Must Read Book List

I've decided to write a list instead of reviews. I sat down, fully intending to choose only one title to write about but it really came down to picking a puppy out of the pound. All the titles started bounding against the cage, barking gleefully, their brown eyes begging to be taken home. Much the same here...

So this week in lists, which I ADORE, by the way (I'm a bit OCD) are the following:

Califia's Daughters by Leigh Richards: In this engaging read, the worlds population of men has been decimated. Amazonian women, clustered in tribes scattered throughout the lands, guard their men and their land and struggle to get by. Their struggle for life and repopulation becomes even more difficult when news of a fierce leader named "Queen Bess" reaches their tiny village. No spoilers here, but if you enjoy a bit of a 'historical' novel peppered with 'what-if's' and action, you'll love this book. I know I did.



Embrace Me by Lisa Samson: A heartfelt novel about fallible humans and their vindication if ever there was one, you're missing out this fall if you don't pick this up. Starring The Lizard Woman and the Human Cocoon,Valentine and Lella respectively, the novels picks it way through the lives of the tortured souls wintering in a small North Carolina town. It's all about forgiving things in the past and making peace with life, but mostly forgiving people in the past. If you love to grab the tissues and slip inside someone else's skin for a bit, this book is for you.



Mistress of the Art Of Death series by Ariana Franklin: I love a good story that takes me to another time, drops me headlong and wide-eyed into history and leaves me there, totally enthralled. This series will do just that. The setup of each series is that Adelia Aguilar, a medical doctor dealing in death, must solve a mystery, usually a murder, usually at the dictation of King Henry whom she loves to hate. Twined through out is the prejudice Adelia faces of being a woman doctor in her time and the difficult situation she has of being in love with a Man of God. The characters are spectacular, the setting as luscious as medievil can be, and the writing pure gold. If mysteries are your thing, here is one of the greats.