Antigone Books

This series is off to a great start!

I've read both of the titles out so far and loved the characters and the stories.  Due Or Die is the second book in the series.

Who knew there were so many kinds of butterflies?

Gorgeous and informative definitely describes this introduction to the world of butterflies. From iridescent blue swallowtails and brilliant orange monarchs to the world's tiniest butterfly (Western Pygmy Blue) and the largest (Queen Alexandra's Birdwing), an incredible variety of butterflies are celebrated here in all of their beauty and wonder.

This is a wonderful book. Although told from differing points of view, it is cohesive and engaging.  Starting with Lillian, restaurateur/chef/teacher, the various sections show why each character is in the class and where it leads them. 

"Brought together by the power of food and companionship, the lives of the characters mingle and intertwine, united by the revealing nature of what can be created in the kitchen."

Tasty!

Lady Julia, the most normal member of the eccentric March family, sees her husband collapse and later die. Believing this to be from an inherited disease, she is totally shocked when a stranger, Nicholas Brisbane, tells her that her husband had hired him to find out who wanted to murder him. After finding the last nasty threatening note to Sir Edward, she decides to pursue the investigation and hires Brisbane. Determined to help, she and Brisbane form a very prickly alliance. In the course of the investigation, Julia finds out things she never wanted to know about her husband and his life.

A very stubborn and engaging sleuth in a well research setting. I've just finished the sequel, Silent In The Sanctuary and it's even better.

"My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six."

The first line of Alan Alda's memoir is really an attention getter! With a popular actor for a father and a mentally ill mother life wasn't exactly normal for him. This book takes us along for a ride down memory lane. He writes more about the little things in life that made him who he is than the awards he has won along the way. Fascinating!

This is really good! I especially enjoyed the interaction between Sandry and her friends. After being separated and going through some rough times it's hard to share what happened even with friends as close as they were. It takes more trouble for them to realize that no matter what happened while they were apart, they are still connected.

I didn't realize that there were other books (about the aforementioned rough times) leading up to this one until after I read it. I may have understood some references better if I had but I don't really feel that it hurt my understanding of this story. I certainly plan to read the others now, though.

Some of the best fantasy available right now is in our Young Adult Section.

Case in point: The Singer Of All Songs is fun, interesting and engrossing. Kate Constable's characters are believable and not-too-perfect. The write-up from the back of the book is a perfect teaser.

Calwyn has never been beyond the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. She knows only the rounds of her life as a novice ice priestess, tending her bees, singing her ice chantments, and dreaming. But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears inside the Wall and warns of an approaching danger. To help Darrow, to see the world, and perhaps to save it, Calwyn will leave the safety of the Wall for a journey with a man she barely knows--and an adventure as beautiful and dangerous as the music of chantment itself.

I'll be waiting for the next installment with pleasurable anticipation.