. It’s an innocent pleasure – until the Night People arrive and the oldest sister, Tatiana, falls in love with one of them. Suddenly their visits are not quite so safe, as they discover an entirely different side of the Other Kingdom.

The narrator of the book is the second sister, Jenica. She’s practical and business-minded, the sister who is most grounded in reality. It’s a little hard to understand, then, why the monthly visits to the Other Kingdom mean as much to her as they do to her more flighty sisters. Well, that’s not entirely fair. None of them are exactly flighty – just far from practical. Jena’s best friend is a frog with whom she converses, again something that just doesn’t quite fit with her sensible nature. Still, as the book progresses, Jena’s dreamy side increases to encompass true love, laying the more realistic problems aside for a moment.

The book does take place in Transylvania, but Juliet Marillier’s author’s note explains how she tried to focus on all of the vast folklore and mythology that this area has to offer. There is much beyond vampires and werewolves, folklore first popularized by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. She does a wonderful job of drawing a contrast between the two (or three) worlds, while still showing how they overlap. Decisions made in the Other Kingdom have far-reaching consequences in the real world, both good and bad.

One can’t help but feel for Jena as she strives to keep her sisters safe, her father’s business running, and the household going despite the constant interference of her cousin, Cezar. It’s a lot for a fifteen-year-old to take on, and she handles it admirably, with spirit and fire, until the happy ending is reached.

The world Marillier creates is convincing and intriguing. After all, who wouldn’t want to dance with a gentlemanly dwarf in the light of a full moon?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend with family, fireworks, and freedom!

Second Quarter Wrap-Up (Can you believe the year is halfway over already?)
King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard - my thoughts for the Reading to Know Book Club
Library Loot (second Library Day of the summer!)

The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch

I got about halfway through The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence, and decided that I really didn't want to finish it. Sad. I had really high hopes for that book.

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (I am really enjoying this one. It's a Christian novel, set in the glitz and glamour of 1890s New York.)

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (This is the 2011 Newbery Award winner, and I'm reading it for my Newbery Reading Challenge.)

I reined myself in a bit this week, and only left the library with six books. I think that's a record for me during the summer. :)

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (Christian historical fiction, set in 1890s New York high society)
The Service of Clouds by Delia Falconer (I needed a book set in Australia for one of my reading challenges, and this one caught my eye.)
Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier (I can't wait to read the last book in this series!)

I'm way behind in my Newbery Reading Challenge (My own challenge, too! Whoops!), so I checked out the Newbery Award winners from 2010, 2011, and 2012:

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

I really didn't know what to expect when I began reading this book. If you haven't heard of King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard or don't know what to expect either, then I can sum it up pretty much in two words: Indiana Jones. Picture adventure, fighting, mystery - and all in a far away place.

Allan Quatermain and two British gentlemen venture into the wilds of Africa with a dual purpose - to find Sir Henry's lost brother and to discover the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon. Along the way, they nearly starve to death, nearly get gored by an elephant, nearly get killed at the hands of the natives, and nearly die while trapped underground. In case you can't tell, it's a rather adventurous story.

It was this edge-of-your-seat plot that kept me going. H. Rider Haggard did know how to write a good story. I have to admit that I almost stopped reading at the elephant hunt (shudder) and kind of skimmed the war chapters. But this book really does have everything, and I would imagine that a boy would thrill to it ever-so-much-more than I did. Many readers obviously have enjoyed Allan Quatermain, since Haggard went on to write fourteen more books about him.

It's not politically correct by today's standards, but it was far ahead of its time in recognizing the individuality and rights of every race. I enjoyed the Biblical connection, because I somehow never realized from the title that King Solomon meant the King Solomon. Is it that unrealistic that he had diamond mines in Africa? After all, his wealth had to come from somewhere.

Despite the hunting and the war (again, shudder), King Solomon's Mines really did have a good message about what and who are important in life. This message, and the adventures that taught it to Quatermain and his friends, are what make this story worth reading.

Another three months have passed, and it's time for my next here's-my-reading-thus-far post! 2014 is going so quickly. And here's how the reading has been going:

Books read: 31
Total books read: 59
Pages read: 8,886
Total pages read: 17,983
Fiction: 61%
Nonfiction: 39%
Male authors: 55%
Female authors: 45%
Audiobooks: 10%

Favorite book this quarter: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (Although there were quite a few books vying for the title of favorite book this time around!)

Reading Challenge Progress
Mount TBR: 22/36     61%
I Love Library Books: 22/50     44%
Newbery: 9/30 points     30%
Color Coded: 6/9     67%
Full House: 20/25     80%
What's In a Name?: 2/5     40%
Nonfiction: 17/25     68%
European: 5/10     50%
Global: 3/7     43%
Around the World: 5/12     42%
Read It Again, Sam: 4/12     33%
You Read How Many Books?: 59/100     59%
Chunkster: 5/8     63%
Alphabet Soup: 17/26     65%

I'm not in too bad of shape for most of those challenges. Looks like my Newbery challenge needs the most work. Good thing tomorrow is Library Day and I'm planning to load up on Newbery winners!