Sheila Deeth's Blog, page 7

Who ignited the women's rights movement?

Today I get to introduce author Douglas A. Burton and his heroic sage of the Byzantine Empress Theodora, described as "a courageous girl who challenged the Roman-Byzantine aristocracy and ignited the women’s rights movement." Having read the novel, I can quite agree with the description, and I'm longing for more! I highly recommend this book, and here's my review:

Far Away Bird by Douglas BurtonDouglas Burton’s evocative novel of 6th Century Constantinople brings to life the pomp and...

Christmas in March? Hollywood in hearts?

Christmas brought lots of gift books, cheap books, ebooks and books, books, books. I ended up reading Christmas stories in February sunshine and March hail, but December's snow and sweet romances were maybe just what I needed. A touch of Christmas cheer as winter drags on... So here are some reviews of books you might want to read next Christmas, or you might choose now instead. And some romances. And maybe one quite seriously enjoyable memoir with just the right touch of romantic reality.

...

Dystopia on your mind?

Sometimes it feels like we're living in a scifi world. A friend showed me how an author had "predicted" the corona virus, but the mathematician in me looked at the number of books the author had written that have not come true and concluded prediction might be more like good imagination. I guess the same thing happened after 9/11, where those with good imaginations were often credited with predictive skills. But science fiction authors don't predict. They use the present to imagine the...

The contract killer changed his life!

Today I'm participating in Andrew Segal’s THE LYME REGIS MURDERS Virtual Book Tour, hosted by PUYB!When you read the "about the author" section below, you'll know why I had to read the book! But first, my review...
The Lyme Regis Murders by Andrew SegalLyme Regis is a quiet British seaside town, with beach and cliffs and cops and residents… it could be television’s Broadchurch perhaps, and Andrew Segal’s novel, The Lyme Regis Murders, will probably remind readers of the TV series. Dead bodies,...

Title, subtitle, cover? What attracts you?

What attracts you to a non-fiction book? I was attracted to one of the books in this collection by the fact that the author was a scientist, and by the implication that he enjoyed a more European understanding of the word "liberal." Did it make me love the book--no so much. So, was I attracted by the wrong thing.

What makes you less keen on reading a non-fiction book? The same book has a very American cover with stark red sky behind the Capitol, and lightning flash. Knowing it was non-fiction,...

Are Thrillers Different in Different Countries

Is Scandi-noir a "thing." Are Scandinavian thrillers always darker than others. And American ones more sarcastic. And... Or is a book just a book, defining its own genre and resting in the shelter of someone else's label on the shelf? Two of the thrillers I recently read were Scandinavian, and they were definitely dark. Three American thrillers definitely had that gently sarcastic voice. And all four were blended with social commentary. Intriguing... Anyway, here are some reviews. Pick your...

Ties that bind and cuts that tear--views of a world not totally forsaken after all!

I'm delighted to be one of the hosts for the "We of the Forsaken" book tour today, and delighted also to be a reader of the book.

Reminiscent of Ursula LeGuin’s Malafrena, We of the Forsaken World both creates and recreates our world in the realm of people other than ourselves. From primitive tribe to modern betrayal, from human need to foresight and mysticism, from the voices of believable people to the gathered voice of life, the stories pull the reader in. Uncannily disconcerting with their...

Do novels fly through time and space?

From historical England to distant planets, via Chicago, Shanghai and more, I've been enjoying a wealth of deeply absorbing novels recently--I just haven't had time to post my book reviews. But now my mum's back in England and my husband's playing chess, so here are some reviews of books that carried me through time and space over Christmas.

The Familiars by Stacey Halls takes readers to England in the 1600s, the time of the Pendle Witch trials. Neighbors accuse neighbors, friends betray,...

Do short stories cut straight to your emotions?

I read somewhere that poems are meant to cut straight to the emotions. One of the books I read recently was a poetry book where the photographs reached out to the emotions too. Another was an intriguing depiction of four worlds through the eyes of fascinating characters, with intersecting emotions and separate lives--it reminded me of Ursula LeGuin's Malafrena. And then there were the anthologies. And then...

Meanwhile I'm writing chapters, one by one, of my Hemlock series, delighting in the...

Do you trust the process?

Today I'm delighted to welcome Khristi Adams to my blog. You can find her at https://khristilaurenadams.com/ and she's the author of the Parable of the Brown Girl, which you can find: on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Parable-Brown-Girl-Sacred-Lives/dp/1506455689/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1578599274&sr=8-1 or B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/parable-of-the-brown-girl-khristi-lauren-adams/1132529558?ean=9781506455686

The book took time to write,...