THE CORAL THIEF by Rebecca Stott, 2009.

I finished this late last night. Set in Paris in 1815 after Napoleon is being sent away to St. Helena, the story involves a young Englishman named Daniel Connor, who is heading to Paris to study at the Jardin des Plantes. On the way, his letter of introduction and some valuable coral specimens for the famous Dr. Cuvier are stolen by a mysterious woman on the stagecoach. In trying to find his lost possessions, Daniel is drawn into plots to steal other valuables, discovers the beautiful woman is a philosopher-thief with many secrets, and more than once finds himself in the seamy underworld of Paris.

An interesting mix of suspense, history, and philosophy set in a time that is often underused by novelists (postrevolutionary France); although this is the second such I've read recently (The Black Tower being the other one). I found it an intriguing sort of story, with well drawn characters, good historical detail, and a pleasant narrative; probably the least interesting parts were the philosophical musings. However, that wasn't enough to keep me from reading, and overall it was an enjoyable read.

Finished two books recently:

NINTH DAUGHTER: AN ABIGAIL ADAMS MYSTERY by Barbara Hamilton (2009), and ST. SIMONS MEMOIR by Eugenia Price (1978).

Ninth Daughter is the first in a projected series in which Abigail Adams (yes, that Abigail Adams) turns her hand to solving mysteries. In this story, set in Boston in 1773 on the eve of the Boston Tea Party, Abigail literally stumbles over a hideously slashed female body in the kitchen of a friend, Rebecca Malvern, who has disappeared. When the body turns out to be that of a spy, and Abigail's husband, John, is implicated, she uses her prowess and Yankee ingenuity to ferret out the real murderer. In the process, she finds an unlikely ally in British Lieutenant Coldstone, who is assigned to the case. Suspects abound, including members of the Sons of Liberty, neighbors, and British sympathizers, and the author does a credible job of keeping the reader wondering. Plenty of period detail, but the pacing might have been a bit faster. Interesting premise, though, be curious to see what happens next with the series.

St. Simons Memoir is the story of how Eugenia Price discovered St. Simons Island, Georgia, by accident in 1960, moved there, and came to love it as her own. Determined to become a novelist after a career as a nonfiction author, she found St. Simons while on a trip, discovered what became the germ of her first novel, and ended up moving permanently to the island. The book is full of her discoveries there: her acceptance by the people there, the friends she made, and the stories she found, the information she gathered about the people who became the characters in her novels, the historic sites she came to know, all of which became a part of her St. Simons Trilogy of novels. A very interesting memoir of a writer living and working in the place she writes about. It's a very heartfelt tribute to the inspiration Price received from all those who became like a family to her and aided her in so many ways during her career writing historical fiction. The St. Simons novels, particularly New Moon Rising, have been favorites of mine since high school, so I was interested in reading about Price's discovery of this island and her many experiences there.

Watched a good little film the other night called "Forever Strong".

I'm not really a huge fan of sports themed films, but this one had been recommended by a friend as a good inspirational movie for family viewing, and they loaned me their copy. Definitely watchable. The main story concerns a basically selfish,teenage boy who considers himself a superstar player on his coach father's high school rugby team and is heading down a path to nowhere, esp. with alcohol, has a car accident while drinking which nearly kills his girlfriend, and is sentenced to a juvenile detention home until he's 18. As part of his rehab, he's given the chance to play for a rival rugby team, Highland, and in doing so, he becomes part of a real team, learning their values, etc., and manages to turn his life around. Yes, it sounds sappy and silly and overly dramatic, but it's better than that. The characters are well drawn, some mystery exists between the two coaches of the rival teams (the boy's dad and the Highland coach), the feelings of being torn between right and wrong, a parent's anguish at being separated from your child, death, redemption, etc. Never quite realized how violent a game rugby is, and how fanatical fans are about the game. No huge names in this movie--Gary Cole, Neal McDonough, Sean Faris; I guess Sean Astin could be considered a big name actor since his "Lord of the Rings" fame, but his role in this, while pivotal, does not give him large amounts of screen time. I found this a worthwhile flick.

Finished last night:

BLINDSPOT by Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore, 2008.
Written by two historians, this novel is set in Boston in 1764, a time when the British are beginning to irritate the Colonials with various taxes to pay for their wars with the French. An undercurrent of rebellion exists, much talk of liberty and equality. The two main characters are Fanny Easton, a young woman of quality who has fled the home of her abusive father, and a recently arrived portrait painter, Stewart Jameson, who has fled London and is one step ahead of his creditors. Fanny has disguised herself as a boy and gets herself hired by Jameson as an apprentice under the name of Francis Weston; meanwhile, Stewart is trying to drum up business to pay off his creditors and needs Francis to help. Stewart, older, attractive, and attracted to both sexes, finds himself becoming attracted to his serving boy (and fighting it); they both become involved in the case of a prominent man being poisoned; Fanny is concerned about her young half sister (a slave); plus she is having her own feelings for her master; then the arrival of Stewart's old friend and lover Dr. Ignatius Alexander, a well educated, cultured free black, adds extra spice to the plot. Great detail and feel for the period, but at times the story drags from too much information. Could have used some more editing, I think; a good story overall, but at times it was slow going.