Garden of Shadows

#6 - Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews

The prequel to Flowers in the Attic, Garden of Shadows was the last book released in the Dollanganger series and was actually completed by a ghost writer, as V.C. Andrews died in 1986.  The book is told by Olivia Winfield Foxworth, the grandmother of the Dollanganger children, and explains the events that turn her into the cold, cruel woman that she becomes.

Because the book was written years after Flowers in the Attic, and not completely written by V.C. Andrews, there are some inconsistencies, which can be distracting at times.  Regardless, this book is a great opener to a fascinating series that I have read many times over the years and find incredibly entertaining every time.

Buffy: Obsidian Fate

#5 - Obsidian Fate by Diana G. Gallagher

I have read most of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer tie-in novels and even more fanfiction, and I'm sorry to say that this book was a let down.  The author does a decent job of getting the characters right, which is a huge feat in itself, but the story-line is weak and there's too much focus on secondary characters.  I've always felt that the characters relationships and interactions with each other were the heart and soul of the show, with the monsters and demons acting as a backdrop, but this book does the opposite.  Buffy and the other Scoobies take a backseat to the rambling Aztec history and plot that just goes on and on.  The book is downright boring for the first half, and I eventually started flipping through the rest of it, skimming to see if it was worth finishing.

Oh, and the author constantly confusing Angelus with 'Angeles' was ridiculously distracting to me.  Skip this one, there are plenty of other good Buffy stories out there.

The Children of Henry VIII

#4 - The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

After reading The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir, I knew I wanted to read her followup book, The Children of Henry VIII.  This book focuses on the period between the death of Henry VIII and the beginning of Elizabeth's reign.  Like Henry VIII's wives, his children, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Edward VI and his niece, Lady Jane Grey, have been meticulously researched by Alison Weir.

Before reading this book, I knew little about Lady Jane Grey, who claimed the throne after the death of 15-year-old Edward VI.  Unbeknownst to her, Edward VI had named her as his successor and she reluctantly accepted the crown.  A mere nine days later, Mary, after rallying thousands of supporters, took over the throne and Jane was arrested and taken to the Tower of London, where she was beheaded for treason seven months later.  I found her story very tragic and felt a great deal of sympathy for her.

Mary I was a tyrant who restored ties with the Roman Catholic Church and burned Protestant heretics at the stake, earning her the nickname 'Bloody Mary'.  I couldn't help but feel contempt toward Mary I as I read about her.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did The Six Wives of Henry VIII.  It dragged in places and at times was difficult to get through, seeming to focus more on the politics of the time than on the lives of the children themselves.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

#3 - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

When I originally saw the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, I had no idea that it was based on a book.  Years later, when I got the book, I assumed it would be like the movie, mostly revolving around the  murder of Billy Hanson and the trial of Jim Williams.  Boy, was I wrong.

The book is actually quite different than the movie, focusing more on the eccentric and bizarre people who live in Savannah, Georgia.  Hands down, my favorite character is the Lady Chablis, the sassy black drag queen who brings quite a bit of humor to the book.  The author did an amazing job of capturing her unique tone and colorful language.

The first half of the book focuses on various characters in Savannah and the second half deals more with the murder of Danny Hansford (his name was changed to Billy Hanson in the movie) and the subsequent trials of Jim Williams.  I felt like the second part of the book dragged in places because of the amount of time that is spent talking about the trials (there were a total of four!!!).

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

#2 - The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

I find anything Tudor related absolutely fascinating, so when I discovered this book, I knew I had to buy it.  Henry VIII is probably best known for having six marriages, two of which ended in the queen being beheaded.

Alison Weir has done an exhaustive amount of research on the Tudors and this book is an extremely detailed and engaging account of Henry VIII's wives.  She takes us through the lives of these women before, during and, in the cases of Anne of Cleves and Katherine Parr, after their marriages to Henry VIII.

The Vampire Chronicles

#1 - The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

I recently discovered that Barnes and Noble publishes a series of leatherbound classics.   Looking through the titles, I was excited to see that Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles was available.  It includes the first three titles in that series, Interview With the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned.

I have all the books in The Vampire Chronicles series but have honestly not read them all.  The series drops off pretty quickly after The Queen of the Damned and I have had little interest in reading the remaining books.