Pillars of the Earth

I love history and I love historical fiction.  When I go to Europe I love visiting huge cathedrals and castles built centuries ago.  I now appreciate these beautiful pieces of architecture even more after reading “Pillars of the Earth”, by Ken Follet.  If you like historical fiction you will want to add this to the top of your reading list.  That said, “Pillars of the Earth” is a huge book.  There is no getting around it.  If you are thinking about taking it on vacation you will absolutely want to have a Kindle a Nook or an ipad.  Or check an extra bag because it just might be heavier than your suitcase.   I read all 1100 pages in a week.   I couldn't put it down.  One of my friends asked me if I was carrying around the bible.  But I didn't want to miss any opportunity to read a few pages.

The story takes you back to 1123 where we follow the stories of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge who has the dream of building the greatest Gothic Cathedral of all time, Tom who is the mason who becomes his architect and Lady Aliena, the woman who holds a shameful secret.  This is an epic novel that will follow their lives and hold you spellbound for the duration.  Then when you finish that you can move on to the sequel, “World Without End” which will take you 200 years into the future to this same town of Knightsbridge to see the future of this cathedral and the town’s inhabitants.  If you like historical fiction at all, GO GET THIS BOOK.  Oprah said it first and I have to reiterate, this is an amazing book!  It will not disappoint.

"The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise"

Did you know that The Beefeaters who guard the Tower of London are obligated to live within its walls?  I didn’t.  Not until I read Julia Stewart’s new novel “The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise”.  

The story’s main character is Balthazar, one of the Beefeaters, and not only has his wife left him, the Queen of England has decided to leave him in charge of the new Menagerie at the Tower, and his 181 year-old pet tortoise has run away.  The characters are charming and the story is really delightful.  It is a tale of things lost and things found, of love and the pursuit of happiness and all within the day-to-day life of a being a Beefeater.   It is a book that is clever, funny and poignant and you will not want to put it down.  

Another great vacation book

“The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie” is as delightful as it is intelligent, and a wonderful book to have with you on vacation.  

Alan Bradley’s debut mystery novel centers around the character of Flavia de Luce, an 11-year-old girl with a passion for poisons.   The story takes place in the 1950’s in England where we meet up with Flavia who has a gift for chemistry and a knack for solving crimes.  Mr. Bradley’s has done a wonderful job of keeping the perspective of a precocious 11-year-old while entertaining the reader of any age.  This is not a young adults book.  Don’t be fooled.  Flavia is full of the wit of an 11-year old going on 40 and will capture your heart from page one.  Winner of several awards for best first novel, including the Macavity and Barry awards, it is a great book that will have you coming back for more.  The twists and turns will keep you guessing to the very last.  His second in the series, The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag is equally as delightful, and the 3^rd in the series is due out in hardcover February 2011.

"The Last Talk With Lola Faye"

Thomas Cook’s latest novel “The Last Talk with Lola Faye” is a fantastic mystery novel, but not necessarily in the traditional sense.  

It is the story of Luke, a not so successful writer, who finds himself face to face with Lola Faye, the woman he believes responsible for the murder of his father.  He agrees to have a drink with her in order to find out why she has come to see him, but the evening doesn’t turn out the way he expected.   As the truth comes out you will discover things are not always what they seem.  Mr. Cook does a wonderful job of leading you down one path and then leaving you off somewhere completely unexpected.  I loved every minute of this book.  An absolute page turner.  If you want a great book to take with you on vacation, this one should be on the top of your list.

La Sagrada Familia......OMG!

For all the hype that you hear about La Sagrada Familia, nothing will prepare you for how awe-struck you will be when you see it.  You really get to appreciate not only the full scope of Gaudi’s work, but also the magnitude of something this grand being built in this day and age.  Wow!!!  How amazing it must be to be one of the artisans building it.  Do not miss this!  I am definitely going to go back and see it finished in 2030!  If you had read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, you will feel transported back in time.  (If you haven't read it, you should put that on the top of your book list.)

We opted for the audio tour because we had missed the guided tour.  You can’t buy your tickets in advance and then come back.  You have to stay there and wait.  If you really want the guided tour (admittedly, I think it would have been great had we not had to sit and wait for over an hour) plan to arrive about 30 minutes before the tour.   Tours are daily at 11am, 1pm, 3pm & 5pm.  However, the audio tour was really well done.  Also consider doing some of his smaller museums first.  It will help you to understand what he did so uniquely before seeing his his most spectacular work of art.