tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50071234411245741592024-03-06T07:56:17.247+00:00SJ2B House Of BooksSj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-1533248551056657462020-09-30T15:52:00.003+01:002020-09-30T15:52:34.040+01:00BLOG TOUR: CORY DOCTOROW - ATTACK SURFACE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1200" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8VwjiRxkjX1TILqPFfzc4GNiyNoiBf-fFXaTJycWla6_P16SGUOKJI98nkrZHlW7yYo5Pz1NO6DenFJejsYn1BwEMlNMiTSlDZWZgvRvX_iczWogDpZ3e7Rh9KWb-hx8Jl3UCj5Ux89T/w640-h386/4D103D89-4974-4931-A578-0FC42698C8EB.jpeg" width="640" /></div><br /><p></p>Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-70308729749094549052020-08-18T00:02:00.000+01:002020-08-18T00:02:17.854+01:00Audio Book Review: The Devill All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: times;">The Devill All the Time </span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">by </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Donald Ray Pollock</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bIpcM6EM1uyzr3IGQjY1QG-COU09pfEBX0_YJxpBv-Fdp_JLC-lX3BTUkYnB9PjU1ifcKxR0xWNAmtULTR5-uy2mEvHsyxqN2xexiHCdoOEC8ZdVEp4rOAxe63FIzJ9XKH864Tg379LZ/s255/E7EC8657-6DFF-42C7-9C27-E97904D19657.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bIpcM6EM1uyzr3IGQjY1QG-COU09pfEBX0_YJxpBv-Fdp_JLC-lX3BTUkYnB9PjU1ifcKxR0xWNAmtULTR5-uy2mEvHsyxqN2xexiHCdoOEC8ZdVEp4rOAxe63FIzJ9XKH864Tg379LZ/s0/E7EC8657-6DFF-42C7-9C27-E97904D19657.png" /></a></div></span><span class="s3"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Narrated by Mark Bramhall</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Duration: 9 Hours, 10 Minutes</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>W.F. Howes Ltd</b></span></div></span><table class="titleDetailsMetaBox" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; margin: 0px; outline: none; text-align: center; width: 317.328125px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none;"><tr style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;"><td class="meta-label padding-none-left" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 7px; text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="meta-data push-wide nowrap" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none; padding: 7px 10px 0px 5px; white-space: nowrap; width: 235.453125px;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: times;">Nope, this won’t be to everyone’s tastes but for those who don’t mind nasty, very very nasty characters and quite visceral scenes, oh and politically incorrect attitudes to everyone and everything, this will most certainly be a thrilling listening experience.</span></div><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.1px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: times;">I simply love ‘DRP’ and am constantly on the look out for more of his depraved tales. I read ‘TDATT’ four years back and was ‘knocked out’ by its authenticity, the grim grit and violence, tinged with at times a pure naivety, of the characters as their overwhelming personalities came flooding out of the book.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: times;">This audio version was a perfect accompaniment and reminder of how I felt from my initial reading. The narrator totally <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>nailed it for me and held me captive for two days as I listened to him retelling their stories. At no time did I feel the pace slacken or lose interest. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I absolutely loved the book and this audio version.</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.1px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: times;">Now, I just need to see what Netflix does with it ! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I’ve booked my sofa seat already and the only way anyone is getting the tv remote will be from my cold dead hand !</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: times;">Highly recommended for fans of ‘thug lit’, ‘grit lit’ and the like.</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.1px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: times;">A whopping big thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to this phenomenal recording. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.1px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-devil-all-time-by-donald-ray-pollock.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;"><b>You can see my original review here: </b></span></a></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.1px;"><br /></p>Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-20101306337730719302019-05-15T22:55:00.001+01:002019-05-20T10:25:28.739+01:00SKIN by Liam Brown Publishers Tour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>Skin by Liam Brown</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>Genres: Science Fiction/Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalyptic</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>Publisher: Legend Press: (1 May 2019)</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><b>Source: Publisher via Advanced Digital Review Copy</b></span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">My Thoughts:</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Brown’s imagined world where humans have become toxic to each other is a very dark and foreboding place. Through flashbacks we get to find out how such a place has come to exist and how as a family Angela, Colin and their two children, Amber and Charlie have changed over the duration from the past into the present paranoid, government oppressed, state controlled world.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">There are some interesting dynamics at play from within the family environment where each household member lives in imposed solitary confinement. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Totally isolated from the rest of humanity they can never be with each other without the protection of their protective suits for fear of contamination. To create some semblance of normalcy however, Angela insists on eating ‘together’ at mealtimes over a live feed to their individual tv monitors. During one such gathering there is the normal sibling rivalry, bickering and teasing, and a sulky teenage blowout where instead of storming off to their room the kids simply switch off their tv connection.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">As a family in such circumstances they drift apart from each other and withdraw into their own private environment, adapting sometimes rather selfishly in order to cope or make sense of a world in which they now find themselves. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Amber and Charlie seem to have managed this process without any obvious difficulties. They’ve remained in their rooms with their x-box, internet computer games, or communicating with the outside world online. Seemingly less affected by the isolation and lack of physical contact or companionship than their parents.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Brown writes with perceptive insight about his female characters and I believed in the personality and behaviour of them. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I was drawn emotionally to Angela, a mother like myself, I felt her anguish at not being able to instinctively reach out to console and comfort those she loved nor to ever be able to physically demonstrate her love for her husband again. I felt her despair in her impossible search to fill the gaping void in her life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Angela then discovers a young man without any protective clothing while out exploring on her official patrol duties. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Although she should report him to the authorities she keeps his sighting a secret and over the following weeks Angela transitions from a trusting compliant, law abiding citizen to a questioning and suspicious individual challenging what she has been told about the virus.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Brown shows us what it could be like in this plausibly imagined dystopian tale.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">Its a world where human contact is forbidden as well as highly dangerous, deadly even. Where skin to skin touch and stimulation from the smells of the environment around us is denied. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Where intense desires to be loved and touched is an all pervasive desire. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He paints an all too vivid picture of just what the future could be like with such deprivation. It’s a bleak place to be.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText";">For me ‘Skin’ had more of a YA feel to it rather than the adult audience targeted and believe it would be enjoyed by both. Skin was an enjoyable entertaining read and with an ending I didn’t see coming would love to read a sequel...I would like to hear more about ‘the egg’ to which the narrator shares her feelings throughout.</span></div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-84585947808401563572018-11-29T01:37:00.000+00:002018-11-29T03:19:02.531+00:00TLC BOOK TOUR: The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Title: The Long Way Home</b></div>
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<b>Genre: Historical Fiction, Based on Real Events</b></div>
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<b>Author: Kevin Bannister</b></div>
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<b>Format: Digital</b></div>
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<b>Publication Date: September 15, 2016</b></div>
<u>Synopsis</u><br />
Follows the lives of Thomas Peters and Murphy Steele who are friends, former slaves, fellows-in-arms and leaders of the Black Brigade. Their real-life story is an epic adventure tale as they battle bounty hunters, racism, poverty and epidemic in their adopted country after the war.<br />
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'The Long Way Home' has resonated with readers around the world as an unforgettable account of courage, hope and determination triumphing over despair and injustice. Thomas Peters, thoughtful and charismatic, and Murphy Steele, strong and impulsive, lead their followers on an inspirational search for a place where they can be free.<br />
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<u>My Thoughts</u><br />
In an impetuous spur of the moment a young Murphy Steele runs with Thomas Peters in an attempt to escape their slave owner. Naivety and lack of planning result in their speedy recapture and sadistic scarring punishment. Quietly seething with resentment and vengeful notions Murphy is obsessed with murder and escape. He has become a frighteningly dangerous, powerfully strong brooding young man. Quite the reverse in attitude has happened to Thomas, now he wants to stay out of trouble and live as safe a life he can, even if that means being an obedient slave...One day circumstances will be right for them to run again.<br />
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It is through Murphy’s, at times, rather dry narrative but engaging conversational style that their experiences are shared with us as we follow them in pursuit of regaining freedom. Two runaway slaves, two unsung heroes, with promises of becoming freemen with land of their own, fought bravely alongside the British Army in the American Revolutionary War. As soldiers they led their men in the ‘Black Pioneers’ unit into horrific bloody battle. Victory was not delivered and the men who survived faced a difficult choice, to remain as slaves or leave for an uncertain future with the British.<br />
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I’ve read a few different titles, fiction and non fiction about the slave trade but not one which gives such a vivid in-depth enlightening perspective from two men such as Thomas Peters who had an influence on many fellow freed slaves some of whom he persuaded to return to Africa where they founded the state of Freetown; and Murphy Steele who was a key component in rounding up Black volunteers to accompany him to Nova Scotia where, once again promised by the British, they would be supplied with everything needed to build a new free state for themselves. This is where the sequel (currently in progress) will pick up from. I sincerely hope it won’t be too long in coming to publication.<br />
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Unquestionably brave, charismatic and highly influential men of their time, Bannister’s well researched historical novel gives them a real presence and voice to speak to and remind us about injustice prejudice and the cruelty of enslavement, of denying a race basic human rights and who are deemed an expendable piece of property, of the horror of war, and the reminder that as humans we are fundamentally a selfish animal which will usually choose the best course of action to benefit us personally, culturally and racially, that we will utilise treachery, betrayal or indifference as a means to that end.<br />
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The times they haven’t changed that much !<br />
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Highly recommended.<br />
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<u>Disclaimer</u>: I received a complimentary digital copy of the book for my thoughts to be included in this tour. Thank you to the author and TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read and take part.<br />
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<b>Similar reads</b>:<br />
The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead<br />
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi<br />
KINTU, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi<br />
Sugar Money, Jane Harris<br />
Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward<br />
Underground Airlines, Ben E Winters<br />
12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup (memoir)<br />
Black Boy, Richard Wright (non fiction)<br />
The Free State of Jones, Victoria E Bynam (non fiction)<br />
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-16937610912611252892018-10-03T22:54:00.001+01:002018-10-03T22:54:11.965+01:00Random Things Tours: The Black Prince by Adam Roberts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Black Prince</b></div>
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<b>Adam Roberts</b></div>
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<b>Pages: 310 (Hardback)</b></div>
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<b>Publisher Unbound (4th October 2018)</b></div>
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A kaleidoscopic historical novel based on unpublished material by Anthony Burgess, from the prize-winning author Adam Roberts<br />
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<b>Description</b>:<br />
‘I’m working on a novel intended to express the feel of England in Edward III’s time ... The fourteenth century of my novel will be mainly evoked in terms of smell and visceral feelings, and it will carry an undertone of general disgust rather than hey-nonny nostalgia’ – Anthony Burgess, Paris Review, 1973<br />
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The Black Prince is a brutal historical tale of chivalry, religious belief, obsession, siege and bloody warfare. From disorientating depictions of medieval battles to court intrigues and betrayals, the campaigns of Edward II, the Black Prince, are brought to vivid life by an author in complete control of the novel as a way of making us look at history with fresh eyes, all while staying true to the linguistic pyrotechnics and narrative verve of Burgess’s best work.<br />
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Brings to light unpublished material from one of the twentieth century’s literary titans, author of A Clockwork Orange, Inside Mr Enderby and Earthly Powers;<br />
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Adam Roberts has worked with the full cooperation of the Burgess Foundation.<br />
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Roberts is a celebrated novelist in his own right: Jack Glass (2012) won the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel and 2015’s The Thing Itself was described by the Guardian as ‘a dazzling philosophical adventure’. Widespread review coverage is expected and the author will be available for events.<br />
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For fans of Paul Kingsnorth's The Wake, Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers, His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b>:<br />
My advanced readers copy of Adam Roberts visceral, extremely brutal and bloody book recanting the life of medieval King Edward didn’t arrive in time for me to finish before my scheduled tour slot. Currently 90 pages in I am able to admit that initially it wasn’t an easily immersive book for me.<br />
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‘The Black Prince’ is ambitiously different with a unique writing style and several narratives relayed through a medium of diverse voices. Sections are in the third person narrative while other accounts are verbalised in the present tense. Newsreels, ‘camera eye’, and prose inserts all add a modernistic and unusual element to the mix. To begin with, I confess I found it rather confusing but with perseverance I am delighted and thrilled to admit that with speedy polemic swing, I now absolutely love the ingenuity of its distinctive style, and unique (art)form of historical storytelling. I would not be at all surprised if it wasn’t amongst the nominations (and a worthy contender) for one, or even more prestigious book awards!<br />
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Brutal, bold, magnificently majestic, ‘The Black Prince’ promises to be a compulsive read for anyone interested in a sensory experience encountering gruesome bloody battle scenes, witness abhorrent behaviour towards victims as ‘spoils of war’, imagine the miserable harsh reality of men, women and children living (surviving), and dying during this brutal medieval period in history, all from a safe distance and comfort and safety of their modern environment.<br />
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A more in-depth review will follow at a later date upon completion of reading. In the meantime do read what other bloggers on the tour have to say about this remarkable book. Please stay with us for the duration of the tour.<br />
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Thank you to Ann Cater for inviting me to take part in the ‘Random Things Tour’, and to Unbound publishers for sending me a complementary ARC of the book to take part in the tour. I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to read it before the planned publication date of, Thursday, 4th October 2018.<br />
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-76025604023641487592018-09-30T15:04:00.002+01:002018-09-30T15:04:42.485+01:00October ‘Halloween’ Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It’s almost October and I can’t believe we’re almost 75% through a</b></span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nother year and into the ‘retail’ Christmas period once again. </b><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway back to October which begins the spooky season on Monday.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Throughout October for this Halloween season, I have decided to read the scariest horror, gothic and ghost stories (fiction and non fiction) I could find on my shelves. Not a fan of reading one genre for more than two books in a row, this will certainly test my staying power, but I want to see if I can do it. Also I want to find out if any of them can genuinely creep me out for the spookiest time of the year.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I’m struggling to decide on my first read, but I think I’m almost there and will probably ‘kick off’ with, ‘A Head Full of Ghosts’ by Paul Tremblay... just want to see if it’s really as scary as it’s rumoured to be...mmm but then again it might be, ‘The Hunger’ by Alma Katsu...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>...anyway here’s what I’ve tried to minimise the list down to give or take a few digital ARC’s as well...</b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay</b></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Hunger by Alma Katsu</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Black Prince by Adam Roberts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tasty Morsels by Margo Lanagan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Alice by Christina Henry</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Magic Shop &The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Bird’s Nest by Shirley Jackson</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Member of the Family by Dianne Lake</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kindred by Octavia E Butler</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Machine by James Smythe</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What are the rest of you spooky readers planning on reading this month ? Drop a comment as I’d love to know and maybe add another read to my list.</b></span></div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-46307628355554280332018-08-25T12:21:00.000+01:002018-08-25T12:42:26.758+01:00TLC Book Tour Between The Lies by Cynthia A. Graham<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Author: Cynthia A. Graham</b></div>
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<b>Source: Digital ARC</b></div>
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<b>Publisher: Blank Slate Press</b></div>
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<b>Release Date: March 27, 2018</b></div>
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<b>Paperback: 220 pages</b><br />
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<u>Synopsis</u>:<br />
When the corrupt sheriff of Broken Creek, Arkansas detains a young black boy on charges of accidental homicide, his sister asks Hick Blackburn, Sheriff of Cherokee Crossing, to investigate. Hick is reluctant at first. Not only is Broken Creek out of his jurisdiction, but Hick and Sheriff Brewster have a history, and Hick knows Brewster won’t look kindly on his interference. But Hick quickly realizes the boy couldn’t have committed the crime. With the aid of a New York attorney trying to make a name for herself and a shy new deputy who knows the boy’s family, Hick uncovers a conspiracy that goes to the heart of local corruption, nepotism, and racism. But while Hick is working to free an innocent child in Broken Creek, his beloved Maggie, pregnant with their third child, faces challenges of her own back home. This time, will Hick’s dedication to justice extract too high a price?<br />
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Heartfelt and poignant, Between the Lies by Cynthia A. Graham handles the complexities of Southern culture and the depths of its racial past with grace and finesse. The character development and plot are deep and complex. This is a novel full of heartbreak, but a story of hope is at its true heart.”–Hunter S. Jones, author of Red Stilleto Strategy<br />
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<u>My Thoughts</u>:<br />
‘Between The Lies’ is book three in a southern mystery series set in Arkansas during the 1950’s about small town sheriff Hickory Blackman. In this instalment we follow Hick over the course of four days in July, in an ongoing mental fight with an influential bully in the nearby county of Broken Creek.<br />
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Sheriff Brewster has brought into custody a local black child, Thaddeus for the killing of a white man even though, obvious to any ‘dumbass’, that physically Thad is incapable of committing the crime. Such evidential facts, however, won’t get in the way of Brewster’s objective of obtaining a guilty conviction for such a convenient scapegoat.<br />
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A conversation between Hick and Father Grant, pastor of Broken Creek, brings to light the case of George Stinney a 14 year old black boy who was tried for murder, found guilty, and executed. Now I was intrigued and ‘googled’ George Stinney who from the southern state of Carolina was (rightly or wrongly) found guilty of murder in similar circumstances. I was deeply affected, it was incredibly upsetting and heartbreaking to read about such cruelty, inhumane treatment of a minor and ultimately the horrific execution of a child. Was this a warning of what may be in store for young Thad. Not if Hick has anything to do with it. It’s going to be a fight, but with mental ingenuity to outsmart Brewster it’s not something that Hick will easily allow to happen.<br />
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Graham’s style of writing, much like our protagonist, is calm, intelligent and measured. In contrast to the languid pace she also manages, without being preachy or altering style or pace of the novel, to manoeuvre into place a powerful, poignant nugget of historical fact for the reader to mull over. Awareness of this event in history added another layer, dimension and understanding of the characters living within a community steeped in racial hatred, and run by a corrupt and bigoted sheriff. I couldn’t help thinking, with the current worldwide political climate, that we appear to be coming full circle and learned very little if anything from the past.<br />
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Now that ending ! Wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and it knocked me for six. A very sad unsettling denouement. Just another chapter in Hicks life to be overcome and I am keen to see how his character develops and moves on from it.<br />
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‘Beneath Still Waters’ is the first book in the series, and although there is a sense of growth in Hick’s character, ‘Beneath The Lies’ could easily be read out of sequence or as a stand-alone. I havn’t yet gotten around to reading ‘Behind Every Door’ but do intend on doing so before the next book. I highly recommended this series.<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><i><b>Memorable Lines</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><i>“</i>“You white folks are something else. You like to pretend you know what’s best for us, that you got our interests at heart. But at the end of the day you get to go home and be safe and white. We don’t get to leave. We always black.”</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>“We all had the same orders. Plant fear in the hearts of the townsfolk regarding colored people, because fear will always turn to hate. After the hate starts to grow, point out things like desegregation will cause inter-marriage and inter-marriage will create a mongrel race of half-breeds. Tell them their women are in danger and that a black man touching a white woman is an abomination.”</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>“...and Uncle Earl told me to never mention that man’s name again. He said for me to shut my trap and let him run the town as he sees fit. Told me I ain’t nothing but a dumbass anyway and that he only hired me ’cause my mama begged him to.”</b></span><br />
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<b>Thank you to TLC Book Tours, and Blank Slate Press who provided me with a digital copy in order to take part in this tour.</b></div>
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<b>Cynthia A. Graham’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:</b></div>
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<b>Monday, August 6th: <a href="https://writeoncindy.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/between-the-lies-by-cynthia-a-graham-giveaway/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Thoughts on This ‘n That</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Monday, August 13th: <a href="http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-book-tour-stops-here-review-of_13.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Kahakai Kitchen</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Wednesday, August 15th: <a href="https://brokenteepee.com/between-the-lies-by-cynthia-a-graham-book-review/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Broken Teepee</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Friday, August 17th: <a href="https://writereadlife.wordpress.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Write Read Life</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Monday, August 20th: <a href="https://www.proseandpalate.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Prose and Palate</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prose_and_palate/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">@prose_and_palate</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Wednesday, August 22nd: <a href="http://patriciaswisdom.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Patricia’s Wisdom</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Thursday, August 23rd: <a href="http://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">SJ2B House of Books</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Friday, August 24th: <a href="http://fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">From the TBR Pile</a></b></div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-81826876583466466122018-06-18T22:39:00.002+01:002018-06-18T22:39:41.231+01:00HF Virtual Book Tours: NINE BIRDS SINGING BY EDYTHE ANSTEY HANEN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>NINE BIRDS SINGING</b><br />
<b>BY EDYTHE ANSTEY HANEN</b></div>
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<b>New Arcadia Publishing (5 December, 2017)</b></div>
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<b>Paperback; 276 Pages</b></div>
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<b>Genre: Literary Fiction</b><br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mIe0sZ3iEw2tQvTv0P71lPNOSFOfqA7W-OabX89xVrJvpNZ17WUXBkrtZQQAo9WPm0HEC9VX77QFGAZGLo_uUdIyIYu0M_WeZTlD_HdoQo_4GveLbW4S9Ogt3DcLz7oohZSJ_f7tHLWi/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="30" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mIe0sZ3iEw2tQvTv0P71lPNOSFOfqA7W-OabX89xVrJvpNZ17WUXBkrtZQQAo9WPm0HEC9VX77QFGAZGLo_uUdIyIYu0M_WeZTlD_HdoQo_4GveLbW4S9Ogt3DcLz7oohZSJ_f7tHLWi/s1600/8.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
Maddie is a writer of local history but wants to use her words to unlock the hidden truths that lay just below the surface of her life. But it’s magnetic words on a refrigerator door – Have dreams. Must travel – that push Maddie into the journey she must take: the search for what she has yearned for all her life: independence and freedom from the abusive fanaticism of her parents’ religious beliefs. From Vancouver in the sixties to present day Mexico and a small island on the Canadian west coast, Nine Birds Singing is a love affair with words. It weaves through past glories and youthful hubris in a search for understanding and acceptance. Profound friendship, skewed love and loss all play a role in Maddie’s search for redemption<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b><br />
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<b><i>“Where will you spend eternity?”</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“The preacher begins his sermon with subdued entreaties for the lost sheep to return to the fold. There is still time, he tells them. But it’s his table-pounding diatribes on hell’s fury that send rivers of fear coursing through Maddie’s veins. There will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Even the water trembles in the glass when he slams his fist against the dais...Maddie sits in heart-stopping silence, her cheeks aflame with guilt. She is more afraid of the preacher than she is of God.”</i></b></div>
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Maddie, as a child is terrified of the coming Rapture, she knows that due to her sinful ways she will be left behind to suffer for all eternity. Her father’s ferocious religious preaching compounds these fears. She, too, knows that she is different from other children at school, and that her family home life is very strange. She feels isolated and uncomfortable around others feeling that she does not fit in.<br />
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<b><i>“There’s no use pretending this isn’t about Joey too. The leaky boat that’s kept their life together afloat has been sinking for a long time and Maddie sees now that she’s been the only one rowing anyway. She can’t stay here and wait for the other oar to drop but she doesn’t want to chase Joey down like prey either.”</i></b></div>
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When, in later years her long-term partner walks out on her, Maddie takes off to visit her friend of many years in Mexico. Thus begins Maddie’s painful, but enlightening journey for truth and of self-discovery.<br />
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Returning to heartfelt memories of her childhood, Maddie looks back at her father’s religious doctrine, her grandfather’s abuse, and her mother’s passivity and uncaring demeanour, all of which have left her feeling a powerlessness and unquestioning acceptance of how badly others have treated her over the years.<br />
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<b><i>“Maddie looks out into the chilly early morning light. She imagines what it would be like to be in Mexico now. Salmon pink and scarlet bougainvillea blossoms, purple jacaranda blooms that drift from the trees like confetti in the time of the winds, the white-faced ibis arcing across the sky at sunset, winging its way toward the lake.”</i></b></div>
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Set predominantly in present day Mexico, the reader is transported to a Vancouver of the 1960’s, and back again to a small island off the Pacific west coast. Nine Birds Singing takes us on a poignant and highly perceptive journey of exploration and of self-discovery of a woman in her later years.<br />
<br />
So compelling with more than one ‘Me Too’ moment along the way, I felt a real connection to this wonderfully inspiring woman. As a result of coming to terms with a difficult past she acquires a new found freedom from the chains of abusive relationships. Nine Birds Singing is sure to have a recognition and poignancy with readers at a particular stage in their lives, just as I did.<br />
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One message or interpretation I took from the book was that as a child the responsibility of others’ abuse or neglectfulness is not yours, and that it’s never too late to take control of your life, to choose your own path and not accept whatever fate throws at you. That, even with the passing of time, it is still possible to throw off the shackles which have bound you for far too long.<br />
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An uplifting literary novel of a woman’s coming of age in her older years, Nine Birds Singing is a highly recommend read.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>A complementary digital copy of Nine Birds Singing was provided in exchange for an unbiased review and to take part in this TLC Book Tours.</i></b></div>
<br />
<b>About the Author</b><br />
Edythe Anstey Hanen has published prize-winning short stories and poetry in literary magazines including Room Magazine and anthologies across Canada, in addition to articles in the Globe & Mail, National Post and the Hamilton Bay Observer and is a regular contributor to Mexconnect, an online travel magazine. She lives on Bowen Island in British Columbia, Canada, where for many years she was the editor of the Bowen Island Undercurrent.<br />
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-21205773858662852872018-06-06T14:48:00.000+01:002018-06-06T14:57:48.768+01:00TEASER TUESDAY GRINGA by Joe Thomas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It is very easy to play along:</div>
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Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
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Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page being careful not to include any spoilers! Share the title and author, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</div>
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<b>Here are my teasers this week:</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“What you say your name was again? …What, you his cão de guarda or little bitch? I’m kidding, caralho, relaxa.”</span></b></div>
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<b>GRINGA by Joe Thomas</b></div>
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<b>Genre: Grit-lit, crime-noir, </b></div>
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<b>Pages: 280</b></div>
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<b>Publisher: Arcadia Books Ltd (Feb 2018)</b></div>
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São Paulo, 2013: a city at an extraordinary moment in its history.</div>
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Gringa, with shades of Don Winslow and James Ellroy, is a portrait of São Paulo in all its harshness and dysfunction, its corruption and social divisions, its kaleidoscopic dynamism, its undercurrent of derangement, and its febrile, sensual instability, executed with a deep knowledge of the city’s anatomy.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">My Thoughts</span></b>:<br />
I requested a copy of Gringa from NUDGE-New Books for reviewing as the description, depicting a dark gritty storyline, and dangerous encounters with mean gringoes, certainly appealed to my darker reading side whereby I could experience it all-be-it from the safety of my sunny summer house and comfort of my sofa. Having just finished my previous ‘teaser’ read, I’ll be starting Gringa sometime this afternoon and can’t wait to get started.<br />
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-4273014278135501542018-05-30T21:58:00.001+01:002018-05-30T21:58:50.172+01:00TLC BOOK TOURS: The Garden of Blue Roses by Michael Barsa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Garden of Blue Roses by Michael Barsa</b></div>
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<b>Genre: Literary, Fiction, Gothic, Suspense, Psychological</b><br /><b>Publisher: Underland Press (April 2018)</b></div>
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<b>Pages: 244</b></div>
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<b>Ratting</b>: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvsM-yWbzm96LOShkT1Gj7UufGX6zy45maxyA2xCJ0Vw2K575e6FFWvo9ABGjSHxKVtADxbZw8-8g5_mGOLG8ZDDPTr3v0EZwLQ3teHqH2xYFKnEFiw6wlkYLzNUx59ambbHAL7it9mqu/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="30" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvsM-yWbzm96LOShkT1Gj7UufGX6zy45maxyA2xCJ0Vw2K575e6FFWvo9ABGjSHxKVtADxbZw8-8g5_mGOLG8ZDDPTr3v0EZwLQ3teHqH2xYFKnEFiw6wlkYLzNUx59ambbHAL7it9mqu/s1600/5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u>Disclaimer</u>: A digital review copy was supplied by the author to participate in the tour</div>
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<b>Perfect for fans of horror, psychological and suspense thrillers</b></div>
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<b>Description</b>:<br />
“Ominous, fantastic, and wonderfully malevolent…. I felt the spirits of Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Albert Camus’ Meursault, whispering to join the fun.”— Alice Sebold, best-selling and award-winning author of The Lovely Bones<br />
A car lies at the bottom of an icy ravine. Slumped over the steering wheel, dead, is the most critically acclaimed horror writer of his time. Was it an accident? His son Milo doesn’t care. For the first time in his life, he’s free. No more nightmarish readings, spooky animal rites, or moonlit visions of his father in the woods with a notebook and vampire make-up.<br />
Or so he thinks.<br />
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Milo settles into a quiet routine—constructing model Greek warships and at last building a relationship with his sister Klara, who’s home after a failed marriage and brief career as an English teacher. Then Klara hires a gardener to breathe new life into their overgrown estate. There’s something odd about him—something eerily reminiscent of their father’s most violent villain. Or is Milo imagining things? He’s not sure. That all changes the day the gardener discovers something startling in the woods. Suddenly Milo is fighting for his life, forced to confront the power of fictional identity as he uncovers the shocking truth about his own dysfunctional family—and the supposed accident that claimed his parents’ lives.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
Milo is pleased that his sister Klara has returned home after the failure of her marriage and attempted escape from their parents hold. There is a real sense of creepiness and unease which seeps from within the claustrophobic familial walls, and of an unnerving comprehension of impending doom. Shortly after Klara’s homecoming their parent’s are killed in a car accident on their way to a book reading.<br />
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<b><i>‘The bodies were in the basement, on slabs of steel—Mother with shards of her sunglasses still nestled in her platinum bob and Father in his tweedy, seedy best. "I think I see Father breathing," I whispered to Klara. She gave me a stern look and told me to hush. I would not. Instead I began poking him in the face to wake him up. Even when his head flopped to one side and his jaw hung open crookedly, I laughed and said: "What an actor!" I didn't trust his death. Father was an author. He was words. You can't kill words—can't lock them up and drive them off a cliff.’</i></b><br />
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Full of foreboding benevolence ‘The Garden Of Blue Roses’ is interspersed with a playfulness and dark humour displayed through the odd behaviour and interaction of its socially inept narrator. Milo is naive and unable to function ‘normally’ outside of his family environment. He just doesn’t understand the rules of social engagement and its certainly apparent, almost immediately, that there’s something just not right about him. Is he a creation of his father’s twisted nurturing? Or, perhaps his mother’s distant and neglectful aloofness? Maybe both have played a part.<br />
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<b><i>“Beauty without context. I saw how Klara hung on his every word, how her breath fluttered like an excited bird’s.”</i></b><br />
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I simply adored the stylishly beautiful writing and above is an example of just one sentence which froze me in motion as I too felt the heart flutter and breath trembling of Klara and her idolatry emotions.<br />
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Klara becomes fixated with Henri a gardener she’s hired to transform ‘the grounds’ into something spectacular in remembrance of their parents. Milo doesn’t like Henri. He doesn’t trust him. He knows he’s an evil character who has climbed out from the pages of his father’s infamous novel about a psychotic murderer.<br />
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Barsa has created a haunting, ambiguous tale that kept me second guessing right the way through with such a highly dysfunctional family and unreliable characters. It was impossible to know who or what to believe. This is an exceptionally well written ‘literary’ debut comparable to such titles in the modern gothic genre as, <i><b>Andrew Michel Hurley’s ‘The Loney’, and the chilling ‘A Headful Of Ghosts’ by Paul Tremblay.</b></i><br />
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‘The Garden of Blue Roses’ is a gothic novel with a difference. The subtle fun element lifts the mood in parts. It worked brilliantly and I absolutely loved its uniqueness.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Michael Barsa’s TLC Book Tours Stops:</span></h3>
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<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
Tuesday, May 29th: <a href="http://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">SJ2B House of Books</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://2" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Thursday, May 31st</a>: <a href="http://www.sweetsouthernhome.net/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Sweet Southern Home</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://3" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Monday, June 4th</a>: <a href="http://bewitchedbookworms.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Bewitched Bookworms</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://4" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Wednesday, June 6th</a>: <a href="https://writereadlife.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Write Read Life</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://5" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Friday, June 8th</a>: <a href="https://www.vcolotta.com/thoughts-from-a-highly-caffeinated-mind/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://6" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Monday, June 11th</a>: <a href="http://familycorner.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Diary of a Stay at Home Mom</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://7" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Wednesday, June 13th</a>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ladyofthelibrary/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">@ladyofthelibrary</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://8" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Thursday, June 14th</a>: <a href="https://brokenteepee.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Broken Teepee</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://9" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Monday, June 18th</a>: <a href="https://mwladieswholit.wordpress.com/blog/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Midwest Ladies Who Lit</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://10" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="10" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Friday, June 22nd</a>: <a href="http://fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">From the TBR Pile</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://11" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="11" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Monday, June 25th</a>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tbretc/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">@tbretc</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://12" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="12" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Wednesday, June 27th</a>: <a href="http://booksandbindings.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Books and Bindings</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://13" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="13" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Tuesday, July 3rd</a>: <a href="http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Kahakai Kitchen</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://14" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="14" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Thursday, July 5th</a>: <a href="https://katyslibrarysite.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">Katy’s Library</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/katyslibrary/?hl=en" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">@katyslibrary</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a dir="ltr" href="outlook-data-detector://15" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 114, 198) !important; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #0072c6; text-align: left;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="15" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Monday, July 9th</a><span style="text-align: left;">:</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://patriciaswisdom.com/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #e5554e; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Patricia’s </a><a href="http://patriciaswisdom.com/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #e5554e; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Wisdom</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 26px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 2;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c-JF-4HUdQTuBhXY6kZ9Yh-btrQVAhG4PSDLL8yxUFEpFXHFZRoP0gsBCE-4fxLfkhGhkW9TiWMQQ9l1o83TLd0yr_YF1qj9zghcc4mhwnal4Hi2Jl8ZhGmZsvnwIyoUgXg4bH7Dtv-f/s1600/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c-JF-4HUdQTuBhXY6kZ9Yh-btrQVAhG4PSDLL8yxUFEpFXHFZRoP0gsBCE-4fxLfkhGhkW9TiWMQQ9l1o83TLd0yr_YF1qj9zghcc4mhwnal4Hi2Jl8ZhGmZsvnwIyoUgXg4bH7Dtv-f/s1600/image.png" /></a></div>
</div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-5216541058830031712018-05-23T00:23:00.000+01:002018-06-26T20:46:08.804+01:00TEASER TUESDAY Nine Birds Singing by Edythe Anstey Hanen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Purple Booker</b></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Grab your current read and open to a random page<br />
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page being careful not to include any spoilers! Share the title and author, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Here are my teasers this month:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>“Maddie sits in heart-stopping silence, her cheeks aflame with guilt. She is more afraid of the preacher than she is of God.”</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vrTwhZWRMMoL8-RZ221ImjopYKqYvRBsJ5seKcggp_6daT189cBMms6XBpvSHAPLe541Ki8A4lpYoJH5tpr8qEx5gKO3zJejEg3zAG7nNs_XY4_jhg3QsrBkXPe1erydF0NAlSG98fTL/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="640" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vrTwhZWRMMoL8-RZ221ImjopYKqYvRBsJ5seKcggp_6daT189cBMms6XBpvSHAPLe541Ki8A4lpYoJH5tpr8qEx5gKO3zJejEg3zAG7nNs_XY4_jhg3QsrBkXPe1erydF0NAlSG98fTL/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Nine Birds Singing by Edythe Anstey Hanen</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Genre: Literary, Historical Fiction</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pages: 278</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Publisher: New Arcadia Publishing (Dec 2017)</b></div>
<br />
<b>Praise for Nine Birds Singing</b><br />
“In Nine Birds Singing, Edythe Anstey Hanen’s appealing narrator Maddie recalls and examines her own search for independence from her parents’ restrictive values. The writer and Maddie, together, gather the reader in to share an intimate, wise, and moving tale.” -Jack Hodgins, Author of Spit Delaney’s Island<br />
<br />
“Nine Birds Singing is a finely written book, lovingly crafted, poignant and perceptive. A tale of gradual self-understanding, awakening and ultimate release.” -Nick Bantock, Author of the The Griffin and Sabine Trilogy<br />
<br />
“If, like me, you despair for the collapse of the English language take comfort. In Nine Birds Singing you will discover a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of delights. Edythe Anstey Hanen not only uses the basic blocks of language, words, to propel her characters and her story, each word has been selected with meticulous care with attention to its meaning and its ability to resonate. The work is a symphony for the logophile. Don’t miss it.” -Patrick Taylor. USA Today, New York Times and Globe and Mail best-selling author of the Irish Country Doctor series<br />
<br />
“Readers will enjoy the unique views and poetic pacing of Nine Birds Singing by Edythe Anstey Hanen. She savours and survives landscapes and relationships in teasing but tasty quick episodes. Her novel takes readers via circular time travelling through decades of Maddie’s life in Canada and Mexico. Enjoy this new voice!” -Bernice Lever, Small Acts, Black Moss Press, 2016<br />
<br />
<b>My Thoughts</b>:<br />
My thoughts will be posted as part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours on 8th June, 2018.<br />
http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/ninebirdssingingblogtour/<br />
<script async="true" src="https://js.gleam.io/e.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /></div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-33224096442151136142018-05-16T11:33:00.002+01:002018-05-30T22:01:05.454+01:00TEASER TUESDAY: The Garden of Blue Roses by Michael Barsa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Purple Booker</b></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Grab your current read and open to a random page<br />
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page being careful not to include any spoilers! Share the title and author, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my teasers this month:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>“Did the officers sense anything amiss, anything strange about the scene? No, they were dull and provincial—they just wanted to get things over with. One of them silently drove Klara and me to the station.”</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb74JIhKAqzxxw7_1YErfQecOlunXegyTry0cMiSLgFwPL9Q4YFMvltMNBbr30YI1IdSGkXboylxk4VM-p8fmrgUYxsia8c5J-fxhRxhNa3-MCeeMNgMOeQADT5ya2roO42KxJyeFT-wT/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1520" data-original-width="1001" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb74JIhKAqzxxw7_1YErfQecOlunXegyTry0cMiSLgFwPL9Q4YFMvltMNBbr30YI1IdSGkXboylxk4VM-p8fmrgUYxsia8c5J-fxhRxhNa3-MCeeMNgMOeQADT5ya2roO42KxJyeFT-wT/s320/1.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Garden of Blue Roses by Michael Barsa</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Genre: Literary, Fiction, Gothic, Suspense, Psychological</b><br />
<b>Publisher: Underland Press (April 2018)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pages: 244</b></div>
<b>Description</b>:<br />
“Ominous, fantastic, and wonderfully malevolent…. I felt the spirits of Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Albert Camus’ Meursault, whispering to join the fun.”— Alice Sebold, best-selling and award-winning author of The Lovely Bones<br />
<br />
A car lies at the bottom of an icy ravine. Slumped over the steering wheel, dead, is the most critically acclaimed horror writer of his time. Was it an accident? His son Milo doesn’t care. For the first time in his life, he’s free. No more nightmarish readings, spooky animal rites, or moonlit visions of his father in the woods with a notebook and vampire make-up.<br />
<br />
<b>My Thoughts</b>:<br />
A very creepy and foreboding atmospheric tale which I’m totally absorbed in, when I get the chance to read what with my job change right now rendering me mentally exhausted by the end of the day.<br />
<br />
My review will be kicking off the TLC Book Tour on 23rd May, 2018.<br />
See <a href="https://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here for my review</a> See <a href="https://tlcbooktours.com/2018/04/michael-barsa-author-of-the-garden-of-blue-roses-on-tour-may-june-2018/v" target="_blank">here for the tour schedule</a>.</div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-57355751030014720072018-05-02T23:45:00.000+01:002018-05-06T14:03:08.792+01:00WHAT’S ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND - May 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My book blog and reviewing has been pretty erratic of late due to rather a lot happening in my personal life. For quite some time I had been very unhappy at work. I spent a lot of time soul searching and looking at what the problem areas were in my life in order for me to take control and do something about it. Surprisingly quickly I managed to change my working environment and am now looking forward to an exciting new venture. Oh, and get back to enjoying what I love, reading and sharing my thoughts on the fabulous and not so fabulous books I’ve been reading.<br />
<br />
So, with no further ado, here are my updates for this edition of ‘What’s on your Nightstand’.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Read:</span></b><br />
<b>SNAP, Belinda Bauer</b> (crime/thriller with spades of humour…loved it!) 4.5 stars. This was an entertaining and fun infused read from a crime author I’ve followed since her debut novel ‘Blacklands’ back in 2010. SNAP is a fast paced, creepy tale set in Cornwall, England about a young boy trying to do his best to look after his siblings since his mother was killed. There are doses of implausibly in the plot, but as I already said, it’s such a great read. Review forthcoming<br />
<b>Paper Ghosts, Julia Heaberlin</b> (crime, thriller…loved it!) 5 starts<br />
Not quite as dark as ‘The Black Eyed Susans’, which I loved, but still tackles a difficult subject matter with a wry sense of humour and two highly unreliable main characters. ‘Paper Ghosts’ demonstrates adaptability and versatility in Heaberlin’s genre writing skills and I enjoyed every moment and looking forward to what she comes out with next. Review forthcoming<br />
<b>The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebald </b>(Audio) 4 stars<br />
Why I took so long to read/listen to this I do not know, well I do…too many books. So glad I finally got around to reading this compelling magical ghost story written in the voice of a murdered young girl.<br />
<b>The Invisible Guardian, Delores Redondo</b> (thriller) 3.5 stars<br />
A good entertaining story set in Spain’s Basque region, incorporating the folk lore and superstitions of the community as well as fraught family dynamics in this well written and translated murder mystery thriller. Part of a trilogy that I’ll probably read at some point in time as it left some unanswered questions I want answering.<br />
<b>The History of Bees, Maja Lunde</b> (dystopian fiction) 3 stars<br />
A beautifully (but rather dull in my opinion) written tale about three character’s whose lives revolve or have been affected by bees. Told over three different timeframes in three indistinct narratives which unfortunately is why I didn’t feel as wowed by it as others have been. Review forthcoming.<br />
<b>The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Holly Ringland</b> (literary fiction) 4.5 stars<br />
With gorgeous prose this is a mesmerising heart breaking tale about loss, guilt, love, sacrifice and redemption. Simply stunning story. Review forthcoming.<br />
<b>I Stop Somewhere, T C Carter </b>(YA, ) 5 stars<br />
Raw, brutal, emotive but also infused with a caltenderness at the denouement of the story. This book is easily one of the best I’ve read this year in the YA/teen genre. Review forthcoming.<br />
<b>Dear Martin, Nic Stone</b> (YA, current US political climate) 4 stars<br />
Another awesome young adult novel with fabulous writing and intense character development. Timely and extremely thought provoking. One to read after Angie Thomas’ THUG (The Hate U Give). Review forthcoming.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">DNF</span></b>:<br />
<b>Drift, Stumble, Fall, M Jonathan Lee</b><br />
Unfortunately it wasn’t one I could get into and I didn’t manage to finish it.<br />
Need to mull over this one before making further comment.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Reading Now:</span></b><br />
<b>VOX, Christina Dalcher</b><br />
Oh I’m loving this fabulous cautionary dystopian tale about men and their disturbing control of power over women in every area of their lives. One to definitely read if you enjoyed Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’. Review to follow.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Next in Line:</span></b><br />
<b>The Garden of Blue Roses, Michael Barsa</b><br />
<b>Nine Birds Singing, Edythe Anstey Hanen</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRhhp8WoWWZo4pmm4rrKRS_-zT3JUFMlZoR7-XIWMUhT7tvLJQXE3FSwWQz-KN121Q-Wujw3w-2lZyZ4iKp5LdAfrmphqf7GBtrqXLZM3zRGKThnRPQDIbpFDS08HqZIlt-6RnfLfzv4v/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRhhp8WoWWZo4pmm4rrKRS_-zT3JUFMlZoR7-XIWMUhT7tvLJQXE3FSwWQz-KN121Q-Wujw3w-2lZyZ4iKp5LdAfrmphqf7GBtrqXLZM3zRGKThnRPQDIbpFDS08HqZIlt-6RnfLfzv4v/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-82666760066508877272018-05-02T14:37:00.003+01:002018-05-02T14:37:57.860+01:00Update 2018: The Martian by Andy Weir<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>UPDATE: May 2018</u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>‘<i>Oh boy did I get this one wrong</i>’</b> by saying I would recommend it for hard core sci-fi readers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the time of it’s publication back in 2014, I was surprised at how well it was selling...(as a bookseller I should really have known better and believe me I did learn from this oversight).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then, then... after the successful film adaptation, sales of the book were phenomenal and I started to realise how badly wrong I’d gotten this one. Due to the rave reviews, and partly because <i><b>‘ I LOVE MATT DAMON</b></i>’ (purely on his acting skills I’ll have you know), I went along with my husband to watch ‘The Martian’ and was pleasantly surprised...I loved it, so did he. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This, I think was due to just the right amount of focus being placed on the mathematical calculations the incredibly intelligent, resourceful Mat..sorry Mark makes desperately to remain alive for as long as possible. The humour and unrelenting optimism of our hero who finds himself in such a perilous predicament made for a far greater tense, thrilling and entertaining experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In conclusion, The Martian by Andy Weir is one I would now, without reservation, recommend to anyone wanting an exciting, intelligent and informative read, but to maybe skip the intensive ‘science bits’ if , like me, you're not a mathematician.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Artemis, Weir’s second novel is on my to be read list.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNv97H_5_ypkTuiTrt8ps6H-y0mUttCC8DDcgz-A1RRpTfLmYf0YB7-kL_sLXiiZrm8pMUAopbVXTRpDrKMv1ofCAmXGTo4B129YUz_NQbE00Q3boE0oMNMV6TuI6IotHs3Up5hrV9Vwr/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNv97H_5_ypkTuiTrt8ps6H-y0mUttCC8DDcgz-A1RRpTfLmYf0YB7-kL_sLXiiZrm8pMUAopbVXTRpDrKMv1ofCAmXGTo4B129YUz_NQbE00Q3boE0oMNMV6TuI6IotHs3Up5hrV9Vwr/s400/1.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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<b>The Martian by </b><b>Andy Weir</b></div>
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<b>Publisher: Crown Publishing</b></div>
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<b>Genre: Science Fiction</b></div>
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<b>Source: (digital) Publisher via NetGalley</b></div>
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<b>Pub Date: (H/B) Feb 11 2014</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b>:</div>
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"Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. </div>
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Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.</div>
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After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.</div>
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Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.</div>
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But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?"</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts: (original posting Nov 2013)</span></b></div>
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What do I say about this one apart from I could not finish it !</div>
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Loved the idea of Robinson Crusoe on Mars but just couldn't get into it.</div>
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Obviously in the minority with my opinion because of many other reviewers giving a rating of 4 or 5 stars.</div>
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Too techie/nerdie, geeky for me. Full on successive problems and solutions with math calculations about how the guy could survive 430 something days before possible rescue. I felt that I should have a degree in chemistry or physics to get it. In the end I just didn't care enough to find out if he survived or not.</div>
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Would recommend to hard core sci fi fans.</div>
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I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.</div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-37154764546957125852018-05-01T23:31:00.001+01:002018-05-01T23:31:53.183+01:00TEASER TUESDAY: VOX by Christina Dalcher<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• <b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my teasers this month:</span></b></div>
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“Lorenzo, I whisper inside my head, and kick the three delicious syllables away before they hurt too much. My self is becoming more and more separate.”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHSvX7LT6FcZJ33DHC9KHocrRHf3RU9IObYnO9MsyBphU-zW2_iUkPdUnRoluByetzb242CPdOjzzQbmlEFymJu89qTZnNHeBZBySLQsFD247_oLKQcl4G2jxw51JtxwPOw-bmqFWk9ck/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHSvX7LT6FcZJ33DHC9KHocrRHf3RU9IObYnO9MsyBphU-zW2_iUkPdUnRoluByetzb242CPdOjzzQbmlEFymJu89qTZnNHeBZBySLQsFD247_oLKQcl4G2jxw51JtxwPOw-bmqFWk9ck/s400/1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<b>VOX by Christina Dalcher</b></div>
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<b>Genre: Fiction, Dystopian</b></div>
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<b>Pages: 336</b></div>
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<b>Publisher: Berkeley (21 August 2018)</b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Description</span></b>:<br />
“VOX is intelligent, suspenseful, provocative, and intensely disturbing - everything a great novel should be.” Lee Child<br />
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Silence can be deafening.<br />
Jean McClellan spends her days in almost complete silence, limited to a daily quota of just one hundred words. Now that the new government is in power, no woman is able to speak over this limit without punishment by electric shock.<br />
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Perfect for fans of Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid's Tale’, don't miss the thrilling debut that everyone will be talking about this summer!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts</span></b>:<br />
This is another extremely promising dystopian read and very akin to The Handmaid’s Tale atmospherically and frighteningly all too plausible in our current political climate.<br />
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Actually, I’d forgotten I had this on my list to read but fortunately Jin from Berkley jogged my memory and I started it today.<br />
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-19752952148073791912018-04-24T22:03:00.000+01:002018-04-24T22:03:15.645+01:00TEASER TUESDAY: SNAP by Belinda Bauer <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank">The Purple Booker</a></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• <b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my teasers this month:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“Reynolds loved being a police officer. He’d always had a finely honed sense of right and wrong, and felt it his duty not to waste it. It wasn’t a complicated thing: he was right and everybody else was wrong.</div>
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... (Marvel) addressed Reynolds. ‘I’m a homicide detective,’ he said. ‘When I’m rushed to the scene of a crime, I expect a murder victim, not a broken TV and a shit on the rug..”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0D7INnIe2WX8Qmdz8-8Cxgzl9TK9yP0DGtoZRldnSyFvGRAcZfWT94A3p9HBA8YKWGAFZSVAmCejF3xcTPXr8um82eMCEOEiU8tcii6G5TwHfzDaTGa5vQVNCozZ7rmfE7YEURRiiSB-y/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="641" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0D7INnIe2WX8Qmdz8-8Cxgzl9TK9yP0DGtoZRldnSyFvGRAcZfWT94A3p9HBA8YKWGAFZSVAmCejF3xcTPXr8um82eMCEOEiU8tcii6G5TwHfzDaTGa5vQVNCozZ7rmfE7YEURRiiSB-y/s400/2.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<b>SNAP by Belinda Bauer</b></div>
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<b>Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller</b></div>
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<b>Publisher: Penguin Random House (17 May 2018) / Grove Atlantic (13 July 2018)</b></div>
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<b>Pages: 352</b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Description</span></b>:<br />
'The best crime novel I've read in a very long time.' - VAL MCDERMID<br />
'Snap is the best kind of crime novel - it gives you chills, it makes you think, and it touches your heart. I loved it!' SARAH PINBOROUGH, No.1 bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes<br />
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SNAP DECISIONS CAN BE DANGEROUS . . .<br />
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On a stifling summer's day, eleven-year-old Jack and his two sisters sit in their broken-down car, waiting for their mother to come back and rescue them. Jack's in charge, she said. I won't be long.<br />
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But she doesn't come back. She never comes back. And life as the children know it is changed for ever.<br />
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Three years later, Jack, now fourteen, is still in charge - of his sisters, of supporting them all, of making sure nobody knows they're alone in the house, and - quite suddenly - of finding out the truth about what happened to his mother. . .<br />
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'Original, pacy and thoroughly entertaining . . . a cracking read.' CLARE MACKINTOSH, bestselling author of I Let You Go<br />
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'No one writes crime novels like Belinda Bauer, with a rare blend of darkness, humour and heart. She's a crime writing genius.' C. L. Taylor, bestselling author of The Missing<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts</span></b>:<br />
At 18% and so far this is a tense and very humorous mystery thriller. The opening scene totally demands your attention and curiosity about what happened and what will happen next.<br />
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That’s all for now…<br />
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-65374259616357004562018-03-20T21:57:00.001+00:002018-03-21T19:47:03.393+00:00TEASER TUESDAY: I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank">The Purple Booker</a></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• <b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my teasers this month:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“Whether or not anyone likes me—whether or not I like me—I don’t want to blame myself anymore. I only wanted to belong. I wanted so badly to be taken in—by someone, someplace. Anyone. Anyplace. I wanted it enough to screw up and lose myself, but I am still not to blame...I didn’t deserve this.”</div>
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<b>I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Genre: Teen/YA</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Published by Simon & Schuster Ltd (19th April, 2018)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pages: 320</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Trigger Warning</u></b>: Rape and violent content contained and as a result of the authenticity and raw style of writing may be one to be cautious about reading particularly for anyone with very recent experience of rape.</div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Description</span></b>:<br />
“When the world breaks you into pieces, sometimes you find what’s left scattered among other people’s broken parts.”<br />
<br />
Ellie Frias has never wanted to be popular, she just wants to blend in, to be accepted. But then Caleb Breward, tells her she’s beautiful and makes her believe it.<br />
<br />
Ellie loves Caleb, but sometimes she’s not sure she likes him that much – his awkward smile, the possessive way he touches her, his harsh tone, how he ignores her one minute and can't get enough the next. And then, on one black night, Ellie discovers the monster her boyfriend really is.<br />
<br />
The Lovely Bones meets Asking For It - this is the searing, heartbreaking story of a lost teenager, and the town she leaves behind.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
I’m not going to say very much about it here. I’m almost done reading it and want to save it for my review which will be added very soon. In the meantime here are some notes I made at various stages of reading:<br />
<br />
<b>March 18, 2018</b><br />
40.0% "I remember the rape and murder of a young girl in my town where a school has been built on the wasteland where her body was found and the poignancy of this line is heartbreaking. ‘He’ll bring his friends home and they’ll play soccer over where I am.’<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">“This is teen/YA that demands to be read by all ages."</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>March 18, 2018</b><br />
43.0% "This is so incredibly powerful and so obviously written with personal experience of from either the author or someone close. I feel devastated and on the verge of howling with sheer disgust and devastation. I feel wrung emotionally and want to cry so much for Ellie and what she has gone through"</div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-73324742391383727562018-03-13T21:00:00.000+00:002018-03-13T21:00:04.648+00:00TEASER TUESDAY: Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank">The Purple Booker</a></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• <b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my teasers this month:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“An army post in peacetime is a dull place. Things happen, but then they happen over and over again.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There is a fort in the South where a few years ago a murder was committed. The participants of this tragedy were: two officers, a soldier, two women, a Filipino, and a horse.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyn0fNQLhpv5b42VnfZxPRzEcsmYyDRIjA6GENji3uS8Wkzb0VBEIMza5syxI7jBWWCERjUQCDReJPVsPqQROR5zg_ulfGNRP6Y1fY_3imeY26UUqwT9clWL2jamAAt9yVbxBDrFs7BfK/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="766" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyn0fNQLhpv5b42VnfZxPRzEcsmYyDRIjA6GENji3uS8Wkzb0VBEIMza5syxI7jBWWCERjUQCDReJPVsPqQROR5zg_ulfGNRP6Y1fY_3imeY26UUqwT9clWL2jamAAt9yVbxBDrFs7BfK/s400/1.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Reflections in a Golden Eye Carson McCullers</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Genre: Novella, Literary Fiction</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Published by Penguin Modern Classics</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pages: 128</b></div>
<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Description:</span></b></u><br />
'A masterpiece . . . as mature and finished as Henry James's The Turn of the Screw'.<br />
<br />
Time Set on a Southern army base in the 1930s, Reflections in a Golden Eye tells the story of Captain Penderton, a bisexual whose life is upset by the arrival of Major Langdon, a charming womanizer who has an affair with Penderton's tempestuous and flirtatious wife, Leonora.<br />
<br />
Upon the novel's publication in 1941, reviewers were unsure of what to make of its relatively scandalous subject matter. But a critic for Time magazine wrote, "In almost any hands, such material would yield a rank fruitcake of mere arty melodrama. But Carson McCullers tells her tale with simplicity, insight, and a rare gift of phrase."<br />
Written during a time when McCullers's own marriage to Reeves was on the brink of collapse<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts</span></u>:</b><br />
After hearing McCullers novella being discussed amongst the guest writers Nina Stibbe (Love, Nina; Paradise Lodge) and Kit de Waal (My Name is Leon; The Trick to Time) on this afternoon’s BBC Radio 4 program, (‘A Good Read’), I had an overwhelming urge to hunt amongst my hoard of books to find it, and having just started reading, I’m rather eager to get on with it.<br />
<br />
So that’s it for this week. Will say more about soon.</div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-76220810738213582862018-03-06T22:46:00.000+00:002018-03-06T22:46:26.970+00:00TEASER TUESDAY: The Lost Flower's of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank">The Purple Booker</a></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• <b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my teasers this month:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“Some days Alice’s mother disappeared from her body altogether. There were no stories or walks to the sea. There was no talking with flowers. Her mother would stay in bed with the curtains drawn against the blanching light, vanished, as if her soul had gone somewhere else entirely.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_qAwiK1oGbXT_Naai6F74YlakXSY9CfsSqV_jgc_LRUTU8BPXNMJH_Fg7U7tv3D__pJqbe2zvU40cvr7AcSPM3pYAuydcJxWlT2OPKXrrbTgjOK9VykfYzYwhVKMDhU_KE4KzHvTnRKz/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="423" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_qAwiK1oGbXT_Naai6F74YlakXSY9CfsSqV_jgc_LRUTU8BPXNMJH_Fg7U7tv3D__pJqbe2zvU40cvr7AcSPM3pYAuydcJxWlT2OPKXrrbTgjOK9VykfYzYwhVKMDhU_KE4KzHvTnRKz/s320/1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Lost Flower's of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Published by Pan Macmillan (28th June 2018)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pages: 400</b></div>
<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Description</span></b></u><br />
Flowers, fire and fairy tales are the elements that will forever shape nine-year-old Alice Hart's life, in The Lost Flower's of Alice Hart, the remarkable debut by Holly Ringland.<br />
Alice Hart lives in isolation by the sea, where her mother’s enchanting flowers and their hidden messages shelter her from the dark moods of her father. When tragedy changes her life irrevocably, nine-year-old Alice goes to live with the grandmother she never knew existed, on a native flower farm that gives refuge to women who, like Alice, are lost or broken. In the Victorian tradition, every flower has a meaning and, as she settles into her new life, Alice uses this language of flowers to say the things that are too hard to speak.<br />
As she grows older, though, family secrecy, a devastating betrayal and a man who’s not all he seems, combine to make Alice realise there are some stories that flowers alone cannot tell. If she is to have the freedom she craves, she must find the courage to possess the most powerful story she knows: her own.<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts at 30%</span></u></b><br />
Enchanting, dreamy, mesmerising…I love this book. ‘<b>The Lost Flower's of Alice Hart</b>’ has introduced me to the magical language of flowers and is an absorbing heartfelt tale about grief, abandonment, loss and betrayal and about how with the love and nurturing of others any hurt can be healed, and that with time anything can be overcome.<br />
<br />
For me this book does for flowers what Elizabeth J Church’s ‘<b>The Atomic Weight of Love</b>’ did for crows. Deep sigh !<br />
<br />
Review to follow on completion.</div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-65036719588845194172018-03-05T23:03:00.001+00:002018-03-05T23:03:33.245+00:00TLC BOOK TOURS: The RainBirds by Clarissa Goenawan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1NjtQM46gUh5MG48XyEnDIAmoDRgC3UbbxV9HuntwTFSv0bkXkMCcyYmEBHRBN3v-NRAPyR5t0-ir1vdXpJnVJFVhZcNRJeCwjJkyfmyr3eTOJDqPnwoM-ovgZnE70laL5H-BKY12-ok/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1NjtQM46gUh5MG48XyEnDIAmoDRgC3UbbxV9HuntwTFSv0bkXkMCcyYmEBHRBN3v-NRAPyR5t0-ir1vdXpJnVJFVhZcNRJeCwjJkyfmyr3eTOJDqPnwoM-ovgZnE70laL5H-BKY12-ok/s400/1.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The RainBirds by Clarissa Goenawan</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Hardcover: 336 pages</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Publisher: Soho Press (March 6, 2018)</span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; padding: 10px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>Description</u>:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Set in an imagined town outside Tokyo, Clarissa Goenawan’s dark, spellbinding literary debut follows a young man’s path to self-discovery in the wake of his sister’s murder. </span></div>
<div class="p1" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; padding: 10px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Ren Ishida has nearly completed his graduate degree at Keio University when he receives news of his sister’s violent death. Keiko was stabbed one rainy night on her way home, and there are no leads. Ren heads to Akakawa to conclude his sister’s affairs, failing to understand why she chose to abandon the family and Tokyo for this desolate place years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But then Ren is offered Keiko’s newly vacant teaching position at a prestigious local cram school and her bizarre former arrangement of free lodging at a wealthy politician’s mansion in exchange for reading to the man’s ailing wife. He accepts both, abandoning Tokyo and his crumbling relationship there in order to better understand his sister’s life and what took place the night of her death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As Ren comes to know the eccentric local figures, from the enigmatic politician who’s boarding him to his fellow teachers and a rebellious, captivating young female student, he delves into his shared childhood with Keiko and what followed. Haunted in his dreams by a young girl who is desperately trying to tell him something, Ren realizes that Keiko Ishida kept many secrets, even from him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>My Thoughts:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The cover of The RainBirds is enchanting and eye-catching, and from the description appealed to me immensely. The dream sequences are hauntingly beautiful with just a touch of magical surreal creepiness and foreboding. Think of the Japanese horror films such as The Ring’ and you’ll get a sense of the mood. However outside of these genuinely atmospheric, slightly unnerving moments the book didn’t have much hold on me and at 19% I didn’t feel invested or compelled to read any further at this time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">These are only my thoughts and so please read what others have to say from the TLC Blog Tour below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A Bustle Most Anticipated Book of 2018</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“Luminous, sinister, and page-turning all at once. I loved it.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">—Kate Hamer, internationally bestselling author of The Girl in the Red Coat and The Doll Funeral</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“A beautiful mystery setup with a complex, magical love story.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">—Eka Kurniawan, award-winning author of Beauty Is a Wound and Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“A beautiful, well-crafted story, Rainbirds is an exploration of grief, love and loss. Clarissa Goenawan has written a powerful debut novel that will leave readers craving more.”—Hollie Overton, internationally bestselling author of Baby Doll and The Walls</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“Like the imaginary town in Japan in which it takes place, Rainbirds possesses a charm that is at once cloistered, quiet, and mysterious. Carefully crafted and paced, the novel captivates with its reflective, dreamlike tone. A promising debut from Clarissa Goenawan.”—Dee Lestari, award-winning singer-songwriter and author of the Supernova series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“Rainbirds is that rarest of debut novels—confident, transportive, and utterly enthralling. Clarissa Goenawan explores the mysteries of small-town Japan, drawing readers in with understated prose, then ensnaring with a subtle spell, exposing, grain by grain, the secrets behind a young woman’s death.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">—Barry Lancet, award-winning author of The Spy Across the Table and Japantown</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“A hauntingly moving story of loss and alienation.”—Jake Arnott, internationally bestselling author of The Long Firm and The House of Rumour </span></div>
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About Clarissa Goenawan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GhKS43CeG7DpiRYJD4zr7vxtWLu_jrLNzgNwNF9fJHJE1L5Y1K8zSHX7Tmaym-qfVvBXeDDRljVuk29cjEAL3rQgvYbgHKeiNiQq6ADneRZKig1W4jLKjXi7DenPtzCLUrw9D_Xn4ttA/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GhKS43CeG7DpiRYJD4zr7vxtWLu_jrLNzgNwNF9fJHJE1L5Y1K8zSHX7Tmaym-qfVvBXeDDRljVuk29cjEAL3rQgvYbgHKeiNiQq6ADneRZKig1W4jLKjXi7DenPtzCLUrw9D_Xn4ttA/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.4847993850708px;">Clarissa Goenawan is an Indonesian-born Singaporean writer. Her award-winning short fiction has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies in Singapore, Australia, the UK, and the US. </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.4847993850708px;">Rainbirds</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.4847993850708px;"> is her first novel.</span></span></h3>
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Connect with Clarissa</h3>
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<a href="http://www.clarissagoenawan.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/clarissagoenawan/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaireClaire05" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/clarissagoenawan/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Instagram</a></h3>
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Clarissa Goenawan’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:</h3>
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Monday, March 5th: <a href="http://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">SJ2B House of Books</a></div>
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Tuesday, March 6th: <a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Reading Reality</a></div>
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Wednesday, March 7th: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/readingbringsjoy/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">@readingbringsjoy</a></div>
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Thursday, March 8th: <a href="http://abookishwayoflife.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">A Bookish Way of Life</a></div>
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Friday, March 9th: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bookishconnoisseur/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">@bookishconnoisseur</a></div>
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Monday, March 12th: <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Broken Teepee</a></div>
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Tuesday, March 13th: <a href="http://thestephanieloves.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Books a la Mode</a></div>
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Wednesday, March 14th: <a href="https://spinatalereviews.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Spin a Tale Reviews</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/spinatale/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">@spinatale</a></div>
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Thursday, March 15th: <a href="https://bookchatter.net/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Book Chatter</a></div>
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Monday, March 19th: <a href="http://www.theliteraryllama.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">The Literary Llama</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theliteraryllama/?hl=en" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">@theliteraryllama</a></div>
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Tuesday, March 20th: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/athousandbookstoread/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">@athousandbookstoread</a></div>
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Wednesday, March 21st: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ladyofthelibrary/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">@ladyofthelibrary</a></div>
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Thursday, March 22nd: <a href="http://patriciaswisdom.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Patricia’s Wisdom</a></div>
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Monday, March 26th: <a href="https://writereadlife.wordpress.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Write Read Life</a></div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-24697254492119304762018-02-28T14:44:00.002+00:002018-02-28T14:44:19.416+00:00WHAT’S ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND - February 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Is it already the end of February 😲 Where has the time gone ?<br />
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Due to my reading addiction and need to pick up the next book immediately after setting down the one I’ve just finished, I’m getting into a real situation of reviews for books received from publishers being long overdue and it’s stressing me out! Well, I decided to read a couple I’d purchased in the belief that I wouldn’t feel review obligated and use the time to catch up. However, the last two, both in the noir’ish genre were so amazing that I just have to tell you about them. Hence, I’m still in a pickle with these late…very…now very very late reviews.<br />
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So here are my updates for this month's, Read, DNF'd (did not finish), Reading Now, and those seductive vixens tempting me to read them next.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZWbISprd0PmL6UIykdEE6W9dKMDxq6NeaX23kpUU-RCnK0JEN5TsYC-hcG2EylPKK6CbY9N5Du1ZnczcTOmBcu_nQ7k2_P-1GviiYHVTrXQMZW_X5VQuNYfq6WDpJTkgtxjgcKx30LmM/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZWbISprd0PmL6UIykdEE6W9dKMDxq6NeaX23kpUU-RCnK0JEN5TsYC-hcG2EylPKK6CbY9N5Du1ZnczcTOmBcu_nQ7k2_P-1GviiYHVTrXQMZW_X5VQuNYfq6WDpJTkgtxjgcKx30LmM/s320/3.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Read:</span></u></b><br />
<u>The Feed</u> by Nick Clark Windo <a href="https://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/teaser-tuesday-feed-by-nick-clark-windo.html" target="_blank"><b>(Teaser link)</b></a><br />
Thoroughly enjoyed this one and once past the 20% mark it was extremely difficult for me to leave it for any length of time. I continually ‘itched’ to get back to it. The world building is spectacular and once into the second half, the characters absolutely came to life. It’s a clever, stunning debut and I absolutely recommend it for fans of, Station Eleven and sci Fi novels of that ilk.<br />
I really am looking forward to this author’s next offering.<br />
My review…yup…is in progress...my fingers are crossed here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SRZ0hyphenhyphenHegUmdOAyfPomu_Nh-BVR0PPWVzpxiaKFrfjX14FKpkglehNLoBksEbtI8LlAbrP50TJVu64IMgP1Ry1iQi5eBudOBuId-15gHtKd1WOMOaVve0Vj-BMkb_4Pa2zjPm5PTwmV-/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1600" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SRZ0hyphenhyphenHegUmdOAyfPomu_Nh-BVR0PPWVzpxiaKFrfjX14FKpkglehNLoBksEbtI8LlAbrP50TJVu64IMgP1Ry1iQi5eBudOBuId-15gHtKd1WOMOaVve0Vj-BMkb_4Pa2zjPm5PTwmV-/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>In Wolves’ Clothing</u> by Greg Levin <a href="https://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/teaser-tuesday-in-wolves-clothing-by.html" target="_blank"><b>(Teaser link)</b></a><br />
Available from Amazon for £2.97 (kindle)<br />
Shockingly good…not for everyone as it touches on the horror of the child sex industry. An extremely difficult read in parts but the dark humour, contained throughout the writing style, and the protagonist’s character (clearly a coping mechanism) and his selfless sense of duty, carried this difficult storyline making it a tad more palatable.<br />
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A modern twist on the 1950’s noir private detective novel, using undercover agents infiltrating the sex trafficking scene to help rescue terrified young children abducted or sold into prostitution.<br />
Highly recommended. A slightly fuller review will follow.<br />
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<u>My Brothers Destroyer</u> by Clayton Lindemuth <a href="https://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/teaser-tuesday-my-brothers-destroyer.html" target="_blank"><b>(Teaser link)</b></a><br />
Available from Amazon for £3.99 (kindle)<br />
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Oh this one had me all over the place mentally, and babbling so much at one point in the book, but I’ll not go into that as I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone. Suffice to say that this is going to be a difficult, all too true to life read for anyone sensitive to the issues raised including animal cruelty and violence. Not sure what it says about me reading and enjoying such books, but I’m really a little pussycat and quite a nice person considering.<br />
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Anyways, back to it…I found it an highly emotive, visceral read about the wickedness and meanest attributes of human nature with men hellbent on retaliative action either for personal slights or power gains, escalating in action to the ultimate in violence to wipe out the competition or those who refuse to fall into line. This southern gothic, noir style story with brutality (extreme), juxtaposed with tenderness (incredibly tender in parts), comes wholeheartedly recommended by me. I’ve got three other books lined up by this author, he’s totally awesome.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">DNF'd:</span></b><br />
<u>Rainbirds</u> by Clarissa Goenawan (translated fiction)<br />
Gorgeous cover image, but characters and writing style lacks depth for me.<br />
Reading this for a book tour but just unable to get into it. Bad timing ? Maybe !<br />
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<u>Certain Dark Things</u> by Silvia Morena-Garcia (horror fiction)<br />
Going to give another try, but had 2 others toying with me, and I’m easily led.<br />
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<u>Girlish by Lara Lillibridge </u>(Memoir)<br />
Predicted publish date:<br />
Still mulling why I didn’t feel compelled to continue with it. May try again.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Reading Now</b>:</span><br />
12 Rules for Life by Jordon B Peterson (non fiction) (reading on and off)<br />
Trying to decide what to read, but those unwritten reviews are haunting me.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tempted by</span>: </b>(in order of temptation)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGV9jvjPl5QuaNEoLAQ27e4W9_LaVGOJ2EJDNShhLI_oHg2YTLVpsCDHDc3ggyXzfLqItEFDsgTYrW_6uIXDu66h0kcHtGsrNjv6m-SIdY6eSBnAV5u4BonWGscWkkK1wOov-4GQEH_TU/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGV9jvjPl5QuaNEoLAQ27e4W9_LaVGOJ2EJDNShhLI_oHg2YTLVpsCDHDc3ggyXzfLqItEFDsgTYrW_6uIXDu66h0kcHtGsrNjv6m-SIdY6eSBnAV5u4BonWGscWkkK1wOov-4GQEH_TU/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage (fiction)<br />
Moon Brow by Shahriar Mandanipour (translated fiction)<br />
The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon (translated fiction)<br />
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi<br />
Trumpocracy by David Frum (non fiction)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWoBPJf8SiPtvhKXOsLkN4FNFYCskP-j5vivCPbiW54IeFiyKsKCWolWleZI6G3dWMRNe4VQ8ZhpNWcDn3qe4iWGHCYFWSKKj4p10gl-9HkuQBje3KuK8fgX18-5xVMmBeAg5PKhS_kPe/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWoBPJf8SiPtvhKXOsLkN4FNFYCskP-j5vivCPbiW54IeFiyKsKCWolWleZI6G3dWMRNe4VQ8ZhpNWcDn3qe4iWGHCYFWSKKj4p10gl-9HkuQBje3KuK8fgX18-5xVMmBeAg5PKhS_kPe/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Until next time, happy reading !</b></div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-47289653202179245212018-02-19T21:45:00.000+00:002018-02-19T21:45:57.824+00:00TEASER TUESDAY: My Brother’s Destroyer: Literary Noir by Clayton Lindemuth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank">The Purple Booker</a></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is very easy to play along:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• <b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my teasers this month</span></b>:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“So I was the dumbass fessed every crush to every girl. I was the one told Deputy White we all knew he was gay as a jaybird. I was the one told my first boss his son was robbing him blind. It never settled in my head that no one else in the whole world sees red and feels electric like me, and most folks is happy with untruth, both telling and hearing.”</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Brother’s Destroyer: Literary Noir by Clayton Lindemuth</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Published by Hardgrave Enterprises (16th December 2013)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKwwumsJoT4UFP9cjfpITmC2Y9JoXStqJ_O09KTnSBenXVpb25EzxNOhWh7DjXr84jaJ6wT-Wqsi92GoI5Oq84_9lxP5rUn_-KbBC5P_XgxzD43wFZaR_cldErjU4ezeM0CIJqlFQ3x3J/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="376" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKwwumsJoT4UFP9cjfpITmC2Y9JoXStqJ_O09KTnSBenXVpb25EzxNOhWh7DjXr84jaJ6wT-Wqsi92GoI5Oq84_9lxP5rUn_-KbBC5P_XgxzD43wFZaR_cldErjU4ezeM0CIJqlFQ3x3J/s400/1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b></u>:<br />
Baer Creighton is a gifted distiller of fruited moonshine, cursed with the ability to detect even the subtlest deception. He lives in the woods next to his house and talks to his dog Fred... until Fred goes missing. A week later, harvesting apples in moonlight, Baer watches a string of headlights emerge from a distant wood. A single truck turns toward Baer, backs in, tosses Fred to the ditch.<br />
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts</span>:</b></u><br />
This is good, real good. I’ve had yet another great run on books with ‘My Brother’s Destroyer’ definitely being up there with the best of my grit-lit, mean southern gothic reads. It’s violent, raw and extremely visceral so not for sensitive souls. At 20% I’m already confident I’ll be rating it a 5* favourite.</div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-66585919411259724732018-02-13T22:01:00.000+00:002018-02-13T22:02:39.717+00:00TEASER TUESDAY: In Wolve’s Clothing by Greg Levin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://thepurplebooker.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Purple Booker</b></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PpQsF2hR1dU2pr-I_IdBCTpkrDB6K_YzSJ31JQOr3nyq-IW_VRUkmuBSIF8bt3XlfBQm-Z3kvKtEb_02gC53r0Zu0vjQUxZJ-RSCsnlMu8AMpSGOhuOkKd9jdZIZbp9drED6LzSYhX2U/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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It is very easy to play along:</div>
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• Grab your current read and open to a random page</div>
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• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</div>
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• <b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! </b></div>
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• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Here are my teasers this month:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“My suicide dream has been recurring with increased frequency of late. At least this time I awoke before the crowd shouted, “Do it!” I take it as a sign it’s going to be a good day.”</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Wolves’ Clothing by Greg Levin</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Published by White Rock Press (11 Oct. 2017)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2l_XUDTAMcmf-aWt1UCXbUWII8LZrIz_ME3J3EPy1olu6CBfNYP-m8dvQmjteMasu1Fj-yN2l4fy5ly-FBPScdOMz3uM9ncaJTVvM-_vOSwZSqLJ1Hm8xE7Y1Culbp9DE5A_iy3xtVVS/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2l_XUDTAMcmf-aWt1UCXbUWII8LZrIz_ME3J3EPy1olu6CBfNYP-m8dvQmjteMasu1Fj-yN2l4fy5ly-FBPScdOMz3uM9ncaJTVvM-_vOSwZSqLJ1Hm8xE7Y1Culbp9DE5A_iy3xtVVS/s320/1.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Synopsis</b></span></u>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On his best days, Zero Slade is the worst man you can imagine. He has to be. It's the only way to save the Lost Girls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During his seven years on a team fighting sex trafficking, Zero's become quite good at schmoozing with pimps, getting handcuffed by cops and pretending not to care about the young girls he liberates. But the dangerous sting operations are starting to take a toll on his marriage and sanity. His affinity for prescription painkillers isn't exactly helping matters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the youngest girl the team has ever rescued gets abducted from a safe house in Cambodia, Zero decides to risk everything to find her. His only shot is to go rogue, and sink deeper into the bowels of the trafficking world than he's ever sunk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's the biggest mission of his life. Trouble is, it's almost certain death.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Thoughts</b></span></u>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zero Slade works undercover to rescue children who have been trafficked into the sex trade. Yup a real tough, unsavoury topic for a novel and not a read for everyone especially those averse to graphic scenes of violence or child abuse of any nature. What makes this such a compelling and surprisingly palatable read is Levin’s dark noir detective style of writing, and his characterisation of Slade being an extremely flawed individual with a cynical point-of-view, and wickedly comic internal dialogue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have already lined up another of Greg Levin’s novels ‘Sick To Death’ to read on the strength of what I’ve read so far.</span></div>
Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-38902809552655771142018-02-12T20:09:00.001+00:002018-02-12T20:31:48.476+00:00My Sweet Orange Tree by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEWgDacBZNNOgP6bchXbdE1EBzok6GAFU8RmGBAbrjOV1Hv8bPcFNSHALHPEuyU3cvJr3FDrj7Vgzo1Vv9UpIPHqVN7PczmL0CTW_0L-tmz-KeTsJeIm4NfWtRzyzY0RVslOekPlZB1Zy/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEWgDacBZNNOgP6bchXbdE1EBzok6GAFU8RmGBAbrjOV1Hv8bPcFNSHALHPEuyU3cvJr3FDrj7Vgzo1Vv9UpIPHqVN7PczmL0CTW_0L-tmz-KeTsJeIm4NfWtRzyzY0RVslOekPlZB1Zy/s400/1.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Title: My Sweet Orange Tree by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Published by Pushkin Press (with new English translation - Jan 2018)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre: Older Children, Autobiographical Fiction, Literature-in-Translation</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: Publisher provided physical reading copy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating:</b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgDfgue27m6DnGPGpxONpD5qfL9JGc5_4LNeGbYjD4dAJ8jtTyZ6O3QwjvBihlWWtNn0eFFtwjYVSJ7h9aaw7UcKsnBd4HzaTE4XG9CVO_Ch2iQ98xgbAOtJ58OpfJo80Pr66ecACERs2/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="30" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgDfgue27m6DnGPGpxONpD5qfL9JGc5_4LNeGbYjD4dAJ8jtTyZ6O3QwjvBihlWWtNn0eFFtwjYVSJ7h9aaw7UcKsnBd4HzaTE4XG9CVO_Ch2iQ98xgbAOtJ58OpfJo80Pr66ecACERs2/s1600/5.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Disclaimer</u>: A hardback reading copy was supplied by the publisher for an honest review. A special thanks goes to Mollie at Pushkin Press for this gorgeous book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Description</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meet Zeze - Brazil’s nautiest and most loveable boy, his talent for mischief matched only by his great kindness. when he grows up he wants to be a ‘poet with a bow-tie’ but for now he entertains himself playing pranks on the resisidents of his family’s poor Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood and inventing friends to play with. That is, until he meets a real friend, and his life begins to change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>My Thoughts</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magical, sweet, enchanting and heartbreakingly sad...</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zeze will stay with me for some time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted this reading experience to just go on and on, but alas it sadly did not. However, this endearing tale will stay in my memory for a very long time. Little Zeze narrates with innocence and an endearing childlike perspective about life living in the poorest of conditions in Rio De Jenero during the 1930’s. He is a bright, intelligent, intensely thoughtful, devilishly mischievous five year old who often finds himself in trouble for playing pranks on the villagers. Zeze is beaten as punishment for his ‘naughtiness’ so severely at times that my eyes welled-up, and my heart broke reading about the cruelty and physical abuse this little boy suffered at the hands of his frustrated parents and siblings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Caring and nurturing come from unexpected sources; firstly in the form of ‘Pinkie’ the titular ‘sweet orange tree’ that Zeze sits under and talks to about his day; and from a friendship struck with one of the villagers. It is as a result of this relationship that Zeze comes to believe that he isn’t what the the villagers and family say he is, but that he is just a little boy in search of attention and affection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With distressing scenes as well as tender and funny moments, a book that can move this reader to laugh, cry and laugh again is a very rare thing. So despite the tears this was ultimately, a uniquely uplifting story for me, and one I’ll certainly be reading again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Originally published in 1968, intended as an older children’s book, I think that possibly due to its autobiographical content it will have poignancy, and appeal to adult readers too. Thanks to one of my favourite Brit-based publishers for translated literature, ‘My Sweet Orange Tree’ is available once again in English with a new translation and is wholeheartedly recommended as a ‘must read’. I’m sure it will become a favourite with many readers just as it did for me...I simply adored it.</span></div>
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Sj2b House of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07065336353947038145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007123441124574159.post-61456302242347353832018-02-11T22:20:00.000+00:002018-02-11T22:20:47.565+00:00TLC BOOK TOURS REVIEW OF The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White</span></b></div>
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<b style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (16th January, 2018)</span></b></div>
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<b style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pages: 384</span></b></div>
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<b style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Source: digital copy provided by Publisher/TLC Book Tours</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metal artist Katie Mack is living a lie. Nine years ago she ran away from her family in Raleigh, North Carolina, consumed by the irrational fear that she would harm Maisie, her newborn daughter. Over time she’s come to grips with the mental illness that nearly destroyed her, and now funnels her pain into her art. Despite longing for Maisie, Katie honors an agreement with the husband she left behind—to change her name and never return.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But when she and Maisie accidentally reunite, Katie can’t ignore the familiarity of her child’s compulsive behaviour. Worse, Maisie worries obsessively about bad things happening to her pregnant stepmom. Katie has the power to help, but can she reconnect with the family she abandoned?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To protect Maisie, Katie must face the fears that drove her from home, accept the possibility of love, and risk exposing her heart-wrenching secret.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>My Thoughts</u>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I was unable to finish reading this one due to work and personal commitments. Therefore, I feel unable to comment apart from to say that the short amount I managed to read was an extremely well written and thoroughly engaging story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more qualified and informative reviews please check out what other readers on the TLC Book Tour had to say about <b><i>The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White</i></b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a digital copy to enable me to take part in this tour and to apologise for not being able to fully participate on this occasion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">About Barbara Claypole White</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaoMwehViiONFMt0ffY7VKekz68N_6tmThg0P2I3MzZ4xZ0c1TgUmStXgiYO5kBWwIL6C4Lt6RZNf-aoJZyBiFiy5GK0lMg4StjRthU-PWq1abCD4tEf35R_GaBy-Gqi3KEOjXn8HI5qt/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaoMwehViiONFMt0ffY7VKekz68N_6tmThg0P2I3MzZ4xZ0c1TgUmStXgiYO5kBWwIL6C4Lt6RZNf-aoJZyBiFiy5GK0lMg4StjRthU-PWq1abCD4tEf35R_GaBy-Gqi3KEOjXn8HI5qt/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bestselling author Barbara Claypole White creates hopeful family drama with a healthy dose of mental illness. Originally from England, she writes and gardens in the forests of North Carolina where she lives with her beloved OCD family. Her novels include<em> The Unfinished Garden, The In-Between Hour, The Perfect Son, </em>and<em> Echoes of Family. </em><em>The Promise Between Us</em>, a story of redemption, sacrifice, and OCD, has a publication date of January 16<sup>th</sup>, 2018. She is also an OCD Advocate for the A2A Alliance, a nonprofit group that promotes advocacy over adversity. To connect with Barbara, please visit <a href="http://www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com</a>, or follow her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraClaypoleWhite/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a>. She’s always on Facebook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tour Stops</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tuesday, January 16th: <a href="https://doingdeweydecimal.com/2018/01/16/tlcbooktours-review-the-promise-between-us/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Doing Dewey</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday, January 18th: <a href="http://booksandbindings.com/2018/01/18/book-review-the-promise-between-us-by-barbara-claypole-white/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Books and Bindings</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday, January 19th: <a href="https://readaholiczone.blogspot.com/2018/01/angies-review-of-promise-between-us-by.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Readaholic Zone</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monday, January 22nd: <a href="http://www.krittersramblings.com/2018/01/review-promise-between-us-by-barbara.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Kritters Ramblings</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday, January 25th: <a href="http://www.leahdecesare.com/book-reviews/book-review-promise-us-barbara-claypole-white/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Leah DeCesare</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday, January 26th: <a href="https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/reviews/2018/1/26/review-the-promise-between-us-by-barbara-claypole-white" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">What Is That Book About</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monday, January 29th: <a href="http://www.justonemorechapter.com/2018/01/review-promise-between-us-by-barbara.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Just One More Chapter</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tuesday, January 30th: <a href="http://pagebypagebookbybook.blogspot.com/2018/01/family-drama-ocd-promise-between-us-by.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Book by Book</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wednesday, February 7th: <a href="http://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">A Chick Who Reads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday, February 8th: <a href="https://novelgossip.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Novel Gossip</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday, February 9th: <a href="http://www.writeoncindy.wordpress.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Thoughts On This ‘n That</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monday, February 12th: <a href="http://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.co.uk/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">SJ2B House Of Books</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monday, February 19th: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/writersdream" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Instagram: @writersdream</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday, February 22nd: <a href="https://thegeekybibliophile.wordpress.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">The Geeky Bibliophile</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday, February 23rd: <a href="http://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wednesday, February 28th: <a href="https://comfyreading.wordpress.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Comfy Reading</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">TBD: <a href="http://winingwife.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Wining Wife</a></span></div>
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