Best of the Best: Part I
This week I'm swerving off the writing freeway and taking a little detour onto the reading road. Each day I'll name one of my top picks for the best books of 2011.
Hate to do this, but honestly, first place is a tie. So to be fair, I'll do this alphabetically. Today's pick is The Hourglass Door trilogy by Lisa Mangum.
Book I: The Hourglass Door
Book II: The Golden Spiral
Book III: The Forgotten Locket
Story in a Nutshell
Leonardo da Vinci creates a time travel portal that's used to transport prisoners to the future. Most are criminals, but one isn't...and it's up to Dante to stop the evil plan to destroy time itself.
High school senior Abby is attracted to the new Italian boy who starts half-way through the school year. Will it be a fatal attraction? Aha! You'll have to read the series to find out.
What's So Great About It
Besides the fast-paced plot, the thing I love best about this trilogy is the writing. I highlighted entire sections, underlined fantastic sentences, and drooled on pretty much every page of these books because the prose is that killer.
Seriously. When I grow up, I want to write just like Lisa Mangum. Here's an example:
"Dante's voice was a husk, a shell, a fragment of a whisper, but it was enough to snare my attention."
Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
Even if time travel isn't your thing, pick this puppy up just for the sheer delight of the writing.