Read two books and call me in the morning.

  "'Novels arise out of the shortcomings of history.' F. von Hardenburg, later Novalis, Fragmente und Studien , 1799-1800" The Blue Flower , epigraph Penelope Fitzgerald's novel, The Blue Flower , is a powerful exploration of loss and love as well as the importance of fiction in illuminating both the mundane and the sacred aspects of human life. The novel focuses on a seven-year period in the life of Friedrich von Hardenberg from 1790-1797 before he was known by his pseudonym, Novalis, as the "prophet of German Romanticism." Through the story of the young poet and philosopher, Fitzgerald examines the ways in which love can be both irrational and profound and how seemingly simple aspects of everyday life are, at times, transfigured into something sublime. The novel itself pushes past the boundaries of "historical fiction" into something more insightful: the ability of the imaginary to illuminate reality. In its fifty-five chapters, the nov...

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel for my unbiased review. The Forest's Keeper by E.E. Hornburg is the third book in The Cursed Queens trilogy. I have not read the first two novels but I found this to be a lackluster fantasy novel that fails on several levels. The book follows a young woman, Rose, who becomes heir to the throne of Marali because her eldest sister, Eira, is warding off a curse in another castle and, somehow, this prevents the eldest sister from fulfilling her duties to the kingdom. Rose does not want to rule once her father dies; she would rather be a member of the palace guard. Unfortunately, the novel's weak writing skills and uneven narrative make for a disappointing read. From the start, the author's writing skills leave much to be desired. The prose is often clunky and overly simplistic, lacking depth or nuance. Numerous grammatical and structural errors jar the reader. And although perfect textbook grammar is neither necessary nor desi...