Books,dogs and cats

Posted on Sep 30, 2017Sep 30, 2017 by booksdogsandcats · 3 Comments

Graëlfire by Stephen Chamberlain

This is basically a different version of the Holy Grail story. Here the grail(Graël)is a stone from a different universe.The book consist of two storylines and it constantly switches between those two. One happens in present day Switzerland were Lena and a mysterious stranger, Raphael, are looking for a lost Graëlstone once believed to be in the possession of the Cathars. Of course they are not the only ones looking for this stone…The other storyline is situated in the Languedoc and northern Italy in 1245. Here the Cathars are fleeing from the horrible Inquisition . We follow the story of Gideon ,another mysterious stranger, who is looking for the Graëlstone believed to be kept in hiding, by the Cathars, since the fall of Montségur, their stronghold.

Well, it starts very promising,very exciting, a strange mix between fantasy, adventure and mystery but unfortunately it doesn’t keep its promise. It just drags on and on, a bit of a never-ending story and I had a hard time actually finishing it. It really is too bad because a new take on the Grail myth is always interesting….

Posted on Sep 26, 2017Oct 16, 2017 by booksdogsandcats

The Sin Collector by Daria Desombre

A brilliant law student (still very much perturbed by her father’s mysterious murder and slightly obsessed with serial killers )manages to find herself an internship at Moscow’s police headquarters .As bodies (both of unsolved murders in the past as in the present )turn up in different parts of Moscow, Masha discovers a strange pattern relating to medieval texts,maps, New Rome and Heavenly Jerusalem. The storyline is good, the characters are believable and it is a new twist on “the serial killer “.There is however one comment I would like to make, as Moscow plays such a prominent role in this story,a map of the city would have been helpful,handy…As it is,all the characters revolve around maps with different gates, walls and parks…but the reader(not a resident of Moscow)feels a bit lost.

Posted on Sep 17, 2017Sep 26, 2017 by booksdogsandcats

Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin

After the death of his mother, 11 year old Marcus is sent to his mother’s aunt who lives in a beach house on an island in South Carolina. A derelict cottage (and it’s sad story)attracts his attention.It is in this cottage that he “meets”a ghost. The ghost of a 15 year old boy,who disappeared during a hurricane in the fifties. But this is in the first place a story about the ghost of a beloved (and departed )mother.It is the ghost of grief and bereavement.I think this is a marvellous story,the pace(probably too slow for some )depicts so well the lazy summer and the slow adjustments of this boy to his new situation,to his aunt,to his new life. Grief cottage is a well chosen title !

Posted on Sep 16, 2017Sep 26, 2017 by booksdogsandcats

The Travelling Bag by Susan Hill

This book is actually a collection of 4 short stories:A Travelling Bag,Boy Twenty-one, Ann Baker and The Front Room. And although they do not occur in a 19th century setting they do have a very Victorian atmosphere. They are absolutely delightful (if one can speak of a delightful ghoststory?)If you like your ghost stories bloody, gory and very frightful, then this is definitely not for you. But if you like a ghostly (and mysterious)twist at the end of a good and captivating story,then this is a perfect read !