I Know My Name- C.J. Cooke - Review AND Giveaway!

I Know My Name is the debut novel of C.J. Cooke. And I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader!

The book opens in 2015. A woman is washed up on an isolated Greek island. She has no idea who she is or what she was doing when her boat wrecked on the island's rocky shore. And in England a man is frantic - his wife has gone missing, leaving her two small children behind.

The reader is privy to more than either lead character. We know what is happening in the England investigation. And what is happening on Kommeno Island. The island is not completely deserted, as we discover that there are four other people on the island. Their behavior is odd and they seem determined to keep our unnamed woman with them. "The only way to get off this island is to remember."

I always enjoy a back and forth narrative - it's guaranteed to keep me reading later than I had planned. Cooke inserts a third narrative about a quarter of the way into the book. It is set in 1983 - and explains much. With that information, I had a strong inkling as to how the two 2015 narratives would connect. I was partially right, but Cooke throws in a twist at the end.

I found myself drawn more to the London search than the time on the island. Perhaps because there were numerous characters and more happening. I found the island scenes and dialogue very off kilter with it's decidedly strange inhabitants. Things did make more sense in the run up to the final answer. That ending goes on a bit longer than I would have preferred. Now, being deliberately oblique - Cooke uses those last chapters to 'educate' the reader. While I appreciate this, it was more than I wanted as the pieces had already been put together. Warning to gentle readers - there are some disturbing elements to this tale.

I Know My Name is a good debut - here's an excerpt. If you too would like to read I Know My Name, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends January 27/17.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Did This Happen? - Review and Giveaway

Now, I don't read a lot of poetry, but the subject matter of How Did This Happen? :Poems for the Not So Young Anymore by Mary D. Esselman and Elizabeth Ash Velez definitely caught my eye. Topical and timely for this reader.

"This is for every woman who has faced "OMG, how did this happen?"

Poetry books are not meant to be read front to back in my opinion. Instead they invite browsing. How Did This Happen gives you other options. The poems have delightfully been categorized:

Insult: When You Don't Recognize Yourself
Injury: When You Realize Aging Is A Thing
Defiance: When You Think You Can Make It All Go Away
Dread: When You Can't Even
Grit: When You Find A Way to Live With Yourself
Grace: When You Find A Way to Live In The World

There are truths in every entry.....I enjoyed "Being Called Ma'am" and "There Is A Girl Inside".

Esselman and Velez provide an introduction to every chapter, sharing their own and other's experiences. Mary D. Esselman is a freelance writer and teacher currently working for the University of Virginia's Women's Center. Elizabeth Ash Velez is the academic coordinator of the Community Program and professor of feminist theory at Georgetown University.

Check out the website - Aging While Female or the Facebook page and follow along on Twitter.

If you would like to read How Did This Happen?, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends April 15/17.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Accident - Chris Pavone - Review AND Giveaway

I read Chris Pavone's debut novel, an Edgar award winner, The Ex-Pats, last year. (my review)

The Accident is the title of Pavone's new book.....and it's also the title of the book within the book. Huh?

An unnamed author opens the pages of Pavone's book with the last page of his book..."Because if what you are reading is a finished book, printed and bound and distributed into the world, I am, almost certainly, dead."

This manuscript has the power to ruin  - and everyone wants their hands on it - for very different reasons. From the literary agent who receives the original copy, to other agents, publishers, politicians, journalists and more, including a CIA operative. The Accident reveals more than one crime committed by powerhouse media mogul Charlie Wolfe.  The race is on between those determined to bring the book to light - and those just as determined to destroy it.

Chris Pavone is a clever, clever writer. He worked for many years as an editor and it shows in his writing. His prose are tight and concise and his story draws the reader in from the first pages and slowly but surely reels them in as another piece of the puzzle is added. The Accident explores the world of publishing and seems to have an added sense of the inside track woven in.

I found the opening pages intriguing, but it took me a few chapters to get a handle on all the characters and their motivations. But once I did, I was caught up in the machinations, plotting and intrigue of those determined to have the manuscript. And bit by bit we learn what secret will be revealed if the book is published. Pavone has one last twist up his sleeve before the final pages - one I could not have predicted.

Isabel was a wonderfully likable protagonist. Kate from The Expats makes a cameo appearance as well.

Pavone has crafted another smart, sharp thriller - one that will keep the reader on their toes, with another connection or revelation made with every chapter. Read an excerpt of The Accident.

"Chris Pavone is the author of the New York Times-bestselling The Expats, winner of the Edgar Award. He was a book editor for nearly two decades and lives in New York City with his family."
You can find Chris Pavone on Facebook.

See what others on the TLC tour thought. Full schedule can be found here.

And thanks to Crown Publishing, I have a copy to giveaway. Simply leave a comment to be entered. Open to US only, no PO Boxes please. Ends March 19/14.