A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

     This is a vampire book! I didn't know this when it was recommended to me. I'm kind of feeling "done" with vampire books, so I try to avoid them, but this one caught me by surprise. And you know I'm a finisher... so I finished it. And it was pretty entertaining.

    Scholar Diana Bishop is researching the science of alchemy in Oxford's Bodleian Library when she discovers a manuscript that has been lost for centuries. Unfortunately for Diana, this manuscript attracts the witches, daemons and vampires who have all been searching for it since the time of Shakespeare.

    And that's just the half of it. This book is 579 pages full of all sorts of stuff: the family history Diana has been trying to avoid, her relationship with the vampire Matthew, the controversy she finds herself in the middle of and the pain it causes her...and lots more. This is also book one of a trilogy. Whew!

 Although I am so very tired of vampire stories, I did enjoy this book. Diana and Matthew are both serious scholars and so the book was a lot more intelligent than your typical vampire romance. Diana is a historian and Matthew is a scientist and a doctor, so there are large historical and scientific components to the story. Yes, this is largely a vampire romance. However, the plot does not revolve around the romantic relationship and all its attendant encounters. Rather, the romantic relationship is the foundation of the conflicts that follow. I think this is a story about change and tolerance and relationships--deeper than just a romance. So I guess that's why I didn't put it down right away. It was an entertaining book. If you are a vampire/magic fan, you would probably really like this book. However, I cannot fully recommend it because of the relatively descriptive sex scenes. The sex is fairly low-key--and it's married sex--but it's there and there's a lot of it.

Language: There are very few foul words--like maybe 2 or 3, I think
Sex: There is married sex as I've already mentioned. Also, all vampire romances include lots of predatory behavior and blood cravings and they are both metaphors for sex, of course (this is why I avoid vampire books). I wouldn't care for my children to read this book. And as I write that I think of my general philosophy which is that if it's not good for my children, then it's not good for me. Hm. Well. There are also homosexual relationships in this book (no sex scenes or references).