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Menampilkan postingan dari November, 2017

Brimstone by Cherie Priest and My November Fails

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  I love Cherie Priest novels. She's a fantasy writer with a touch of paranormal creepiness that is just right for someone like me.  I don't care much for horror novels, and her writing comes right up to the edge but doesn't tip over.  I think she's hitting her stride, and more readers are discovering her novels in the science fiction/fantasy sections of their libraries and bookstores.  In Brimstone , Cherie takes us to 1920 Cassadaga, Florida.  There are two main characters:  Alice Dartle, a young woman from Virginia who has come to Cassadaga to share her clairvoyant talents, and Tomas Cordero, a World War I vet who lives in Ybor City, Florida.  He is haunted by the task he was given as a solider:  to be part of a small force of men who used a flamethrower to kill enemy soldiers.  He returns home to find his wife has died of influenza while he was gone, and he's a broken man. He is desperate to communicate with her

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

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This was a powerful novel, and if not for folks around me talking about it, I probably would have passed it by.  However, fate intervened, and I'm happy to have spent the time reading about Jende and Neni Jonga's experience as immigrants in America.  There is so much to talk about, it is definitely a novel you'll want to discuss with friends.  Jende is a native of Cameroon, and is living in New York City with his wife Neni and their young son, Liomi.  Jende had arrived in New York City alone, and spent a few years working hard, scraping up enough money to marry Neni and bring her to America.  His dream was to leave Cameroon, where opportunities to succeed were slim to none.  Jende is extremely hard working, of noble character, and polite to a fault.  He's also living in the U.S. without a green card, and an expired visa.   Jende's chance to make a huge leap in providing for his family comes when he's offered a job as the chauffeur to Clark Edwards, an executive

I Can't Wait to Tell You What I'm Reading in December: Bring on the Holiday Novels!

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As I'm making my way through two  three novels this week, and hitting a dip in my NaNoWriMo project, I have been longingly thinking of the holiday books I've got lined up for December.   I started reading fun, holiday themed books in December while I worked in retail. Working extra hours, literally running back and forth in the bookstore for hours each day, left me completely spent and fried. My solace was to dive into books that helped remind me that the holiday season was about family, friends, and that wonderful anticipation of Christmas morning.  I'm out of retail, but I still find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed at the holidays and needing that reminder to slow down and enjoy the season.  So, starting shortly after Thanksgiving--I've made myself wait until then--I've got a load of new holiday titles to read.  Maybe there's something in my list that you'll love, too: As you can see, there are plenty of new titles out this holiday season.  Meanwhile, I&#

Give a Girl a Knife by Amy Thielen

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This memoir had been on my TBR list for quite some time, but I had to be patient and wait my turn at the library.  I had watched Amy's cooking show, Heartland Table  on the Food Network years ago, and was intrigued by her kitchen. It looked small, rustic, and not fancy at all.  No high end, shiny, expensive kitchen gadgets; no gleaming countertops. I liked the way she talked about food, and how she used her garden and what she could find at her local grocery store to make amazing meals.  Her Midwest nature appealed to this Midwest woman.   So with that in mind, I started to read her memoir.  It took me many days (okay, weeks) to get through this memoir, and I'm puzzled as to why.  Amy writes beautifully; if she hadn't made it as a cook, she would find her niche in writing.  Her descriptions of food make your mouth water; her fondness for the food of her Minnesota youth spars with her awakened palate for fine food.   Amy's story begins in Minnesota, and ends there.  But

November Reads: My Library Cup Overfloweth

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I looked up, and it's already November 7th.  Thanksgiving is a few short weeks away, and I'm still startled to see Christmas in every retail store.  You also know Christmas season is around when the Hallmark Channel starts playing their holiday movies at the end of October.  And as I pointed out to my boyfriend's mother, there are 21 new Hallmark holiday movies this season .  What?!  My DVR will get a workout this month.   Much as I'd like to A) watch Hallmark movies and B) dive into my TBR piles at home, the library elves have decided that now is the time to have all of the books I've placed on hold become available.  So while I may sneak in a few books off my shelves at home, most of what I'm reading this month will be courtesy of my library.  I've had some dangerous moments, wandering the aisles.  So many books I want to read!  I have to turn my back, or I'd be checking out books almost every day.  The life of a bookworm is just not that easy.   So, w

Two Reviews in One: The House Between Tides & How to Change a Life, Plus Other Book Stuff

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The march to the end of 2017 is picking up speed, and while this is probably the first upcoming holiday season where I don't have a zillion things to do, I expect I will be busy with last minute baking, get togethers, and *ahem* creating my homemade limoncello.   And, my beloved books will always be at the forefront of everything I do.  I haven't read nearly everything I wanted to this year:  Lincoln at the Bardo, The Hate U Give, Origin, The Underground Railroad... just to name a few.  Sometimes I wish I was more disciplined with my reading--spreadsheets, mapping out what to read when; but then I realize some of the best reads I've stumbled on purely by accident and because they weren't planned.  So I'll stick with my purely organic, absolutely no spreadsheet approach to reading and reviewing. I always believe the books I'm meant to read will find their way to me.   With a time crunch, I'm reviewing two books I've read in the past few weeks.  Both were