Finally an Update!

Thursday 20 December, 2012 by 8 Comments

As Christmas rapidly approaches it suddenly dawned on me that I have neither read nor listened to a book in at least 8 weeks. This may not seem too strange, except I typically read at least one book a day. Life took quite an extremely abrupt turn, which is affecting my entire household and even my beloved reading was placed so far on the backburner that I gave it no thought beyond always making certain I had a book in my “go bag”. Beyond that, I have read nothing. While our family is struggling with a very serious and unexpected illness (not mine), we are still all very affected and I am trying to keep things as “normal” as possible for my twins who will be graduating this year and my college age son, who blessedly is now home for Christmas break. The halls are decked (thanks to my SIL who came out for a week and was kind enough to try and help us get into the Christmas mood), the presents are few (there may be a few books in the mix as gifts), but from the heart and under the tree, and Christmas dinner has been planned. I have hope the New Year will be so much better for my family and I look forward to the time when I am able to focus and read again. However, for now, family comes first and foremost. The following books are currently lying about my house begging to be read.

CityofWomenTitle: City of Women
Author: David R. Gillham
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Hardcover: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-0399157769
Genre: Literature, Hist0rical Fiction

 

InvisibleMurderTitle: Invisible Murder
Author: Lene Kaaberbøl
Publisher: Soho Crime; Reprint edition
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Paperback: 339 pages
ISBN: 978-1616951702
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

 

15840027Title: House of Evidence
Author: Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson
Publisher: AmazonCrossing; Reprint edition
Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Paperback: 224 pages
ISBN:
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

 

15815356Title: Above All Things
Author: Tanis Rideout
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Hardcover: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-0399160585
Genre: Fiction, Literature

 

Happy Reading!


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What Am I Reading?

Tuesday 21 August, 2012 by 2 Comments

It has been awhile since I posted and it dawned on me that I have been rather silent abut the books I have been reading.  This is just a sampling of books from various genres that I am currently reading.  My reviews will be out shortly.   An added bonus, the last book, while not new this year, is exceptional and I wanted to share  this find with others.

Title: Buddhaland Brooklyn
Author: Richard C. Morais
Publisher: Scribner
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN: 978-1451669220
Genre: Fiction

 

Title: Let the Devil Sleep
Author: John Verdon
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: July 24, 2012
Hardcover: 464 pages
ISBN: 978-0307717924
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

 

 

Title: Widow’s Might
Author: Sandra Brannan
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1608323722
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

 

 

Title: The Twelve Rooms of the Nile
Author: Enid Shomer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: August 21, 2012
Hardcover: 464 pages
ISBN: 978-1451642964
Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 Finally, as promised above, my bonus find of the summer!

Title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Author: Rebecca Skloot
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: February 2, 2010
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN: 978-1400052172
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

 

Happy Reading!

 


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Book Review: Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins

Wednesday 25 July, 2012 by 3 Comments

Title: Battleborn
Author: Claire Vaye Watkins
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publication Date: August 2, 2012
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1594488252
Genre: Literary Short Stories

My Review:

Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins is a gritty portrayal of life in the American West through a series of ten short stories, all set in and about Nevada, in what is her literary debut. Through this common thread, each story takes readers into the time, which goes back to the gold rush and through to the present. Watkins has crafted an impressive collection of stories, which illustrate to the reader the challenges, triumphs, and losses experienced by those in the west at various points throughout time. Battleborn is not a feel good read, but rather it is an honest, realistic look at the experience of living out west from multiple time perspectives. Watkins does an excellent job in making each story as unique as its predecessor, avoiding the tendency to make a mold or template and simply repeat the motif ten-fold. I found each subsequent story to be all the more engaging because of this and can easily recommend Battleborn to fans of historical fiction as well as short stories.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Battleborn through LibraryThing Early Reviewer programme, for review.

 


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Book Review: Claim of Innocence by Laura Caldwell

Monday 5 September, 2011 by 2 Comments

Title: Claim of Innocence
Author: Laura Caldwell
Publisher: Mira
Publication Date: August 23, 2011
Paperback: 448 pages
ISBN: 978-0778329329
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Book Synopsis:

It was a crime of passion—or so the police say. Valerie Solara has been charged with poisoning her best friend. The prosecution claims she’s always been secretly attracted to Amanda’s husband…and with Amanda gone, she planned to make her move.

Attorney Izzy McNeil left the legal world a year ago, but a friend’s request pulls her into the murder trial. Izzy knows how passion can turn your life upside down. She thought she had it once with her ex-fiancé, Sam. Now she wonders if that’s all she has in common with her criminally gorgeous younger boyfriend, Theo.

It’s Izzy’s job to present the facts that will exonerate her client—whether or not she’s innocent. But when she suspects Valerie is hiding something, she begins investigating—and uncovers a web of secret passions and dark motives, where seemingly innocent relationships can prove poisonous….

My Review:

Claim of Innocence by Laura Caldwell is a fast-paced legal thriller about a woman accused of murdering her best friend, and about her defense attorney, Izzy McNeil, who is trying her first criminal case after a leave from her exclusively civil litigations.  Readers are introduced to Valerie Solara, who has been accused of poisoning her best friend, Amanda, whose husband Valerie has been longing for. Mixed in with Izzy’s own personal romantic urges, the interpersonal issues makes for a complicated plot that at times loses focus on the legal case at hand.  As readers follow the case for the defense of Valerie, they will find that not is all as it seemed at first to Izzy, and as she builds her case for her client, the suspense is turned up several notches and suspense fans will delight in the discoveries that await Izzy.  One of my personal dislikes of this novel was the romance, which I found to be a distraction from what would otherwise be a taut mystery thriller.  Being part of the Izzy McNeil series, which I have not read, may be part of the reason for my opinions, for I felt at times that knowing a little more about Izzy, especially when allusions to other works were made, would have helped.  With that said, I would recommend Claim of Innocence to those who enjoy a good legal thriller with romance thrown in for good measure.

To learn more about author Laura Caldwell, please visit her website: www.lauracaldwell.com

I received a complimentary copy of Claim of Innocence by Laura Caldwell from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. to offer my honest review of the book.  Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.


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Book Review: Calling Mr. King by Ronald De Feo

Friday 2 September, 2011 by 2 Comments

Title: Calling Mr. King
Author: Ronald De Feo
Publisher: Other Press
Publication Date: August 30, 2011
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1590514757
Genre: Fiction, Thriller


From the Publisher:

Long considered cool, distant, and absolutely reliable, an American-born hit man, working throughout Europe, grows increasingly distracted and begins to develop an unexpected passion for architecture and art while engaged in his deadly profession. Although he welcomes this energizing break from his routine, he comes to realize that it is an unwise trajectory for a man in his business, particularly when he is sent on the most difficult job of his career.
Set in London, Paris, New York, and Barcelona, Calling Mr. King is at once a colorful suspense tale, laced with dark humor, and a psychological self-portrait of a character who is attempting, against the odds, to become someone else.

My Review:

Calling Mr. King by Ronald De Feo is an absolutely unique debut novel about Mr. King, a killer-for-hire who suffers an identity crisis while on “leave” from his job. Told in first person, readers do not get a descriptive introduction to Mr. King, but instead De Feo slowly leaks information throughout the novel, making for a quite intriguing mode of storytelling.  It is hard for me to fully articulate my feelings on this work, but I can say it was highly entertaining with a great combination of De Feo’s wit with a suspenseful plot.  Though the parallels are not all there, Mr. King reminded me a bit of Walter Mitty as he longed for a rebirth into an art or architecture career. De Feo’s writing, defying the typical mold of the suspense genre, really makes Calling Mr. King an enjoyable read for I found myself as captivated by his writing as I was by the unfolding plot.  Though unusual for the protagonist to be the bad guy, it just seemed to work with De Feo’s dark humor.  I highly recommend Calling Mr. King  to suspense fans and I look forward to what Mr. De Feo has to offer next.

About the Author:

Ronald De Feo has written reviews for The New York Times Book Review, The Nation, The New Republic, National Review, and Commonweal. His short fiction has appeared in such literary magazines as The Brooklyn Rail, The Hudson Review, and The Massachusetts Review. He worked at the Museum of Modern Art, was a senior editor of ARTnews Magazine, and served for many years on the editorial advisory board of Review Magazine, devoted to Latin American literature and the arts. This is his first novel.

I received a complimentary ARC of Calling Mr. King by Ronald De Feo from Other Press. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.


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