I love historical novels both fiction and nonfiction, though
I rarely have a chance to read nonfiction. It took me a long time to want to
read nonfiction after years of forced reading in school. Therefore, I can
honestly say that I am not a scholar and read now entirely for enjoyment and I
enjoyed reading Three Days at the Brink, by Bret Baier. It was a thoughtful,
through and in-depth look at FDR.
Going in I thought this book would be mainly about the Tehran
Conference, it was that and so much more. The first of the book covers FDR’s childhood,
his rise through the political ranks and to the presidency. The remainder of
the book focuses on his presidency through WWII. There was a lot of focus on
how he “charmed” both Churchill and Stalin.
Though FDR was not perfect, he was an outstanding statesman.
He was the right person at the right time and he was instrumental in the
success of the Tehran Conference. I thought Mr. Baier made an honest attempt to
present FDR as factual as possible and it made for a fascinating story.
A well written and researched book than any history buff
would love to own, and it would make an excellent addition to any collector’s
WWII archive.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an
honest review.
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, by Kate Racculia, is, in many ways, an ode to Edgar Allan Poe. In fact, the entire book abounds with Poeness. It is chalked full of literary references to all things ghoulish, spooky and other cultural references to the supernatural. All of which I found delightfully entertaining.
When eccentric billionaire Vincent Pryce dies, he sets in
motion a treasure hunt, as part of his legacy, that anyone can play. He was
obsessed with the strange and bizarre so it is no surprise that his clues are
Poe inspired. This suits Tuesday Mooney just fine. All her life she too has
been interested in witches and the supernatural and she just happens to be very
good as solving puzzles.
She and her friend Poindexter, aka Dex, play Mr. Pryce’s
game and are quickly joined by her neighbor’s daughter Dorry, whom she tutors,
and Nathanial Arches a rich playboy. They all are playing for their own reasons
and nothing is as it seems even the game… especially the game. With so much
hidden under the surface anything could happen and it does. When the many
layers are pulled back and the truth is revealed it is shocking and brilliant.
The story is steeped in the supernatural, yet at the heart
it is about relationships, love and loss. Like the treasure hunt, the author uses
the many layers of the story to explore the connections of family and
friendship and how love and loss affect them. It was exceptionally well done
and the action of the plot made what could have been mundane and boring, exciting
and thrilling.
As good at the plot was, it is the quirky characters I loved
the most. Tuesday who always dresses in black and speaks, in her head, to her
dead friend’s ghost. Dex, the drag queen, who just wants to be accepted for the
“real” Dex. Then there is Dorry who is still dealing with the death of her
Mother and Nathanial who has so many secrets and guilt you wonder how he can
carry that weight. The hunt brings them all together physically, but it is the
unseen, the emotional connection that is what truly shines here. It is subtle,
sublime and so well done!
It is a given that readers who are interested in the supernatural will definitely want to read this book. Because of the relationships and themes explored, I think this book will appeal to a much wider audience. So, if the supernatural is not your thing, don’t let the word ghosts in the title deter you from reading this little gem. You will miss out on a truly amazing story.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This novella, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, is in the vain of Octavia Butler. It is a quick read and the action pulls the story along rather swiftly. The prose was really good. The basis of the plot was not new but that was OK because the execution was good.
The only thing I longed for was a little bit more character
development. I felt there was so much to Binti we did not understand. For
example, why she felt she must leave her family and all she has known for an
unknown future at Uni. I hope the next books will fill in the gaps for me.
This is one for fans of YA Sci-Fi . In addition, if you are a fan of Butler then you most likely enjoy this story. However, this is not a heavy on the Science book. Therefore, hardcore fans of the genre may not find this one to their liking.
Book Blurb:
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.
Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti’s stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.
If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself – but first she has to make it there, alive.
Everybody who reads your work is liable to respond differently. Even in a group of smart, knowledgeable writers or editors, you might get responses ranging from abject boredom to wild acclaim.
The graduate school I attended is famous, so good writers apply. I went there expecting that most every participant in the workshops would give me wise insights. Most of them didn’t.
But I didn’t need the comments of fifteen people. From the critiques of two or three with whom I felt some accord, I learned plenty.
Everybody brings his background to his reading. When a reader appreciates my work, I know it could mean he relates for his own reasons. Say we both were raised by our grandmothers. Or she may dismiss my story in reaction to something personal, such as a hurt she suffered or a bias with which she has armed herself. A person who grew up with alcoholic parents may bond with a story about a boozer or recoil from it.
The odds of an agent or editor accepting a book she reads over coffee in the morning may be higher than the odds of her buying one she reads in moments snatched between phone calls.
Suppose several readers point to the same problem. Odds are good your story has failed to communicate the way you’d like it to. But that doesn’t mean the readers’ suggestions for fixing the problem are correct. They’re worth considering, but not necessarily the best way to solve the problem.
When critiquing an early draft of a novel by Kevin McIlvoy, I noted that a certain section dragged along, earning more yawns than the rest of the story. I suggested cutting some details to speed it up. Kevin later told me he’d solved the problem by adding to the section, using more details that made it more gripping.
Your task is to listen to critiques with your mind open, then ponder each comment as much as it deserves, all before you decide whether to revise. And if you decide to revise, consider suggestions, but also look for alternative ways. Suggestions can come from other people, but revisions have to come from you.
Author Ken Kuhlken
About Ken
Some of Ken’s favorites are early mornings, the desert in spring, kind and honest people, baseball and other sports played by those who don’t take themselves too seriously, most kids, and films he and his Zoe can enjoy together.
He reads classic novels, philosophy, theology, and all sorts of mysteries. On his blog, he offers some hard truths and encouragement about living as a writer.
He has long been the author of novels, stories, articles, poems, and essays. Lots of honors have come his way, including a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship; Poets, Essayists and Novelist’s Ernest Hemingway Award; Private Eye Writers of America Best First Novel and Shamus Best Novel; and several San Diego and Los Angeles Book Awards.
I was in the mood for a fun, light read and that is exactly what I got with The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan. The story is uplifting and warm, that centers around the meaning of family with a dash of romance and a little mystery thrown in. It made for a lovely reading experience, total escapism.
Zoe is a young mother living in a tiny flat in London with
her son Hari. Hari’s father is mostly absent from their lives and provides no
financial support. She is barely getting by and is one disaster away from being
homeless.
Despite her circumstances, Zoe is determined to provide the
best she can for Hari. Therefore, when she sees an ad for a nanny to three
children in Scotland she jumps at the chance. Her hope is this will provide a more
stable home life for Hari. In addition to the job as nanny, she also takes a
day job running a mobile bookshop for a mother-to-be who is confined to bed
rest until her baby is born.
She quickly finds that both jobs are more than she bargained
for. The book van’s patrons are reluctant to buy from someone other than Nina
the van’s owner. This forces Zoe to get creative in order to keep the business
afloat. The 3 children she is nanny to had been described as “gifted” when “troubled”
would have been a much better word to use. How will she make all of this work?
I adored the quirky characters. It seemed that even the
minor characters had something unusual, or flawed, about them that endeared
them to me. Either as in the case of Zoe, her intelligence that I felt hindered
her common sense sometimes and, at times, left her unsure of herself, to Nina’s
obsessiveness. I admired Zoe’s resilience and that she was unflappable. She had
to be in order to tackle all the challenges she faced. I do wish I had
understood Ramsey a little better. I know this book was not his story, yet I
could not help wanting to know just a little more about him.
The plot was not the strongest I have read, but there was
enough tension to keep me reading. I found myself wanting to know how Zoe was to
going to handle Ramsey’s brood of hellions. I almost excepted them to play
nasty tricks on Zoe, like put a snake in her bed. Some of what they did I
thought was rather mild. The pacing of the plot was good and there was one revelation
at the end I was not expecting that gave a little spice to the story.
Overall this is a solid feel good story and I recommend this
lovely gem to readers of all kinds, especially those who like books that fall
into the Women’s Fiction genre and Romance. Also, if you are looking for a
beach read this book would be a perfect choice.
I received a free copy from the publisher, via Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program, in exchange for my honest review.
The Bowes Inheritance, by Pam Lecky, has all the elements of a great book: compelling characters, a riveting plot, subplots that twist and turn, romance, intrigue, heartache and surprises. Set in Dublin and England in the late 1800’s, the story revolves around two impoverished sisters who inherit an estate in England – and all the unexpected drama that comes with it – from an uncle they never knew existed. I loved the book and so will you.
Book Blurb:
Dublin 1882: When determined but impoverished Louisa Campbell inherits a large estate in the north of England, from an uncle she didn’t even know existed, it appears to be the answer to her prayers. Her younger sister, Eleanor, is gravely ill, and believing that the country air will benefit her, they decide to take up residence at Bowes Farm, situated on the Cumberland coast.
However, they soon realise that all they have inherited is trouble. Their uncle had managed to alienate almost everyone in the area and worst of all, was suspected of being a Fenian activist. His reputation leaves Louisa and Eleanor battling to gain acceptance in polite society, especially with Nicholas Maxwell, their handsome neighbour and local magistrate. His father was cheated out of the farm during a card game fifteen years before and he is determined to get the property back.
Louisa unearths secrets from their family’s past that threaten their future while the spectre of their mysterious benefactor overshadows everything. When a Fenian bombing campaign comes close to home, Louisa finds herself a chief suspect and must fight to clear her name. She must dig deep to find the courage to solve the mysteries that Bowes Farm holds before their lives are destroyed. And most importantly of all, will she be able to finally trust and love the man who is surely her sworn enemy?
John Anthony Miller
John Anthony Miller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a father of English ancestry and a second-generation Italian mother. Motivated by a life-long love of travel and history, he normally sets his novels in exotic locations during eras of global conflict. Characters must cope and combat, overcoming their own weaknesses as well as the external influences spawned by tumultuous times. He’s the author of the historical thrillers, To Parts Unknown, In Satan’s Shadow, When Darkness Comes, and All the King’s Soldiers, as well as the historical mystery, Honour the Dead. He lives in southern New Jersey with his family.
You know it is going to be good if Philippa Gregory wrote it and she did not disappoint me with her latest book Tidelands, the first book in the Fairmile series. She always brings a well appreciated level of intimacy to her characters that I adore.
The main character, Alinor, is a young mother of two living
on the southern coast of England in a place that is remote and backwards. Her
abusive husband has been missing for a year now. This is fine by her except in
those days a women without a husband was looked upon with suspension. Couple
this with her ability as a midwife and herbalist and she runs the risks of
being called a witch.
It seems that an encounter with a young Catholic priest, who
is a Royalist, whom she hides and assists in reaching the local Lord’s estate,
has changed her outlook for the better. The Lord, in his gratitude for her
assistance and for her silence, has given her son a position as companion to his
son. He will receive a stipend and be educated along with the Lord’s son. The
money will allow Alinor to purchase a boat she desperately needs and be the
beginnings of a dowry for her daughter.
Alinor can’t keep thinking about this young priest and him
about her. As you can expect, this leads to dangerous things and this is not
the time to be someone like Alinor and doing dangerous things. There are those
who are jealous of her good fortune and her natural beauty; therefore, it is
not long before this good fortune turns against her.
My favorite thing about this book, well any book by Ms.
Gregory, are the characters. Not only does she present the reader with a
character(s) that we can connect and empathize with, she makes them appropriate
to the place and time period. This
brings an extra layer of depth that few authors achieve and Alinor is no
exception to this. She is strong and resourceful, yet there is something
fragile about her. She has been ground down by the burdens upon her and you
fear it will not take much to push her beyond recovery.
I kept reminding myself that during this time it was the
fate of women to be dependent upon men for almost everything. I find this a peculiar
position for Alinor to be in, given that women, in lots of cases, had to be
stronger than the men they were dependent upon. Alinor, and ultimately, her
daughter too reflect this.
I liked the plot. I can’t say it was the strongest Ms.
Gregory has ever written, but it was solid. I did find the middle section a
little slow. Ultimately I had a feeling something was going to happen so I
continued on and was rewarded with an intriguing twist at the end I was not
expecting. In addition, there is a fairly large cliffhanger at the end. It made
me wish for more closure before we move on to the next chapter in Alinor’s
life.
As a whole I found this an enjoyable story and I am looking
forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book to fans of
historical fiction. Especially those you love strong female characters and are
fans of the author’s other books.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I picked up this interactive comic book at BookExpo this year. Comics are not normally my thing but this one looked intriguing. Glad that I did! It was fun, imaginative and I enjoyed playing through it (which I did several times with different outcomes).
It is a fantasy quest set in 19th century Paris. You
are tasked with finding 30 power crystals and are instructed to bring them to
the Eiffel Tower in order to complete it and make the city safe. You choose
what character you wish to be and start your quest by choosing a numbered door.
Then you find the corresponding number within the comic panels and follow the
instructions.
Simple enough, but it does take a little time to get up to speed on how to play. I liked that you could make your own choices and are not stuck with just one outcome. I tried not writing everything down at first. Big mistake! I could not keep straight what tools I had acquired or how many crystals I had unless I kept a tally. At the beginning is a few pages for the reader/player to use in tracking all the “stuff”.
The illustrations were fabulous and done much better than
your normal comic. The pages were glossy and extra thick to allow for the abuse
the comic will get over its lifetime as kids play and replay the quest. I was
not fond of the idea of using a crayon as a spinner for the wheel found in the
back that you cut out. As suggested, I opted for using dice and found this more
to my liking.
The major negative is the flipping, flipping and flipping of pages as you are constantly being directed to a new panel. Once I got used to it the quest played smoothly. It just took me a little bit to adjust to the non-comic book format of going to the next panel in order.
I received a free copy in exchange for honest review.
This was billed as an epic tale, a Chinese LOTR, and I was excited to get an opportunity to read it. My excitement quickly turned to disappointment. Not only was it nothing like LOTR but the prose was awkward at best. I fear that a lot of its luster was lost in the translation process. Despite three separate attempts, this is a DNF for me at 27% complete.
The other main flaw for me was the lack of character development. There is plenty of action which was the best part of the story. However, the action scenes where not written well enough to overcome the flaws. I never was invested in this story and it become more and more laborious the further along I read.
I received a free copy form the publisher in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my blog at www.thespineview.com.
Normally I would write a short synapsis. Since I did not finish, I am leaving you with the blurb for the book below.
The Song Empire has been invaded by its warlike Jurchen neighbours from the north. Half its territory and its historic capital lie in enemy hands; the peasants toil under the burden of the annual tribute demanded by the victors. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppe, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a warlord whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan.
Guo Jing, son of a murdered Song patriot, grew up with Genghis Khan’s army. He is humble, loyal, perhaps not altogether wise, and is fated from birth to one day confront an opponent who is the opposite of him in every way: privileged, cunning and flawlessly trained in the martial arts.
Guided by his faithful shifus, The Seven Heroes of the South, Guo Jing must return to China – to the Garden of the Drunken Immortals in Jiaxing – to fulfil his destiny. But in a divided land riven by war and betrayal, his courage and his loyalties will be tested at every turn.
Contagion by Teri Terry is a dystopian YA Sci-Fi story set in the near future. The story totally took me by surprise. I loved every minute of it. A deadly virus grown in a lab that escapes, people who have special abilities after being infected, a ghost set on revenge, it all worked so well.
The story begins in an underground research facility in
Shetland, UK. Where a group of researchers are working on a cure for cancer.
Callie, subject 369X, is being “cured” which results in her death. Instead of
moving on to the afterlife she becomes a ghost. Shortly after her death an
explosion occurs in the underground facility and the facility is destroyed in
the fire that follows. This allows a deadly virus, later named the Aberdeen
Flu, to be released.
Meanwhile, Shay, a typical teen except for her photograph
memory, has her eye caught by a flyer of a missing girl. Turns out she saw the
girl on the day she went missing. Shay calls the number on the flyer and later
meets Kai the missing girl’s older brother. This missing girl in none other
than Callie. Unfortunately, Shay is not able to provide must assistance to Kai
since she only saw Callie briefly. However, they do form a bond.
By now the virus is wreaking havoc all over Scotland. Ever
containment line the government sets seems useless and the virus is spreading
like wildfire. This “flu” is so deadly it kills 95% of those infected within 24
hours. There are a lucky few who are immune. Those that do survive are changed
and either kill themselves or are hunted down by the government.
While Kai is one of the lucky immune, Shay is infected and becomes
a survivor. Shortly after her recovery Shay discovers that she can talk to the dead,
including Callie. Together the three set out to discover what really happened
in Shetland.
Fantastic story! Usually the characters are my favorite part
of a story. Not so this time, I was pulled into the story from the start. I
especially liked that it was not far-fetched and I feel something like this is plausible.
The execution of the plot was spot on, fast paced but not rushed so there was a
slow buildup of tension as the story progressed. There were a couple of twists
to the plot I was not expecting and some hints about what is to come… I think.
Then there is the cliff hanger, of course.
The characters are good too. There was a fair amount of
character development which never fails to surprise me in an action novel. I
crave a story that lets me understand and connect to the characters. Each of
the three main characters has a distinct voice and yet the story is told
through the eyes of the female characters only. It was an interesting way of
seeing things. The author did a good job of connecting it all together so it
flowed seamlessly. The only negative, I have to wait to read the next book!
I highly recommend this book to fans of near future Sci-Fi
and YA Sci-Fi stories. There are a few scenes that maybe disturbing to the
younger readers. Nothing overly graphic but the story does contain mild
violence and the subject matter some may find unsettling.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
