Category Archives: Holy Grail
30 Pieces of Silver by Carolyn McCray
And three flurs for the potential and talent that this independent author promises. Remember her name, folks. I’m guessing she will continue to bloom and be successful as an artist. In fact, I’d strongly recommend her for mainstream screenwriting. :) Continue reading
The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan
Kathleen McGowan is very obviously a passionate writer who, in her work, seeks to unveil the often overlooked or bastardized women of our past. In this book, McGowan details the life of Mathilda and her role interacting with the church … Continue reading
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Do you remember me saying that I love Knights Templar/ Holy Grail/ Catholic church conspiracy/ secret society stories?
This is the book of its genre that beats all others in this category.
My dearest friend El gave me a copy of this as an audio book when she visited me in April. Needless to say, I am amazed that I waited so long to read it. However, perhaps the delay is what led me to experience such bliss as I powered through it. Perhaps I’ve been waiting my whole life to pick it up and let it nourish my taste buds. Perhaps it was so wonderfully written that it doesn’t matter how long ago it was released that whenever you do finally read it, you’re thunder struck.
(end dramatic build up)
To all of my friends who read, this is absolutely a must-read. To all of my friends who love the books better than the movies, what in the Halle-Bop are you waiting for?
I haven’t seen the movie. I don’t know that I will. I hear the director cast Tom Hanks as the main character… I don’t know…
Dan Brown is a fantastic writer. He’s as talented, if not more so, as all of the big-hit novelists whose names appear on any household book shelf. He painted pictures that allowed my imagination to flourish. He created characters that were believable and likable and moving. Perhaps he could’ve eliminated any lovey connections, but maybe that spark was precisely what finished the book properly…
I’m not even going to put down the summary of the book. You probably already have an inkling of what it’s about… whether you do or you don’t isn’t an issue. Just go read it. Continue reading
Sepulchre by Kate Mosse
Of course, having read Mosse’s first book, Labyrinth, I was absolutely compelled to read the second of her trilogy. After all, Kate Mosse is one of my new favorite authors!
In Sepulchre, she introduces us to Meredith and Leonie, two women centuries apart, but seeking answers surrounding the same deck of tarot cards. In one lifetime, Leonie uses these cards to conquer evil, and in the other, Meredith uses them to understand her ancestry. Mosse masterfully weaves the two stories together in a way that allows the reader to feel like they are privy to special parts of the journey in both lifetimes.
Unfortunately, after finishing this one, I am left a little disappointed… It’s not that Mosse is any less of an author, or that this was any less of her blood, sweat, and tears… but I felt like she may have put a TON of energy into the first half of the book, and rushed through the completion of the last few sections.
I absolutely LOVE that her stories are set in two time periods: present day and nineteenth century France. I love that she intertwines French and English in a way that enhances the story– though this one had significantly more French in it. (And frankly, I don’t speak French… so there were times I wished for the book in hand so I could look up the phrases using my online translator.) I love that Mosse teaches her readers about the esoteric arts, and in this one, she emphasizes tarot and the symbolism of music. I love that her characters are real, and believable, and both loathsome and lovable.
However… (and you knew there’d be a however, didn’t you?) she spent SO much time on the first several parts, weaving together all kinds of intricate concepts, and didn’t wrap them together until the last five to ten minutes of the book. Unfortunately, when you take so much effort to piece things together, you cannot just say, “Oh, and this is how everything fits together. The End.”
There is one more book in her trilogy, and though it hasn’t been released yet, I can promise you I will devour and review it as soon as I can. I think Kate Mosse is an incredibly talented author, and has the potential to stun and awe her readers for many years in the future. I love that she has blogs which coincide with writing these books. I love that she offers SO much valuable information to inspire and help budding writers like myself.
I do hope that her third book is less rushed, though. It seems as though maybe she was approaching a publisher’s deadline or else became bored with what she was doing. Both are plausible (and forgivable) possibilities. So if you’re reading this, Kate, know that I absolutely ADORE you. Tell those folks who are pressuring you to hurry up that you’ll do it in your own sweet ass time. Because you can! Continue reading
