Posted Wednesday, 15 April, 2015 by jorielov David Morrell, Hachette Book Group Inc., Inspector of the Dead, Lady Darby Mysteries, Little Brown and Company, Mulholland Books, Murder as a Fine Art, The Thomas De Quincey Mysteries 3 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Inspector of the Dead” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of “Inspector of the Dead” direct from the publisher Mulholland Books (an imprint of Little, Brown and Company via Hachette Book Group, Inc.), in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Whilst I was requesting to be placed on this blog tour, I requested a copy of the first book in the series “Murder as a Fine Art” as I have never read a story by David Morrell; blessedly I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher Mulholland Books (an imprint of Little, Brown and Company via Hachette Book Group, Inc.) without being obligated to post a review, as my ruminations on behalf of this novel are for my own edification only.
Intrigued to Read:
I have been quite open about my passion for Cosy Mysteries, Cosy Historical Mysteries, Historical Suspense & Thrillers, inasmuch as a new directional curve to acquire a taste for what I refer to directly as ‘Cosy Horror‘ – an augmented slice of Horror’s original declarative section Psychological Suspense! How keen then, to discover within the opening pages of Murder As A Fine Art the mentioning of how this particular kind of suspense thriller was first spilt onto the page by Wilkie Collins (of whom I have earmarked to read during Horror October and of whom is listed on my tCC List!) You can further view my Story Vault’s classification system for genre-specific stories of which alight within my reading hours giving me the most joy a contented reader can ever hope to discover!
As a 2nd Year Book Blogger, it is quite interesting to realise I’ve started a new conversation about what constitutes ‘Cosy Horror’ and ‘Cosy Historical Mysteries’ as the terms were either under appreciated or not yet in use until I came onto the scene! I would love to claim both of them equally, but only ‘Cosy Horror’ could be linked to my creation as there was quite a heap of controversy surrounding ‘Cosy Historical Mysteries’ until I spent a considerable amount of time referencing what I believe it refers too and what it most decidedly doesn’t include as well.
Crime Fiction is a ready-at-hand section in Literature which whets a healthy thirst of interest because I love being able to step alongside the inspectors, detectives, as much as other curious sorts who dig through crime scenes and evidence to root out the truth of a crime which intellectually gives the reader a heap of sleuthing joy to read. I am not limited to appreciating reading about murder, suspense, and intrigue as I quite happily have become deeply attached to wicked sophisticated serials such as: Foyle’s War, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Sherlock, Rosemary & Thyme, Hetty Wainthroppe Investigates, NCIS, The Mentalist, Castle, Numbers, Murdoch Mysteries, The Pinkertons, Crossing Jordan, Inspector Morse & Lewis (*eager to meet Endeavour), Monk, Hart to Hart, Perry Mason, Columbo, Murder, She Wrote, Ironside, Quincy M.E., McMillan & Wife, Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone and the Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy to name a few.
What a treat for me, to realise the harkening reality of where and when the changes in literature occurred to give us such an enriched history of Crime Fiction, Drama, and Suspense! I had a sense Gothic Literature would not be too far behind, and Morrell did not disappoint me, as the writers he was speaking about took their cues from the Gothic stylings of the past eras before them to curate a new level of suspense – sensationalism. The Victorian Era has held my eye of attention for many a moon throughout my reading life (originating in childhood), and it did not surprise me one whit the Victorians took credence of stock of ‘what’ would draw their blood to coil most would be the haunting reality of psychosis over paranormal attributes of the unknown. Most of the topics discussed would fit well within the dialogue and story-lines of Law & Order: SVU and this goes to prove the point, we have not progressed but regressed.
I am not normally one to find myself attached to the grittier tomes of Suspense, much less a story which is parallel to Jack the Ripper as far as character motivations go, yet I found myself drawn to Morrell’s stories all the same. Sometimes it’s the unexpected stories set within a ‘theme of interest’ that tempt us to explore outside our own literary wanderings that will find us either grateful for the experience or merely proving to be a test of our will before jumping back into the familiar territories we knowingly love. We could also find a curious balance where stepping outside our zones of comfort can lend a curious window into an ‘otherworld’ of psychological suspense! Noting to myself, I did get caught up inside a story about Jack the Ripper, and thus, this is my second ‘step’ outside the norm of where my wanderings lead me in Crime.
Curiosity is a bird of it’s own feather which leaves a reader a bit wanton for understanding what causes the curiosity in the first place! Some doors should not be opened nor explored, for what they give to the eyes and mind might be a bit much for the sensitive heart to endeavour to understand. Ah, such pickles we bookish souls entangle ourselves into at times, eh!? The artwork is a work of beauty, how the fog is a character of it’s own kind, and present on both book covers for this series of thrillers.
The history behind how (the real) Thomas De Quincey had the forethought and insight to become Freud’s own ally in the field of psychology is impressive enough, but it’s the level of which he took his journey to understand the under-notes of insanity and subconscious I must agree with Morrell (as viewed in his author’s commentary on behalf of De Quincey at the bottom of this review) he isn’t quite the moral figure to empathsis in most circles, but credit is due to him for understanding the darker side of humanity.
Inspector of the Dead
Book Synopsis of Inspector of the Dead:
David Morrell’s MURDER AS A FINE ART was a publishing event. Acclaimed by critics, it made readers feel that they were actually on the fogbound streets of Victorian London. Now the harrowing journey continues in INSPECTOR OF THE DEAD.
Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his Confessions of an Opium-Eater,confronts London’s harrowing streets to thwart the assassination of Queen Victoria.
The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters.
Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation.
This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attempted to kill Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimate victim will be Victoria herself. As De Quincey and Emily race to protect the queen, they uncover long-buried secrets and the heartbreaking past of a man whose lust for revenge has destroyed his soul.
Brilliantly merging historical fact with fiction, Inspector of the Dead is based on actual attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Series: The Thomas De Quincey Mysteries, No. 2
Also in this series: Invincible
on 24th March, 2015
Pages: 342
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Wednesday, 15 April, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, Addictions and Afflictions, Audiobook, Audiobook Excerpt, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Discussions, Bookish Films, Crime Fiction, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Detective Fiction, Diary Accountment of Life, England, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Excessive Violence in Literature, Father-Daughter Relationships, Geographically Specific, Good vs. Evil, Hard-Boiled Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Mystery, Historical Perspectives, Historical Thriller Suspense, Horror, Interviews Related to Content of Novel, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Medical Fiction, Passionate Researcher, Psychological Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Sociological Behavior, Specialised Crime Investigator, the Victorian era, Thomas De Quincey, True Crime, Vulgarity in Literature, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Friday, 27 March, 2015 by jorielov iUniverse, Letters to Kezia, Peni Jo Renner, The Puritan Chronicles 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Letters to Kezia” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary paperback copy of “Letters to Kezia” direct from the author Peni Jo Renner, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
I had attempted to borrow the first novel in this series via ILL’ing it from my local library, however, as there was only one copy available through the inter-library loan catalogue it was unable to be borrowed. Therefore, in order to help myself become acquainted with the series, I followed the original blog tour which I have linked at the bottom of this post. I shared the links which I found pivotal to understanding how the Puritan Witch Chronicles began and hope it will help my readers and visitors proceed forward into “Letters to Kezia”.
Sadly my copy of “Letters to Kezia” was impended from reading on schedule (as my review posted late) not just due to personal reasons but because my copy was glued together! As in the pages themselves were glued and stuck onto each other, and as I carefully pulled them apart, pieces of ink and words caught together, erasing bits of the text yet enough staid to where I could read enough to gather the gist. The only time this has happened previously was when I read “Vintage”. I thankfully had a better reading experience with Renner than Gloss.
A curious moment: where the second novel sparks your interest in a series:
I remember a bit vaguely when Puritan Witch hit the book blogosphere last Spring (2014) whilst touring with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours; one of the book touring companies I had started to work with the previous Autumn (2013). It is hard to believe I am nearly about to welcome in my second full year of book blogging, as when I reflect back upon the stories, writers, and memories I’ve experienced through Historical Fiction solely based on the books alighting in my life through the outreach Ms Bruno conducts through her touring company, I am quite literally a bookish heart full of joy and wonder!
Most of the stories are by independently and self-published authors, of whom I might not have met as quickly or at all, if it hadn’t been for their blog tours; on this one level of gratitude, my heart is overflowing with positive recollections of their stories who have left an etching on my imagination. Even the books where I might not have soaked inside quite as readily or felt as moved as others, each story had it’s own merit of discovery and time inside my hands, as I attempted to read outside my comfort zones and dig deeper into the historical past, through generations of insight and numerous eras of timescape.
Letters to Kezia
by Peni Jo Renner
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
It is 1693 in Hereford, Connecticut, when Mary Case, the spinster daughter of a Puritan minister, finds herself hopelessly smitten by the roguish thief, Daniel Eames. Betrothed to a man she does not like or love, she is soon compelled to help Daniel escape from jail. Suddenly, she finds herself on the run, not only accused of being Daniel’s accomplice, but also of murder.
The fugitive pair soon finds solace-and a mutual attraction-among the escapee’s Algonquin friends until two men from Daniel’s dark past hunt them down. After Mary is captured and returned home to await trial, a tragedy takes the life of her younger sister, revealing a dark secret Mary’s father has kept for months. But just as Mary learns she is pregnant, she makes a horrifying discovery about Daniel that changes everything and prompts her to develop an unlikely bond with his mother, Rebecca, who soon saves Mary from a shocking fate. It is not until years later that her daughter, Kezia, finally learns the truth about her biological father and family.
Letters to Kezia shares a courageous woman’s journey through a Puritan life and beyond as she struggles with adversity and betrayal, and discovers that loyalty can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
Genres: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
Series: The Puritan Chronicles,
Published by iUniverse
on 14th January, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Published By: iUniverse (@iUniverse)
Book One: Puritan Witch: The Redemption of Rebecca Eames (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #LettersToKezia, #LetterstoKeziaBlogTour and #PeniJoRenner
About Peni Jo Renner
PENI JO RENNER is the author of the IPPY award-winning novel, Puritan Witch: the Redemption of Rebecca Eames. Originally from North Dakota, Peni now lives with her husband in Maryland where she is currently researching for the third book in the Puritan Chronicles series.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Friday, 27 March, 2015 by jorielov in 17th Century, 18th Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Apothecary, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Colonial America, Death of a Sibling, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Diary Accountment of Life, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Equality In Literature, Family Life, Feminine Heroism, Herbalist, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, History, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Medical Fiction, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Native American Fiction, Naturopathic Medicine, Realistic Fiction
Posted Saturday, 21 March, 2015 by jorielov Berni Stevens (Illustrator), ChocLitUK, Coorah Creek series, Flight to Coorah Creek, Janet Gover 0 Comments
As you might have recalled, Flight to Coorah Creek was one of my favourite ChocLit reads of the past year, as I started reading novels by ChocLitUK authors in January of 2014. As I enter into my second year of reading ChocLitUK, I am overjoyed at the journey I’ve taken through their backlist and new releases thus far along, inasmuch as I have a wicked lovely ‘ChocLit Next Reads list‘ which continues to grow each month I find there is another ‘must read’ ChocLit novel being released!
A year ago, most new releases were available in print, however, in 2015 they are debuting in ebook versions prior to audiobook and print, which will follow suit in latter months. Imagine my wicked sweet surprise in being contacted by Ms Gover to host a special ‘book announcement’ and series spotlight on my blog overnight!? I had become enchanted with Coorah Creek for it’s representation of ‘small towne Romance’ and hearty fiction set within a Western / Outback world!
One of my happily devoured sections of Romance are the stories set in small townes, such as Serenity where we greet the women who make up the Sweet Magnolia’s (a sisterhood friendship amongst career women at different stages of their lives; sharing life, love, memories, and a lot of sweet tea!) penned by Sherryl Woods. Woods has a way of endearing you with realistic themes and compelling drama inside a series that remains true to itself per each new installment of the women who live in Serenity.
Cedar Cove came into my life years before the tv series came to Hallmark Channel, as I honestly encouraged Ms MacComber to pitch the series and her Angel stories to the network as I felt even back in the early 2000s, MacComber would be a ‘good fit’ for Hallmark’s collection of sweet romances and quality television in a sex crazy world where relationships are rarely seen on film. I loved Cedar Cove for it’s Pacific Northwest setting as much as I loved the familiarity of the characters from novel to novel. I am unsure of the translation of it to tv, as I missed the 1st season as it aired.
Coorah Creek wooed me with it’s rugged outback location, it’s salt of the earth quirky characters, and it’s willingness to not only become a safe harbour for someone seeking solace from the world at large, but a place of a new beginning where you can put down roots and carve out your own destiny. Coorah Creek has the beauty of a close-knitted community you find within small townes, against the eloquently vivid backdrop of the Outback; where horses, humans, and wild blue skies greet each other. Gover had me so over the moon for Coorah Creek, even as I read Flight to Coorah Creek I was envisioning myself returning; yet that felt strange, how do you return if a sequel isn’t even known?
There are other small townes and other writers who pen compelling instances of what I consider a wicked good read for small towne life, community connectiveness, nature and wildlife in close proximity to where you lay your hat, and the beauty of not being clogged inside the wheel of chaos each time you want to step outside your door as most larger areas give you the impression of whilst your there. I was bourne and bred in the city, but I had a chance to exchange it for the country; now my heart is half-tethered to both worlds; seeking a way to find balance between convenience and serenity of spirit. Not to mention a slower pace and a calming rhythm of being connected with neighbours, community members, and the natural world.
The news originally broke inside a #ChocLitSaturdays chat (prior to when I changed our tag) that Coorah Creek was not singularly defined by Flight to Coorah Creek but merely a first greeting in which to become acquainted and book our residence for a long-term stay at the only Inn in towne (it’s above the ‘better’ bar; smiles). A place where you can happily snuggle into jeans, boots, and a fedora whilst embracing the freedom of riding horses, kicking up dust in jeeps, and being there for your neighbours.
I was overjoyed to throw a Pub Party for Ms Gover on #ChocLitSaturday today! The details of which will partially be revealed on this post, but will also alight when I write up the compliment blog post for today’s convo! It was a happy hour full of #booklove, #bookjoy, and the camaraderie amongst friends who’ve only known each other for just shy of a year! At least, I’ve only known the ChocLit’ers for the twelvemonths I’ve been hosting the chat, as we’ve had the chance to get to know each other off-blog and out in life. The convos are the blissful happy moments I cherish, and to celebrate a new release by an author I already smashingly love reading, wells, what could be better?!
The Wild One {Coorah Creek No.2 } by Janet Gover
Previously I read and reviewed Flight to Coorah Creek
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK), 3 April 2015 (PRE-ORDER time!)
Available Formats: Ebook; more formats forthcoming!
Converse via: #ChocLit & #CoorahCreek
Illustrated By: Berni Stevens
@circleoflebanon | Writer | Illustrator
Genre(s): Fiction | Romance | Small Towne Fiction
the Australian Outback | Second Chances
Read More
Posted Saturday, 21 March, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Australia, Australian Literature, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Cookery, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Novel, Divorce & Martial Strife, Domestic Violence, Family Drama, Family Life, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Horse Drama & Fiction, Indie Author, Life Shift, Medical Fiction, Military Fiction, Modern British Literature, Nun, Passionate Researcher, Photography, Psychological Abuse, Religious Orders, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Second Chance Love, Single Mothers, Singletons & Commitment, Small Towne Fiction, Western Fiction, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Thursday, 19 March, 2015 by jorielov A Dangerous Place, Harper Books, HarperCollins Publishers, Jacqueline Winspear, Lady Darby Mysteries, Maisie Dobbs, Maisie Dobbs series 2 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a tour stop on “A Dangerous Place” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I requested and borrowed the first novel (“Maisie Dobbs”) as well as the entire series to better understand the flow of continuity and the origins of the Maisie Dobbs series of which I borrowed via my local library.
Unfortunately, due to time and circumstance, I only read portions of “Maisie Dobbs” (the first novel) for the blog tour and was not obligated to post a review for it. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher HarperCollins Publishers, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Reflections on behalf of “Maisie Dobbs”: the first of the series:
Prior to soaking inside A Dangerous Place, I wanted to acquaint myself with who Maisie Dobbs was behind the series which has become a benchmark of cosy historical mysteries with a formidable lead female investigating unique scenarios whilst breaking out of station and class circles in an era of time where women did not quite have the full freedoms they have in today’s modern world. On paper, Maisie Dobbs was a young girl of thirteen who entered into service at the bequest of her father after her mother’s tragic death; a choice to choose between a life of poverty and a chance to make a mark on the world on her own terms. Her father’s love for his daughter was without bounds as he wanted to give her everything she deserved but simply could not afford on his costermonger wages.
She was under tutelage of a prominent private investigator until the Great War erupted and changed life as everyone knew it to be prior to World War I. During the war, Maisie took up her role as a nurse, seeing as much of the battlefields as she dared felt she could survive handling as she nursed the men who came into her wards; the wounds they carried were only half seen to the naked eye, but felt more intuitively by the heart and conscience. This is an ability she carried through to her sleuthing years, as after the Armistice she settled herself into the role she had meant to take-on prior to war: private investigations, continuing the legacy of her tutor Maurice Blanche whilst her benefactor at arms, Lady Rowan is his wife; a close confident of Maisie, and guiding light to her affairs.
Maisie Dobbs might have had a tragic situation take her formative years for a shock, but it was how she was determined to rise out of the ashes of where her childhood ended and lay claim to a future she could not only become proud of but prove to her father she would survive anything life threw at her, Maisie Dobbs found an unusual alliance in the couple (Maurice Blanche & Lady Rowan) whose house gave her a position in service. You could say, she had a guardian angel looking out for her and giving her what she needed at the times in which she needed everything the most. This cocoon of acceptance and support, is what gave her the foundation she needed before and after the Great War.
Maisie was tutored by a man who appreciated sociology and the observations on how the conditions of being human are not limited to psychology and environment. The whole of a person’s being is rooted half by our humanity and half through the experiences of our lives. The best investigator who has a compassionate conscience towards the well-being of both her clients and the people of whom she is investigating will walk the line between where ethics and justice merge together. A direct reflection upon the good of how information can affect a life or how information can subtract a negative result out of a grievance or misunderstanding therein. There are always two sides to every pence, thereby giving two sides of a revelation sparked out of a keen intellect whose deduction extends past the obvious and digs deeper in the heart and conscience. Maisie Dobbs is one such investigator who strives to find a balance between seeking the truth and using the truth to set people free.
Maisie articulates her conscience in her reactions to what happens when her observations deposit her into another person’s reality. The way in which she fuses her own being to that of her observant party is a keen tip of insight on behalf of Winspear, that Maisie likes to study people from the inside out. She formulates an impression on them whilst seeking the truth they might not even realise they are revealing bit by bit in appearance, personality, and countenance.
Winspear allows a beautiful open dialogue between Maisie and her mentor Maurice, through the conversations Maisie brings forward to mind as she wrestles out the best method to unravell the fabric of truth from the moving mirrors of shadows which attempt to forestall what she is uncovering from being brought to light. The past does not always want to be let out in the open nor revealed to all parties who make enquiries. The war plays a key role in eluding to a history that doesn’t quite want to be recollected nor does it want to remain forever silent; no, some ghosts are hard to quell but must be willed back into the conscience of the present.
This first novel of the series, takes us forwards and backwards through where we meet Maisie Dobbs at the jump-start of her new career as a private eye to the myriad past of her benefactor Lady Rowan and how her life intersects with Maisie; giving depth and a level of back-story that draws your eye forward into the text with such a wanton hope of finding more about the characters whom you warm to instantly from having met them a quarter of a novel ago. You are dedicated to their stories because they are openly sharing their life and world with you from page one. It is as if you were a part of their inside circle, privy to their internal thoughts and the intimate moments wherein they share the bits they might think are outside of view.
A Dangerous Place
by Jacqueline Winspear
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
Maisie Dobbs returns in a powerful story of political intrigue and personal tragedy: a brutal murder in the British garrison town of Gibraltar leads the investigator into a web of lies, deceit, and danger.
Spring 1937. In the four years since she left England, Maisie Dobbs has experienced love, contentment, stability—and the deepest tragedy a woman can endure. Now, all she wants is the peace she believes she might find by returning to India. But her sojourn in the hills of Darjeeling is cut short when her stepmother summons her home to England: her aging father, Frankie Dobbs, is not getting any younger.
On a ship bound for England, Maisie realizes she isn't ready to return. Against the wishes of the captain who warns her, "You will be alone in a most dangerous place," she disembarks in Gibraltar. Though she is on her own, Maisie is far from alone: the British garrison town is teeming with refugees fleeing a brutal civil war across the border in Spain.
And the danger is very real. Days after Maisie's arrival, a photographer and member of Gibraltar's Sephardic Jewish community, Sebastian Babayoff, is murdered, and Maisie becomes entangled in the case, drawing the attention of the British Secret Service. Under the suspicious eye of a British agent, Maisie is pulled deeper into political intrigue on "the Rock"—arguably Britain's most important strategic territory—and renews an uneasy acquaintance in the process. At a crossroads between her past and her future, Maisie must choose a direction, knowing that England is, for her, an equally dangerous place, but in quite a different way.
Genres: Cosy Historical Mystery, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, War Drama Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9780749018825
Series: Maisie Dobbs,
Published by Harper Books
on St. Patrick's Day, 2015
Pages: 320
Published by: Harper Books (@harperbooks)
an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (@HarperCollins)
Maisie Dobbs
Birds of a Feather
Pardonable Lies
Messenger of Truth
An Incomplete Revenge
Among the Mad
The Mapping of Love and Death
A Lesson in Secrets
Elegy for Eddie
Leaving Everything Most Loved
*A Most Dangerous Place
Available Formats: Hardback, Audiobook & Ebook
Converse via: #MaisieDobbs
About Jacqueline Winspear
Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Leaving Everything Most Loved, Elegy for Eddie, A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, as well as four other national bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels.
Her standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was also a New York Times bestseller. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel and was a New York Times Notable Book.
Website | Facebook | LibraryThing | FantasticFiction
Posted Thursday, 19 March, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Cosy Historical Mystery, Crime Fiction, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Father-Daughter Relationships, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Geographically Specific, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Historical Fiction, India, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Library Find, Library Love, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Loss of an unbourne child, Mental Health, Nurses & Hospital Life, PTSD, Sociological Behavior, Sociology, the Thirties, The World Wars, TLC Book Tours, War Widow
Posted Friday, 6 March, 2015 by jorielov Elizabeth Collison, Harper Perennial, HarperCollins Publishers, Some Other Town 2 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Some Other Town” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher HarperCollins Publishers, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. Except to say, shortly after I received my copy of “Some Other Town”, the blog tour itself was cancelled quite unexpectedly. I still was quite curious to read this novel, as it held such a curious plot inside it itching for me to discover where it would lead me to venture. Therefore, I picked a new date (originally the 3rd of March) to post my review off-tour. A few technical and life moments interrupting my plans, I’ve finally been able to share my thoughts on the 6th of March! I was thankful Trish @ TLC was able to help me with the book cover, synopsis, and author biography as my tech errors were driving me a bit batty ahead of my review!
Books to take a chance on:
You have to understand, I have a thirst for stories which do not fit within a ‘particular box of genre or literary category of interest’, and thus, this particular novel spoke to me to request! I have previously mentioned a bit about how it is to receive a list of books coming up for review and selection on a blog tour — this beautiful sub-culture of book bloggers who have found a niche within their own individual online world of bookish culture, news, and the geektastically brilliant joy of being wrapped inside the ‘art of discovering’ a new to me author!
I have a penchant for time slips and time travel narratives, but also, the more oblique and abstract of where time, dimension, and the human conscience travel within a narrative arc. The lines by which begin to blur between reality, dreams, and the innermost desires of a human mind to voyage inside as the person within the soul attempts to sort through a few things. This introspective pursuit of alighting within the partitions of ‘time’ where there is a living ‘outside of time yet in-step with the living reality’ which consumes of us all. The kinds of stories where you are broaching into a nether space of original thought and the context of which can either resonate or dispel the appeal of what pulled you into the synopsis.
Ironically or not, as I was sorting out how to begin my review tonight, I had this unexpectedly lovely conversation with a novelist whose ‘this side of cosy hard-boiled’ new release is on the fringes of being promoted in the near future – mind you, I caught up with her on Twitter the very day she purchased her new domain for her newly minted website! Champion, eh? Without deferring to my favourite way to capture these moments encased in the randomness of wicked sweet conversations, you will find the gist of our convo timelined on Twitter itself! If you want to make sure you can catch the rest of our thread, kindly pull up my feeds, and happily follow it along!
It was inside this particular convo, I aligned my thoughts ahead of my ruminations! Because part of my instinctive joy, is remaining on ‘the edge of where fiction has gone and where it can become inventively curious’ to follow! Hence why my dedicated passion continues, after having found Lemongrass Hope at round Mid-Summer in 2014! Others have bewitched me, but this particular one I bring back to your attention, dear heart, due to how ‘time, space, and mind’ were entwined.
Further still, another TLC tour beckoned to me, except this time I was too late on the switch to participate; giving me a fervent desire to seek out The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson at my local library post haste! You can see on the blog tour page what sparked my interest as it is curiously aligned with Some Other Town. In the end, I turnt in a purchase request in order to curb the ‘six months out wait from publication’ to request it through ILL’ing! Confirmation of it being ordered arrived half a day after I left these remarks upon this review prior to posting it live! I cannot even express how giddy it made me feel knowing I’d have my hands on a copy!
Some Other Town
"But here is the strangest part. Now in the mornings when I wake from the dream, for an instant it's as if there are two of me. The one that will rise and go off to work and come home again to Mrs. Eberline. And the one that awakes from the dream of the van and feels something inside of her rising. Quickening, yearning, keening."
Margaret Lydia Benning, twenty-eight and adrift, still lives in the same Midwest town where she went to college. By day, she works at the Project, a nonprofit publisher of children's readers housed in a former sanatorium. There she shares the fourth floor with a squadron of eccentric editors and a resident ghost from the screamers' wing. At night, Margaret returns alone to her small house on Mott Street, with only her strange neighbor, Mrs. Eberline, for company.
Emotionally sleepwalking through the days is no way to lead a life. But then Margaret meets Ben Adams, a visiting professor at the university. Through her deepening relationship with Ben she glimpses a future she had never before imagined, and for the first time she has hope . . . until Ben inexplicably vanishes. In the wake of his disappearance, Margaret sets out to find him. Her journey, a revelatory exploration of the separate worlds that exist inside us and around us, will force her to question everything she believes to be true.
Told through intertwined perspectives, by turns incandescent and haunting, Some Other Town is an unforgettable tale, with a heartbreaking twist, of one woman's awakening to her own possibility.
Places to find the book:
on 24th February, 2015
Pages: 304
Published By: Harper Perennial (@HarperPerennial),
an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (@HarperCollins)
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #SomeOtherTown
About Elizabeth Collison
Elizabeth Collison grew up in the Midwest and now lives in the San Francisco Bay area. She received her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has worked as an editor, graphic artist, and technical writer. This is her first novel.
Website
Posted Friday, 6 March, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Art, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Clever Turns of Phrase, Contemporary Romance, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Fly in the Ointment, Ghosts & the Supernatural, Illustration for Books & Publishing, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Library Love, Literary Fiction, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Lyrical Quotations, Medical Fiction, Mental Health, Psychiatric Facilities, Singletons & Commitment, Small Towne Fiction, Sociological Behavior, The Seventies, TLC Book Tours, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage
