Winners - The Other Story - Tatiana de Rosnay

And the randomly chosen winners of a copy of The Other Story by Tatiana de Rosnay, courtesy of St. Martin's Press is:

 

Heather Sebastian!
Bermuda Onion!

 

Congratulations! I've contacted you by email for your mailing address. Please respond within 72 hours. After that time, a new winner will be chosen. Thanks to all who entered - keep your eye on the sidebar for ongoing giveaways.

DK Canada's Mother's Day Boutique

 

Don't forget - Mother's Day is right around the corner - Sunday May 11th!

Have you chosen a gift yet? Well, you know you can't go wrong with a book!

DK Canada has put together a great selection of home, garden, food and travel books to chose from in their Mother's Day Boutique. And even better - they're 30% off until May 11/14.

 

Or....you could pick up one for yourself! My choice was

 Small Space Garden Ideas: Create your dream garden on a windowsill, wall, step, staircase, balcony, porch or patio.

 

Loved the cover - couldn't wait to see inside! There are forty different ideas for gardening in limited space. The ideas are wildly inventive, but easily achieved.

 

From air plants in cake pans stood up, to cacti in colourful (and recycled) tins to growing salad greens in colanders or in plastic gutters mounted to the side of your tool shed.

 

Apartment dweller? I thought this idea wall brilliant - oilcloth 'saddlbags' hung on the railings. There are lots of other quirky ideas using found items. How about a mini garden in an old teapots and cups? Or picture frames hung on patio walls that grow and change as the season progresses. There are a few variations on this idea - and they're all amazing.

 

Along with the planter instructions, there is a chapter on choosing the right plants, with growing instructions and considerations.

 

As with all Dorling Kindersley books, the layout is great, with colour photographs and easy to follow instructions. DK publishes the best reference books!

 

I quite enjoyed perusing Small Space Garden Ideas. Now, I just have to choose which projects I'd like to try - the possibilities are truly endless. Surprise your Mom!

 

 

You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover #2

- You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover -

Which is very true. But you can like one cover version better than another...

I was hunting down the cover art for this week's post on Natchez Burning by Greg Iles and came across the U.S. cover on the left and the
Canadian/UK cover on the right.
The Canadian cover gives you a good idea of what the book has in store with that burning cross. But I prefer the American cover. I thought the heavy leaden sky and the red simmering over the town was more effective.

Which cover do you prefer? Have you read the book yet?

You Can't Judge a Book by It's Cover is a regular Saturday Feature at A Bookworm's World

Spun - Catherine McKenzie

I've been a fan of Catherine McKenzie's from her first book - Spin.

Spin tells the tale of Katie, a woman desperate to get a job at the music magazine - The Line. What will she do to get that job? Sacrifice her own principles? Lie? Go to rehab to spy on celebrity 'it' girl Amber Sheppard and spill the details to the public? She does indeed head to rehab.....(my review)

Spin is Katie's story, but McKenzie has just released Spun - a novella that catches up with Amber - and what happened after rehab...

Two years on, Amber has managed to stay clean, but no one believes her. The paparazzi still hound her but casting agents aren't calling. One person, though,  is still pursuing her. Connor, the love of her life. And  he's a lot of the reason she ended up in rehab.

McKenzie has an easy, breezy style of writing that is fun to read. Spun gives us a completely different take on the Amber that appeared in Spin. Other characters from Spin also make cameos and let us catch up with their lives. But Spun belongs to Amber. She's matured and is trying to move on but has yet to convince her friends, family and fans. McKenzie does a great job at imagining what a celeb's life might be like. Amber's story is heartfelt, heartbreaking and life affirming. Catherine manages to fit a big story into a sweet little one sitting read.

For those that haven't read Spin, there's an excerpt (and one for Hidden as well) at the back of the book. Amber's playlist is included as well - a song to fit every chapter.

But even better - Harper Collins Canada is holding a giveaway - five copies of Spin are up for grabs!  You can enter here at The Savvy Reader.

Keep up with Catherine McKenzie  on Twitter and on Facebook and on her website. This fan will be watching for news of her next book.

Over the Counter #210

What books caught my eye this week as they passed over the library counter and under my scanner. This week it's the written word.....

Fist up was Book Art: Creative ideas to transform your books - decoration, stationery, display scenes and more by Clare Youngs.

From the publisher, Cico Books:

"Do you have a shelf of old books that you love, but rarely touch? Well, why not give them a new lease of life and use them to create one of the 35 beautiful projects Clare Youngs has developed?

 

 Faced with a house move and an excess of books, Clare decided rather than get rid of some, she would combine them with her passion for crafting to make pretty gifts and items to decorate her new home. Divided into five chapters, discover greetings cards, stationery, animals, and display scenes that use pages from all kinds of books. The beautiful typography and vintage artworks will provide interesting color and pattern to designs such as the owl and pussycat pop-up scene. The illustrations in children’s books give a retro feel to bunting to decorate a room, while atlases work well on lampshades or birthday cards. Use elegant images from interiors books to decorate a wardrobe or cut away at a hardback book to make display scenes like the cliff and lighthouse scene. Each project comes with step-by-step instructions and artworks. There are also templates and a techniques section at the back to help first-time crafters, plus time-saving tips that confident crafters will appreciate."

 

Next up was Snail Mail My Email: Handwritten Letters in a Digital World by Ivan Cash.

 

From the publisher, Sourcebooks:

 

"We live in a fast-paced world, where emails reign supreme as a form of communication. Feeling nostalgic for the almost forgotten written letter, Ivan Cash decided to stage a comeback tour on its behalf. He invited anyone in the world to send him a 100 word email, and in return he would illustrate it into a letter and mail it for free.

 

On day four of the project, he got more than 1,000 requests. A team of volunteers helped Ivan create over 10,000 letters—or more accurately, works of art—which were sent to happy recipients. Snail Mail My Email is a. collection of the most memorable letters and moments from the project, and a reminder of the power of personal connection in a world of instant communication." 

 

(Over the Counter is a regular feature at A Bookworm's World. I've sadly come the realization that I cannot physically read every book that catches my interest as it crosses over my counter at the library. But... I can mention them and maybe one of them will catch your eye as well. See if your local library has them on their shelves!)

Natchez Burning - Greg Iles

I've read everything Greg Iles has ever written - he's an incredibly talented wordsmith. His novels are all quite different but with one similarity - they're addicting reads. (And bestsellers as well)

His latest book Natchez Burning has just released and it's an absolutely fantastic read - easily his best novel yet. It's been a while coming - Iles nearly died in an auto accident five years ago.

Natchez Burning is the fourth book to feature lawyer Penn Cage, now the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi.

Present day - Penn's father, Tom, the town doctor for over fifty years has been accused of murdering a black woman who was his nurse in the 1960's. Tom is known and loved by all of his patients, black and white. And Tom knows his father - there's no way he would have done such a thing. Penn is determined to clear Tom's name - even as Tom refuses to rise to his own defense. Penn's search for answers takes him back to...

"...1964, with three murders. Three stones cast into a pond no one had cared about since the siege of Vicksburg, but which was soon to become the centre of the world's attention. A place most people in the United States like to think was somehow different from the rest of the country, but which was in fact the very incarnation of America's tortured soul. Mississippi."

A splinter group of the Klan, calling themselves the Double Eagles, has been operating in Natchez for over fifty years, manipulating, controlling, killing and conspiring in this southern State. They're driven by hate and greed, with no intention of ever stopping. But Violet's death is the tipping point. Secrets buried and kept for a half century threaten to take down anyone and everyone - black and white.

Where to start? Each and every character Iles brings to the page is fully developed and the reader can't help but become engaged (or disgusted) with every player. I've been a fan of Penn Cage from the first book, but found other favourites in Natchez Burning. I quiet enjoyed Tom, described as Atticus Finch with a medical degree. Iles explores the relationship between Penn and his father, as every belief he holds about Tom is put to the test in Natchez Burning. But my favourite was Henry, the newspaper reporter who has been pursuing the Double Eagles for many years.

"Fate doesn't let men choose their wars. Or even their battles, sometimes. But one resolute man can sometime accomplish remarkable things against overwhelming odds."

Although Penn is the main voice of this novel, other characters are given a turn and we see the past and present from many differing views. Natchez Burning does not shy away from the violence that is the truth of this time and place. Gentle readers, there are some disturbing scenes and descriptions that may not be for you. Iles based his novel on actual events that occurred in Ferriday, Louisiana. Read the article from Stanley Nelson here. Or visit the Civil Rights Cold Case Project.

I loved the cover as well. Those heavy grey clouds hanging over the town, with the red simmering and a small glimmer from that one cloud. Kudos to the art department on this one. It perfectly captures the story within.

And that story is powerful, gripping, thrilling, sweeping and simply spectacular - 800+ pages that flew by for this reader. Absolutely, positively recommended.  Natchez Burning is the first of a trilogy. I'll be waiting and watching for the second book - The Bone Tree. Read an excerpt of Natchez Burning.

"Greg Iles spent his youth in Natchez, Mississippi, and studied the American novel under acclaimed southern writer Willie Morris at the University of Mississippi. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, was the first of thirteen New York Times bestsellers, and his new trilogy continues the story of Penn Cage, protagonist of The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and #1 New York Times bestseller The Devil's Punchbowl. Iles's novels have been made into films and published in more than thirty-five countries. He is a member of the lit-rock group the Rock Bottom Remainders and lives in Natchez with his two teenage children." You can find Greg Iles on Twitter and on Facebook.

See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

Giveaway - Ladies' Night Goody Bag - Mary Kay Andrews

Today is the paperback release date of Mary Kay Andrews' book Ladies' Night!  (A great addition for this year's beach bag reading) And I have a signed copy - and a whole lot more to giveaway!

Think you'd enjoy reading Ladies' Night? Here's the synopsis, from the publisher St. Martin's Griffin.

"Take a splash of betrayal, add a few drops of outrage, give a good shake to proper behavior and take a big sip of a cocktail called…Ladies' Night!

Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool.  Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style.  Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal.  So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality.  When their “divorce coach” starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined.  Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there? .

Heartache, humor, and a little bit of mystery come together in a story about life’s unpredictable twists and turns.  Mary Kay Andrews' Ladies' Night will have you raising a glass and cheering these characters on."  Read an excerpt of Ladies' Night. The audio version of Ladies Night sounds good too - watch for my reivew. Listen to an excerpt of Ladies' Night.

 

 You can keep up with Mary Kay Andrews on Facebook and on Twitter.

And here's a list of what will be in the fabulous goody bag:
 

Signed copy of LADIES' NIGHT in paperback

Set of 3 LADIES' NIGHT recipe cards

LADIES' NIGHT drink coasters

Cocktail umbrella

LADIES' NIGHT drink cup

Three different Mary Kay Andrews bookmarks

SAVE THE DATE magnet

Set of 3 SAVE THE DATE recipe cards

News about a special SAVE THE DATE pre-order gift

 

(Mary Kay Andrews' new book Save the Date releases June 3/14)

 

Whew! Simply leave a comment to be entered!
Open to US only, no PO boxes please. Ends May 17/14.

Dark Eden - Chris Beckett

I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I quickly became intrigued from the opening pages of Chris Beckett's award winning novel - Dark Eden. (It was the 2013 winner of The Arthur C. Clarke prize).

A runaway ship from Earth crashes on an unknown planet, along with the Orbit Police chasing them. Four men and one woman. Two of the five decide to stay on the planet they've named Eden, while the other three attempt to make it to Earth and send back help.

That was 163 years ago - and they're still waiting. All 532 people. They've lived and waited at the same landing spot, telling tales of the mother and father of their Family, fondling the few relics they have, acting out the past as they know it, and simply surviving. Because they believe that they will be rescued and taken to Earth - they just have to wait.

"We'll make a Circle of Stones here to show where Landing Veekle stood. That ways we'll always remember the place and know to stay here. And we'll tell our children  and our children's children , they must always stay here, and wait, and be patient, and one waking Earth will come.'

But young John Redlantern believes there is more to this planet they call Eden, more over the snowy passes, more on the dark side, more than the small same life the Family has been living for so many years, more than waiting.......

Beckett's world building is imaginative. There is no sun on this planet, but the trees themselves provide the light. Alien creatures abound, but with some similarities to ones we know. His descriptions paint a vivid picture of an alien land.

The language initially annoyed me - for emphasis, the inhabitants repeat a word - 'sad sad' or 'pretty pretty'. Some phrases took a bit of deciphering as they are evolved from original Earth words or phrases, such as Lecky-Trikity. But I quickly caught on and was caught up in Beckett's imaginings of a society started from two individuals. Two that really didn't like each other.

What I really wanted to see was what was beyond and over the mountain and after The Dark. What would they find?

Beckett tells his story from the viewpoint of more than just John. There are three young protagonists. John is the driving force behind the changes, but he wasn't my favourite. I found myself much more drawn to gentle Jeff, a young 'clubfoot', who is quiet, thoughtful and inventive. Many other characters, old and young, have a voice and a chapter as well, giving alternative views on the life and times of The Family.

Beckett has created an imaginative tale of 'what if'. I enjoyed the exploration of Eden, the society of The Family and what might be. But I almost wanted to stop reading during the last bit of the book. Dark Eden is also a sad reminder of human nature and that history does indeed repeat itself.

A different read for me - one I enjoyed. Read an excerpt of Dark Eden. You can find Chris Beckett on Twitter.

The Cold Nowhere - Brian Freeman

I've read the first couple of Brian Freeman's  novels featuring protagonist Jonathan Stride. His latest novel, The Cold Nowhere, is the sixth in the series.

A young girl trapped on a boat, pursued by an unknown assailant. She's not as helpless as her pursuer might think though...."Wherever she went, whatever she did, Cat always carried a knife." She escapes - and lands on Detective Stride's doorstep.

Stride is back working in Duluth, Minnesota. And his past has come back to haunt him as well. Stride knows Cat - he failed to save her mother. Michaela  was brutally murdered by her husband - stabbed to death, in fact. And now Cat swears someone is trying to trying to kill her too. Stride vows to help her. "He couldn't undo what was done or erase his mistakes. All he could do was make a promise."

Familiar and recurring characters appear in The Cold Nowhere - notably Stride's partner Maggie Bei and ex-lover/partner Serena Dial. I 've enjoyed these two female characters in the past. They're strong personalities. A secondary personal storyline always adds to a book. The sexual tension and rivalry between these two women and Stride has been carried on throughout this series. A little bit is good. A lot, not so much. In The Cold Nowhere, I found myself growing weary of the repetitiveness of it. And for me,  it cheapened the two female leads.

Stride is struggling with inner turmoil - for many pages.

"She'd opened the door for him, and all he had to do was walk through it. All he had do was open up. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to do what she'd done for him and lay himself bare."

Enough already.  I found myself skipping pages and glossing over these poignant moments by the middle of the book. I was looking for a novel closer to Freeman's first book (which was award winning) More crime, less angst.

The crime storyline was well plotted crime and the final whodunit was a good one. There were a few procedural/plot points that bothered me. An upscale prostitution ring may be operating because the rate of STD's in the city has risen? Hmm, if it's upscale, I wouldn't expect the rate of STD's to go up or raise suspicion. And the other one that bothered me was Maggie (who I really like) giving information about a crime/case to a civilian.

There were a few awkward similes....

"She should have been pretty, but life and want had gnawed at her face like an attack of bed bugs."

And more insects...

"Insanely cold - twenty degrees below zero. Stride felt the wind chewing like maggots at his face."

There was just too much 'stuff' that got in the way of what could have been a really good crime read. I'm in the minority on this one, as The Cold Nowhere was just an okay read for me.  Read an excerpt of The Cold Nowhere.

Winner - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty prizepack

And the very lucky winner of a Blu-ray copy of

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,

a copy of James Thurber's short stories and a Let Life in Tumbler,

courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is:

Deanna Watson!

Congratulations! I've contacted you by email for your mailing address. Please respond within 72 hours. After that time, a new winner will be chosen. Thanks to all who entered - check the sidebar for ongoing giveaways.

You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover #1

Today is the first entry in a new regular feature here at A Bookworm's World

- You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover -

Which is very true. But you can like one cover version better than another........

I was searching for the cover art for this week's

post on Frog Music 

by Emma Donoghue
and came across the

Canadian cover  (left)

and the

US cover. (right)

Myself, I prefer the Canadian version......Which one do you prefer?

Film on Friday #13 - The Book Thief

I look forward to seeing movie adaptions of books I've enjoyed. But there's always the question of comparison. Will the movie measure up to a beloved book?

The Book Thief is newly released on DVD and Blu-ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Director Brian Percival had a challenge on his hands to bring Marcus Zusak's bestselling The Book Thief' to the big screen. My opinion? He did a great job.

 For those who haven't read the book (and why haven't you!?) The Book Thief is the story of foster child Liesel, who lives in Nazi Germany in 1939. When she arrives at her new home, she cannot read. But she learns with the help of her new father. Her love of books grows as her things around her deteriorate. She 'borrows' books from a wealthy couple's library to share with her neighbours - and the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

There are some differences, (a few less characters and a few things happen in a different manner) but for me, there were no major ones that detracted from Zuzak's original story.

I thought that Sophie Nélisse was wonderful as Liesel.  Performances by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson, as Liesel's parents, were just as standout. Their presentation  fit the mental images I had created of the character.

I knew the story going in - and the end - but I was captured from the first scene to the last. The Book Thief movie let me experience this wonderful tale all over again. And I cried all over again - so fair warning, have your tissues ready. Very well done in my opinion.

Over the Counter #209

What books caught my eye this week as they passed over the library counter and under my scanner? Family memoirs this week.

First up was She Left Me the Gun by Emma Brockes.

From the publisher, Penguin:

"A chilling work of psychological suspense and forensic memoir, She Left Me the Gun is a tale of true transformation: the story of a young woman who reinvented herself so completely that her previous life seemed simply to vanish, and of a daughter who transcends her mother’s fears and reclaims an abandoned past.

“One day I will tell you the story of my life,” promises Emma Brockes’s mother, “and you will be amazed.” Brockes grew up hearing only pieces of her mother’s past—stories of a rustic childhood in South Africa, glimpses of a bohemian youth in London—and yet knew that crucial facts were still in the dark. A mystery to her friends and family, Paula was clearly a strong, self-invented woman; glamorous, no-nonsense, and frequently out of place in their quaint English village. In awe of Paula’s larger-than-life personality, Brockes never asked why her mother emigrated to England or why she never returned to South Africa; never questioned the source of her mother’s strange fears or tremendous strengths.

Looking to unearth the truth after Paula’s death, Brockes begins a dangerous journey into the land—and the life—her mother fled from years before.

A beguiling and unforgettable journey across generations and continents, She Left Me the Gun chronicles Brockes’s efforts to walk the knife-edge between understanding her mother’s unspeakable traumas and embracing the happiness she chose for her daughter."


Next up was They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson.

Also from Penguin:

"After almost twenty years of caring for elderly parents—first for their senile father, and then for their cantankerous ninety-three-year-old mother—author Plum Johnson and her three younger brothers experience conflicted feelings of grief and relief when their mother, the surviving parent, dies. Now they must empty and sell the beloved family home, which hasn’t been de-cluttered in more than half a century. Twenty-three rooms bulge with history, antiques, and oxygen tanks.

Plum remembers her loving but difficult parents who could not have been more different: the British father, a handsome, disciplined patriarch who nonetheless could not control his opinionated, extroverted Southern-belle wife who loved tennis and gin gimlets. The task consumes her, becoming more rewarding than she ever imagined. Items from childhood trigger memories of her eccentric family growing up in a small town on the shores of Lake Ontario in the 1950s and 60s. But unearthing new facts about her parents helps her reconcile those relationships with a more accepting perspective about who they were and what they valued.

They Left Us Everything is a funny, touching memoir about the importance of preserving family history to make sense of the past and nurturing family bonds to safeguard the future."

(Over the Counter is a regular feature at A Bookworm's World. I've sadly come the realization that I cannot physically read every book that catches my interest as it crosses over my counter at the library. But... I can mention them and maybe one of them will catch your eye as well. See if your local library has them on their shelves!)

"[A] courageous, clear-sighted book, which shifts between memoir and elegy as it examines the persistence of family secrets and the fragile interface between innocence and knowledge ...  Brockes handles her toxic material with a lightness of touch that navigates skillfully between tragedy and bleak comedy... [Brockes's mother] did not need to leave her daughter a gun in the end. Her real bequest to Brockes was the psychological freedom to be able to confront the past without inhibition, and to take straight aim at it. The gun is this book." --The Guardian (UK)

"She Left Me the Gun is quite simply an extraordinary book. In the hands of any halfway decent author, this would be an incredible story: a mother with a mysterious South African past who arrived in England in her early twenties with a beautiful antique handgun and a mission to forget who she used to be. In the hands of a writer as gifted as Emma Brockes, it’s basically the perfect memoir: a riveting, authentic tale elegantly told.'  --Sunday Telegraph (UK)

"Full of intellect and feeling and dartlike expression. It’s one of those memoirs that remind you why you liked memoirs in the first place, back before every featherhead in your writers’ group was trying to peddle one. It has the density of a very good novel... As you do with the best writers, you feel lucky to be in Ms. Brockes’s company throughout She Left Me the Gun. She is mugged; her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and swastika-wearing bikers roar up. She never loses her composure... This is a grim story, but it’s also a love story."--Dwight Garner, The New York Times

"An exemplary family history and immensely brave... Brockes’s descriptions of South Africa and her newly discovered family (towards whom she is loyal and generously affectionate) are astute and, one feels, tempered by the tightly coiled wayward nature of the freshly grief-stricken. It makes the slow pace of the revelations all the more honourable and heartfelt. The result is a wise, tender letter of love to a mother and her incredible sense of love and ­necessary self-sufficiency." --Helen Davies, Sunday Times (UK)

"This soul-searching tale is a shocking trail of murder, violence, incest and betrayal that leaves her both shocked and proud ... Emma Brockes writes with dry humour and a refreshing lack of sentiment as she unravels the complex family ties that have become twisted into a difficult and at times almost impenetrable web of hidden suffering." --Daily Express (UK)

"The riveting memoir about how a prizewinning British journalist reclaimed her mother's traumatic past... The story of Brockes’ quest to understand her mother’s past is powerful on its own, but the backdrop against which most of the narrative unfolds—a country with its own history of rapacious violence—makes the book even more poignant and unforgettable."
—Kirkus

“This astonishing, unsettling book examines the relationship between knowledge and love. Vigorously unsentimental, deeply absorbing, and written with fierce wit, it is an unstinting look at what it means to be innocent, at any stage of life, and how obsessively we all seek and avoid the many faces of truth.”
     —Andrew Solomon, author of Far From the Tree and The Noonday Demon

“A beautiful, wise book. It deals with some of the grimmest aspects of human experience, but it is also one of the most genuinely uplifting works I have read in years. Emma Brockes’s superb, clear-eyed narration is an object lesson for any aspiring memoir writer. She Left Me the Gun deserves to become a classic.”
     —Zoë Heller, author of The Believers and Notes on a Scandal

“Emma Brockes sets out on a delicate journey to uncover a secret locked in the heart of her own family’s darkness. A harrowing tale of murder and incest emerges, unfolding by stages in this utterly compelling psychological memoir.”
     —John Berendt, author of The City of Falling Angels and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Emma Brockes is the author of What Would Barbra Do?: How Musicals Saved My Life, which was serialized on the BBC. She writes for the Guardian’s Weekend magazine and has contributed to the New York Times, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle. She lives in New York City.

Frog Music - Emma Donoghue

I studiously avoided reading any reviews or mentions of Emma Donoghue's latest release, beyond the publisher's synopsis. I knew Frog Music would be brilliant and I wanted to discover and savour the book with no spoilers.  I spent every spare minute for two days devouring Frog Music. And, just as I knew I would - I loved it.

Donoghue returns to the past in Frog Music, taking us back to San Francisco in the sweltering summer of 1876. A summer that also sees a smallpox epidemic hit the city.

French born Blanche makes her living as a burlesque dancer, supporting herself, her lover and most often her lover's companion as well. And if she sometimes does more than dance? Well...."She never exactly intended to be a soiled dove (that curious euphemism), but neither can she remember putting up any real objection. She stepped into the life like a swimmer entering a lake, a few inches at a time."

Blanche seems to be happy with her life, until the day she literally runs into Jenny Bonnet and discovers that "this is the friend Blanche has been waiting a quarter of a century for without even knowing it".  Neither knows that this chance meeting will end in Jenny's death. (No spoilers faithful readers - this happens in the first few pages of the book) Blanche is determined to find out who killed Jenny, even as her own life spirals out of control.

That's the bare bones premise of Frog Music, but there is so much more to the book. Donoghue deftly explores sexuality, love, parenthood, friendship, feminism, abuse and more in a richly detailed setting. And it's a good whodunit as well.

Blanche is a complicated character. She seems oblivious to how she is being used, yet has occasional flashes of clarity. My thoughts on her changed as the book progressed. At first, I didn't engage with her and viewed her quite dispassionately. But as I read further, I was quite sad at her self-deception, then sorry for her as more of her life was revealed, disappointed with some of her choices, then happy as she began to take charge of her own life and by the end was mentally urging her forward, hoping for the ending I wanted.

It is much easier to define how I felt about Jenny. I loved her - her joie de vivre, her happiness, her curiosity, her engagement with those around her and the world. The supporting characters also elicited strong reactions from this reader - particularly Blanche's lover Arthur - whom I despised.

Donoghue slowly plays out the story of Blanche and Jenny in now and then chapters, with a little more revealed each time, sometimes in a single phrase or sentence, connecting the events of those six weeks.

Donoghue's descriptions of time and place had me vividly imaging myself in the heat, the dirt, the dust, the clamour, the colours, the grit and the fear that was 1876 San Francisco.

I had to really stop myself from flipping ahead to see the final pages. I desperately wanted to know who the killer was and where Blanche would end up. I have to say, the murderer was not who I thought it might be. Donoghue plants many red herrings along the way.

The title is clever as 'frogs' and music figure many ways into the novel. Donoghue has compiled a collection of the songs quoted in the book. There are smatterings of French phrases and words throughout Frog Music as well - a glossary is also included.

But what is most fascinating is that Frog Music is based on fact. The time, the players and the events are all real. Jenny Bonnet was murdered - but the case was never solved. "Then, again, the explanation Frog Music offers of this still unsolved murder is only an educated hunch, which is to say, a fiction." Here's a link to Donoghue's list of sources used to write Frog Music."

I enjoy everything that Emma Donoghue writes, but I have to say my favourites are her historical books - a story taken from a bit of history and woven into a tale of what was and what might have been. Definitely recommended. Read an excerpt of Frog Music. You can keep up with Emma Donoghue on Facebook and on Twitter.

Under a Silent Moon - Elizabeth Haynes

Elizabeth Haynes writes crime thrillers - darn good crime thrillers. I've read and really enjoyed her previous three books and was eager to get my hands on her latest - Under a Silent Moon.

Haynes's first three books have been stand-alones, but the publisher's blurb lists Under a Silent Moon as the first in a new series.

The protagonist is Detective Chief  Inspector Louisa Smith. Louisa leads her first murder case when a young woman is found dead in a small village. The case doubles when another woman is found dead nearby, in what looks to be a suicide. And there more than geographical connections between the two women. Can the crime be a simple as a murder-suicide? Nope......

Haynes lays out a meticulous trail for the reader to follow as Louisa and her team struggle to make sense of the conflicting clues and information they gather. Connections and tendrils are there - as readers we know a bit more than the police. And a single little sentence lets us see what might happen. I was quite tempted to peek at the last few chapters 'just to see', but managed not to. And really, you wouldn't want to spoil this deliciously plotted thriller by reading out of turn. Haynes kept me guessing as to who the guilty party might be for quite awhile.

I love British crime novels. The solving of the crime is done with step by step police work rather than guns drawn and blazing. It is this aspect that I really enjoy and  Haynes does a phenomenal job. Her job as a police intelligence analyst brings so much authenticity and detail to all of her books. (The case documents of the crime in Under a Silent Moon are included as an appendix) And for those who want more, Haynes has written a great post on the technicalities of Under a Silent Moon.

The secondary storyline in Under a Silent Moon revolves around the personal lives of the team, notably Louisa. This was a great introduction to a team I hope to see more of. But, the private lives of the team figure significantly into the main plot as well.

I really enjoyed Under a Silent Moon. It was clever, authentic and a real page turner. I can't wait for the next book from Haynes! Read an excerpt of Under a Silent Moon.

"Elizabeth Haynes is a police intelligence analyst, a civilian role that involves determining patterns in offending and criminal behavior. She is the author of three previous novels: Human Remains, Dark Tide, and Into the Darkest Corner, which was selected as Amazon UK's Best Book of 2011. She lives in a village near Maidstone, Kent, with her husband and son." You can find Elizabeth Haynes on Facebook and on Twitter.

See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

Reaching - Judy Ann Sadler

Every so often, I have to make some hard decisions - what books to donate or giveaway- as my bookshelves can only hold so many.  But the ones I don't 'cull' are the shelves with the children's books. And in fact, I add to it every so often. Yes, my kids are grown and gone - but one day I'll  be a grandmother. I can't wait to read to and share books with someone small again.

Reaching by Judy Ann Sadler is a wonderful picture book that I've recently added to that bookcase.

Judy Ann Sadler's story is presented in rhyming couplets easily flow off the tongue. When I read them out loud, I found myself using a sing song cadence that would make it easy for a small one to remember and join in with on subsequent readings.

The story is perfect for a family experiencing the addition of a baby to their family. And it's one that can be read over and over to that new baby as he or she grows. I really like that Sadler included everyone from grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and pets in the story of Baby. And that all of them are reaching out.

The words themselves are not set straight in straight lines on the page, rather they're set in an arch, lending movement to the words. The rhymes are full of action words as well - hugs, kisses, tickling, dancing and of course reaching, that can be incorporated into an interactive reading of the book.

Susan Mitchell's illustrations are lovely. The colours are soft, warm and appealing. The faces of the characters are friendly and engaging. The backgrounds provide lots of other 'things to see' that children will recognize from their own lives.

I've just finished hiding Easter treats for my baby. And yes, he's in his twenties now. I'll watch as he easily reaches to find some in the high spots (he's six feet tall) and remember when I had to make sure they were all in low hiding spots where he could easily see them. And when he kisses me good-bye, he'll be the one reaching down.

Reaching is a beautiful picture book with a sweet story and charming pictures. It's one that will be waiting on my bookshelf.....

Age range 1-3 years. 32 pages.

Giveaway Winners!

And the winner of a copy of Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates's is:

Mystica!

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And the winner of a copy of The Accident by Chris Pavone is:

Daniel M!

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And last but not least, the winner of a copy of The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley is:

Kirsten!

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Thanks to all who entered. Check the sidebar for other ongoing giveaways!

The Dying Hours - Mark Billingham

The Dying Hours is the eleventh book in Mark Billingham's Detective Inspector Tom Thorne series  - one of my favourite crime series.

The Dying Hours picks up right where the last book (The Demands) left off. Thorne closed the case, but not by the book. Over the last twenty five years, Thorne has bucked authority, ignored orders and operated by his own set of rules. But, it has finally caught up to him - he's been knocked back down into uniform and off his beloved Murder Squad.

Called to an apparent suicide, Thorne's radar 'tickles the back of his neck'. Something is 'off' and he asks the higher ups if it could be investigated further. His suspicions are brushed off, as is Thorne. More than brushing off really. There are many in the department who have it in for Thorne - and this demotion gives them every opportunity to put him in his place.

"The lecture about making choices, the gleefully sarcastic comments about what had happened in that newsagents five months before. The line that had stung more than anything else - Stop playing detective."

But we know Thorne is right - Dying Hours opens with a chilling prologue from the killer. A person with a list of names and a goal. As the book progresses, there are further chapters from this person. As a reader we know what they've done. And we're just hoping someone takes Thorne seriously.

The Dying Hours was an excellent crime novel on so many levels. Billingham's plotting is always inventive, dark and devious, designed to keep the reader wondering - and up late at night. The procedural details of the investigation always fascinate me.

But it is Thorne himself that makes this series such a standout. I'm always a sucker for 'buck the system' characters and Thorne is a prime example. But in this latest, he has to stop and ask himself some hard questions. What about his relationships? With his girlfriend and her son, with colleagues, with friends, with superiors? What is he willing to sacrifice in his pursuit for answers and justice? Who can he trust?

The Dying Hours kept me captive for an entire day when I was off sick. A riveting read is probably some of the best medicine one can ask for. Read an excerpt of The Dying Hours. The last line of the book did nothing but whet my appetite for number twelve - The Bones Beneath - due out in North America in June of this year. You can find Mark Billingham on Facebook.

Who else reads Mark Billingham? “Billingham is one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today.” — Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl"

Over the Counter #208

What books caught my eye this week as they passed over the library counter and under my scanner? Hmm, must have been before break, I was thinking about fruit this week.

First up was Put 'em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton.

From Storey Publishing:

"A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling

 

With simple step-by-step instructions and 175 delicious recipes, Put ‘em Up will have even the most timid beginners filling their pantries and freezers in no time! You’ll find complete how-to information for every kind of preserving: refrigerating, freezing, air- and oven-drying, cold- and hot-pack canning, and pickling. Recipes range from the contemporary and daring — Wasabi Beans, Cherry and Black Pepper Preserves, Pickled Fennel, Figs in Honey Syrup, Sweet Pepper Marmalade, Berry Bourbon, Salsa Verde — to the very best versions of tried-and-true favorites, including applesauce and apple butter, dried tomatoes, marinara sauce, bread and butter pickles, classic strawberry jam, and much, much more."

Next up was Dehydrating Food: A Beginner's Guide by Jay and Shirley Bills. I actually had a dehydrator given to me and have yet to use it, so I did sign this one out!

From Skyhorse Publishing:

"With the easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions here, anyone can have fun, save money, and create delicious meals by dehydrating food. Learn the basic methods—sun drying, oven drying, net bag, and commercial food dehydrators—before moving on to drying herbs for tea, making your own tasty (and healthier) jerky, and so much more. Also included is a section on the nutritional benefits of drying food. With 164 recipes ranging from breads to desserts, soups to pies, and cereals to entrees, Dehydrating Food is a book for anyone who is interested in learning how to save money and create delicious meals by drying their own food."

(Over the Counter is a regular weekly feature at A Bookworm's World. I've sadly come to the realization that I cannot physically read every book that catches my interest as it crosses over my counter at the library. But...I can mention them and maybe one of them will catch your eye as well. See if your local library has them on their shelves!)

The Long Shadow - Liza Marklund

The Long Shadow is the eighth North American release in Liza Marklund's Annika Bengtzon series.

The Long Shadow picks right up from the last book, Lifetime. Annika's personal life is in shambles - her husband has left her for another woman, he has custody of their children and her home has burned down. She's just learned that she'll now be reporting to a man who used to be her subordinate at the Swedish newspaper she works at.

She's sent to Spain to report on the death of a former Swedish national. It looks like they were originally just targets of the latest European crime wave - pumping gas into the victim's home until they pass out, then robbing them. (This is frighteningly true!) But something went wrong this time - he and his family have been killed. Or was it deliberate?

Annika is a tireless reporter. Or perhaps obsessive is a more apt description. She's headstrong, impulsive and plunges headlong into her stories, often to her own detriment. But, she trusts her own instincts and follows them regardless. It often pays off - she saved the life a young boy in the last book. And this time is no exception. Annika knows this current story is much deeper than her editor thinks. When he wants her to move on to other pieces, she lets him believe she has - then pursues her own leads.

Marklund's plots are quite detailed and intricate. I do enjoy her style as it really keeps the reader engaged and on their toes. Having followed the series, I was easily able to keep up with the players and past references. But new readers might find the number of characters, established relationships and connections a mite confusing. Much of this book's plot is tied to previous cases. An interesting twist is slowly revealed through flashbacks to someone's childhood.

Woven throughout is the secondary storyline of Annika's personal life. I think Marklund has handled and written this very well throughout the series. . Although I've heard some other readers remark that this secondary storyline muddies the waters of the main plot, I disagree. I quite like seeing the two sides of Annika's life - personal and professional. For me, it makes the character more realistic and believable when we see vulnerability in such strong personality.

The setting was brought to life with detailed descriptions of ex-pats and luxury. And corruption and crime.

This is an excellent series with a character I quite like, even though she's not always likable. Definitely recommended. I'll be watching for the next in the series. Read an except of The Long Shadow. And on a side note, I was thrilled to discover that the Annika books have been made into films. And my library carries them! You can find Liza Marklund on Facebook .