The Collaborators, 4th Edition

Hard to believe Alaina of That's What She Read, and I, have only collaborated thrice prior to this collaboration! No offense Alaina but it feels like we've done at least 20 of these already! But it comes from much love of course.

Anywho, this year we just might come close to 20 books that we collaboratively review! She might disagree but I think if we push each other it can totally happen! And with that said, we chose this next book purely because it was on my TBR list (that I happen to put together, covering months ahead, and Alaina does not) and she was easily able to check it out of the library? If I'm wrong do correct me.

I hope we can do a few of Alaina's picks this year. I will broaden my pre-scheduled horizons and dip my toes into whatever she happens to stumble upon reading since she is less regimented than I am (and that's probably a better avenue to take when reviewing books).

But she and I differ in just about every way and that is what makes this venture (I believe) most exciting. And I do look forward to them whenever they come up. But enough of me souping up "Pinky's" ego!

Redwall by Brian Jacques is a 22 book series that started back in 1986. I was just 2 years old at the time but when I was older I do remember it being one of the books my mother read to me. That was more than 2 decades ago now so choosing to read this one (and eventually the whole set) will be like the first time.

I'm a sucker for a series or trilogy, especially if it sounds interesting and the cover is gripping. The cover of this book got me hooked and of course the nostalgia of it all. Going back to my childhood when literature was really great. No offense to the Young Adult and children's books of the 21st Century, but I believe some truly great stories came from the 80's (as well as movies, but that's for another post I'm sure).

This pre-review is coming a little late since I've already finished reading the book, but I have revealed nothing of what I've read. That will come once my cohort and I are good and ready!

To follow along with us on Twitter search for #TheCollaborators or simply follow us!

Alaina - @WillBeFunOrElse

Erica - @NYCBookWorm84

The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett (Book Review)

The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession

by Charlie Lovett

347 pages

Penguin Group, 2013

fiction/history

Read in 5 days

Another Review

My Rating: ★★★★★ 

Amazon.com / BN.com

"Wales could be cold in February."

Review: If you are a lover of books, history, and the 90's then this is the book for you. I truly marveled at the way Charlie Lovett was able to weave together the history of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century with a love story from the 1980's, culminating into a deadly mystery in the "present" time of the mid-nineties. For a story that jumped around to three different time periods as well as locations I never once found myself confused as to where one story left off and where it was being picked back up several chapters later. Moving from the WAY past to the closer past and to the present actually worked in the authors favor. I became more invested in where the story was going as more and more of the mystery was revealed.

Basically this is truly a novel of obsession about a man who loves only two things in his life: antique books and his wife. The only thing that could make his life even more happy is if he were to discover the book sellers version of the "Holy Grail." That of course differs depending on what exactly you would be trying to prove or disprove. In the case of Peter Byerly (our main character), in trying to cope and move on from the sudden and tragic death of his wife, he stumbles upon proof that William Shakespeare is in fact the author of his many plays and sonnets. Strange that there happens to still be so many who believe he did not exist, let alone single-handedly write all those brilliant plays. I won't go into the reasons behind these conspiracy theorists theories but they do exist. Anyway, a very old and ancient mystery is awaiting Peter to solve and in doing so he is able to finally close the book on one of his major loves: his late wife.

Discover a mystery like you never thought possible. Fall in love with not just the words but the history behind the binding and the meticulous detail that I believe is still today put into the books we read. So many of us, myself included, take for granted the words we read and most definitely the binding and paper that keeps those words together. After reading this book I have gained a new appreciation for first editions, only editions, and most of all the care and respect that was given to books long ago when having a book printed, then sharing it or passing it along to loved ones was more than just a way of life, it was worth dying for.

Summary: A mysterious portrait ignites an antiquarian bookseller’s search through time and the works of Shakespeare for his lost love 

Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books, The Bookman’s Tale is a former bookseller’s sparkling novel and a delightful exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing mysteries with echoes of Shadow of the Wind and A.S. Byatt's Possession. 

Hay-on-Wye, 1995. Peter Byerly isn’t sure what drew him into this particular bookshop. Nine months earlier, the death of his beloved wife, Amanda, had left him shattered. The young antiquarian bookseller relocated from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, Peter is shocked when a portrait of Amanda tumbles out of its pages. Of course, it isn’t really her. The watercolor is clearly Victorian. Yet the resemblance is uncanny, and Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins. 

As he follows the trail back first to the Victorian era and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter communes with Amanda’s spirit, learns the truth about his own past, and discovers a book that might definitively prove Shakespeare was, indeed, the author of all his plays.

To learn more about Charlie Lovett, visit his site here.