Category: Blog Series Page 51 of 220

I’m very pleased to welcome Overview Media’s Book Tour for the seventh Archer and Baines novel, Price to Pay by Dave Sivers. We’ll start with this spotlight to learn a little about the book and I’ll be along a little later with my take on the novel.

Book Details:

Book Title: Price to Pay by Dave Sivers
series: Archer and Baines, Book 7
Genre: Police Procedural
Format: eBook/Paperback
Release Date: February 28, 2024

About the Book

‘Fast-paced, devious and twisty – the pages turned themselves! I loved it!’ – Liz Mistry

The more you have, the more you have to lose…

Following an arrest that went wrong, leaving her disfigured and her life in ruins, DCI Lizzie Archer transferred to Buckinghamshire’s Aylesbury Vale, hoping to rebuild her confidence, her career and her life. Eleven years later, she’s happily married, her career is back on track, and she has friends she would trust with her life.

But things can change in a heartbeat.

Meanwhile, her friend and colleague, DI Dan Baines, has worries of his own as the long shadow of the serial killer known as the Invisible Man continues to hang over him. When the chance comes to finally get answers to some troubling questions, he is almost afraid to learn the truth. Because sometimes the reality can be worse than your imagination.

Soon after receiving unsettling threats from local criminals, an old flame makes an unwelcome return to Lizzie’s life. Days later, a grisly murder too close to home plunges her into a nightmare that could cost her everything as suspicion falls on her and her husband, Dominic.

Dan and his team are sidelined from the murder investigation, but they’re not going to let that stop them when a friend is in trouble. And the clock is ticking. Because, if they can’t uncover the truth soon, things will get even worse for Lizzie and Dominic.

Book Links:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon US

About the Author:

Dave Sivers grew up in West London and has been writing all his life. His books include the popular crime series featuring the Aylesbury Vale detectives, DI Lizzie Archer and DS Dan Baines.

The Scars Beneath the Soul and Dead in Deep Water were both top three bestsellers in the Amazon Kindle Serial Killers chart. In Ice is the second in the DI Nathan Quarrel series.

His other works include the Lowmar Dashiel crime fantasy novels.

Dave also writes plays and other material for the amateur stage and is a founder of the annual BeaconLit festival of books and writing. He lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife, Chris.

To keep up with Dave’s news and upcoming releases, subscribe to his newsletter at www.davesivers.co.uk.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter/X ~ Facebook

My thanks to Overview Media for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with K.R.R. Lockhaven Part 2

By HCNewton

On May 16, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books
“K.R.R. (Kyle Robert Redundant) Lockhaven used to love writing as a kid. Starting at about ten years old, he wrote about anything from dragons to sentient jellybeans. Somewhere along the line, he lost that love. But now as a firefighter, husband, and father of two sons, he found it again. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the really good stuff from back then…

“Kyle is a huge proponent of summer camps for burn survivor kids. [A portion] from every book he ever sells will go to the Washington State Council of Firefighters Burn Foundation, sponsors of Camp Eyabsut. For more info, or to donate money or time, go to www.campeyabsut.org.”

I’m truly delighted to close out the second run of this series submitted by authors with the return of K.R.R. Lockhaven to the series. He wanted to take another shot at this after last year. Who am I to deny him that?

Desert Island Part 2

In his infinite mercy, the Irresponsible Reader has allowed those of us stranded on deserted desert islands to double the number of books we can have during our stays. The first five books I chose can be found here (you should probably warm up with a few gentle eye rolls before you read it). In the last installment, I picked several of my favorite books, as well as a guide to building a boat from scratch so I could eventually get back home to my loved ones. In this edition, I’m going strictly with books I haven’t yet read. Also, I finally got my delete key fixed so there won’t be any embarrassing blunders this time. I can write stuff like poop poopy poopoo and simply erase it….

Damn.

Apparently, my stupid delete key is broken again.

Anyway, on to books 6-10 that I would take to a desert island:

6. What to Say When You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D.

When I’m stranded on said island, there will be a serious lack of people to talk to. So, I’d better learn how to talk to myself, right? But what does one say to one’s self? I wouldn’t have a clue where to start. This book will show me the way.

Its description says it’s “Considered by many to be one of the most important and helpful personal growth books ever written.” As an author, I know it’s impossible to lie on the book description, so this is fantastic. Many, it says. More than two people consider this to be one of the most important and helpful personal growth books ever written. I’m sold!

But seriously, it looks kind of good. Eliminating negative self-talk will be important for me on the island.

7. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
House of Leaves Cover
I have been fascinated by the idea of this book for a while, but I feel like I’ll never be able to give it the time and effort it demands of readers. Until now! Once stranded on the island, I’ll have more time than I know what to do with.

If you haven’t heard of this book, a picture might help you get the basic gist:
House of Leaves Sample
This is just one example of the strange formatting of the book. It’s an epistolary metafiction written in an academic format that focuses on a story within a story and is rife with exhibits, appendices, and footnotes. All of this sounds a bit daunting, but, again, I’m going to have lots of time to kill. From what I can gather, the book is about a larger-on-the-inside labyrinth in a house, so it has some serious Piranesi (written by Susanna Clarke) vibes, which I love.

8. Cain’s Jawbone by Edward Powys Mathers
Cain's Jawbone Cover

In a similar vein to House of Leaves, this book challenges the shit out of the usual novel format, only this one requires reader participation.

Cain’s Jawbone, first published in 1934, is a puzzle that consists of a 100-page prose narrative with its pages arranged in the wrong order. I would prefer to take the second edition, which is a boxed set of page cards, to the island. To solve the puzzle, the reader must determine the correct order of the pages and figure out the names of the murderers and victims in the story. The pages can be arranged in 9.33×10¹⁵⁷ possible combinations, but there is only one correct order, so this could be a great way to pass a LOT of time. The solution to the puzzle has never been made public, and, at the time of this writing, there have only been three people in the world who have solved it. That number will be four by the time I get home!

9. Legacy of Brick and Bone by Krystle Matar
Legacy of Brick and Bone Cover

I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet! What is wrong with me? I absolutely loved Legacy of the Brightwash, yet I have let this likely-wonderful book sit unread on my shelf for much too long.

For those who don’t know, Legacy of Brick and Bone is book 2 in the Tainted Dominion series. I would describe the series as dark Gaslamp fantasy. At times, it might be considered grimdark, but those labels are a whole different thing I can ponder while alone on the island. The first book in this series surprised me. I had heard all the praise about it but assumed it wasn’t going to be for me. The main reason, I suppose, was that I had heard a big part of it was romance. I have nothing against romance but it’s usually not something I seek out. I loved the romance in this one, though. I loved the romance, the worldbuilding, the complex characters, the action, the prose, and, most of all, the emotions. Matar is fantastic at writing and eliciting the entire spectrum of emotions. Letting out emotions will be important for me on the island.

10. In Defense of Sanity by G.K. Chesterton
In Defense of Sanity Cover

While alone on this island, my sanity will be in danger of slipping. Hopefully, I have some kind of ball I can befriend. If not, this book might help me defend my precious and fragile sanity.

In Defense of Sanity is a collection of essays written by the prolific G.K. Chesterton. To be honest, I wasn’t aware of Mr. Chesterton until researching books for this list. I thought, haha, a book about defending sanity will be perfect and funny and clever and everyone else will think so too and everyone will like me and respect me for my cleverness. What I didn’t expect was that this author would be a genius! At the time of this writing, the sample size justifying this assessment is rather small. I have only read two of his essays: Cheese and On Running After One’s Hat.

Cheese is a hilarious essay about how cheese doesn’t get the respect it deserves in poetry and literature. He goes on and on about cheese as if it’s the most important thing in the world (and he might be right!) I can only hope to have some cheese with me on the island.

On Running After One’s Hat is a slightly more serious rumination on life. In it, Chesterton challenges the idea of inconvenience, giving the example of chasing one’s hat in the wind. He chooses to see this act as an opportunity for fun and adventure instead of an embarrassing inconvenience. Throughout the essay, he challenges the reader to shift their perspective about…everything. The way someone looks at the world can greatly influence their mood as they go through the unavoidable ups and downs of life. Mr. Chesterton and I are kindred spirits in that regard. Perspective isn’t everything, but its power, in my opinion, is often overlooked. My favorite quote from this essay (and one of my favorite quotes full stop) is:

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.

Being stranded on a deserted island will be quite an inconvenience. Maybe a bit of a perspective shift could do me some good!

Thank you, again, H.C.! Writing posts for your blog is always fun. It’s an honor to be asked to return 🙂

Lockhaven is the author of a hopepunk trilogy, a cozy fantasy, a nutty multiverse dragon novel, and its Choose Your Own Adventure-esque sequel. All of them are well-worth your time. Go check out his site to learn about them!

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books Footer

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with My Mom

By HCNewton

On May 13, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books

Last week, when I saw Carol’s Mother’s Day Post, I thought I should so something like that–and started to come up with ideas for a couple of posts along those lines. Then I remembered I wasn’t supposed to be working on the blog too much right now. So now I was in a quandary–how can I talk about Moms and books without doing any work? (other than making notes in my calendar to try something next year) Then I remembered, “Hey, I have a Mom!” So, I asked her to contribute to this series

My mom doesn’t really have a social media presence, so there’s no online bio for me to rip off here. I guess I’ll settle for this: Among her many accomplishments, this life-long reader was one of the parents who raised two readers (the other one takes a more rational approach to it), and has encouraged it in her grandchildren and great-grandchild.

#1 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre cover
I read this first in my late teens—just because—felt like I’d met my personal role model of strength and hope. It was so good that I read everything written by the Brontë sisters. Great literature but none of them met the bar set by Jane Eyre.

#2 Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High by Melba Pattillo Beals

Warriors Don't Cry cover
I don’t read much non-fiction but this one had an impact that opened my eyes and heart. It is a memoir written by one of the young women, at age 15, who was among those who integrated Little Rock’s Central High School. She endured hatred, fear, and danger as she sought equality in education in the late 1950s. Another woman of strength and determination and change.

#3 Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers cover
A woman of wisdom, naïveté, industriousness, flaws, and love of people and life. This book is packed with humor and life lessons.

#4. Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn

Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge cover
This woman of advanced years, she too was a woman of wisdom who proved to herself she could take risks her younger self would never have considered. She, too, was naïve, and loved people, and saw through their flaws to find their goodness as she sought justice. This book is full of humor and humans who face life head-on.

#5 The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

The Reading list cover
(It’s been a while since I read it and I don’t recall very many specifics about it but…)

A book about books. A book about an angry teenage girl and an elderly man who struggled to move on with life after his wife died. A book about their deepening friendship and the expanding circle of unlikely friends. A book about a reading list found on the library floor and the unique, healing impact these books had on their unique individual lives.

It surprised me to find my favorite books were about women, their flaws, and strengths.

Thanks for doing this, Mom, Happy Mother’s Day!

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books Footer

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Saturday Miscellany—5/11/24

By HCNewton

On May 11, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I’m alive and recovering (and not reading as much as I’d expected). I’ll have more to say about that soon-ish. I’ve got some fantastic guest posts lined up for next week–be sure to come back for them. Thanks for all the well-wishes over the last week. I’ll try to personally reply soon.

There seems to be a mood, or a tone, to a lot of these links this week–I want to stress that I wasn’t trying to doomscroll. I mean, we’ve all been in a place where that is what we’ve been looking for. But that’s not where I was this week–but you can’t tell that from what I marked for this post.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Inside libraries’ battle for better e-book access
bullet Speaking of libraries, this is worth watching (if only for the running joke about a certain series of picture books) Libraries: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
bullet Against the objectification of books (or, some thoughts on The Discourse).—worth chewing on
bullet Not Lost in a Book: Why the “decline by 9” in kids pleasure reading is getting more pronounced, year after year.—chilling
bullet Bad Nostalgia: The book publishing industry is in crisis, so why is it so hard to talk about the labour that goes into making books?
bullet Thriftbooks has some interesting lists of Books by State® 2023: Non-Fiction/Fiction and corresponding lists from 2013. The only one for Idaho that didn’t put a puzzled look on my face was the 2013 Non-Fiction pick. Do you have any thoughts on your state’s representatives?
bullet Are You A Good Enough Friend To Hide a Dead Body?—Forget Enneagram types, political stances, Birth Signs, Hogwarts’ House, and so on–this is the ultimate personality test, right? (actually, not really the point of the piece, just my reaction to the title)
bullet What Are the Rules for Lending Your Books to Friends?—Electric Literature talked to librarians for this piece. Who better?
bullet 10 Words Every Book Lover Should Know—I actually shared this back on 5/10/14, but still need to work these words into my everyday vocabulary. (and am a little shocked that the link from back then is still live)
bullet To Write or Not to Write (In Your Books)
bullet When Books Were Illustrious: Once upon a time, illustrations in books—all books—was standard practice.
bullet Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons You DNF’d a Book—I don’t know how many posts about DNFing I’ve linked to over the years, but I’m pretty sure this format is a first.
bullet Flowers or Books? Is the Special Woman in Your Life a Reader? 10 Book Recs for #MothersDay—This is a good list. And one I can actually see me using for next Mother’s Day (had already picked this year’s books when Carol posted this.) If any of my kids are looking for an idea, there’s a couple of things I can see working for their mom, incidentally.
bullet 20 Books of Summer is back—it can’t already be time to start compiling a list for this, is it??
bullet Being a reader is so hard!—Luke Harkness speaks for many of us here.

A Book-ish Related Podcast-type thing episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet Cocktails with Cav Show Ep. 32 Hollywood Grocery Clerks & a Hot Case! Great interview with Crime Fiction Author Andrew Miller!—I haven’t finished it yet, but what I have is pretty good.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh—there’s no way that I’d write about this book in 5 paragraphs today (or if I did, I’d feel guilty about it). I also think that giving this 3.5 stars says something about how my ratings have become more inflated in the last few years. Still, it was fun to look back on this one.
bullet I also mentioned the publication of Robert B. Parker’s Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins —Atkins’ third Spenser novel.

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with Stacey from Whispering Stories

By HCNewton

On May 9, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books
Like Carol yesterday, Stacy took her own intro into her hands. I’m trying not to take it personally (are mine that bad?). I’m very pleased to welcome her and her list to the blog today, there’s some good looking things here.

Hi My name is Stacey and I run Whispering Stories Book Blog, which I established in 2015. I’m in my forties, married to my fab hubby Steve, and mum to three grown up sons. I work in social housing and I do a lot of volunteer work too. Aside from reading I am a massive American Detective TV series fan and a big rock music fan too.

Many thanks to H.C. for letting me share my top five Desert Island books!
Oh, to be able to spend some time on a Desert Island, sit in the sun with a nice cocktail and no-one to bother me. Plus, lots of time to read!!

Below is my list in no particular order and a little about why I chose them.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. (My review – https://www.whisperingstories.com/snow-child/)

Snow Child
Well, I need a book to cool me down in the glaring sunshine and this book would definitely hit the mark.

Set in 1920s Alaska and based on the Russian fairy-tale, ‘Snegurochka’, which translates to ‘Little daughter of the snow’, The Snow Child is an enchanting and heartwarming tale of a couple unable to have children who relocate to the Alaskan wilderness to get away from being reminded daily about their situation.

One day they meet a young girl who is alone and frozen, she won’t enter their home and they don’t know where she has come from. The couple learn to live and prosper with the help of this young girl who they care so much about but is she real or made of snow?

The story is gripping and I just adore it, so much so that I have read the book numerous times and given people copies as presents too.

The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell (My Review – https://www.whisperingstories.com/the-stranger-times-ck-mcdonnell-book-review/)

The Stranger Times
OMG, if there ever was a book, or should I say a series that I knew from the blurb would be right up my street, this is it. If you haven’t read it, why not!!!

The Stranger Times is a weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable.

Set in my hometown this book has me laughing and giggling along, well it is written by a comic. This is a book to give me a laugh whilst I am stuck on this island.

From the wacky characters to the fantastical situations that occur daily, this is one of my favourite series and I hope there are many more books to come.

Where the Truth Lies by M J Lee (My review – https://www.whisperingstories.com/where-truth-lies-mj-lee-book-review/)

Where the Truth Lies
Another first book in a series I adore is this detective thriller from author M J Lee. The premise of the book follows Detective Ridpath who has been seconded to the Coroner’s Office. He used to work for CID until he was diagnosed with cancer. On returning to work the bosses decided that the Coroner’s Office was the best place for him.

What I love about this book and the rest of the series is one, it is again set in my hometown of Manchester and two, Ridpath is never one to back down and it doesn’t matter if he is coming up against his bosses or criminals, he tells them like it is. I love a straight talker.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I first read Jane Eyre when I was in high school. I wasn’t really much of a big reader during my teen years, reading just a few books a year, but this book stayed with me and I have a few editions of it.

I remember thinking I hated the classics and then bam, this book hits and here we had this young woman with a fiery temper and who came across so many obstacles in her life and yet she faced each one and was determined to live her life on her own terms.

Jane Eyre taught me a lot about resilience as a teenager.

Message from Nam by Danielle Steel (My review – https://www.whisperingstories.com/message-from-nam-review/)

Message from Nam
This is a book that touched me so much. I read it as a young teen when the Gulf War was happening. I didn’t really know or understand what had happened during the Vietnam War given that it was over before I was born but as the Gulf War was raging and there were daily updates and photos etc, this book spoke to me.

It follows the life of a young journalist, Paxton Andrews, who is in Vietnam covering the war, though it begins way before her journey there and shows you exactly why she needed the life. She needed to understand war, and wanted to show the world the truth about how it changes everyone.

I read this book so many times the cover came off. Then there was a movie (or TV show) which I adored too. I always swore if I had a girl I was calling her Paxton – The hubby refused stating our child would get called Paxo Stuffing (a UK brand). Luckily for both of us we had three boys.

So that is my five choices. I could have gone on forever with the amount of books I simply adore. I tried to mix it up a little with some from my teens and others that are newer books.

I hopefully have given you some inspiration for your next read. Thanks H.C. I enjoyed writing up my thoughts.

Links –
Website – https://www.whisperingstories.com/
Twitter (X) – https://twitter.com/storywhispers
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whisperingstoriesblog/

Be sure to check out https://www.whisperingstories.com/!

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books Footer

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with Carol from Reading Ladies Book Club

By HCNewton

On May 8, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books
This is where I should be introducing Carol and her blog, but she did the work for me. So I’m going to shut up and let her do her thing….

Shout Out to H.C. Newton @ IrresponsibleReader for this guest post opportunity!

I’m Carol, a retired 5th-grade teacher, an ardent and avid bibliophile, a literacy advocate, and your new bookish friend. My favorite genres are historical fiction, literary fiction, and contemporary fiction.

In addition, I enjoy reading selected memoirs and other narrative nonfiction. I’m an incorrigible mood reader.

My blog www.ReadingLadies.com is almost seven years old, and my mission is to share a love of great literature across a variety of genres with an intentional focus on new releases, thoughtful themes, diverse cultures, and “own voices” authors. I desire to be a trusted reviewer for your next great read! Respectful conversations are always welcome.

I love making book lists and sharing recommendations. My Top Five or Top Ten of anything varies from day to day

If I were on an island, I’d be thrilled with ANY five books! After all, I’m the kid who read the back of cereal boxes. In reality, I’d have my entire library with me on my kindle (with a solar charger).

However, if I had a choice of grabbing five physical books, I might reach for the following:

A Book to Encourage Endurance: a survival story set on an island
Castle of Water by Dane Hucklebridge
Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Fiction, Survival, Cast-a-ways, Remote and Uninhabited Island

Link to my review: https://readingladies.com/2017/09/22/castle-of-water/

Sophie, an architect and honeymooner, and Barry, disillusioned with his career in finance and seeking inspiration for his love of art end up on one very small island when their plane is hit by lightning and crashes in the middle of the South Pacific. Strangers and sole survivors and as different as night and day, Sophie and Barry wash up on a small uninhabited island and survival becomes their primary objective. Sophie and Barry draw from each other’s strengths and skills and through harrowing experiences, keep the hope of rescue alive.
“And so it came to pass that two utterly disparate lives happened to overlap … bound together on an uninhabited island some 2,359 miles from Hawaii, 4,622 miles from Chile, and 533 miles from the nearest
living soul.

Crap, as Barry liked to say.

Putain de merde, as Sophie was known to exclaim.”

A Book For inspiration: one that will encourage me to write my own letters
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Genre/Categories/Setting: Literary Fiction, Father/son, Faith, Small Town Rural America

Gilead

Review link: https://wordpress.com/post/readingladies.com/16491

Pulitzer Prize 2005. New York Times Top-Ten Book of 2004. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Marilynne Robinson writes the quiet story of three generations of fathers and sons. faith, and rural life. In the present day, our main character is most concerned that the son will truly know his father and appreciate the legacy he leaves.

“When things are taking their ordinary course, it is hard to remember what matters. There are so many things you would never think to tell anyone. And I believe they may be the things that mean most to you,
and that even your own child would have to know in order to know you well at all.”

“I’m writing this in part to tell you that if you ever wonder what you’ve done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or later, you have been God’s grace to me, a miracle, something more than a miracle. You may not remember me very well at all, and it may seem to you to be no great thing to have been the good child of an old man in a shabby little town you will no doubt leave behind. If only I had the words
to tell you.”

A Book About Family: one that reminds me of unconditional love
A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Fiction, Complicated Family Drama, California

Review Link: https://wordpress.com/post/readingladies.com/6599

A Place For Us shares the story of an Indian-American Muslim family whom we meet as they gather to celebrate a family wedding. Through flashbacks, readers are filled in on the family dynamics, family history, and become acquainted with the parents, Rafiq and Layla, and their three children, Hadia, Huda, and Amar. Told mostly from the perspectives of Layla, Hadia, and Amar, readers begin to appreciate the complexity of family relationships, understand the bonds that draw the family together, and become acquainted with the personalities along with the insecurities and rivalries that cause conflict. In light of the parents’ conservative Muslim faith and living in California, the children must find their way in reconciling the faith of their parents and their traditional ways with the reality of day-to-day lives, and individual hopes and dreams. At the wedding of the oldest daughter, which breaks with tradition and is a union of love and not arranged by parents, Amar, the prodigal son, reunites with his family for the first time in three years. The last part of the story is told from the father’s heartfelt perspective. This is a story of love, parenting, coming of age, faith, and belonging.

“Of all my mistakes the greatest, the most dangerous, was not emphasizing the mercy of God.”

A Historical Fiction Reread: one memorable and thought-provoking story

Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Slavery, Abolition, Women’s Rights, Charleston, Plantation Life, pre Civil War
The Invention of Wings

Review Link: https://wordpress.com/post/readingladies.com/6859

The Invention of Wings is a fictionalized biographical account of the Grimke sisters as they become trailblazers in the abolition movement and early leaders in the fight for women’s rights.

The story takes place in the pre Civil War era and begins on a plantation in Charleston. On the occasion of Sarah Grimke’s eleventh birthday, she’s presented with her own slave, ten-year old Hetty “Handful” Grimke. Sarah has always been uncomfortable with this tradition. At first, Sarah and Handful are more like sisters and playmates as they develop a friendly companionship. As the story progresses, Sarah leaves Charleston to join her adventurous and fearless sister, Angelina, in the north as early pioneers in the fight for abolition and women’s rights. We follow Sarah’s and Hetty’s journeys for thirty-five years as both women strive to carve out a life of their own and navigate a close and complex relationship.
“The world may try to dim your light, but it can never extinguish your fire.”

A Comfort Read: a favorite book about books
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical fiction, Book About Books and Book Club, Found Family

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Written in epistolary form, this is a warmhearted story of a unique book club that formed on the Island of Guernsey during WWII. Juliet begins a correspondence with the literary members and learns about the impact
of the recent German occupation. Her in-person visit will change her life.

“Reading good books will ruin you for enjoying bad ones.”

For Hope and Comfort: words from Scripture
The New Testament

The New Testament

Instagram
(Threads link in bio):
https://www.instagram.com/readingladies_book_club
Twitter/X:
https://twitter.com/ReadingLadiesBC
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/ReadingLadies
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/16412589-carol-reading-ladies
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/readingisasport

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books Footer

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

PUB DAY REPOST: The Djinn’s Apple by Djamila Morani, translated by Sawad Hussain: The Scent of Death

By HCNewton

On May 7, 2024

In Book Tour, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Djinn’s Apple

by Djamila Morani , Sawad Hussain (Translator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Format: eARC
Length: 160 pg.
Read Date: February 24, 2023

What’s The Djinn’s Apple About?

Nardeen is a remarkable twelve-year-old. Her father is a physician known for translating medical texts from a variety of languages into Arabic, and Nardeen soaks up his work. She has an astounding memory and ability to understand what she memorizes.

But due to some political intrigue that she doesn’t wholly understand, Nardeen and her family have to flee their home one night. Sadly, she’s the only one who survives.

Nardeen vows revenge on those responsible for her family’s murder—certain that a friend of her father’s is ultimately to blame.

But before then, she finds herself being taken under the wing of a legendary physician and teacher, Muallim Ishaq. He recognizes her gifts and her heritage from her father—he arranges (mostly by the force of his will) to have her learn at The Bimaristan, a hospital of great renown. There, she’s able to hone her skills and knowledge—and sharpen her tools, resolve, and ability to mete out that vengeance.

Father vs. Father

There are a handful of various conflicts in this book (like with any good book), but at the core, this book seems to be a conflict within Nardeen herself. On the one hand, she has her memories of her father and what he taught her—what he showed her by example—about the way to live. She also has to wrestle with what she’s told about her father—by those who profess to have admired him and those who worked against him.

On the other hand, she has her (for all intents and purposes) adoptive father, what he’s trying to teach her—what he shows her by example—about the way to live. She also has to wrestle with what she’s told about him—by those who profess to admire him and those who work against him.

In many ways, these two fathers line up—but in significant ways, they follow and lead her down divergent paths. So much of how the plotlines of this book resolve depends on Nardeen’s acceptance/rejection of what these men stand for.

The Setting

So, this takes place during the “golden age of Baghdad”—Harun al-Rashid’s rule of the Abbasid Caliphate from 786 to 809. Now, everything that I know about this period of time comes from the appendices to this novel “Harun Al-Rashid: The Golden Age of Baghdad” and “The Bimaristan.” As they are appendices, I read them afterward. So I came into this not knowing anything—which is a bit intimidating. And I figure I’m not alone in this (particularly for the intended YA audience, who probably haven’t had much opportunity to study Eigth-Century history).

But honestly? Anyone who reads Fantasy/SFF knows how to approach something like this—sure, this is a representation of actual history, but the same tools and imagination you need to understand Westeros, Panem, or the world of the Shadowhunters equip you to get into this world.

And, like with those worlds, after getting this taste, you’ll likely want to read more about it.

While reading, and since then, I do have to wonder a little bit about how much Morani was stretching things about the opportunities presented to women in this time and place. Not just for Nardeen, either—but all the women she encounters at the Bimaristan (and I’d be saying this if the city was Paris or Rome, not just because it’s Baghdad). But I’m willing to both suspend disbelief for the sake of a good story and to trust that someone who’s as familiar with Arabic literature as Morani is more than my hunches.

So, what did I think about The Djinn’s Apple?

This book hits the ground running—Morani doesn’t give you the opportunity to settle in and get comfortable in this world or anything like that. She thrusts the reader—and poor Nardeen—straight into life-or-death action. Nardeen has a slightly better understanding of what’s going on than the reader does—but not much. This was a great way to start this read—you don’t get the chance to indulge curiosity or get lulled into thinking it’s a different kind of book than it is—you have to rush to catch up and then keep up with Nardeen and only get the luxury of starting to understand the world until she’s (relatively) safe.

There were a couple of times that I wondered about the timelines and how well they worked. I assume I just missed something (and didn’t want to take the time to go back and check). It wasn’t anything that bugged me enough to look into it, but I would’ve appreciated things being a bit clearer.

The characters of Nardeen and Muallim were so well drawn, so vivid, and so compelling that I really wish we had more time with them. Particularly Muallim—this cantankerous genius is the kind of character I really respond to. Now, given the pacing of this book, that’s impossible. And Morani picked the better option for her story. But the eccentric teacher and the stubborn and gifted student is a combination that could’ve made for a lot of fun.

Somehow in the midst of this propulsive pacing, Morani is able to litter the book with some great observations, some drops of wisdom (primarily from the teacher and student), and memorable prose (some of that credit has to be given to Hussain as well).

This is a fast, immersive read that’ll leave you guessing from the beginning right up to the end. You’d be doing yourself a favor if you pick it up.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Neem Tree Press and The Write Reads via NetGalley.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with Noelle Holten

By HCNewton

On May 7, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books
What can I possibly say about Noelle Holten? I first heard her on the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast, and sought out her blog, CrimeBookJunkie. Sometime after that I started reading her novels–and am an even bigger fan of those than her (too rare) posts. Noelle’s a great supporter of the blog, too–and has been known to share one of my posts before I get a chance to on social media–and expressed interest in taking part in these if I did it again. Well, here we are…

Her official bio states: “Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She’s a PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and she worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of cases including those involving serious domestic abuse. Noelle has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice, a Diploma in Probation Studies and a Masters in Criminology. Her hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog.
Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson. 6 Ripley Avenue is her first stand-alone crime thriller and hopefully not her last!”

Huge thanks to H.C. for taking me up on my offer to share my 5 Desert Island books! Assuming I can’t take my kindle… plus I’m not scientific enough to figure out how I’d power it without a plug, here are the 5 books I’d choose and a little explanation as to why!

In no particular order:

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder. Don’t be shocked it’s not crime as my love of philosophy is just as strong – my Hons BA proves that! Or does it? 🤔 The book is about a girl named Sophie who starts getting letters from a philosopher, Alberto Knox. It’s like a crash course in philosophy, wrapped in a story and has stayed with me for over 40 years. It’s about understanding people, the decisions they make, the importance of knowledge and learning as well as questioning everything. I recently bought a special edition copy to re-read and see if I pick up anything new!

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. A classic psychological suspense thriller, this story got under my skin when I first read it in high-school. I then became obsessed with the original film and anything since. I think this book just stands the test of time (I bought a special edition copy of this one a few years ago!). It is haunting, thrilling and emotional and if you haven’t read it yet… you should!

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Mainly because I might actually finish it! 😂 I have the whole collection and love the world-building, characters and imagery. It would be the perfect escape and it’s one hell of a story. Plus I’d get my fix of dragons… another obsession! If I could bring the whole collection, I would (but that would be cheating!

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This was one of the books that made me want to go into Probation. The question of morality and justice, good and evil, are prominent in the story as well as whether what the MC, Raskolnikov, did was wrong. A fine line where murder is just? 🤔 His conscience soon catches up with him as the police close in. I’ve read it so many times, I’ve lost count and will probably read it many more as I usually pick up something new from the previous read.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I’ve read the book a few times and watched the series multiple times because it is one hell of a story… something you could picture happening if certain people got into power. 😲 I was fascinated at the insight the author had and although there is violence, oppression, power, misogyny, etc … the fight for survival and justice is strong. It is haunting, thrilling and another that has stayed with me. So this would definitely be coming – in case I need any tips to escape!

There you have it. I stayed away from any current novels because as much as I would love to take a few, the choice was much harder. I’m a series gal as well, so this would make the choice even worse. Thanks again to H.C. for having me.

Are any of these on your list, let us know in the comments!

Be sure to check out Noelle’s blog and novels!

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books Footer

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with Lashaan Balasingam

By HCNewton

On May 6, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books
Lashaan is a Tolkien and Batman nut. There’s more to him, but those are the things that first jump to mind. His blog describes him as:

“A reader. A reviewer. A researcher.
He’s a Ph.D. candidate in criminology and works full-time in a North American police organization.
He has an eclectic reading taste but primarily focuses on science-fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels.
He might seem busy by day, but he chases after stories, whatever form they are in, by night.”

He’s also an incredibly nice guy who has pointed me to about 50% of the comics/graphic novels I’ve picked up in the last few years. Lashaan is one of the first I reached out to for this round of guest posts, asking him “What’s your Top 5 Desert Island Top 5 list?

Be sure to check out Roars and Echoes on a regular basis, you’ll be glad you did.

Yep. That’s THE question that always sends ANY reader down a dark, dark spiral of madness and mayhem. You’d think it’s an easy question with the number of books you might have already read so far into your life, but that’s just it. So many to pick from. Which five do you keep? So here I go:

Crime and Punishment cover

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (https://roarsandechoes.com/2016/01/30/crime-and-punishment-by-fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

I usually systematically go with this book as my all-time favourite novel, so it’s a bit hard not to keep it in a list like this one. Every time I think back at the first time I read and finished this book, I’m reminded by the suffocating psychological journey the protagonist goes through and that’s definitely a story I’d like to have by my side to relativize my own desert island experience.

The Hobbit cover

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (https://roarsandechoes.com/2019/11/08/the-hobbit-by-j-r-r-tolkien/)

The book that paved the way to my deep plunge into the professor’s fantasy universe. This one is sure to keep me entertained, to keep me dreaming awake, to keep me resilient all alone on my island.

The Lord of the Rings cover

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (https://roarsandechoes.com/2020/07/25/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-by-j-r-r-tolkien/)

I’m sort of cheating with this one since this would contain all three books in one neat edition, but hey, that’s the only way to get the whole adventure. How can I also not bring this along when it’s clearly the ultimate epic fantasy adventure that couldn’t possibly ever get hold no matter how many times you read it!

Dune cover

Dune by Frank Herbert (https://roarsandechoes.com/2019/10/02/dune-by-frank-herbert-2/)

Another classic that I’ll always cherish and even more because of the protagonist’s coming of age story, his ability to face the unknown, to surmount his fears, to embrace his prophecy. While I might not be able to continue the rest of the series on my island, this along will surely keep me happy until my last breath!

The Killing Joke Cover

Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore (https://roarsandechoes.com/2015/07/26/the-killing-joke-by-alan-moore-2/)

You didn’t possibly think I’d end this top 5 without at least mentioning Batman once, did you? One of my all-time favourite graphic novels is one of Alan Moore’s greatest creation: The Killing Joke. I’m always all giddy with excitement when I think of this particular story. Such a masterpiece.

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books Footer

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Saturday Miscellany—5/4/24

By HCNewton

On May 4, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Not much to say today as an intro. (“Phew!” is the collective response, I’m sure).

The next couple of weeks are going to be very interesting, I think, here. I’ll talk about it Monday—but I’m telling you now, reader, you’re going to want to stop by a lot (or just a couple of times, I guess—but it should read it all).
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet We’re All Reading Wrong: To access the full benefits of literature, you have to share it out loud.—hmmmmm….
bullet But Why a Penguin?—Who among us hasn’t wondered?
bullet I missed the provocative essay No One Buys Books last week, where Elle Griffin dove into the data from the recent Penguin vs. DOJ case to look at what it says about book sales.
bullet This week, there were two (at least) responses to that: The Puzzle of Publishing and Yes, People Still Buy Books: How a viral post got some key statistics wrong.—between the three of these pieces, there’s a heckuva education into the business side of book publishing.
bullet M.W Craven up for Theakston Old Peculier Crime award for 3rd year—a quick catch-up with Craven
bullet The Edgar Awards were this week, which means it’s time for Crime Reads’ annual nominee roundtable on The State of the Crime Novel. Part 1: Writing Life and Part 2: The Future of Crime Writing
bullet How Fiction Became Edible: A new genre of cookbooks is reverse engineering the foods of all your favorite pieces of pop culture. Now your stomach can travel to Westeros, Tatooine, the Shire, and more.
bullet The Author as Protagonist: Why are so many fictional writers solving crimes in detective novels?
bullet A few good books about too-good-to-be-true tech (to read after your Tesla explodes).—a fun listicle
bullet Andrew Miller: Namaste Mart Confidential—A quick Q&A with Miller (and a website I need to spend more time with, you will likely enjoy it, too)
bullet Historical Fiction Pros & Cons—Reading Ladies Book Club looks at the genre
bullet Why I No Longer Request ARCs—I absolutely get this (and agree with almost every part of it). But my stack-o’-ARCS suggests I may need to consider Krysta’s words more closely soon.
bullet Speaking of things I need to think more about: How Negative Am I? Posing the Question of Negativity on the Internet
bullet 7 Reasons Adults Should Read Children’s Books—#1 & #3 are the big ones for me. With #4 gaining steadily, as the Grandcritter ages, I expect it’ll take first place.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet <bOutlander by Diana Gabaldon—left me utterly unimpressed
bullet In Defense of the Descent by Daniel R. Hyde—a short and compelling book about the controversial line in the Apostle’s Creed. I still refer to this book.
bullet Dawn’s Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris—steampunky fun in the U.S. of A.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Namaste Mart Confidential by Andrew Miller—A pair of unlicensed PIs/Grocery Store Clerks search for a missing (possibly kidnapped) woman in the L.A. of 2013. I rambled about it a little earlier this week
bullet Takeout Sushi by Christopher Green—a collection of short stories from (mostly) contemporary Japan. I posted about it recently and managed not to make a single joke about one of the world’s least appealing (to me) types of food. That’s personal growth right there.
bullet Crimson Arches by Rebecca Carey Lyles—in this follow-up to Shadow Ranch, Kasenia somehow finds herself in a tense situation with another polygamous bunch.
bullet What’s Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park—a YA look at cooking competitions and dealing with parental expectations.
bullet The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson —”a lyrical and bold YA debut about an underground magic system in San Francisco—and the lengths one girl is willing to go to protect the ones she loves.” Intriguing setup and world.