Ann Brashares: The here and now

Ann Brashares tarjoaa nuorille lukijoille dystopiaan viittaavan tieteiskertomuksen, jossa tulevaisuuden aikamatkustajat voivat muuttaa tapahtumien kulkua: The here and now (Hodder Children's, 2015; ISBN 978-1-444-92192-2).



Kirja olisi saattanut jäädä lukematta, jos olisin teoksen esittelytekstiin tarkemmin perehtynyt, mutta rupesin teosta lukemaan suorilta käsin, eikä se ollenkaan hassummin käsitellyt teemojaan: ihmisen kohtaloa, erilaisuutta, valintojen tekemistä. Lyhyt, helppolukuinen paketti jossa jännitystä lietsoo ihmiskunnan kammottava tulevaisuus ... mutta voisiko sitä muuttaa?

Seventeen-year-old Prenna James emigrated to New York when she was twelve. But Prenna didn't come from a different country, she came from a different time - a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they're from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she's told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth and take the lives of her younger brothers. But everything changes when she falls for Ethan. She might be able to save the world ... if she lets go of the one thing she's found to hold on to.

Lucinda Clare: An English Psychic in Hollywood

Kirjaston kierrätyshyllystä löytyy melkomoisia kummallisuuksia, esimerkkinä Lucinda Claren teos jota en aluksi edes tajunnut niin pähkähulluksi kuin se tosiasiassa on: An English Psychic in Hollywood (Ebury Press, 2007; ISBN 9780091917890).



Luulin että kirja on fiktiivinen romaani, ja fiktiivinen se tietysti onkin, mutta samalla teos on olevinaan kirjoittajan "omaelämänkerrallinen" kuvaus siitä miten hän muutti Englannista Amerikkaan ja elätti itsensä Hollywoodissa selvännäkijänä. Huuhaa-hommia siis riittää, ja lisäksi tietysti mukana on paljon sellaista ihmissuhdehömppää jota kioskikirjallisuudesta odottaisikin. Huh-huh, kylläpäs oli kirja. Ja nyt kaduttaa että vein kirjan takaisin kierrätyshyllyyn, olisi sen voinut toisella tavallakin kierrättää.

Sparklingly original and hugely entertaining, An English Psychic in Hollywood is the magical tale of Lucinda Clare's personal experiences as an actress and psychic among the stars of Hollywood. A cross between Jackie Collins and Bridget Jones, there is glitz and glamour mixed with dating dilemas and wardrobe malfunctions.

Originally coming to LA to land her dream acting job, Lucinda soon discovers that it is her psychic abilities that make her stand out amongst the wannabe actresses. As soon as she says the magic words, 'I'm psychic!' everyone wants to talk to her, from publicists to agents, A-list film stars to borderline psychotics.

Accompanied by new best friend crazy Astrid, she gradually settles in. She talks Hindu with her hairdresser, does readings for everyone from screenwriters to sex slaves and finds herself falling for the archetypal tall, dark, handsome stranger.

But is he the soulmate that is meant to be in her future? Only time, some crazy pool parties and successfully predicting everyone else's happy endings will tell.

Christina Dodd: My Fair Temptress

Christina Dodd jatkaa Governess Brides -kirjasarjaansa kahdeksannella osalla, jossa on siinä määrin toistoa aiempaan verrattuna että mietityttää löytyykö tämmöiselle lukijoita: My Fair Temptress (Avon, 2007; ISBN 9780061259487).



Mutta ilmeisesti kirjasarja on paikkansa löytänyt, sillä teossarjassa ilmestyi vielä tämän jälkeen kolme teosta. Tämä kirjaston kierrätyskirjahyllystä löytynyt teos palautui sinne takaisin, samoin kuin muutkin saman kirjailijan teokset jotka joku oli sinne tuonut tarjolle. Helmetin kokoelmista näitä teoksia ei löydykään, yhtä lukuunottamatta.

Miss Caroline Ritter, accomplished flirt, acknowledged beauty, and ruined gentlewoman, offers lessons to any rich, noble lord too inept to attract a wife. Discard your silly affectations and your garish clothing! Learn the art of witty conversation, elegant dancing, equestrian feats and irresistible seduction at the opera! With Miss Ritter's help, you can become the most sought-after aristocrat at the ball!

Please, absolutely no devastatingly attractive men with hidden agendas, such as secret missions or vengeful plots against evil villains—specifically not Jude Durant, the earl of Huntington, the most handsome, the most covert, the most dangerous of all the aristocrats in Regency London.

Christina Dodd: Rules of Surrender jne.

Kirjaston kierrätyskirjahyllystä löytyi pino Christina Doddin romaaneja, joista neljä kuului Governess Brides -kirjasarjaan. Samaa reseptiä on jokaisessa käytetty, ja vaikka jonkinlaista omaperäisyyttä ja huumoriakin teoksissa on havaittavissa, melkolailla rutiininomaista viihdehömpää nämä tarjoavat.

Rules of Surrender (Avon, 2016; ISBN 9780380811977)

The Rules of Employment for The Distinguished Academy of Governesses: Always remember your station; after all, you are higher than the house servants but certainly not a member of the family. Be sure to maintain a disciplined schoolroom and to take your meals on a tray. And never become too familiar with the master of the house...

Lady Charlotte Dalrumple is known as England's most proper governess, a woman who has never taken a misstep socially -- or romantically. So, on the surface, she seems perfectly suited to accept the challenge of reforming English-born Lord Wynter Ruskin, sadly uncivilized by his travels abroad.

But the ruggedly handsome man has no desire to be taught manners. He has glimpsed an uninhibited beauty hiding beneath her prim exterior, and he'd much rather spend his days -- and nights -- instructing her in the ways of love.

And when ardor erupts between them, Charlotte learns the pleasures of desire and Wynter the passions of the heart, but before they can love both must first master the rules of employment.

Rules of Attraction (Avon, 2001; ISBN 9780380811991)

After nine years, Hannah Setterington has decided to sell the Distinguished Academy of Governesses and explore the secrets of her past. To that end she has agreed to be a companion to the elderly aunt of Lord Raeburn, a man enshrouded by dark mystery and haunted by the rumor that he murdered his wife. A strong-minded woman accustomed to the vagaries of nobility, Hannah believes the rumor to be so much piffle, until she comes face to face with Lord Raeburn.

Dougald Pippard, Lord Raeburn, is deviously satisfied when his plan to trap Hannah springs itself successfully. But his satisfaction is short-lived as the indomitable Hannah draws the battle lines and kisses him with the pent-up passion Dougald hasn't felt for nine long years. The fire that has always flared between them rages again with every touch, every glance, until Dougald is almost ready to forget his wounded memories and plans of revenge for just one more night with her.

In My Wildest Dreams (Avon, 2001; ISBN 9780380819621)

Having received glowing references upon leaving her post in Paris in a diplomatic household, Celeste Milford is delighted to accept a position at Blythe Hall, where her mother was the cook, her father the gardener, and Ellery Throckmorton, the younger son of the family, her idol. She's been hired to teach Penelope (the daughter of Garrick, Ellery's widowed older brother), and Kiki, a mysterious wild child under the family's protection.

Before long, Celeste has her two young charges well in hand. But she's also encountered several impediments to pursuing her long-unrequited love for Ellery -- and discovered a most unexpectedly passionate attraction to Garrick that her new employer returns with interest. If all goes well, Celeste's next post may be a lifelong position, with extraordinary benefits for all concerned.

Lost in Your Arms (Avoin, 2002; ISBN 9780380819638)

Enid MacLean is finally living a peaceful life when she receives word that an explosion has injured the husband she hoped she'd never have to see again. Reluctantly, she agrees to do her duty but,except for his distinctive green eyes, the man she nurses back to health is not the man she remembers.

And he remembers nothing. From the depths of his amnesia, he reaches out for the woman he believes is his wife, tempting her with ardent words and a reckless passion she finds herself unable to resist. And while Enid finds herself losing her heart to this achingly familiar stranger, she cannot help but wonder how her husband has become such a dangerous, seductive man . . . and what secrets he carries locked away in his lost memories.

Last time marriage cost her her happiness. This time love could cost her more.

Christina Dodd: Candle in the Window

Christina Doddin historiallisessa romaanissa tunnelmoidaan keskiajan maailmassa: Candle in the Window (Avon, 2007; ISBN 9780061040269).



Teos aloittaa kaksiosaisen Medieval-romaanisarjan, mutta toisesta osasta ei ole tietoa. Tämäkin löytyi kirjaston kierrätyskirjahyllystä, jonne joku oli jättänyt pinon Doddin viihderomaaneja. Dodd onnistuu paikoitellen mukavasti historiallisen ajankuvan luomisessa, mutta ihmishahmot, varsinkin kaunottareksi kuvailtu Saura, ovat paperinohuita, vailla eletyn elämän tuntua.

Raven-haired Lady Saura of Roget was the loveliest maiden in all Christendom, unrivalled in face and figure. Yet her fortune and her day-to-day existence were controlled by her unscrupulous stepfather. She lived a life of lonely servitude until she was summoned to the castle of Sir William of Miraval, the magnificent knight sworn to live--or perish--by the sword. But that was before his world exploded in agonizing darkness.

Bound by their need, they came together in a blaze of passion -- Saura, the proud Norman beauty, and William, the golden warrior who laid siege to her heart. Yet blackest danger awaited them just beyond the castle walls, and Saura and her beloved soon found themselves fighting for their lives against a treacherous enemy, even as they surrendered to a love that would consume them in its brilliant flame.