Anne Fortier's Blog

The big moment has come! My latest book, THE LOST SISTERHOOD is finally available in paperback, and with a new exciting cover. To celebrate, I've made a fun little share-able quiz: "Are you an Amazon?" Take the test and see for yourself!

http://www.annefortier.com/are-you-an...

Have fun!

One of the things I enjoy most (apart from writing!) is skyping with book clubs around the world! It's so much fun to be a part of book club meetings and to get an chance to interact with my readers across thousands of miles. If your book club is planning to read one of my books--or read it already--don't be shy to friend me here on goodreads and request a skype.

I know that summer is a time for fiction, but you know what, some books are better than fiction! For those of you who read my most recent book, THE LOST SISTERHOOD, and are hungry to spend more time with the Amazons, I wholeheartedly recommend Adrienne Mayor's fascinating book: THE AMAZONS -- Lives & Legends of warrior women across the ancient world (2014). The language is brilliant and engaging, and the discoveries are as exciting as any treasure hunt; sorry to sound like a cliche, but Adrienne Mayor truly makes history come to life. To quote Steven Saylor (author of RAIDERS OF THE NILE): "With the restless curiosity and meticulous scholarship that have become her hallmark, the author once again has found a gap in my bookshelf and filled it, admirably." Happy reading!

As I was in transit in the book world these past few weeks, my eyes at one point fell on Richard Powers' new novel, ORFEO. Later I sought out the book in a store and verified that the title is, indeed, a reference to ancient Orpheus (he of the persuasive lyre). Immediately hooked, I bought it and started reading right away, and although I honestly haven't gotten very far (because I'm crazy busy promoting my lost sisters), it really is an extremely interesting concept: A composer experimenting with musical patterns (and powers!) accidentally becomes a "person of interest" to the intelligence community. I suspect things are going to heat up soon and already envision Denzel Washington in the lead role, running for his life, baton in hand ...

Here I am in Houston, in the middle of my book tour for THE LOST SISTERHOOD, and I just can't wait to share the titles I am going to be picking up as soon as I have a moment to read again! Thanks to lovely people I meet en-route (on planes and in airports, mostly), I have become aware of THE MONUMENTS MAN (apparently a film now, ooooh, I'm so behind!), which is about artifact restitution/protection, a subject that interests me enormously ... and then there is that new book, ORFEO, about a man concocting something amazing through musical science (uh ... it sounded better when it was explained TO me). And then there was some other book about music by Oliver Sachs -- I forget the title now, but I am definitely going to look into this guy. Sometimes non-fiction can be even more exciting than fiction when done well. Oh dear, I can't tell you how tempting it is to buy 10-15 books every time I pass through a bookstore, but alas, my suitcase is already bursting at the seams!

Readers often ask me what books have inspired me most as an author. It's a great question, but how can I ever even begin - or end - the list? As someone who began writing my first novel at age 11 (it was horrendous, but I did write several hundred pages in lead pencil!), obviously, pretty much everything I had ever read as a child served as inspiration. But later? Three books stand out as having had tremendous impact on me at age 18-20, and I do think they all, in each their way, pushed me toward the grand, genre-straddling, time-flipping adventure that eventually came to define my books. The three books are Katherine Neville's "The Eight", Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum" and John Fowles' "The Magus". As we enter spring-break season, I think it's worthwhile to remember that not everything we set out to read needs to be brand-new; some classics are just SO fabulous that they deserve to be remembered, re-read, and heartily recommended to the next generation of readers.

It's rare that I get to read a book that is not in some way linked to my work. My desk is always a jigsaw puzzle of blurb requests, and the mountain of books I use for historical research will soon be big enough to attract heli-skiers ... but OCCASIONALLY I get to read a book just for the fun of it. When I do, I feel guilty about it and stash it away in the basement bathroom, reading 2-3 stolen pages every day. David Lebovitz' book THE SWEET LIFE IN PARIS, strangely enough, began as a quasi-research book but soon became one of those squirreled-away guilty pleasures. All this to say that it's a lovely read, even in bits and pieces, and that it's the kind of book that truly widens one's horizon with lasting effect. I won't say more, because I see the first helicopter approaching my book-mountain here, but seriously, if you're looking for a lovely time in Paris without digging into your savings, I highly recommend this book. Just don't read it if you're on a diet!

The book I'm reading right now is a galley of Dark Aemilia by Sally O'Reilly. It's absolutely wonderful! What a gifted storyteller! I look forward to penning a warm endorsement and urge all lovers of Shakespeare/old England/literary mysteries to gallop apace to their local bookstore and pre-order a first edition. As you can tell, Dark Aemilia is destined for my 5-star shelf when it comes out on May 27.

So, I've taken the plunge and started a blog! Don't worry, I won't be flooding you with observations about this or that; time (and agents and editors) are jealous masters!

One of my resolutions for 2014 is to spend more time actually READING books -- my favorite pastime -- and sharing some of my favorite reads with like-minded friends. As it turns out, Goodreads is the perfect place to do that.

As you will see, I won't post reviews of every book I read, but have decided to focus on my five-star favorites -- many of which I was lucky enough to read and endorse before they were actually out.

Here's to an exciting, book-lovin' 2014 for everyone!