5 books that make up my second attempt at Spine Poetry

Falling together
Circus of ghosts
Of love and evil
Miss Fuller
Twice kissed
- Tosca, but not really - read the post and you'll see what I mean

Spine poetry. What is it? Take the spines of books and make poems out of them. It really *is* that simple. And how can you avoid it? You can't. Not if you're reading this blog, anyway. Congratulations - you're my first captives :) Most days I have books lying around on my desk waiting for me to review them, add them to a blog post, finish reading them or, sometimes, remember that they're there. Yesterday, in a moment of whimsy, I decided to try my hand at Spine Poetry...and spent a couple of minutes frowning, shuffling, frowning some more, re-arranging, and (you guessed it) frowning again. Finally, I decided I had a poem bad enough to share. What do the books have in common? Nothing, really, except two things: they were on my desk, and they're all fiction. Et voilà! 5 books that make up my second attempt at Spine Poetry. The first of which you can find on our tweetstream (complete with pic) here.

Falling together / Marisa de los Santos
General fiction. This is the tale of a friendship that ended abruptly, only to be resurrected in great need years later at a college reunion, launching three formerly devoted companions and reluctant family members alike on a sobering, enlightening journey across the world and through the past.

Reviews:

"De los Santos's fluid prose powers what turns into a nifty mystery, and though the plot flags later on, as if being drawn out for the sake of being drawn out, the mix of perfectly realized personalities and genuine emotion make this a winner" (Publishers Weekly)

"The author's fans will enjoy this nostalgic mystery with romantic elements" (Library Journal)

"This is a good, solid read that succeeds in being both funny and heartbreaking" (Booklist)

The circus of ghosts / Barbara Ewing
General fiction. New York, late 1840s, and in the wild, noisy, brash and beautiful circus of Silas P. Swift a shadowy, mesmeric woman entrances crowds because she can unlock the secrets of troubled minds. Above them all her daughter sweeps and soars: acrobat and tightrope-walker. But in London memories fester in the mind of an old and vicious duke of the realm who plots with an unscrupulous lawyer against the mother and the daughter: to kill one and abduct the other across the Atlantic.

Of love and evil / Anne Rice
Suspense fiction. Toby O'Dare, former government assassin is summoned, by the angel Malchiah, to solve a terrible crime of poisoning and to search out the truth about a haunting by an earthbound restless spirit - a diabolical dybbuk.

Reviews:

"Rice's fans will easily succumb to the charm of her lapidary prose and a cliffhanger ending that sets up the next book in the series" (Publishers Weekly)

"This metaphysical thriller will appeal to historical fiction fans and Christian fiction readers, but it still feels a little flat and will disappoint fans of Rice's vampire fiction" (Library Journal)

"Readers who enjoy Rice's larger-than-life tales and elegant writing will find much to appreciate here, and the cliff-hanger ending will leave fans eager for the next installment" (Booklist)

Miss Fuller : a novel / April Bernard
Historical fiction. In 1850, Margaret Fuller, feminist, journalist and orator, is returning from Europe with her family. When the ship founders in a hurricane and her small family drown, friends back home, Ralph Waldo Emerson and others of the Transcendentalist Concord circle, send Henry David Thoreau to the wreck in hopes of recovering her last manuscript. He comes back declaring himself empty-handed but actually he has found a private and revealing document, a confession in letters, of a strong and beloved woman's life like no other in the 19th century

Reviews:

"Fact meets fiction in this intriguing historical novel expounding on the life and times of Margaret Fuller, a freethinking feminist writer and friend of Emerson and Thoreau, among others, on the Concord scene" (Publishers Weekly)

"Highly recommended for those interested in the life of Margaret Fuller and for those who like feminist literature such as Kate Chopin's The Awakening" (Library Journal)

"Bernard's elegant, witty, vivid, and tragic portrait reclaims a vilified yet revered and influential thinker and visionary" (Booklist)

Twice kissed / Lisa Jackson
Crime/mystery fiction. Maggie McCrae retreated to Idaho with her thirteen year old daughter after the death of her husband. With the guilt she felt over his death, Maggie was barely coping, and she also had her daughter, Becca's hostility to deal with. When she gets one of the rare 'messages' from her twin Mary Theresa nee Marquise, she knows something is wrong. For only at times when Mary Theresa is in the most distress is she able to talk to Maggie through her mind. The only thing that sticks is that she blames her ex-husband, and Maggie's one time love. Thane Walker has his own agenda, and he doesn't care what he has to do to accomplish it. When his vindictive ex-wife dissapears after dropping a bombshell on him, he knows that it's probably nothing more than a stunt for publicity. When the police suspect him of being responsible for her dissaperance, he decides to go to Maggie, the only woman he's ever loved.