Synopsis: On May 30th, 1593, a celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in London.
That, at least, was the official version. Now let Christopher Marlowe tell you the truth: that his 'death' was an elaborate ruse to avoid his being hanged for heresy; that he was spirited across the channel to live on in lonely exile, longing for his true love and pining for the damp streets of London; that he continued to write plays and poetry, hiding behind the name of a colourless man from Stratford — one William Shakespeare.

Pages: 407

Rating: 6/10

Overall: The Marlowe Papers is challenging but ultimately rewarding read that makes you questions the official history of Shakespeare. It has a shaky start (no pun intended) but finds its feet eventually. Compelling and suspenseful, if slightly confusing to begin with.
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It's been a while, what with RL taking up too much time... BUT it is that time of the week again! Top Ten Tuesday hosted by those lovely people over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Names can tell you so much about the character before a single word of description has been read. It's like the cover of a book for each individual character, where a snap judgment is made, to be proved or disproved as the story unfolds. So here is my list of Top Ten Character Names I Love in particular order:

1. Augustus Waters (TFiOS) - Augustus suits the character perfectly. Augustus comes across as grandiose and a bit full of himself, but as Gus, he is a warm, funny, loving boyfriend to Hazel, and who is fully aware of his own fragility.
2. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (HP) - Albus Dumbledore is a majestic name that fits the perception of Dumbledore held by most of the Wizarding community. Also his lovely mix of middle names almost give a story of Dumbledore on their own. Particularly Brian, which makes you think of the little twinkle in Dumbledore's eye, and his mischievous streak.
3. Sirius Black (HP) - When Sirius is revealed to be the Big Bad for PoA, you're going to accept that as fact with a name like that. The sly sounding first name and, well, Black = obvious baddy. This made the reveal that he was actually good even more dramatic.

4. Étienne St. Clair (AatFK) - The mystery surrounding his first name added a nice touch to the romance. And the name Étienne just created oodles of swoon factor... French and British?? Like the best of both worlds!
5. Dolores Umbridge (HP) - I mean, come on, there was no way she was gonna be a nice character with a name like that. Such a great character name.
6. Zaphod Beedlebrox (H2G2) - Completely insane and resplendent in equal measure. Just like the character.
7. Fitzwilliam Darcy (P&P) - Just the name conjures up, well, good thoughts... Also, a great excuse for a picture of the best Mr. Darcy around, right?
8. Xenophilius Lovegood (HP) - A brilliant name for such a quirky character. Fits like a glove as Xenophilius is so accepting of the weird and wonderful. And it starts with an X, so...

9. Katniss Everdeen (THG) - She sounds tough just from her name, like a cat hissing a warning, and protecting.
10. Dobby (HP) - Well, we named the dog after him so this has a special meaning. (It really fits a dog, by the way.)

Synopsis: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?
Imagine if she hadn’t forgotten the book. Or if there hadn’t been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn’t fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she’d run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?
Hadley isn’t sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it’s the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...
Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.

Pages: 215

Rating: 7/10

Overall: The perfect travel read that quick and really cute. The two characters, Hadley and Oliver, have a great chemistry, and I love the banter between them. Waiting for my airport romance now...


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