"Map of Bones", James Rollins

"Seek, and you shall find." Matthew 7:7

Pierce, a soldier by profession, turned PhD researcher. He was by no mean just any researcher. He belonged to a group of coveted operational professional known only by few in the US government. This group is known only as "Sigma" force to the very few who knew of their existence. Sigma was requested by the Vatican to assist in a investigation of massacred of the church goers in Germany. It seems that these people died of an electrocution from within their body. To make things worst, they are the ones who partake the eating of the Eucharistic bread. Those who did not partake in the ceremony, too died, but by gun shots from the perpetrators. It was a stage robbery, but strangely, they only took the relic, "The bones of Magi" from the church, leaving the gold box that housed the bones. The Magi bones did not turn out to be what is was supposed to be. But rather it is a form of gold in white power form, of what was termed as m-stated gold. It turns out that, throughout history many has made use of these material, from Alexander the great, the churches of the old and many more to create the many phenomenon in their times.

This novel bears the same genre with that of the "Da Vinci code". But this has a lot more actions as compared. It is spun based on partial historic events and powered up with high tech equipment. The twist of the plot is fairly straight forward, no need to think hard who are the bad guys or the good guys. You will like it if you like "Da vinci code - Dan Brown", "Seven Ancient Wonders - Matthew Reilly".

"The Secret Life of Bees", Sue Monk Kidd

"There is nothing perfect," August said from the door way. "There is only life"

Lily, a fourteen year old girl living in a small town with her father. They own a peach farm. Lily herself was brought up by her nanny, Rosaleen. Lily's mother died since she was four. A tragic incident that happened right before little Lily's eyes. However, this incident drew a blank in her memory. The story begins when Rosaleen, a black women who tried to register for voter's right in the town center. Rosaleen got into trouble with the white men in town with her stubbornness and fueling it was the white men's anger was a coloured biasness towards coloured being. She got thrown in jail, and Lily after a fall out with her dad, broke Rosaleen out of jail and together walked out of the town where she grew up. Their only destination was Tiburon, a town name on a piece of label stuck on a black Madonna doll left behind by her mother. As the pair makes their journey, Lily started her own journey of self discovery of life, and of her mothers.

In Tiburon, they met the calendar sisters, a family of bee keepers. August, the eldest, with June and May. It turns out, Lily's mother kept the label for a good reason. She was link closely to August. She had grown up with August and they remain closely knitted till the day she died. August kept bees and sold honey to sustain the family. Through the numerous bee keeping tasks, Lily self discovery progress, her attitude toward life changes and her tied with her mother strengthen.

The story has a lovely ending. This is a nice change from the fast moving novel I have been going through. It is also a story that my lovely will like. I read many alike from her bookshelf (most of them still unread by her!)

The Historian, a novel

Elizbeth Kostova wrote the "The Historian, A novel". It begins with a girl who found a book that her father has kept high up in his study's book shelf. A blank book with a wooden cutting of a dragon sandwiched in it. This was the book that lead her father in his younger days a journey across many countries to search for the tomb of Dracula. It is also through his journey, he discovered the true nature and intention of the book. This book brought him the love of his life and a daughter. But it is also thorough the book that the family was broken up and the girl grew up without a mother.

I like the book, it has ample history background to sustain the claim of reality and enough of the Dracula myth to keep the story exciting. It is very much like the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Mixing facets of history with fiction, spining a tale where the reader will keep reading. I am quite drawn to such genre. The first was Da Vinci Code, then it was the The Shadow of the Wind, next was the Rule of Four. Then I discovered The Historian. I am sure if you like any of the above title, you will enjoy The Historian.