Book Haul~I Was Holding Out...Sorry! GIVEAWAY, too

OMG, you're thinking.... What on earth has she been doing!  I know, I know...  I've had these books stacking up next to my chair for weeks, along with the ones I've reviewed in July.  There are sooo many good ones here that I have to share with you.  So, here goes.  I'm not going to give my usual in depth, honestly, it's just too much!  Basically, you can find these on Barnes & Noble, Indie and Amazon...other places like indie stores, too.  :]


"BURIAL RITES"  By Hannah Kent:  This is a stunning book!  The end papers are black! And, the cover leaks black ink over the sides...just fabulous.  I love it.  A beautifully rendered raven's feather is also on the side of the cover and the inside binding pages are dark purple.  I could eat this book already. 
Here's the summary:  In northern Iceland, 1829, Agnes Magnusdottir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of her lover...      Thanks to Picador Books!



"THE SHOGUN'S DAUGHER" By Laura Joh Rowland:   (Stunning Cover of the Shogun's daughter's eye! ) This is a novel of feudal Japan where the murder of the daughter has serious consequences for the regime and Sano Ichiro must find the culprit or risk the safety of his family.  Japan, 1704....a costume drama...mystery and excitement...         

From Minatour Books/Macmillan


"EQUAL OF THE SUN" By Anita Amirrezvani:  Summary:  Iran in 1576 is a place of wealth and dazzling beauty.  But when the Shah dies without having named an heir, the court is thrown into tumult.  Princes Pari, the Shah's daughter and protégée, knows more about the inner workings of the state than almost anyone, but her maneuvers to instill order after her father's sudden death incite resentment and dissent.  Pari and her closest adviser, Javaher, a eunuch able to navigate the harem as well as the world beyond the palace walls, possess an incredible tapestry of secrets that explode in a power struggle of epic proportions...     

Thanks to Scribner of Simon & Schuster for this book

"THE IRRESISTIBLE BLUEBRRY BAKESHOP & CAFE" By Mary Simses:  Booklist says "This charming, tender first novel emphasizes the power of simple pleasures, comfort food, and undeniable chemistry.  Fans of the leads in the movies "The Proposal" and "Sweet Home Alabama" will recognize a kindred spirit in high-strung, perfectionist Ellen, and the novel's small-town setting will appeal to loyal readers of Mary Kay Andrews, Elin Hilderbrand and Jan Karon.  Simses' story of emotional discoveries, shifting priorities, and new beginnings is a delightful beach read."   
                                       I'm grateful to Little, Brown & Co./Hachette Books for this one!

 

 

 

"ILLUMINATIONS~A Novel of Hildegard Von Bingen" BY Mary Sharratt:  When this book came in the mail, I wanted to die.  I'm going to show you the cover below.  It's simply gorgeous.  But more than that, Hildegard von Bingen is a woman who has intrigued me forever.  She was a Benedictine abbess, visionary and polymath from the Middle Ages.  Originally, she was offered to the church as an eight year old where she was to serve in silence a masochistic and disturbed young nun.  When the nun died, Hildegard was able to break out of her constraints and become the phenomenal, charismatic woman she was of her generation...and of the times to come.    Cannot wait to read and review this one!                            

Thank you Houghton, Mifflin and Harcourt for this extraordinary book!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/illuminations-mary-sharratt/1110919627?ean=9780547567846


"THE ASHFORD AFFAIR" BY Laura Willig: 
I interviewed Laura Willig about this book in July, but have to recommend it to you as a wonderful read.  I'm expecting to read it this summer and review it. 

Here's a quick summary: 

As a lawyer in a large Manhattan firm, just shy of making partner, Clementine Evans has finally achieved almost everything she’s been working towards—but now she’s not sure it’s enough. Her long hours have led to a broken engagement and, suddenly single at thirty-four, she feels her messy life crumbling around her. But when the family gathers for her grandmother Addie’s ninety-ninth birthday, a relative lets slip hints about a long-buried family secret, leading Clemmie on a journey into the past that could change everything. . . .

Growing up at Ashford Park in the early twentieth century, Addie has never quite belonged. When her parents passed away, she was taken into the grand English house by her aristocratic aunt and uncle, and raised side-by-side with her beautiful and outgoing cousin, Bea. Though they are as different as night and day, Addie and Bea are closer than sisters, through relationships and challenges, and a war that changes the face of Europe irrevocably. But what happens when something finally comes along that can’t be shared? When the love of sisterhood is tested by a bond that’s even stronger?

From the inner circles of British society to the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the red-dirt hills of Kenya, the never-told secrets of a woman and a family unfurl.

Thank you St. Martin's for the copy!


 "THE WHITE PRINCESS~A Cousins War Novel" By Philippa Gregory:   Summary :  Princess from birth, Elizabeth falls in love with Richard III and expects to marry him, despite her arranged betrothal with pretender to the throne Henry Tudor.  When, against all odds, Henry defeats Richard at the battle of Bosworth, Elizabeth loses both a lover and the throne.  To forge an uneasy truce, she is forced to marry the man she views as Richard's murderer and create a new royal family with him and his ruthless mother, Margaret Beaufort..."  
     
                   The movie of "The White Queen" in this series premiers August 10th on STARZ!!!

I will be reading and reviewing this sequel after that series airs, sometime in the early fall.  Can't wait!                   Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster for the book and opportunity!!

                Here's a quick snap of the video on The White Princess from YouTube:

 

"THE AGE OF DESIRE" By Jennie Fields:  Edith Wharton is a favorite author of mine having written "Age of Innocence" and other social commentaries of the early 1900's.  She's known to be "the mother of interior design" with her interest in interiors as part of her novels.  Just a wonderful writer.  So when this book came out, I was more than eager to get a copy to read and review
.
Here's a summary:  "It has been said that behind every great man is a great woman.  Behind Edith Wharton, there was Anna Bahlmann, her governess turned literary secretary and confidante.  At forty-five--despite her growing fame--Edith remains unfulfilled in a lonely, sexless marriage.  Against all the rules of Gilded Age society, Edith falls passionately in love with Morton Fullerton, a dashing young journalist.  Their scandalous affair awakens her senses, but threatens everything in her life--especially her abiding ties to Anna.  As Edith's marriage crumbles, the women must face the fragility at the heart of all friendships."              

So exciting!!!   I have Penguin to thank for this lovely copy!!

"JANUARY FIRST~A CHILD'S DESCENT INTO MADNESS AND HER FATHER'S STRUGGLE TO SAVE HER" By Michael Schofield:    Some years ago, I watched a television special on this amazing little girl and her father.  It's the story of a severe case of child-onset of schizophrenia.  It shocked and jarred my senses.  When BROADWAY PAPERBACKS of Random House offered to send me a copy to review, I was more than happy.   I'm very excited to delve into this book and recommend it to everyone.  It's a startling story of love and redemption....

"THE OCTOBER LIST" By Jeffrey Deaver:  OMG, just serve me up a dish of Jeffrey Deaver any old time and I'll smile happily!  Thanks to Grand Central for this volume which I know is not going to disappoint me.  Deaver never does!  This one says something like this on the back cover:

"Gabriela waits desperately for news of her abducted daughter.
At last, the door opens.
But it's not the negotiators.  It's not the FBI.
It's the kidnapper.  And he has a gun."


Look for my review of  this on early this fall.  :]


"THE GUESTBOOK~MADRONA ISLAND BED & BREAKFAST" By Andrea Hurst:  This is the story of a woman who is leaving her beautiful life that's now in wreckage and returning to her family island where happy memories abound around her grandmother's farmhouse, now converted to a bed & breakfast.  It's the proverbial story of finding mysteries, fabulous recipes and the man next door... 

Sent by the author, this is the first in a trilogy about Madrona Island and its inhabitants!


"VENUS IN WINTER~A NOVEL OF BESS OF HARDWICK" BY Gillian Bagwell:    The author of The September Queen explores Tudor England with the tale of Bess of Hardwick—the formidable four-time widowed Tudor dynasty who became one of the most powerful women in the history of England.

Another historical fiction that I'm dying to read and review for you.  Bess is known as one of the strongest feminists of history who survived the glittering and dangerous court of Henry VIII !!

A very heartfelt thanks to Penguin for this copy!

"THE HANGING OF SAMUEL ASH" By Sheldon Russell:  This is a book in a series of railway mysteries with Hook Runyon, a railroad bull, and his dog, Mixer, as the detectives.  In this episode a man is hung from a wigwag signal and Hook is called to investigate.  He finds a bronze star around the young man's neck indicating he's a WWII hero, so Hook refuses to bury him in a pauper's grave, and sets about to solve the mystery of his death and find his family.

This sounds like a great mystery in a new setting for me.  I'm looking forward to the read.

Thanks to Minotaur/St. Martin's for the opportunity to review it!


"THE GOOD DREAM" By Donna VanLiere:  A story that takes place in the 1950's about a spinster and a boy who desperately needs someone to save him.  A small town...community that's set in its ways and likes its secrets...and a story that will change all their lives.

I've read a couple of chapters of this book and find it so humorous and heart-warming.  I've laughed out loud on a couple of occasions.  Looking forward to finishing it.  I'm suspecting I'll be crying along the way...

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for this lovely book!

"CRIME OF PRIVILEGE" By Walter Walker:  I begged for this book!  Just let me quote some of what other great authors of this genre are saying about it:

"Walter Walker combines an experienced attorney's sense of our flawed criminal justice system with a natural storyteller's gift...a twisting, engrossing, irresistible detective story."  William Landy

"Crime of Privilege is not only a first-class legal thriller, it is an astute examination of our society and how we are corrupted by power and money.  The rich are indeed different; they get away with murder.  An absolutely engrossing read from beginning to end.  Not only is it a well told story of crime and punishment, but also a finely nuanced tale of sin and redemption."   Nelson Demille

"Walter Walker's Crime of Privilege is a terrifically entertaining race of a read that also effortlessly manages to be jam-packed with intelligence, insight, morality and heart. Top-notch and highly recommended!"   John Lescroart

THANK YOU to Ballantine Books for the copy!!!

"THE HEADMASTER'S WAGER" By Vincent Lam:  Summary:
Percival Chen is the headmaster of the most respected English academy in 1960s Saigon and is well accustomed to bribing a forever-changing list of government officials in order to maintain the elite status of his school. Fiercely proud of his Chinese heritage, he is quick to spot the business opportunities rife in a divided country, though he also harbors a weakness for gambling haunts and the women who frequent them. He devotedly ignores all news of the fighting that swirls around him, choosing instead to read the faces of his opponents at high-stakes mahjong tables. But when his only son gets in trouble with the Vietnamese authorities, Percival faces the limits of his connections and wealth and is forced to send him away. In the loneliness that follows, Percival finds solace in Jacqueline, a beautiful woman of mixed French and Vietnamese heritage whom he is able to confide in. But as the complexities of war encroach further into his world, he must confront the tragedy of all he has refused to see.

Sent by Hogarth/Random House.  I'm so appreciative to receive this very exotic book.  I've started reading it... Beautiful cover art.

"THE SLEEPING DICTIONARY" By Sujata Massey:  This is a very exotic book.  At least it seems so to me.  It follows a child through the last days of the Raj in 1930 when an ocean wave wipes out a Bengali village leaving only her as a survivor.  Then as she becomes a maidservant at a British boarding school and eventually travels to Kharagpur and Calcutta.  She grows up to become a woman of skill in secrets, languages and power who helps bring her Indian country back into its own freedom.  (All this culled from the back cover of the book!)  Evidently the author is a former newspaper journalist and author of ten award-winning mystery novels.  Her mother is from Germany and her father from an old Calcutta family.  Interesting!

I'm most appreciative to Simon & Schuster for this copy for review.

 

 

 

 

"CAROLINA RECKONING" By Lisa Carter:  "Alison wanted her husband gone, not dead..."  Awww, come on Alison, sometimes you can't have it both ways!!  LOL  Sorry.  I had to say it.  Summary says:  Alison finds hubby has been unfaithful, she wants to confront him, but he's found dead.  Enter gorgeous Cherokee homicide detective...      Sigh.  I'm going to love this novel.  I'm from just at the foot of the Blue Ridge and very near Cherokee.

 

 

Many thanks to Abingdon Press for this book!!

 

 

"LET ME GO" By Chelsea Cain:  I jump at every chance to read a book by Chelsea Cain.  That's all I can say.  She keeps me on the edge of my seat.  I don't know where she comes up with her material!  Gretchen Lowell is a horrifyingly brilliant serial killer...  Cain gets better with every new episode in her series.   Just pick up one and start reading, they're addictive!

 

St. Martin's I could kiss you for this one!

 

 

"SAVING PARADISE" By Mike Bond:  Summary:  "When a beautiful journalist drowns mysteriously off Waikiki, Special Forces veteran Pono Hawkins, now a well-known surfer and international correspondent for surfing magazines, soon gets embroiled in trying to find why she died.  What he learns quickly makes him a target for murder or life in prison as a cabal of powerful corporations, foreign killers and crooked politicians places the blame on him..."

 

This is a novel sent by Mandevilla Press.

 

I'm offering this one as a GIVEAWAY!!!! to anyone who will promise to read and review it in the month of September as a guest blogger for us. 

 

Please leave your name and email address if you're interested.  I will mail the book to you!  GIVEAWAY!!!  Ends in 2 weeks

 

 

So ends the line up of my July Book Haul, everyone!!  I hope you find something to pick up yourself based on the small reviews here.  I'm dying to get to read them...some already started.

 

Have a wonderful August of researching new books and keep reading.  I hope you'll be stopping in to see me....

 

I have to tell you, I have some awesome Netgalley books coming up for review as well.  Here are some of them:

 

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

Havisham by Ronald Frame

My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster

The Séance Society by Michael Nethercott

The Gravity of Birds by Tracy Guzeman

Guests on Earth by Lee Smith

 

 

In addition to my bookish things I'm busy.  I've been visiting a hypnotist.  New for me, and I'm getting a lot out of it.  Have any of you been hypnotized?  :]  So far I don't think I'm a duck and I haven't said any strange things out of turn...

 

 

Let me know how you're doing...

 

Deborah/TheBookishDame

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

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"The Blue Bistro" by Elin Hilderbrand~Nantucket Summer!

SUMMARY :

Adrienne Dealey has spent the past six years working for hotels in exotic resort towns. This summer she has decided to make Nantucket home. Left flat broke by her ex-boyfriend, she is desperate to earn some fast money. When the desirable Thatcher Smith, owner of Nantucket's hottest restaurant, is the only one to offer her a job, she wonders if she can get by with no restaurant experience. Thatcher gives Adrienne a crash course in the business...and they share an instant attraction.

But there is a mystery about their situation: What is it about Fiona, the Blue Bistro's chef, who captures Thatcher's attention again and again? And why does such a successful restaurant seem to be in its final season before closing its doors for good? Despite her uncertainty, Adrienne must decide whether she'll move on, as she always does—or finally open her heart…

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Publisher:  St. Martins
Pages:  384
Genre:  Fiction
Author  Elin Hilderbrand


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elin Hilderbrand is the author of The Island, Nantucket Nights, and Summer People, among others. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a teaching/writing fellow. Her short fiction has appeared in Seventeen, The Massachusetts Review, and The Colorado Review. She lives with her husband, Chip Cunningham, and their two sons in Nantucket, Massachusetts.



Thought I would bring you something completely different today and hook you into a YouTube review of "The Blue Bistro" by a young adult reader.  This one is fairly clear and has made some strong points about the book.  Cute!  Listen...

 
 THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

I found this another engaging, quick read by Elin Hilderbrand.  It's not a "fluffy" beach read and it's not going to win any prizes, either, but it's good, solid reading.  I love the way she draws her characters and the way she puts them into realistic settings and time frames.  Her descriptions of Nantucket life alone are worth reading her books.

This brooding love story is pure Hilderbrand.  Relating the main character's search for a summer job working in a restaurant, it tells about an unexpected happenstance for her and the handsome restaurateur. And, as love and hot summer kitchens will have it...the two come together over mysteries and foodies.

It is especially fun to read about the ins and outs of restaurants behind the scenes.  I had an eye-opener where that was concerned.  And, I always love to hear more about Nantucket and the quirky people who actually live there year 'round.  So this book will bring great pleasure to those looking for that.

Elin Hilderbrand always brings the goods for her readers:  a good story, a trip to Nantucket, some love and some mystery, and a fairly fast-paced story.  Can't beat that for the summer or any time!

4 stars                  Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora" by Stephanie Thornton ~ Author Interview!

SUMMARY:

Where Theodora went, trouble followed….
In sixth-century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds and rose from common theater tart to empress of a great kingdom, the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. The woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told….

After her father dies suddenly, Theodora and her sisters face starvation and a life on the streets. Determined to survive, Theodora makes a living any way she can—first on her back with every man who will have her, then on the stage in a scandalous dramatization of her own invention. When her daring performance grants her a backdoor entry into the halls of power, she seizes the chance to win a wealthy protector—only to face heartbreak and betrayal.

Ever resilient, Theodora rises above such trials and, by a twist of fate, meets her most passionate admirer yet: the emperor’s nephew. She thrives as his confidant and courtesan, but many challenges lie ahead. For one day this man will hand her a crown. And all the empire will wonder—is she bold enough, shrewd enough, and strong enough to keep it?


PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
NAL Trade
Paperback; 448p
ISBN-10: 045141778X


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

 Stephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel.

For more information, please visit Stephanie Thornton's website.  You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.




Interview with the author!!

A Bookish Libraria is happy to bring our readers this personal interview with Stephanie Thornton.  So thrilled to have you with us, Stephanie!  Let's start the interview...

1)Please tell us if there was a special person in your life who drew attention to the fact that you could write.

 

I remember my mom giving me notebooks when I was in third grade so I could fill them with stories. I only wish I still had them!

 

2) You chose a specific place and time to write about, what made you choose it?

 

I actually chose Theodora as my subject, so the Byzantine Empire came along for the ride. Most of my prior research was on ancient Egypt for my novel about Hatshepsut, so I really enjoyed learning about an era that I knew relatively little about.

 

3) Does the concept for your story come to you first or the characters?

 

I write biographical fiction—Empress Theodora, Pharaoh Hatshepsut, and the wife and daughters of Genghis Khan so far—so the characters definitely come first. That said, I only choose characters that have lived colorful lives, and who most modern people know relatively little about.

 

4) In your opinion, what makes a book a great one?

 

I’ve always loved historical fiction, so for me, a book has to have it all: a page-turning plot, unforgettable characters, and a unique setting in both time and place. Throw in a little humor and romance and you have a winner!

 

5) If you were able to have dinner with one other author of any time period, who would it be?  Why?

 

Voltaire, hands-down. Have you read Candide? It’s seriously an Enlightenment soap opera, coming from a Frence philosophe who was incredibly concerned with human rights and dignity. That said, Voltaire is incredibly thought-provoking, but also downright hilarious. Anyone who said, “Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats,” can share a glass of wine and pasta with me anytime.

 

6) Read any good books in the past 6 months?  And, please name one favorite contemporary woman author. (I know, it’s unfair to ask you to name only one)

 

Only one?! The inhumanity! I’m currently reading The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax and am absolutely loving the rich depiction of pre-WWII Spain as told through the eyes of a young cello player. Lily of the Nile and Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray both kept me up until the wee hours of many mornings. Dray’s novels remind me very much of Kate Quinn’s series on ancient Rome, which are among my all-time favorite historical novels.

 

7) Please share with us the underlying message of your book.  What would you like your readers to take away after having read the book?

 

Theodora’s story is a real life rags-to-riches story. Through all of her setbacks, she kept her chin high and never gave up. I hope readers appreciate her incredible story, and take heart that even when life doesn’t go your way, there’s always hope that things will get better so long as you don’t give up.

 

8) Were you able to keep your original title?  What was it, if not?

 

The Secret History is the original title I chose for Theodora’s story, borrowed from the historian Procopius, who maligned Theodora terribly. I like to think of this as the secret, secret history of Theodora’s life.

 

9) Is there a song or music in general that might best represent your book as a theme song?

 

Funny you should ask! A Kiss With a Fist by Florence + The Machine is Theodora’s theme song. In fact, the lyrics inspired a scene in the book. (I’ll leave it to you to guess which one—it’s one of my favorites.)  

 

10)  If you could write your book again, what would you change?

 

One idea I toyed with was having Theodora visit the Holy Lands after she left Pentapolis, but I wasn’t able to fit it in. I wouldn’t mind seeing her traipse around the religious sites there and write her reactions as she did some sight-seeing.

 

11) Did you have to do any research you hadn’t expected?

 

I was lucky to be able to travel to Istanbul not once, but twice, to research the history of Theodora’s city. The first time I was in the process of writing the novel’s first draft, but the second time I was in the process of polishing the finished book. It was wonderful to be able to go to places like the Basilica Cistern and the Hagia Sophia with a specific scene in mind, and then be able to search out the setting details I needed.

 

12) Tell us about your cover.  How did you determine what it would look like?

 

Actually, the wonderful artists and designers at New American Library designed that stunning cover. I think they captured Theodora perfectly, and I was thrilled that they included the Hagia Sophia front and center!

 

13)  What does your book have to say about today’s women?

 

Theodora lived in 6^th century Constantinople and overcame many hurdles: the death of close family members, lack of access to formal education, an almost total dependence on men to provide for her, and being abandoned in a foreign country. Women today face other challenges: balancing careers and families, being single mothers (which Theodora was for a time), and inequality in the workplace. But women have always faced challenges, and we overcome them with our strength and resilience. Theodora was tough, and today’s women are tough. We can do anything when we put our minds to it!

 

 

Love, love, loved this interview with you, Stephanie.  Your wit and wisdom here is just a snapshot of the riches everyone will find reading "The Secret History..."   I'm encouraging all my readers to get a copy soon!

Praise for The Secret History

“Stephanie Thornton’s Theodora is tough and intelligent, spitting defiance against the cruel world of the Byzantine Empire. Her rise from street urchin to emperor’s consort made me want to stand up and cheer. Her later years as empress are great fun to read, but it was her early struggle as actress and courtesan that really had me roaring: either with rage at the misfortunes heaped on this poor girl, or with delight as she once more picked herself up with a steely glint in her eye and kept on going.”—Kate Quinn, author of Empress of the Seven Hills

“Loss, ambition and lust keep this rich story moving at top speed. Stephanie Thornton writes a remarkable first novel that brings a little known woman to full, vibrant life…A sprawling and irresistible story.”—Jeane Westin, author of The Spymaster’s Daughter

“A fascinating and vivid account; in The Secret History, the life of Empress Theodora leaps from the page, as colorful and complex as the woman herself.”—Michelle Diener, author of The Emperor’s Conspiracy
 

 

 

*Note:  This interview and short review was brought to you in cooperation with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.

 

 

Please click on the link below to find more reviews, interviews and guest posts on this book:
http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thesecrethistoryvirtualtour/


5 star book                Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Z~A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" by Therese Anne Fowler~Celebrates Zelda

SUMMARY :

I wish I could tell everyone who thinks we’re ruined, Look closer…and you’ll see something extraordinary, mystifying, something real and true. We have never been what we seemed.

When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the “ungettable” Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn’t wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner’s, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and take the rest as it comes.

What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined attention and success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Everyone wants to meet the dashing young author of the scandalous novel—and his witty, perhaps even more scandalous wife. Zelda bobs her hair, adopts daring new fashions, and revels in this wild new world. Each place they go becomes a playground: New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera—where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein.

Everything seems new and possible. Troubles, at first, seem to fade like morning mist. But not even Jay Gatsby’s parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous—sometimes infamous—husband? How can she forge her own identity while fighting her demons and Scott’s, too? With brilliant insight and imagination, Therese Anne Fowler brings us Zelda’s irresistible story as she herself might have told it. 

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  St. Martin's Press
Pages:  384
Genre:  Historial Fiction
Author:  Therese Anne Fowler
Website:  Therese Anne Fowler
Where you can click on a disc to hear an excerpt!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

   
Therese Anne Fowler (pronounced ta-reece) is the third child and only daughter of a couple who raised their children in Milan, Illinois. An avowed tomboy, Therese thwarted her grandmother’s determined attempts to dress her in frills–and, to further her point, insisted on playing baseball despite her town having a perfectly good girls’ softball league. Thanks to the implementation of Title IX legislation and her father’s willingness to fight on her behalf, Therese became one of the first girls in the U.S. to play Little League baseball.
Her passion for baseball was exceeded only by her love of books. A reader since age four, she often abused her library privileges by keeping favorite books out just a little too long. When domestic troubles led to unpleasant upheaval during her adolescence, the Rock Island Public Library became her refuge. With no grounding in Literature per se, she made no distinction between the classics and modern fiction. Little Women was as valued as The Dead Zone. A story’s ability to transport her, affect her, was the only relevant matter.
Therese married at eighteen, becoming soon afterward a military spouse (officially referred to at the time as a “dependent spouse”). With customary spirit, she followed her then-husband to Texas, then to Clark Air Base in the Philippines–where, because of politics, very few military spouses could find employment. Again, books came to her rescue as the base library became her home-away-from-home and writers such as Jean Auel, Sidney Sheldon, and Margaret Atwood brought respite from boredom and heat.
Her own foray into writing came years later, after a divorce, single parenthood, enrollment in college, and remarriage. A chance opportunity during the final semester of her undergrad program led to her writing her first short story, and she was hooked. Having won an essay contest in third grade and seen her writing praised by teachers ever since, she knew she could put words on paper reasonably well. This story, however, was her first real attempt at fiction. Her professor told her she had a knack for it, thus giving her the permission to try she hadn’t known she was waiting for.
After an intensive five-year stint that included one iffy-but-completed novel followed by graduate school, some short-fiction awards, an MFA in creative writing, teaching undergraduates creative writing, and a second completed novel that led to literary representation, Therese was on the path to a writing career. It would take three more novels (all of which are published) and a great lot of new reading, though, before she began to grasp Literature properly–experience proving to be the best teacher.
The inspiration to tell Zelda’s story came unbidden, on a day when Therese was contemplating entirely different story ideas. Believing Zelda to be little more than “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s crazy, disruptive wife,” she was skeptical of the idea. But when a quick web search revealed that Therese’s mother and Zelda had both passed away in the overnight hours of the same date, March 10th (though in different years), Therese was compelled to explore the idea further–and then, seeing how wrong she’d been about Zelda, write a story that would, she hoped, bring a maligned, talented, troubled woman the justice she deserves. When Z sold first to a publisher in London on the 10th of April–the date The Great Gatsby was published in 1925–Therese had to think it was fate.
Therese has two grown sons and currently lives in North Carolina.


Listen to an excerpt of the novel below:

 



THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

For nearly 40 years I have been completely fascinated with Zelda Fitzgerald.  I read the Nancy Mitford biography, "Zelda" when it first came out years ago.  And I hardily recommend it to you, as an aside to this book review. 

I wanted to fall in love with this novel because I love Zelda so much!  Right up front I admit to some strong mixed feelings.  While the book gave an enthusiastic run at the details of Zelda and Scott's life in the fast lane, the many encounters with the rich and famous, and their personal struggles throughout their rough and tumble marriage, it read mostly like a biography and less like the novel I was hoping for.  It was dry and often slow even for a biography. 

I was hoping for an exciting, fast-moving read that would hold my attention and make me feel the thrill of Zelda with her scathing personality, her unconventional and exotic lure, and her dive into creativity and madness.  What was given in this novel was a plodding story resting carefully on the facts of the Fitzgerald's lives, along with some thoughtful embellishments that had really no feeling or heart.  Such a disappointment.  It lacked empathy with the characters. They were practically one dimensional.

What kept me reading to the end was the specific hope that we'd eventually get to the culmination of Zelda's life and her emotional breakdown in some detail.  But, even that fell flat and anticlimactic.

While I think the intellectual pursuit of this book was probably a good one, it just didn't translate into an engaging and enjoyable historical fiction.  It stands on the edge of boring.  I had to really push myself through it...and I don't like to do that. 

All in all, I find it difficult to rate this book.  It's a good one for a biographical study, I suppose.  But, it wasn't a historical fiction that was enjoyable to read; falling flat and leaving the reader very dissatisfied in the end.  The writer would have been better off simply to write the clear biography, in my humble opinion.

3 stars              Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Astor Place Vintage" by Stephanie Lehmann~Wonderful Read!!

SUMMARY :

Amanda Rosenbloom, proprietor of Astor Place Vintage, thinks she’son just another call to appraise and possibly purchase clothing from a wealthy, elderly woman. But after discovering a journal sewn into a fur muff, Amanda gets much more than she anticipated. The pages of the journal reveal the life of Olive Westcott, a young woman who had moved to Manhattan in 1907. Olive was set on pursuing a career as a department store buyer in an era when Victorian ideas, limiting a woman’s sphere to marriage and motherhood, were only beginning to give way to modern ways of thinking. As Amanda reads the journal, her life begins to unravel until she can no longer ignore this voice from the past. Despite being separated by one hundred years, Amanda finds she’s connected to Olive in ways neither could ever have imagined.

More Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews

The past meets the present in Lehmann's work of feminist literary fiction. In 2007, 39-year-old Amanda indulges her interest in history by running a vintage clothing business in New York City. She is contacted by Jane Kelly, who, at 98, is getting rid of a lifetime's accumulation of stuff, selling whatever she can for whatever she can get. Amanda takes an old trunk full of clothing on consignment and, while going through the items, finds a journal, started in 1907 by a woman named Olive, sewn inside a muff. These two women are separated by a century but have a lot in common. Olive is rebelling against the 19th-century concept of a woman's "place" in society, and Amanda feels herself caught between two historic eras. Olive's mother died in childbirth, and she was raised by an upper-class, loving but conservative father. His fortune was lost in the stock market, and when he died, she became poor. The author presents compelling, often shocking historical details about the treatment of working women in the early years of the century. Meanwhile, Amanda, in contemporary Manhattan, is considering extricating herself from an affair with a man she dearly loves. Along the way, she visits a hypnotist. The tape she receives after her session introduces questions that bring her closer to Olive. The author combines an impressive knowledge of history, sociology and psychology to create an intellectually and emotionally rewarding story.


PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster
Pages:  396  Plus Reading Group Guide
Genre:  Fiction/Historical Fiction
Author:  Stephanie Lehmann
Visit:  http://stephanielehmann.com or http://astorplacevintage.com


ABOUT THIS AUTHOR :

 Stephanie Lehmann received her B.A. at U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. In English from New York University. She has taught novel writing at Mediabistro and online at Salon.com, where her essays have been published. Like Olive and Amanda, she lives in New York City.

For more information, please visit www.AstorPlaceVintage.com and www.StephanieLehmann.com.  You can follow Stephanie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and tumblr.

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

Want an addictive book to read this weekend?  This is the one.  From page one, it whisks you up and carries you to New York City in the present and the past combining the lives of two independent, beautiful women who are looking for "something else" in their stilted and lonely lives.  It's easy on the eyes and it tugs at something significant in a woman's heart.  This novel is "deeper" than it appears to be on the cover.  All the time, it's an entertaining and joyful read!

Stephanie Lehmann takes on real issues in the lives of all women and brings them current through the lives of two women connected through the lost journal of one of them...one from the early 1900's.  How similar their circumstances...wanting to be independent, wanting a love that will recognize them as who they really are and will validate their true strengths. This book touches on the issues women actually feel and experience even today.

I love the vintage pictures of New York that dress up the inside of the novel, and the background stories of the City, itself.  What a perfect tour guide through the ages passed along with the modern times.  What wasn't to love about finds for Amanda's vintage clothing shop, too!  Great fun to have the fashions described in detail. 

There are so many incidents to laugh, nod your head in agreement about, and be shaken to the core in this book.  It's a "keeper" and a book you'll want to share with all your friends.
I can't say enough good things about it.

5 stars                 Deborah/TheBookishDame

*Note:  Although the review and comments are strictly my own thoughts and feelings, this was brought to you in cooperation with:

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours where you can find more reviews, guest posts and interviews about this book.  Please click on the link below:

http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/astorplacevintage/

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"Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa" by Benjamin Constable ~ Extraordinary Read!

SUMMARY :

What writer Benjamin Constable needs is a real-life adventure wilder than his rampant imagination. And who better to shake up his comfortable Englishman-in-Paris routine than the enigmatic Tomomi “Butterfly” Ishikawa, who has just sent a cryptic suicide note?

She’s planted a slew of clues—in the pages of her journal, on the hard drive of her computer, tucked away in public places, under flowerpots, and behind statues. Heartbroken, confused, and accompanied by an imaginary cat, Ben embarks upon a scavenger hunt leading to charming and unexpected spaces, from the hidden alleys of Paris to the cobblestone streets of New York City.

But Butterfly’s posthumous messages are surprisingly well informed for the words of a dead person, and they’re full of confessions of a past darkened by insanity, betrayal, and murder. The treasures Ben is unearthing are installments of a gruesome memoir. Now he must draw a clear line between the real and surreal if he is to save himself, Butterfly, and what remains of their crazy and amazing friendship.

ABOUT THE BOOK :

ISBN-13: 9781451667264

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication date: 6/4/2013

Pages: 352

SOMETHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Benjamin Constable was born in Bristol and grew up mostly in Derby. He lives in Paris where he writes fiction and teaches English. Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa is his first novel.


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

This is an odd little book.  One of those that starts out feeling contrived and suddenly sinks its teeth in you and won't let go.  It simply "grows on  you."  I confess I didn't like it to begin with, but the more I decided to give it a chance, the more I liked it. 

The author has a way of causing his characters to become endearing as you read the quandary of Ben to find Butterfly's clues to her mysterious self and the "task" she's set him.  Ben is immediately captivating.  He's the proverbial innocent boy-next-door who needs someone to shake up his life; and, Butterfly seems the perfect, quirky girl to do just that.

What I also really loved about the book was the details about Paris...some odd little tidbits.  And I liked the glimpses into the computer and journal life of Butterfly as she led Ben on and left her "clues."  New York looked pretty awesome in this author's eyes, as well!

This isn't a book for everyone.  I'd say it's rather a quest into something unusual and a taste of something a little sweet 'n sour off the shelves.  I loved it, but it may not be for everyone's tastes. 
One of those books you have to sit back and let take you on a serendipitous trip...

4 stars                       Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Bones of the Lost" by Kathy Reichs~Slow-moving

SUMMARY :

#1 New York Times bestselling author and producer of the Fox hit series Bones, Kathy Reichs returns with an unforgettable new novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan, whose examination of a mysterious hit-and-run victim triggers an investigation into human trafficking.

When Charlotte police discover the body of a teenage girl along a desolate stretch of two-lane highway, Temperance Brennan fears the worst. The girl’s body shows signs of foul play. Inside her purse, police find an airline club card bearing the name of prominent local businessman John-Henry Story, who died in a horrific fire months earlier. How did Story and the girl know each other? Was she an illegal immigrant turning tricks? Was she murdered? Was he?

Tempe must also examine a bundle of Peruvian dog mummies confiscated by U.S. Customs. A Desert Storm veteran named Dominick Rockett stands accused of smuggling the objects into the country. Could there be some connection between the trafficking of antiquities and the trafficking of humans?

As the complications pile on, Tempe must also grapple with personal turmoil. Her daughter, Katy, grieving the death of her boyfriend in Afghanistan, impulsively enlists in the army. Meanwhile, Katy’s father, Pete, is growing frustrated by Tempe’s reluctance to finalize their divorce. As pressure mounts from all corners, Tempe soon finds herself at the center of a conspiracy that extends all the way from South America to Afghanistan and right to the center of Charlotte.

A tour de force of imagination, Bones of the Lost is a roller coaster of plot twists, punctuated by Tempe’s fierce wit and forensic know-how. “A genius at building suspense” (New York Daily News), Kathy Reichs is at her brilliant best in this sixteenth installment of the Temperance Brennan series. With the Fox series Bones in its ninth season, Kathy Reichs has reached new heights in suspenseful storytelling.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  Schribner
Pages:  336
Genre:  Suspense/Thriller/Fiction
Author:  Kathy Reichs
Website:  http://kathyreichs.com


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

 Kathy Reichs, like her character Temperance Brennan, is a forensic anthropologist, formerly for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and for the province of Quebec. A professor in the department of anthropology at the UNC at Charlotte, she is one of only eighty-eight forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, is past Vice President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and serves on the National Police Services Advisory Council in Canada.


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

Ordinarily, I'm the hugest of fans of Kathy Reichs.  This time, I'm sad to say I really had difficulty with this book.

The storyline just dragged along.  It was disjointed and seem very disconnected to me.  While the original "carrot" of a dead girl found on the side of a dark road was engaging, it didn't really go anywhere for about 100 pages...a third of the way into the book!  I wasn't even interested in the mummified dogs, the smuggler or her daughter in Afghanistan and how some of them were connected...there was nothing to intrigue me or to show me a connection that was satisfying.

Reichs character, homicide detective Skinny Slidell, was simply disgusting.  Nothing redeeming in his gratuitous swearing and dirty slang, to me.  It added nothing to the story and just acted at fill in.  Seemed very juvenile.

Though Tempe is always a well-drawn character herself, even she was boring in this particular book.
She had no story to hang on to.

I was disappointed in this novel.  As I've said, I usually find Kathy Reich's books thoroughly entertaining and at the top of my suspense/thriller list.  This one falls flat.  Sorry...

3 stars for effort                     Deborah/TheBookishDame

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