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Showing posts with label Kim Taylor Blakemore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kim Taylor Blakemore. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2021
The Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag—2021 Version
11:41 AM
I saw this tag on Nicole's blog, BookWyrm Knits, and thought it looked like a fun way to assess where I am in my reading now that we're just about halfway through 2021. I'm not sure who originally created this tag—if it was you or you know who it was, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. At any rate, here's how Nicole did it, so I'm going to follow her format:
Total Books Read in 2021 So Far
98
My goal is to read 200 books this year, so I'm right on track. Goodreads says I'm two books ahead of schedule. Go, me!
Best Book You Read in 2021 So Far
I'm going to go with The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustain. It's a historical novel about two young women living on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. Their hardscrabble lives entwine because of a murder, which creates an unlikely bond between them. The setting and characters in this book are so well drawn that I found myself really sinking into the story and caring deeply about what happened to the two main characters. This assured debut was an A read for me, one of only a few books I've truly loved this year.
Best Sequel You've Read in 2021 So Far
I love reading series! I'm always in the middle of a bunch of them, so I've read a number of sequels this year. I think my favorite so far is The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny. The 11th book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, it's a mystery about a shocking discovery searchers find in the woods while looking for a missing boy.
New Release(s) You Haven't Read But Want To
I've talked a lot about new releases this year in my Top Ten Tuesday posts. You can check out this list, this one, and this one to see which I've been most excited about. I'll be listing even more new releases I want to read in my next TTT post, so look for that next week. In the meantime, here are the top three 2021 releases from the first half of the year that I haven't read yet but am looking forward to:
The Removed by Brandon Hobson—This already-released novel focuses on a Cherokee family and the 15-year-old tragedy that still haunts them.
Survive the Night by Riley Sager (available June 29, 2021)—The wait is almost over for this one, Sager's newest thriller. It's about a ride share gone horribly wrong.
Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly DeVos (available June 29, 2021)—I'm not huge on zombie novels, but this YA one just sounds like tons of fun. It's about a weight loss camp that is overrun by the creatures and the intrepid campers who must stop them.
Most Anticipated Release(s) for the Second Half of the Year
This is actually the exact topic for next week's Top Ten Tuesday post. Here are the top three I'm most excited about, although I've already read one of them.
Bluebird by Sharon Cameron (available October 5, 2021)—I loved this exciting WWII novel about a young woman who holds the key to a devastating secret, one that many people would kill to have. I can't wait for Bluebird to finally be out in the world. It's an excellent read!
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (September 14, 2021)—Lots of readers are chomping at the bit for this new release. It's about a group of siblings who are dealing with the disappearance of their mother, possibly at the hands of their father.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (available September 7, 2021)—This domestic thriller revolves around a couple celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary who win a weekend away in Scotland. The troubled union needs some TLC, but the getaway is not all it seems...
Biggest Disappointment
After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore—I was really looking forward to this historical novel about a woman who is trying to get to the bottom of her sister's mysterious death at an insane asylum. The premise promised great things. Unfortunately, the story moves at a glacial pace and the characters are off-putting and unlikable.
Biggest Surprise
The Captive Kingdom by Jennifer A. Nielsen—I binge-read this middle-grade series because the latest book in the series was nominated in an awards competition I was helping to judge. While The False Prince was a decent read, the next two books really dragged for me. Needless to say, I really wasn't looking forward to reading the newest installment. To my great surprise and delight, The Captive Kingdom was a rollicking adventure story that breathed new life into the series. I ended up enjoying it very much.
Favorite New Author
I've read a lot of new authors this year, so this is a toughie. Because I've now read and enjoyed two books by both of these ladies, assuring that they are not one-hit wonders, I'm going to go with Sarah Stewart Taylor and Tessa Wegert. Both write twisty, atmospheric police procedurals.
Newest Favorite Character
Hmmm...the only one that is really coming to mind is Laurent Lepage, the 9-year-old boy who goes missing in The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny. He's an imaginative, boy-who-cries-wolf kind of child, one whom no one takes seriously. It's only when it's too late that his neighbors realize just how important he really was to their community. Unfortunately, Laurent will not be a recurring character.
Book(s) That Made You Happy
I've tried to read happier books this year since I tend to gravitate toward darker, more serious reads. Two of these are classics that I've read several times but decided to revisit in 2021. The other is a celebrity memoir that just made me smile. I listened to all of them on audio and the delightful narrations definitely added to the pleasurable reading/listening experience.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Answer Is... by Alex Trebek
Book(s) That Made You Cry
Interestingly, all the audiobooks above have sad parts that made me a little teary.
Favorite Review You Have Written This Year
Uhhh...I don't really have favorite reviews. According to Blogger stats, my review of A Distant Grave by Sarah Stewart Taylor has been my most popular review this year.
Most Beautiful Book You Have Gotten This Year
I don't really read graphic novels or other illustrated books. As far as cover art goes, though, I think The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley stands out since it's so unique and eye-catching. I enjoyed the story as well.
What Books Do You Need to Read By Year's End?
I don't need to read anything, although I do want to read 102 more books to meet my goal for the year. As far as a reading plan goes, I don't really have one. I'm just choosing whatever looks good and keeping my fingers crossed that they pan out (a method that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't). I also need to catch up on writing reviews since I'm woefully behind. Since I've been rocking my reading challenges this year, I really want to make sure I finish all of them.
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I'm not into tagging people, but if you want to do this one, please do! I'd love to read your answers. How are you doing on your 2021 reading so far? What reading/blogging goals would you like to accomplish before 2022?
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Promising Premise Doesn't Pan Out in Historical Mystery
6:52 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
I usually write my own plot summaries, but this one captures the essence of After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore so well, I decided to use it instead...
Until she discovers the truth of her sister’s death, no one will rest in peace.
New Hampshire, 1865. Marion Abbott is summoned to Brawders House asylum to collect the body of her sister, Alice. She’d been found dead after falling four stories from a steep-pitched roof. Officially: an accident. Confidentially: suicide. But Marion believes a third option: murder.
Returning to her family home to stay with her brother and his second wife, the recently widowed Marion is expected to quiet her feelings of guilt and grief—to let go of the dead and embrace the living. But that’s not easy in this house full of haunting memories.
Just when the search for the truth seems hopeless, a stranger approaches Marion with chilling words: I saw her fall.
Now Marion is more determined than ever to find out what happened that night at Brawders, and why. With no one she can trust, Marion may risk her own life to uncover the secrets buried with Alice in the family plot.
The premise of After Alice Fell is simple, but oh so intriguing! I love a mystery, especially one with a Gothic feel that centers on a creepy old asylum. Considering all this, I expected to like the book more. Problem is, the story moves along at a glacial pace, so slowly that I almost put it down several times. The pace picks up in the second half of the novel, but it's still a bit of a slog. In addition, the characters are off-putting and unlikable. Add in a predictable plot that isn't nearly as twisty as I wanted it to be and you've got a tale that I wanted to love and just...didn't. Although I had high expectations for this one, in the end it turned out to be an average read for me. Bummer.
(Readalikes: A little like Woman 99 by Greer McAllister)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of After Alice Fell from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Tuesday, November 03, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Hist-Fic Picks for 2021
8:04 AM
Today's a doozy of a Tuesday. It's Election Day here in the U.S. and, let me tell you, tensions are running very, very high! I've never experienced a crazier, more divisive election—I can't wait for it to be over. People are panicking (Costco was completely out of toilet paper by the time I got there at 11:30 yesterday), desperately worried over what will happen if Trump loses. I'm praying that peace and level-headedness will prevail. If it doesn't, my pantry and freezer are stocked in case we need to hunker down for awhile. I admit I'm concerned about the fate of my beloved nation, especially if my chosen candidate does not triumph, but I have faith that God is the one who's truly in charge. May He bless my beloved nation today and always.
Top Ten Tuesday is always a fun distraction and today it's especially needed! The topic du jour—My Top Ten Non-Bookish Hobbies—is one I did back in January of 2018 and then again in April of this year. I don't have enough hobbies to revisit the subject, so I'm going to do something else with my list today.
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know I enjoy a good historical novel. I'm especially fascinated with fiction set during World War II, but there are so many more eras out there to explore. I definitely need to branch out. Currently, I'm reading Brother's Keeper by Julie Lee, a middle-grade novel about the Korean War that's based on the author's mother's harrowing escape from North Korea during that conflict. It's a gripping book set in a time and place I know little about. An eye-opening read, it's reminding me not only how important historical fiction is but also how much I love it. So, I decided to take a gander at up-and-coming hist fic titles. Some great-looking historical novels are coming in 2021. I tried to focus on books I haven't highlighted before and those not set during World War II. Here's what I came up with, in no particular order ...
Top Ten Historical Novels Publishing in 2021:
1. Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (coming May 4)—Titanic books always interest me, so I'm all in for this novel by Lee, who's one of my favorite writers of YA historical fiction. The story revolves around a British-Chinese teen who smuggles herself on Titanic. Her plan is to find her missing brother, then convince the higher-ups at the Ringling Brothers Circus to take them both on as trapeze artists. Of course, nothing goes quite as planned. Sounds good, yes?
2. The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper (coming March 9)—I discovered this Australian author earlier this year and have been anxious to read more by her ever since. Starting in 1906, her newest concerns a young orphan who is taken in by philanthropist siblings. When her female guardian reacts strangely to a gallery exhibit, the girl realizes how little she really knows about the woman. She sets out to discover the enigmatic woman's back story.
3. After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore (coming March 1)—In 1865, New Hampshire, a woman is summoned to collect her sister's body from the mental asylum where she has just died from a four-story fall off the institution's roof. The asylum directors claim their patient committed suicide, but her sister suspects something far more sinister: murder.
4. The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fisher (coming February 2)—When Lucy Wilson comes to rural Kentucky in 1911 to work for the education superintendent, she is shocked to discover that most adults in the area's hill country cannot read or write. She vows to change that. Inspired by true events, this one sounds excellent.
5. In Times of Rain and War by Camron Wright (coming April 6)—Okay, so I couldn't resist including one World War II novel. I've enjoyed other books by Wright, so I'm excited about this novel, which is about a soldier who discovers a young German Jewish woman hiding in plain sight in England. A connection grows between them, but can they trust each other with their dark, dangerous secrets?
6. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (coming February 2)—Alright, two World War II novels! This middle-grade offering stars three orphaned siblings who are desperate to stay together, despite the fact that suitable guardians are in short supply and none are looking for more mouths to feed. They're evacuated to the country, where they finally find hope in a kind village librarian. Can she keep them safe when the Nazis are already suspicious of her allegiances?
7. The Fabergé Secret by Charles Belfoure (coming January 5)—Set in Russia, 1906, this novel concerns the persecution of Jews and the couple who determines to do something about it, despite the risks.
8. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh (coming May 4)—I can't find a lot of information about this middle-grade novel, but I know it's set during the Korean War. The cover is very similar to Brother's Keeper, so I'm guessing it tells a parallel story. Before picking up Brother's Keeper, I'd never read a book about the Korean experience during the war—I definitely want to learn more.
9. Mazie by Melanie Crowder (coming February 23)—This YA novel set during the 1950s is about a Nebraska teen who's unexpectedly given the opportunity to pursue her dream of performing on Broadway. Intimidated by the noisy city and the frustration of actually making it in the Big Apple, she has to decide whether to persist with her dream or leave it all behind and return to the life she left behind.
10. Tidewater Bride by Laura Frantz (coming January 5)—Unlike most residents of Virginia colony, Selah Hopewell has no interest in marriage. It's ironic, then, that she's put in charge of a group of tobacco brides who are being shipped in to marry Virginia's many tobacco barons. The last thing Selah is expecting is her own romance ...
There you have it, ten soon-to-be-released historical novels that I'm looking forward to. Do you enjoy hist fic? Which up-and-comers are you excited about? Who's your favorite writer of historical fiction? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
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