Bloggin' 'bout Books

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama

- Alaska

- Arizona

- Arkansas

- ~~California~~ (1)

- Colorado

- ~~Connecticut~~ (1)

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- ~~Illinois~~ (1)

- ~~Indiana~~ (1)

- ~~Iowa~~ (1)

- Kansas

- ~~Kentucky~~ (1)

- Louisiana

- ~~Maine~~ (2)

- ~~Maryland~~ (1)

- Massachusetts

- ~~Michigan~~ (1)

- ~~Minnesota~~ (2)

- Mississippi

- Missouri

- Montana

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New Mexico

- ~~New York~~ (2)

- North Carolina

- North Dakota

- ~~Ohio~~ (2)

- Oklahoma

- Oregon

- Pennsylvania

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

- South Carolina

- ~~South Dakota~~ (1)

- Tennessee

- ~~Texas~~ (1)

- Utah

- ~~Vermont~~ (1)

- ~~Virginia~~ (1)

- Washington

- West Virginia

- Wisconsin

- Wyoming

- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- England (4)

- Ireland (1)

-Scotland (1)

Friday, April 15, 2016

Lady Helen A Clean, Compelling (Enough) Diversion (With a Giveaway!)

10:03 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Besides London and Bath, Lady Helen Poulter has never been anywhere. Curious about the world beyond her Somerset home, the 19-year-old decides to accompany her mother and stepfather when they sail to the Brigadier-General's new military post in India. Fascinated by the colorful sights and exotic sounds of Calcutta, Helen is delighted with her new home. Unlike the other Englishwomen in town, she finds the city thrilling, its people intriguing, and their customs delightful.

Helen is immediately taken with another of Calcutta's magnificent sights: Lt. Arthur Bancroft. With his handsome face and elegant manners, he's exactly the type of man she would like to marry. But it's with Michael Rhodes, a 32-year-old captain, that she can really be herself. Although crippled from a battle wound, the soldier has a calm, soothing way about him that always makes Helen feel safe. A good thing, as she's discovering just how many dangers lurk in the shadows of India's blinding beauty.

As things heat up around her, both politically and socially, Helen discovers some harsh truths about her new home, about the two men vying for her heart, and, most of all, about herself. When a deadly battle calls all the men Helen loves to the front lines, she fears the one she adores most will be lost forever. Has she finally found her true love only to lose him?

Like Jennifer Moore's previous Regency romances, Lady Helen Finds Her Song is a sweet, upbeat love story. Clean and compelling enough, it's an easy read, one that worked well as a fluffy diversion between all the heavy psychological thrillers I've been devouring lately. The novel requires little from the ole brain cells, as its plot is about as familiar and predictable as they come. While its unique setting offers the tale a pinch of originality, nothing else really sets it apart. I would have appreciated a few twists in the story as well as more complexity from the characters. A number of typos pepper the book, which take away from the overall experience. All in all, though, Lady Helen Finds Her Song is a nice, enjoyable read.

(Readalikes: Other Regency romances by Jennifer Moore, including Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince; Simply Anna; and Lady Emma's Campaign)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Lady Helen Finds Her Song from the generous folks at Covenant Communications. Thank you!

Check out the other stops on the blog tour for Lady Helen Finds Her Song:

*April 11th: http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/, http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, https://joyinthemoments.wordpress.com/

*April 12th: http://empowermoms.net/, http://www.iamareader.com/, http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/, http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/

*April 13th: http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/index.html, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/, http://www.wishfulendings.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/

*April 14th: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/, http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/

*April 15th: http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://www.sweetlymadejustforyou.com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/, https://atransparentmom.com/, http://www.kindleandme.com/, http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://fireandicereads.com/,

Enter to win a copy of Lady Helen Finds Her Song and a $25 Amazon gift card:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Labels:B Grade Books,Book Giveaways,Clean Reads,Jennifer Moore,LDS Authors,PG-rated books,Regency Romances,World Settings: India | 3 bookworm(s) said...

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

The Brutal Telling Is, Well, Brutal

7:35 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for The Brutal Telling, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from earlier Armand Gamache mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Everybody in Three Pines—a quaint Canadian village near Montreal—knows Olivier Brulé. The townspeople flock to his bistro for scrumptious food, stimulating conversation, and the warmth that always radiates from its owner. So beloved is Olivier that when the body of a stranger who has obviously been beaten to death shows up in the bistro one night, no one believes he has anything to do with the murder. Like everyone else in Three Pines, Olivier insists he's never seen the dead man, who appears to be a vagrant, before. Only, he has.

When Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Sûrete du Québec, arrives to investigate the crime, he discovers that Olivier's story is full of holes. Not wanting to believe his friend capable of murder, Gamache digs deeper. What he finds at the home of the supposed vagrant is unlike anything he's ever seen before. Unfortunately, the priceless antiques hidden within provide Olivier, a well-known collector, with a compelling motive. The bistro owner is not the only suspect, but he's beginning to look like the most likely one. No one in Three Pines wants Gamache's conclusion to be true. And yet, it's becoming obvious that Olivier has been keeping some big secrets from his friends. Did gentle Olivier really beat an elderly man to death? If not, then who did?

There's one thing I've come to realize about Canadian author Louise Penny—she's not afraid to tread on her readers' tender feelings toward her characters. Or to pummel their bleeding hearts. I've been shocked by plot twists in previous Armand Gamache mysteries, but none of the other books has done me in quite like The Brutal Telling (Book 5). It is, well, brutal. My husband just raised his eyebrows at my strangled cries, so as soon as I finished the novel, I fired off an email to the one person who I knew would understand my pain: Kay at Kay's Reading Life. She reminded me that there is more to all the characters in Three Pines than meets the eye and that each has come to the town for a reason. Penny, herself, describes the hamlet as "this solid little village that never changed, but helped its inhabitants to change" (224). This complexity is what keeps me coming back to the Armand Gamache series. I love the richness of its setting, its characters, and its plotting. Usually, I wait a few months between Penny books; not this time. I marched right down to my library, snatched a copy of Bury Your Dead (Book 6) off the shelf, plunked down in my chair, and devoured it. Am I satisfied with what I learned? Yes, but still heartbroken. Is Olivier a murderer? You're just going to have to read the books for yourself ...

(Readalikes: Other books in the Armand Gamache series [Still Life; A Fatal Grace; The Cruelest Month; A Rule Against Murder; Bury Your Dead; The Hangman (novella); A Trick of the Light; The Beautiful Mystery; How the Light Gets In; The Long Way Home; The Nature of the Beast; and The Great Reckoning])

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language and violence

To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of The Brutal Telling from Changing Hands Bookstore (my local indie) with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.

Labels:B Grade Books,Canadian Authors,Louise Penny,Murder Mysteries,Police Procedurals,R-rated Books,Small Town Settings,World Settings: Canada | 4 bookworm(s) said...

Friday, April 08, 2016

Tragic "Survival" Tale Sad, But Compelling

3:31 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

At one time or another, all of us have no doubt felt the desire to sell all our worldly goods and head for the hills. The solitude and simplicity of an unencumbered vagabond life are undeniably appealing, especially when the pressures of life feel too heavy to bear. Few of us actually take the plunge, though, beyond say, a weekend camping trip or a rejuvenating hike in the mountains. That's what makes the story of Christopher Johnson McCandless so odd. And so intriguing.

McCandless—a bright, enterprising young fellow—grew up in a suburb of Washington, D.C. The son of an aerospace engineer, he was used to a solid, upper middle class existence. As a young man, however, he grew disdainful of "the good life." After graduating from Emory University in 1990, McCandless renamed himself Alexander Supertramp and took to the road. Impulsive and hopelessly idealistic, the college grad sold most of his possessions, donated all his money ($25, 000) to charity, and set off to explore the country. Working odd jobs to take care of his scant personal needs, McCandless took pleasure in seeing new places, meeting interesting people, and finding enlightenment in his anti-materialism lifestyle.

As he wandered, McCandless dreamed of walking into a true wilderness, of experiencing total freedom in a land relatively untouched by human feet. He planned to disappear there, to live off the land, surviving by his own wit and instinct. The place? Alaska. On April 28, 1992, the 24-year-old realized that dream. He began hiking The Stampede Trail, near Denali National Park, toting along little more than his passion. Ill-equipped to handle the harsh Alaskan backcountry, Christopher Johnson McCandless lasted only a few months. On September 6, 1992, a hunter discovered his body—which weighed only 66 pounds—moldering inside an old, abandoned bus near the trail. Ironically, the man who donated $25,000 to feed the hungry starved to death—and not all that far from civilization.

McCandless' story fascinates travel writer Jon Krakauer, who made the young survivalist the subject of his first book, Into the Wild. In it, Krakauer explores McCandless' life from childhood to his death in order to figure out what made the unusual man tick. While doing so, the author ruminates on important topics like society's obligation to those who don't fit in; the foolhardiness of challenging nature unprepared; the dangers of romanticizing people like McCandless, whose tragic but preventable death inspires devotees to make their own pilgrimages to The Stampede Trail, often leading to stranded—even dead—hikers; and a person's right to live and die on their own terms, however odd they may be. Krakauer even explores alternative scenarios that could have led to McCandless' death. The fact that there are a lot of gaps and unknowns in the man's story doesn't make Into the Wild any less intriguing. Although I didn't find the book nearly as awe-inspiring as Krakauer's bestseller Into Thin Air, it's still a gripping man vs. nature story, haunting and memorable. It's a sad tale, but one I found very compelling.

(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, depictions of illegal drug use, and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love: Another library ~~fine~~ find

Labels:B Grade Books,Christopher McCandless,Jon Krakauer,Non-Fiction,R-rated Books,Travel Memoir,U.S. Settings: Alaska | 2 bookworm(s) said...

Tuesday, April 05, 2016

Has to Be Love A Compelling Novel About Change, Choices, and the Challenges of Growing Up

8:53 AM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Five years ago, life changed irrevocably for 17-year-old Clara Fielding. A bear attacked her and her mother, leaving the latter dead and the former with vicious scars marring her face. Everyone in tiny Knick, Alaska, knows about the tragedy. Most of them don't even seem to notice Clara's disfigurement anymore. But Clara does. Not a day goes by that she doesn't think about everything the bear stole from her.

Clara knows she's safe in Knick—and that she could stay that way forever. She never has to leave her Alaskan village, never has to expose her scars to the outside world. Not if she doesn't want to. The question is, does she? With high school ending, she's got a decision to make: stay home and build a future with her amazing boyfriend, Elias, or swallow her fear and act on the acceptance letter she's just received from Columbia University. She knows she can't do both. If she goes to New York, she'll lose kind, hard-working Elias. If she stays, she'll forfeit the chance to study at her dream school. It's a no-win situation.

Enter Rhodes Kennedy, a 21-year-old Columbia student who's in Knick to teach at Clara's high school for a few months. In spite of herself, Clara can't help falling for her the world-wise Rhodes, who encourages her to break out of her comfort zone. In more ways than one. Before she knows it, she's putting it all on the line for the newcomer, who's challenging everything she believes in: the sanctity of her hometown, her future with Elias, the debilitating nature of her scars, and her Mormon faith. As her safe little world crumbles around her, Clara will have to decide what she really wants for her future. Does she have the courage to give up something good for the possibility of something great? Can she trample on the feelings of people she loves in order to pursue her own dreams? What does she really want to do with her life? And with whom? A tortured Clara will have to make some heart-rending, life-changing decisions before time runs out ...

Despite its fanciful cover, Has to Be Love by Jolene Perry is not some fluffy YA romance. It's got a bite to it. Clara is a good girl who's battling grief, fear, uncertainty, and raging hormones as she tries to make some very adult decisions. Her struggles with maintaining her religious standards—especially where it concerns her relationships with boys—will feel familiar to many teens. As will her oscillating feelings over doing the safe, expected thing vs. risking her own security to take on a bold and scary challenge. As authentic as Clara's problems seem, though, her constant obsession with her scars and the ways in which she's been victimized gets old fast. It often makes her appear self-absorbed rather than sympathetic, which annoyed me to no end. I have a few other complaints with Has to Be Love, but overall, I liked it. The novel, which tells a compelling story peppered with original elements, also preaches some good lessons without feeling like a sermon. Teens should find it both intriguing and relatable.

(Readalikes: Reminded me of Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison)

Grade: