The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The highly anticipated finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Discovery of Witches

After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.

With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close. 

Hardcover, 561 pages

Published July 15th 2014 by Viking Adult

 (ebook provided via netgalley for honest review

audiobook via audible from personal collection -
23 hrs and 52 mins)

****

As much as I was anticipating the release of this book, I was nervous.  One of the reason is because it has been a number of years since book 2, Shadow of Night, was released.  Could I remember all the details, who was who and were they good, bad or undecided? Well I am happy to report that my worrying was in vain.  Deborah Harkness has a way of writing that once I began everything was clear, there were little reminders of past events, all the fine little details just started coming back to me.  Even though there is a wide cast of characters here it wasn't confusing, it just enhanced the story further.  Along with various POV's throughout this book I had no problem whatsoever following right along.

Without giving away any spoilers I have to say that this book is a very fitting conclusion to one of my favorite series.  There is action (of course there is, come on witches, vampires and daemons now), mystery, suspense, romance, drama with a touch of humor mixed in.  I found the storyline to be original and the author really created a wonderful series.  There was depth to the storyline that made the characters real.  

Definitely a series that I am glad to have read and can see myself rereading at some point.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books I'd Give To Readers Who Have Never Read X (examples: New Adult novels, historical fiction, a certain author, books about a certain topic, etc)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Not into vampires (or witches).  Has Twilight or Sookie turned you off vampires or you are just afraid to read about them.  Well here is a series for you.  Forget that some say this is an adult version of Twilight, it's SO much better. 

 2. What you've never heard of Eleanor of Aquitaine!?  Seriously?? Well have I got a book for you!

3. Not sure about Stephen King, think he is all horror and no substance, this is one of my favorites.

4.  Audio books are a favorite of mine, I always have one on the go (dog walking, running, driving and even housework).  All Margaret George books have been read this way, Memoirs of Cleopatra is my favorite coming in at 5 minutes shy of 50 hours. Don't knock it till you try it.  Not all books are 50 hour long, depends on the size of the book.

 

 5.  Chick lit isn't your thing, mine either.  But give this series a try, it's good for a smile and chuckle every once in a while. Also works well as an audio too - though be careful if you are listening to this walking down the street, you might get strange looks if you start laughing out loud.

6.  How about some non fiction?  It's not a dry as you might think. Julia Fox wrote a really interesting book called Sister Queens about Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile, check it out.

7.  Children's books, think they are just for kids? There are some great coming of age and award winning books that had me captivated, this is a great one to start with.  Works good to read to your kids too.

8.  Not into paranormal stuff.  Give The Ghost Bride a try,  you will get so taken in with the story that you'll forget you don't like this genre. 

9. Books made into movies. READ THE BOOK FIRST!  Some books just don't make the cut, Harry Potter was wonderful, so was The Book Thief, The Other Boleyn Girl - well I lasted 5 minutes in that movie and never looked back (the book is a favorite of mine).

10.  Afraid to start a series, sometimes it is nice to read about familiar faces again, provided they aren't released so far apart that the author passes in the middle of the series (The Wheel of Time, much to my boys dismay).  My favorite is the Graham Saga - check out my post from a couple days ago, you could even win a set of these books.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! 

June 3: Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag or Ten Books That Will Be In My Beach Bag This Summer

Here is a list of ten books that I will be reading this summer:

1.  The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness being released July 15th, so excited!!!

With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close. 

2.  Revenge & Retribution by Anna Belfrage is the sixth book in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham. 

I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!

3.  The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier - I loved Juliet and can't wait to read this one.  Lovin' that cover too!

The Lost Sisterhood features another group of iconic, legendary characters, another grand adventure--you'll see in these pages that Fortier understands the kind of audience she has built with Juliet, but also she's delivering a fresh new story to keep that audience coming back for more.

 

4.  Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown - being released July 1st, however I was lucky to get an advanced copy

Based on the compelling true narrative of Mary Rowlandson, Flight of the Sparrow is an evocative tale that transports the reader to a little-known time in early America and explores the real meaning of freedom, faith, and acceptance.

5. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. 

 6. Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton - because I LOVED The Secret History and adore all things Egypt.

Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course. 

 7. The Queen's Gamble by Barbara Kyle - book 4 in the Thornleigh Series, started it this year on audio and love it.

Young Queen Elizabeth I's path to the throne has been a perilous one, and already she faces a dangerous crisis. French troops have landed in Scotland to quell a rebel Protestant army, and Elizabeth fears once they are entrenched on the border, they will invade England. 

 8. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin - I am feeling the need for a big book, coming in at 768 pages this fits the bill.  Plus I have to read the book before watching the movie (one of my quirks).

New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake, orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. 

 9. The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley - I wasn't really thrilled with another book this author wrote and want to give her another chance.  

Spanning four generations, The Midnight Rose sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a remarkable girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day . . . 

10. A King's Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman - being a big fan of this author I am embarrassed to say that I haven't read this yet - it was released in March - what is wrong with me??! 

Traveling home from the bloody battlefields of the Holy Land, the Crusader King Richard the Lionheart is shipwrecked in the Mediterranean after an encounter with pirates. He should be protected by a papal decree, but he is betrayed and captured by the Duke of Austria – a man who has good reason to loathe him – and is immediately claimed by the Holy Roman Emperor, who also bears him a bitter grudge.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Book of Life (All Soul's Trilogy) by Deborah Harkness

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I am so anxious for: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

(I mean that this is the one that I am most, absolutely, 'lets order out till I finish', waiting for :), or better yet, send everyone away for a couple days, looking forward too...

Hardcover, 592 pages

Expected publication: July 15th 2014 by Viking Adult

  The highly anticipated finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Discovery of Witches

After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchant­ing series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they re­unite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its miss­ing pages takes on even more urgency. In the tril­ogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowl­edge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.

With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions and translations, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close.

What are you waiting for?