A Song of Ice and Fire

I'm currently reading the second book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. The books currently published are A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows. The ones still to be published are A Dance with Dragons, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. They're definitely in the fantasy genre but more Lord of the Rings than Harry Potter. But Martin isn't quite as cerebral as Tolkein so they're a little easier to read. They're really keeping my attention so far and I'm really enjoying reading them. They're definitely hefty tomes but if you liked LOTR or Harry Potter, definitely look these up.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

American Wife is based, very loosely, on the life of former first lady, Laura Bush, although the protagonist in this story is named Alice Lindgren. The beginning of the book is probably the best, where we first meet Alice and see her growing up in Riley, Wisconsin with her parents and grandmother. Alice is very likable and the book flows nicely through her childhood and teenage years, when she is in a car accident that results in the death of her first crush. After meeting Charlie Blackwell at a party, the two quickly hit it off and become a couple. Charlie bears more than a little resemblance to our previous president; he drinks, he parties, he flaunts his Ivy League education and flubs even the most basic off the cuff comments. The Blackwell’s are essentially Wisconsin royalty; his mother is nicknamed Maj (short for Majesty), his father is the former governor, and one of his brothers is a Congressman. We follow the couple as Charlie gets sober, gets religion and gets himself elected to the White House. The end of the book feels forced, although it’s based on true events, I feel like she was trying to show what a bad president George W. Bush was, through Charlie Blackwell. And we lost some of Alice at the end, and she was the best part of the book. Once you finish, you’ll be left with the question of how much is real and how much is artistic license?

Immortal by Traci L. Slatton

Immortal is the story of Luca Bastardo, a boy who is abandoned to the streets of Florence at a young age and is forced to steal in order to survive. What makes it worse is that one day he is betrayed by his friend and sold to an extremely cruel brothel owner. There Luca’s mind escapes to the frescoes at Santa Croce, while his body is forced to endure horrible things. It is also here that Luca first discovers his secret – he doesn’t age like normal people. It is only when the Black Death comes to Florence that Luca is able to engineer his escape. Once out of the brothel, Luca befriends artists and politicians alike, from Giotto and Leonardo da Vinci to the Medici’s. He also is always striving for information, both about alchemy and his parentage. However, Luca is always in danger from the family of the brothel owner and from his own ageless beauty, which draws attention to him at the height of the Inquisition. This historical fiction novel is fairly entertaining and it’s kind of neat to see all of these main historical figures in one place. That said, it’s not the best book I’ve ever read and is a bit obvious from time to time, but still was a decent way to pass an afternoon.