Looking for Pearls

(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)

Title: Jane: The woman who loved Tarzan (on Librarything)
Author: Robin Maxwell
Language: English
Series: none, but related to the Tarzan series.
Reviews for other books in this series (up till now): Tarzan #6 - Jungle Tales of Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Format: paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Tor Doherty Associates, LLC
Year published: original 2012, my edition 2012
ISBN number: 9780765333599
Topic of the book: Jane's life before, during and after she met Tarzan; beginning of the 20th century (Victorian/Edwardian eras); difference between ways of living
Reason for reading: Tarzan <3 Though I did think of it as 'published fanfiction', as it's based on another author's work, I like the Tarzan series so much that I wanted to read this book too, as it sounded quite interesting (and the cover art was pretty too). I asked it for Christmas and I got it as my present (^-^).
Recommended: YES!! Even if you have never read the original Tarzan books and only know the story from the Disney movie or something.

Back cover text:
Cambridge, England: 1905. The only female student in Cambridge University’s medical program, Jane Porter is far more comfortable in a lab coat, dissecting corpses than she is in a corset and gown sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of travelling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.
When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father on an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Africa is every bit as exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined, but Jane quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity’s past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes.

Jane is the first version of the Tarzan story written by a woman and authorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Its publication marks the centennial of the publication of the original Tarzan of the Apes.

First paragraph of the first chapter, "Chicago Public Library, April 1912":
Good Lord, she was magnificent! Edgar thought. Infuriatingly bold.
He had many times fantasized about women such as this Jane Porter, but he honestly believed they existed only in his imagination. The vicious heckling she had endured for the past hour in the darkened room would have broken the strongest of men, yet there she stood at the podium casting a shadow on the startling image projected by the whirring episcope on the screen behind her, back straight as a rod, head high, trying to bring order back into the hall.

Comments on the first paragraph:
The book starts in third person, as Jane is introduced to Edgar Rice Burroughs - the original author of the Tarzan books.

Review:
Read more...

(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)

Title: Zilverwolf: De val van Rome (on Librarything)
Original title: The Silver Wolf
Author: Alice Borchardt
Language: Dutch (original = English)
Series: Book 1 of Legends of the Wolves. The book doesn't indicate it's part of a trilogy. It works very well as a stand-alone.
Format: paperback
Pages: 400
Publisher: Het Spectrum
Year published: original 1998, my edition 1998
ISBN number: 9027464782
Topic of the book: history, Rome, (were)wolves
Reason for reading: The combination of werewolves/Rome sounded interesting.
Recommended: NOT the Dutch version! See 'Writing style' in my review linked below for the reason. I'd recommend it if you think the combination of werewolves/Rome (after the glory period of the city) sounds interesting, but not if you care a lot about the writing style.

Back cover text:
Regeane, een beeldschone jonge vrouw, wordt door haar bloedverwantschap met Karel de Grote een pion in de strijd om de macht. Het beangstigt haar dat er allerlei krachten tegen haar samenspannen, en ze verdedigt zich dan ook met hand en tand. Haar tegenstanders weten echter niet dat ze niet alleen heel intelligent is en over een grote innerlijke kracht beschikt, maar ook een aantal heel bijzondere eigenschappen van haar vader heeft geërfd. Ze heeft een geheugen dat duizenden jaren teruggaat en beschikt over zintuigen met bovennatuurlijke krachten. Bovendien kan ze van vrouw in wolf veranderen en daarmee een gedaanteverandering ondergaan van prooi tot jager...

Alice Borchardt is een auteur met een unieke schrijfstijl, die zowel aan Marion Zimmer Bradley (Nevelen van Avalon) als aan Jean Auel doet denken! Met Zilverwolf, een lyrische, sensuele roman, rijk aan historische details en aan menselijke emoties, heeft ze haar meesterproef afgelegd.

First paragraph:
De zon ging onder. De felle lichtcirkel gleed langs de met acanthuskapitelen bekroonde zuilen van een vervallen tempel, die de gloeiende bal in plakken rode gloed sneden. Bijna nacht, dacht het meisje. Ze huiverde toen de kille herfstwind door het onbeglaasde raam woei.
Er zaten tralies voor het raam - dikke tralies. De ene rij liep horizontaal, de andere verticaal. De stangen waren in de stenen muren van het kamertje ingemetseld.

Review:
Go here for the review.