Posts by Vicki J Kondelik

Hera is author Jennifer Saint's retelling of the story of an often-vilified figure from Greek mythology: Hera, wife of Zeus and queen of the gods on Mount Olympus. Hera is usually depicted in mythology as jealous and vengeful, especially toward Zeus' many lovers and their offspring. We see this side of her in Saint's novel, but we also see the reasons why Hera acts as she does. In the novel, she comes across as, if not a sympathetic character, certainly a complex, multi-layered one, and we also see a more admirable side to her.

Reykjavík by Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir is a cold-case mystery novel set in the Icelandic capital in 1986. When a teenage girl goes missing in 1956, the police fail to find her, dead or alive. Thirty years later, her disappearance has become Iceland's most famous closed case. A young reporter and his sister decide to find out what happened to her. Their search will put them in danger.

This is a study of life at three convents in Renaissance Italy, in three different cities--Venice, Florence, and Rome--seen through the eyes of the nuns who wrote chronicles, or histories, of their convents. Author K.J.P. Lowe discusses how the chroniclers were looked down on by male historians over the years, while their chronicles actually provided valuable information about their convents. It is an excellent read for Women's History Month.

Ithaca is the first of a trilogy of feminist retellings of The Odyssey, focusing on Odysseus' wife Penelope. She is presented as a strong ruler of the island kingdom of Ithaca during her husband's absence. When the island is attacked by pirates, Penelope organizes an army of women to fight them. At the same time, she has to put up with her many suitors and her sulky teenage son Telemachus.

Louise de la Vallière is the fourth volume in Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers saga. It deals with romantic intrigues at the court of Louis XIV, as the young king falls in love with his brother's wife, then pretends to be in love with her lady-in-waiting, Louise de la Vallière. Then he genuinely falls in love with her, much to the dismay of the hero, Raoul de Bragelonne, son of the musketeer Athos. It is a compelling novel, but readers should be aware that the musketeers make very infrequent appearances. It is heavier on romance than adventure.

Blood Sisters is a thrilling mystery novel featuring Syd Walker, a Cherokee archaeologist, who returns to her hometown to investigate the disappearance of a woman whose skull was found with Syd's ID badge in its jaws, at the site of a horrific crime Syd and her sister witnessed as teenagers. Then she finds out that her sister has also disappeared. Syd searches for her sister, as well as the truth behind the traumatic events of her past.

Moonflower Murders is the sequel to Anthony Horowitz’s clever mystery-within-a-mystery Magpie Murders. Like its predecessor, it is really two books in one. The first is set in the present day and features book editor Susan Ryeland. The second is a classic mystery in the style of Agatha Christie, set in the 1950s and featuring detective Atticus Pünd, the creation of the fictional, deceased author Alan Conway, whose murder Susan solved in Magpie Murders. As with the previous book, the fictional mystery set in the past provides clues to the “real” mystery set in the present.

Crocodile on the Sandbank is one of my favorite mystery novels of all time. It's the first in a series about Amelia Peabody, an unconventional Englishwoman in late 19th century Egypt. She and her traveling companion, Evelyn, meet the two Emerson brothers at an archaeological site, and sparks fly between Amelia and the older brother, Radcliffe Emerson. A walking mummy haunts the camp at night, and various accidents happen. Will Amelia figure out what's going on?

The Beekeeper's Apprentice is an outstanding mystery novel set in 1915-1919, featuring Sherlock Holmes and his new partner in crime-solving, the brilliant teenager Mary Russell. In this first novel in a long-running series, they are faced with a criminal mastermind who is targeting Holmes and everyone associated with him. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this novel, which is one of my favorite books of all time.

This is a biography of the famous scientist Marie Curie that focuses on her relationship with her two daughters, Irène and Ève, who led fascinating lives in their own right. Irène followed in her mother's footsteps as a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, and Ève became a pianist, author, and humanitarian. It is a perfect read for Women's History month.