I've always been fascinated by Russia, I suspect it started after I first found out about the tragic fate of Anastasia Romanov and her family. Russian Winter is set in a much changed Russia, though, namely the Soviet Union, in a time when anyone could be dragged off to a gulag for saying something that didn't agree with the communist beliefs.

Russian Winter tells the story of Nina Revskaya, a russian prima ballerina who in her older days decides to auction off her jewellery collection. What Nina doesn't realize, though, is that some of the jewelleries are going to stir up the past in a most unconfortable way. Meanwhile, Grigori Solodin, a language professor resident in the same city as Nina has a big secret of which he wants to get to the bottom with. Drew, the young auctioneer becomes entangled in the past that the jewelleries represent and together the three of them will reach a solution to a mystery that has dominated the lives of Nina and Grigori.

Daphne Kalotay has managed to capture the drama and suspense which Lucinda Riley and Kate Morton are masters of (although, not quite as good). The storyline hops back and forth in time and between the three main characters and it may sound confusing but it really isn't. My main concern is that after a while the story of Grigori and Drew sort of stalls, only to quickly exhalarate towards the end. The truth is that only the story of Nina as a young woman is the interesting one and drives the novel forward. Nina's story is well written and seems to be properly researched as you get a glimpse of life in Moscow in late 40's/early 50's. I believe this could have been a great novel if Grigori or perhaps only Drew's character had been downsized instead of desperately trying to maintain the same quality which is shown in Nina's passages. I would be very interested in future works of Kalotay just to see whether or not her writing will improve with time (note, this is Kalotay's first novel). 

It is difficult to describe the plot of The Quick without giving anything important away so I'm going to do this:

SPOILER!!!

The Quick takes place in late 19th century London. It focuses on two Yorkshire siblings, James and Charlotte. James has finished his studies in Oxford and moves to London while his sister is still back in Yorkshire. James enjoys what London has to offer, even an illegal affair with his roommate. One night he and his lover are attacked and it will change James life (or should I say death?) forever. When Charlotte comes to London after the death of a relative she quickly realizes that James is not quite himself and it soon turns out that he has been taken to the mysterious and exclusive Aegolius club. Charlotte receives the help of a Mr Howland and bears witness to some unspeakable horrors along the way. 

The Quick is marketed as a gothic horror novel but I must say there's nothing horrific about it at all, nor is there anything original about it. It has a good build-up and the first few chapters you wonder what the horror is going to be but I must say it is quite disappointing when this turns out to be yet another vampire novel. Yup, vampires, you'd think this would be a waning trend after the hype that surrounded Twilight, True Blood, and the Vampire Diaries but Lauren Owen is trying to bring back the Stoker of vampire novels. Sadly, it is a story we (well, those of us interested in vampires) have already heard so many times. There are also some influences in it from more modern vampire stories; James, the protagonist, is the unwilling vampire who considers killing only evil people (ring a bell, Twihards?); Adeline and Shadwell, the Quick's answer to Buffy and Giles; Mr Howland, the unwilling Van Helsing; and of course, Charlotte, the damsel in distress. Nevertheless, I'm not going to say that it is a bad read. The writing is good and even though the topic is an exhausted one it is still a topic that continues to enthrall people. I do understand, though, why it is not marketed as a vampire novel because let's face it, we've heard it all before.

The Aftermath can be perceived as yet another World War II story, however this one comes with a twist. It starts out in 1946 in the city of Hamburg and it deals with (surprise surprise!) the aftermath of the war. Colonel Lewis Morgan is one of the men in charge of building up Germany, both literally and figuratively, and has been assigned a requistioned house belonging to German architect Stefan Lubert and his teenage daughter. Rachael Morgan is on her way to Germany with their son and little does she know that her husband has allowed Lubert and his daughter to stay in their house while the Morgans are in residence. Naturally, there are many clashes between the former enemies but when it comes down to it they are all human beings despite their different nationalities.

Apparently, Brook has based this novel on his own family history as one of his relatives had lived in Hamburg during the time in order to help Germany back on its feet again. It is an interesting perspective as it is not something that is usually dealt with in World War II stories. One has a tendency to forget that Germany was also heavily bombed and many many civilians were killed. It is only natural that there would be hostilities when the allied decided to move in and "help" after the war. The Aftermath is nicely written and the 300-something pages are easily read. My only critique woud be that the ending is a bit abrupt but I suppose it serves the purpose of allowing the reader to fill in the blanks themselves.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked up the latest novel of David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas. I'd heard about Cloud Atlas when it came out as a film a couple of years ago but I never got around to see it so the style of David Mitchell had completely passed me by. I'll admit the book cover caught my eye and the back jacket had me intrigued so I decided to give it a go. 

The Bone Clocks starts out in 1984 when Holly, a teenage girl in the UK, decides to run away from home. On her journey she bumps into an old woman who asks for asylum in exchange for some tea. Holly, thinking that this is some strange request and not really taking it seriously, agrees so that she can quench her thirst on what is a very hot day. What Holly doesn't realize is that she has accepted to become a part of a series of events that will change her life in an unimaginable way.

Apparently, David Mitchell's style is to weave lots of different stories of lots of different people together. That is the case with The Bone Clocks as well. Each chapter (warning, the chapters are very long which can make reading a bit tiresome) deals with a different person who has a connection to Holly somehow. We start out in the early 1980's and finish in the 2030's and although I suppose this book holds elements of science fiction I would say it's not a wholly unthinkable scenario of the future that David Mitchell plays for us. Even though I liked this book I do think I should issue a warning, it's not exactly light reading and to be honest most of the time I was thinking whether or not a certain storyline was relevant to the full picture (it wasn't). As much as I'm glad I read this book I doubt I'll ever read anything by David Mitchell again. 

The Shopaholic novels are one of my guilty pleasures, which is why I was so excited when I saw there was a new installment out. Shopaholic to the stars sets Rebecca Brandon (née Bloomwood) in Hollywood with her family as Becky's husband has a new job as advisor to one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. Becky couldn't be more excited and is quick to follow any trends Los Angeles has to offer. Her situation becomes even better when her best friend Suze (and her family) decides to join the Brandons for a vacation. Soon Rebecca realizes that not everything is bright and shiny in the city of angels and to succeed in one of the world's toughest industries you have to make a choice: career or family.

Shopaholic to the stars definitely delivers and holds the same standards as all the other Shopaholic novels (this is number 7 in the series). There are times you recognize yourself in Becky's crazy but loveable way of thinking but there are also times you can't help but to feel slightly frustrated because of the very same reason. The Shopaholic novels usually follows the same sort of story layout but there's one twist to this one, it ends with a cliffhanger, so hopefully there will be a sequel coming out soon. If you want something light to read, but also something with a brain and a sense of humor, I can definitely recommend the adventures of Rebecca Brandon (née Bloomwood).  

All my life I've been team Audrey Hepburn but lately I've become fascinated by Marilyn Monroe (as so many has before me). Sure, she was a beauty and her story was very tragic but what exacty was all the fuss about? I picked up Goddess on a recent trip to London, and to be honest, the reason why I chose this book was because it was the only one they had on Marilyn Monroe. Later did I find out that this is considered to be one of the top biographies written about Marilyn Monroe so I suppose that was a stroke of luck.

Something which is very important when it comes to non-fiction is that the author can write just as interestingly as if it were fiction. There are many times when I've put down a book simply because the author has made the subject boring by simply listing fact after fact. Summers is succesful on this account. First of all he decides to skip Marilyn's childhood, the author motivates this by simply stating the fact that it is a story many has heard and that there's no need to go into any details. Also, it is difficult to tell what exactly is true as Marilyn herself changed her story about her childhood so many times. Instead, Summers begin somewhere around Marilyn's first marriage which took place in her teens.

Goddess can be repetitive but I believe the reason for that is to highlight how deeply disturbed Marilyn was, and also to point out historical facts and errors. The book doesn't victimize Marilyn nor does it villanize her, it is simply an objective point of view. This leads the reader to fluctuate between feeling sorry for her and being annoyed with her, something which was most likely the case with those who actually met Marilyn. The one thing I wasn't a big fan of was that the final chapters focus mostly on the conspiracy theories over Marilyn's death and the possible involvement of the Kennedy brothers and/or the mafia. Personally, I would have enjoyed some writing about Marilyn's impact as a major Hollywood icon. It should be pointed out, however, that Goddess first came out in 1984 but updates has been made to it.

To be honest, this book was bought on pure impulse and because I quite liked the description of it. I'm telling you, I had no idea what a treat I was in for. 

Astor Place Vintage is about two different women who are connected through a diary. The reader Amanda in 2007 and the writer Olive in 1908. A century is between these two women, yet they are so alike in so many ways. What Amanda doesn't realize, though, when she starts reading Olive's diary is that her life is about to be turned upside down. 

One of the great things about this book is the detailed descriptions of past and present NY city. There are even photographs from early 20th century New York to illustrate the author's words. The insight to a modern woman's life of the 21st century vs 20th century which Lehmann gives us is truly inspiring. It highlights not only the similarities but also the differences. I wouldn't go as far as announcing this book as chic lit but I do say that it is definitely a book aimed for women. Especially those who might feel a bit lost and suffocated by the norms of society, or if you simply have an interest in the past. It took me two days to finish this book so I can safely say that I recommend it with all my heart.

I will sheepishly admit that the reason I decided to give these books a chance was due to the Downton Abbey reference given on the front page: "I found myself addicted to Rutherford Park much as I was to Downton Abbey" - Margaret Wurtele (author). Well, with that kind of praise I had to give it a go. 

The books are about the Cavendish family; William, Octavia, and their three almost grown up kids: Harry, Louisa, and Charlotte. They live on their estate, Rutherford Park, where everything seems calm on the surface. But a series of events will soon take the family, as well as their servants, out of their rut and everything is about to change. The Wild Dark Flowers is a continuation of Rutherford Park, except in this one WW I has broken out and we get to follow the soldiers to France, as well as see how life is no longer what it used to be at Rutherford. 

When I started reading the first one it took me a while to get in to it. Everyone seems miserable at first and that doesn't exactly spur one on to continue reading. But then the plot takes a little turn and you're hooked. I wouldn't exactly credit the novels as "fine reading" but they are good, and I understand where Margaret Wurtele comes from with her reference to Downton Abbey - once you start you can't stop. Now I'm looking forward to the next installment which should be coming out soon.