To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

 

 

Thanks to Tracey of Carpe Librum I got this stonker of a book from the library.  It's a huge one – over 800 pages!  So don't get it unless you have the muscles to carry it around and the perseverance to read it.

Be warned once you get started you will finish it to see what happens.

This is real science fiction.  It took the author 9 years to write and re-write.  What an accomplishment. Unlike Harry Potter, this is based on what science may look like in the future.

So this one is for sci-fi fans.  Or for people prepared to give it a go. It is both epic and personal at the same time.

 

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A Flynn

The Jane Austen Project was an unusual read for me.  First of all, a shout out to Joy's Book Blog – to read her review click here.

I confess I am writing this before having finished the book – not my normal practice but good books have been a little scarce in the last couple of weeks.  As you know, I only post about books I really like – and not about mediocre ones.

This one made the cut because:

It is an unusual mix of science fiction, Regency romance, Jane Austen and a mystery.  The narrator is a woman from the future, who with a partner, have trained to be ready to travel back in time to 1815 (just after Waterloo).

Their mission is to find the manuscript of a Jane Austen novel that history thought was not finished but may have been (called The Watsons).  They also want to get their hands on lost letters from Jane to her sister Cassandra.

So it is intriguing to have future people experiencing Regency society.  They have prepared so that they don't just unexpectedly land there (like in Cross Stitch or Outlander)

You don't need to be a Jane Austen buff to enjoy this book – but if you were that would add to your enjoyment.  A solid enjoyable read.