Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 30

The Witch Hunter's Tale

Publication date: January 6, 2015St. Martin's PressFormats: eBook, HardcoverPages: 320
Series: Book Three, The Midwife Mysteries SeriesGenre: Historical Mystery


Sam Thomas takes readers back to Puritan England with midwife Bridget Hodgson, hailed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as "one of the most fascinating detectives in contemporary mystery fiction."

Winter has come to the city of York, and with it the threat of witchcraft. As women and children sicken and die, midwife Bridget Hodgson is pulled against her will into a full-scale witch-hunt that threatens to devour all in its path, guilty and innocent alike.

Bridget—accompanied once again by her deputy Martha Hawkins and her nephew Will Hodgson—finds herself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse against the most dangerous men in York, as well as her sworn enemy Rebecca Hooke. As the trials begin, and the noose begins to tighten around her neck, Bridget must answer the question: How far will she go to protect the people she loves?





*****REVIEW*****I recently read and reviewed The Harlot's Tale, which is the previous book in Sam Thomas' mystery series dealing with the 17th century English midwife Bridget Hodgson.  You can find that review on this blog here. Now that I was caught up on the lives of Bridget and other significant characters, I could go on to read the latest book in the series which I received from the publisher via Net Galley in return for this honest review.
In The Harlot's Tale, Bridget had begun to develop into a kinder and more compassionate individual, but her principles are still very important to her.  In  The Witch Hunter's Tale, Bridget is tested to the breaking point during a witchcraft hysteria that is orchestrated by her ambitious Puritan nephew, Joseph Hodgson.  Bridget has to ask herself whether she values her integrity more than the lives of the people she cares about most. 
In the context of the witchhunt which impacts the entire city, the murder of a prominent alderman at the beginning of the book, seems to recede into the background.  There is very little investigation of the murder.  Events overtake Bridget, and she can only take defensive action against them.  The truth about the murder does eventually surface and it is an important plot development, but neither Bridget nor her resourceful servant Martha can be said to be responsible for uncovering the truth.  
There are few surprises in this novel.  I have read numerous books about Puritan witchcraft hysterias.  They are very similar in their progression and the motives of those who instigate them.  As usual, politics and class antagonism played prominent roles in this witchcraft hysteria. 
The strengths of The Witch Hunter's Tale are its dramatic instensity and Bridget's continuing character growth.  If there is a next novel in this series, it will be absolutely astonishing because there is no single predictable path for Bridget Hodgson in the aftermath of this book.  That's really rather marvelous because she has the freedom to shape her own life for the first time.   I was glad to see a proper resolution that is still open ended.
                                            Buy the Book


Barnes & NobleiTunesIndieBoundPowell'sAbout the Author Sam Thomas is an assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Newberry Library, and the British Academy. He has published articles on topics ranging from early modern Britain to colonial Africa. Thomas lives in Alabama with his wife and two children.

For more information please visit Sam Thomas's website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.



The Witch Hunter's Tale Blog Tour ScheduleMonday, February 9Review at With Her Nose Stuck In A BookSpotlight at What Is that Book About
Tuesday, February 10Review at Flashlight CommentarySpotlight at The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, February 11Review at Build a Bookshelf
Friday, February 13Spotlight at A Literary Vacation
Monday, February 16Review at Book BabeSpotlight at Let Them Read Books
Tuesday, February 17Review at The Emerald City Book Review
Wednesday, February 18Review & Interview at Back Porchervations
Friday, February 20Spotlight at Passages to the Past
Monday, February 23Interview at Mina's BookshelfSpotlight at Historical Fiction Obsession
Tuesday, February 24Review at A Book Geek
Wednesday, February 25Review at A Chick Who ReadsSpotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Thursday, February 26Review at Beth's Book Nook BlogSpotlight at Brooke Blogs
Friday, February 27Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
                                                           
                                               
                                             

A Touch of Stardust Takes Us to Pre-WWII Hollywood and the Set of Gone with the Wind

I'm not a Clark Gable fan and didn't watch or even read Gone with the Wind. But I do love most old movies. I'm a huge Colbert and Grant fan and looked forward to going behind the scenes in 1939 Hollywood.

It's not a bad story, but while I loved Alcott's previous titles, I found I didn't enjoy this one near as much. That's partly my fault. This is def geared at Gone with the Wind fans, and I'm not one. But it's also partly the telling of the tale. There's two different stories going on. The first is a young woman trying to find herself and make it as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Her parents want her back home and she must learn to stand up for herself and say, "Hey, I'm an adult..." She faces the usual struggles a woman back then would have faced trying to make it in the male-dominated industry, sexual harassment, prejudice, etc.

The GablesThe second story is Clark Gable and Carole Lombard's marriage/romance. The studio has to buy off his ex-wife; he and Carol are buying a ranch complete with bear rugs...

I felt like the book couldn't make up its mind who it was about and honestly, putting a small-town girl's romance next to Gable and Lombard's made it really diminish. Not to mention I didn't like the hero (Andy) at all. He was patronizing, always calling her "kid"; he was negative and just overall annoying. I wanted Julie to just move on and quit mooning over him.

Frances MarionI did enjoy all the interesting tidbits though about this movie I've never seen: Vivien's cleavage trouble; Clark's bad breath and fake teeth and voice training and refusal to cry. I liked learning about screenwriting, about the groupwork, about the rewriting of duds. Learning about Frances Marion was another treat I took from this, a screenwriter who was also the first female to win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. I love the role she plays as a mentor and helper to Julie.

But something didn't click for me between the two tales. No matter how often Julie went to Carole's and had the movie star serve her a scotch, the stories felt way too perpendicular, not parallel, and I think I'd have enjoyed this more had it just been one romance, one focus: the Gables, maybe even Carole's life and struggles to make it, with no Julie at all. As it was, going back and forth, focusing on one then the other, each story felt as though it was missing something, that it wasn't quite concluded.

I received this via Edelweiss. Photos are all courtesy of Wiki Commons.

The Reading Radar 2/14/2015

Curious about and spotted it via GR Giveaways: A Habit of Resistance by Fernando A. Torres.

A Habit of Resistance, is the story of a quirky group of nuns who progress from having a small gun club to joining the French Resistance during WWII. René who is from a small town, in provincial France, flees to Paris, only to find that it has been overrun by the Nazis. He returns to his hometown of Brassac to discover that the fiancé he abandoned on the night of their wedding, has joined the local convent. René finds himself mayor of the town he abandoned, when the former officeholder flees to avoid working with the Vichy government. His return causes his fiancé, Noele, to re-examine her decision to become a nun; while he must decide with whom he will collaborate. The offbeat nuns must wrestle with how far to expand the margins of their vows, in hopes of saving their town and themselves. A Habit of Resistance is a work of personal denial and redemption.

***
Found out about this one via the author's newsletter and though I rarely stray into contemporary fiction anymore, I like this author enough to give it a go: Mercy Killing by Kathryn Johnson. Plus it sorta makes me think of The Americans, the KGB TV show I like so much.

FOR LOVE, JUSTICE . . . AND TO SAVE HER MOTHER'S LIFE,
MERCY O'BRIEN WILL DO ANYTHING! EVEN IF IT MEANS SACRIFICING HERSELF.

Artist and Washington, D.C. socialite Mercy O'Brien Davis married for love and gave up a promising job as a Smithsonian curator to support her husband's diplomatic career. But while accompanying him to Mexico City, she learns her famous photo-journalist mother has disappeared without a trace in Ukraine. Desperate to find her, Mercy runs afoul of the U. S. State Department and stumbles into a maze of lies, crime, and international intrigue. When she appeals to her husband for help in locating her mother, he is strangely reluctant.

With her marriage already on shaky ground in the aftermath of her husband's infidelity, and the U.S. government ignoring her entreaties on her mother's behalf, Mercy accepts help from a mysterious American agent who enlists her to spy on sexy cattle baron Sebastian Hidalgo, suspected of heading a Mexican crime cartel. Hidalgo is determined to keep her from discovering his darkest secrets, even as he lusts for her. Manipulated by the men in her life, and their hidden agendas, Mercy wonders if there's anyone she can trust, and what price she will have to pay for her mother's safe return.

***
And movie/TV series I'd love to get my hands on: Anzac Girls.


Arriving in Egypt to serve in World War I, a group of idealistic young Australian and New Zealand nurses are full of romantic notions. All too soon, however, they are faced with convoys of the dead and wounded from the doomed Gallipoli campaign. Realizing that war is not quite the "splendid adventure" they thought it would be, they rise to meet the challenge, finding love, heartbreak, and lasting friendship along the way.

Based on the book by Peter Rees and drawing on the real nurses' letters, original journals, and historical records, this acclaimed Australian miniseries follows five unsung heroines through the traumatic war years. A "beautifully shot, multilayered drama" (The Sunday Telegraph, Australia), it "brings these little-known stories vividly to life" (The Daily Telegraph, Australia). Georgia Flood, Caroline Craig, Anna McGahan, Antonia Prebble, and Laura Brent head an ensemble cast of more than 1,200 actors and extras in this breathtaking and stirring production.

***
Spotted on NG and of course I must have it: A Flying Affair by Carla Stewart.

Award-winning author Carla Stewart returns to the 1920s in this vivid historical novel about a female pilot navigating love and life.

Daredevil Mittie Humphreys developed her taste for adventure on horseback, on her family's prosperous Kentucky horse farm. But her love of horses is surpassed by her passion for the thrill of the skies, especially since the dashing pilot, Ames, first took her up in his plane.

When handsome British aviator Bobby York offers her flying lessons, he is equally surprised—and beguiled—by Mittie's grit, determination, and talent. Soon, Mittie is competing in cross-country air races, barnstorming, and wing-walking. But when Calista "Peach" Gilson, a charming Southern belle, becomes her rival in both aviation and in love, Mittie must learn to navigate her heart as well as the skies.

Bridge To Destiny by April Marie Libs

What a book.... This story will touch you from the inside and leave you feeling emotional in all sorts of ways. I must admit, when I first started the book, I had to put it down. Not because it was bad, but when I'm faced to think about death, it sends me into a panic attack. For me, I struggle not knowing what comes next. Just the idea that one day I won't be alive frightens me. I set this story aside for a little and read a few other books, but I knew I would come back to the story--don't get me wrong. Once I was ready to continue the story, I didn't turn back.

The heroine Avery goes through so much in her life. More heartache than one woman should go through. And when love did come knocking on her door again, I couldn't blame her for rejecting it. To lose a husband and go through almost losing her daughter months later, I'm not sure I could ever let someone in again myself. When Avery does let Nick in and finds she is attracted to him, then she has to deal with guilt--as though she is cheating on her deceased husband.

If you're looking for a sappy, light romance, you're not gonna get that here. Instead you're going to read a story that's going to get you thinking. How would you handle the cards that were given to Avery? This story will make you think. This story will probably even make you cry. But this story is one worth reading and having as a keeper on your bookshelf to share with friends.

The writing was good. The story flowed well. At times, I felt a few scenes dragged, but it might have just been my comfort zone. We spend a lot of time with her daughter Hannah as she's in the hospital. The auther makes this real, and as the reader I felt like I was going through it all with Hannah and Avery--which may be why I wanted to see Hannah go home so bad. I wanted out of the hospital myself. lol

Lacey's Rating:
About The Book:
Avery Lawson’s life, once so perfect, spins out of control, not once, but twice in twelve months. Not only does she lose the only man she has ever loved, fate threatens to take her next greatest treasure, her four-year-old daughter, Hannah.

BRIDGE TO DESTINY is a heartwarming story that chronicles the struggles a single mom has to endure with her tenacious, headstrong daughter who is fighting to regain all of her motor skills from a head injury. During her daughter’s recovery, Avery stumbles into an unforeseen relationship with her neurologist, Nathan Banst, first professionally, and then personally, when she sends him an inappropriate text message after a night out drinking. Although mortified, this pushes Avery into a more personal relationship with Nathan, but is it too soon after her husband's death?

Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder: A Story of an Olympic Runner or Dysfunctional Family?

1928 Amsterdam. The first Olympics at which female athletes are permitted to compete in track and field events.

That sentence right there says I should have loved this book. And that bit was interesting. I loved reading about the race, the hoopla after, about how it was determined the race was too hard for women merely because (just like some of the men) the lady winner falls to the ground when it's over. She's tired, overwhelmed with emotions...whatever. People read things into it.

Sadly, the Olympic race takes a mere two pages. The aftermath a few more pages. Training? Barely mentioned. We know what she wore, that she rain around a track with a lady named Glad for two years, by a factory. We know chocolate people sponsored it. And frankly, that's it.

This book isn't so much about a woman running in the Olympics but a dysfunctional family. About Edith, Olive, George, Robbies dying, a dad obsessed with woodwork, a mother midwife, and dead siblings seen through walls. It's weird and uninteresting. I got tired of it. I really didn't care about this heroine's childhood on a farm in Canada, about Edith, or graveyards full of little Smarts.

I was so bored I abandoned this one at 54%. The Olympics were over.

The modern bits were not the least appealing either, as this ridiculous girl old-people-naps Ms. Smart from a nursing home. Lots of rambling and uninteresting memories as they get stuck in the mud and all.

Had this been strictly about women running, the relationships they form as they run together, compete together, training for the Olympics, and the Olympics themselves, I'd have stuck with it and most likely loved it 'cause there's nothing wrong with the writing itself, but it digressed too often into boring family life and lost me.

All I've got are these legs, trained for speed, this mind, trained to conquer a circle of track.

I received a digital ARC of this via Edelweiss.

Surviving Valentine’s Day: Pauline Parril’s Advice for Married Women by Pauline Daley-Parril

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.netValentine’s Day hashtags are proliferating on Twitter. That means one thing: #valentinesdayiscoming. For single women, the 14th of February is tough enough when it’s #nodate and #aloneagain. But for married women, Valentine’s Day is a #minefield #forgetaboutit #norosesforyousister #fml.

For women in general, Valentine’s Day is like trying on a new bikini: single girls hope to find something nice that handles the girls effectively but all too often end up with lingering regrets and maybe a yeast infection from the previous person who tried the bathing suit.All that married women can hope for is that the top half can still work the old black magic while the bottom half still fits the base.Meanwhile, the average man is completely oblivious to the whole #chocolates #romance and #finedining thing. That’s because he hasn’t set foot in a shop since the day before Christmas when he did his annual shopping trip. Only women know that, just minutes after New Year’s Day is over, every store and mall in the country turns into a raging river of pink and red hearts with fur-trimmed bralettes on display in every window.It’s not enough to avoid the flood of lacey crap at the mall. You better stay away from the drugstores too. Trouble is, you forgot to get your flu shot last fall, didn’t you? Now you need lozenges for the bug that is shredding up all the real estate in your throat. In you go, determined to make it past the heart-shaped candies and roses-made-of-chocolate aisle. You quickly skirt the section with the wide selection of ribbed condoms, cherry-flavored lubricants and estrogen massage cream. But, suddenly, you’re confronted by the greeting card aisle. Love is in the air. And it’s sucking all the oxygen from the store.You pause to look at all the pretty, pretty cards. Maybe it’s a good idea to inject a little romance into your plodding relationship and get your man a special valentine? You pick up a card with a pink satin bow. It says: “You are my forever best friend.” But, last time you checked, your husband wasn’t a Golden Retriever. The card with the velvet trim says, without the tiniest trace of irony: “Every moment I spend with you is a dream.” Every last card is festooned with curvy fonts, cupids, roses, arrows and hearts. As if you weren’t feeling sick enough with the flu before.The sad fact is there are no realistic cards for wives to give to husbands. Clearly, companies need to offer cards with more truthful messages, such as: My darling, you deserve the best of me. (Sorry I called you a moron yesterday. The stupid of you got the better of me.)Or: You can be my Valentine, but only if you stop being a prick.For newer brides, the card could read: Be mine. (Unless you cheat on me. In that case, I will cut you.)Or: Let’s get married all over again! (Without your drunk cousins this time.)Together forever. (Unless you screw it up.)Middle-aged marrieds have even more options: Loving you is my mission. It’s right up there with gaining control of the remote someday.You are still hot to me. Mostly. (I’m still sleeping in my socks tonight because your feet are freaking blocks of ice.)You make me smile. (To be honest, sometimes I smirk. Sometimes, it’s an evil grin. And sometimes I laugh hysterically. You say tomato …)For older marrieds, the card could say: I can’t believe I’m still putting up with your shit. But, wonder of wonders, I am!Nothing can compare with you! Dude, you could win a snoring contest.Together, we are stronger. Especially when we fart at the same time.Never mind. Skip the card aisle. You have a bad head cold. It’s February for goodness’ sake. Your man doesn’t want a card anyway. He’d prefer a roughly hand-drawn coupon for an anytime, anywhere blowjob-on-demand.Buy yourself some chocolate and don’t forget the cough syrup.*** Collette Yvonne graduated from York University in Toronto with an Honor’s BA in Creative Writing. Her short stories, including From the Cottage Porch and Wild Words 2010, appear in several anthologies. She's written numerous articles in national Canadian publications, plus over 150 pieces for various Ontario newspapers. Her short story, Snapshots for Henry, was made into a short film, directed by Teresa Hannigan, and received a 2007 Genie nomination for Best Live Action Short Drama. The Perils of Pauline —  http://bit.ly/1Ki2LE0   is her first novel.


***
Life seems "picture perfect" for Army veteran Pauline Parril--a solid career, a loving (though slightly absent) husband, two adorable young children. Perfect that is, until the usual Friday meeting at the office ends with a termination letter.As Pauline navigates the difficulties of unemployment, she finds the handles of her world turning upside down. Her estranged daughter, Serenity, returns home with shocking secrets. Her husband, Donald, is not at all who she knows him to be, and a handsome stranger opens her eyes to the complex worlds of poetry and temptation. In this uproarious female comedy of just how one event can change the course of...well everything. The Perils of Pauline follows an intrepid every-woman as she marches through the pressures of building the "perfect life," finding there's actually more to discover about yourself than you dreamed, and constantly answering the scariest question of adulthood: "What now?"

What Makes a True Warrior? The Truth is Revealed in Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom by Stephanie Jefferson

"Protecting lives is what a warrior does. A warrior that is strong never takes a life if there is another choice."

This is the third book in the Princess Kandake series. PK is a Nubian warrior/princess/future queen. Her father has chosen her to rule the throne after his passing, over two brothers. The setting is historical, I'd like to say ancient Egypt times. And in this book, Kandake goes on an adventure to Egypt, a huge task at hand: determine why Egypt is asking for Nubia's help, decide if they really need it, and examine the young prince's ability to rule. Worse comes to worse, she may need to rule Egypt herself one day.

In Egypt, she must stop an uprising, heal the Pharaoh, instruct the prince, and save a young Nubian/Hebrew girl from abuse. All the while she faces Egyptian men's scorn over the fact she has so much power and also argue with idol worshipers that she is NOT Sakhmet, daughter of Ra.

I loved this story. Kandake does not disappoint. Once again she manages to solve everything in the manner of a warrior and future queen and impart some lessons as she does so. And even better, there was very little of Tabiry, her sister in this book. I really really dislike that girl.

Young readers will also get a look into Egyptian and Nubian life and customs. It's a wealth of information imparted in a most entertaining way.

Oooh, did I mention that Kandake chooses her future husband in this one? The romance is minimal and never overshadows the theme of girl power.

I noticed something in this installment, though. Lots of things are repeated over and over, such as her list of suitors and their pros and cons. It was repeated nearly word for word twice in different areas and while I realize this was weighing on her, I already knew one was soothing and one was hard working. The reason this came to annoy me is that it happened quite a bit, the repetition of things/conversations/facts. Also confusing to me was just who solved the problem of the Pharaoh's poisoning? I thought it was Kandake, who tried the poison herself, but later Naomi acts like she has solved it and everyone around her acts like she did too. Again, it felt like repetition. And why did Kandake wait so long to help the Pharaoh?

You can read my reviews of the previous two Kandake books here.

I received this from the author via Smashwords in exchange for an honest review.

The Real Woman behind “Between the Cracks” By Carmela Cattuti

Please join Carmela Cattuti as she tours the blogosphere for Between the Cracks: One Woman's Journey from Sicily to America, from February 9-27, and enter to win a Kindle Touch eReader, loaded with an eBook of Between the Cracks! Today she's here on Book Babe. Once you've read her post, find out how to enter the contest!

My readers have often asked me about the real Angela on whom I based my book. How closely did I base my main character on my great aunt Angela Lanza Barone? I would say very closely; she was my nanny and told me her life story again and again. The real Angela saw her life as a great novel or opera.  She did not see herself as a victim regardless of circumstances or events. I used her essence and created a character that influenced her environment where ever she was and affected whomever she encountered.  My great aunt possessed a cultural inheritance fused with an untraditional spirituality in a way that was atypical during the first half of the 20th century. She honored the divine feminine at a time when traditional Catholicism was practiced by many immigrants from Western Europe. In the book she maintains an altar to Mary, the mother of Christ, she does not have an altar to Jesus, nor does she pray to Him. My great aunt always maintained an altar to the Virgin in her bedroom, out of prying eyes. She credited Mary with saving her life on several occasions.
She relayed her earthquake experience and her life after that to me in great detail, but there are gaps. She was an orphan before the earthquake happened, however, in the novel I have her mother alive to make a point about women’s lives in early 20th century Sicily. I do not know how her parents died. That is a mystery I am delving into for my second book. Angela was signaled out by the Princess of Palermo (Principessa Giulia) for some reason. She was invited to the Princess’s palazzo and Giulia purchased Angela’s sewing. Angela even had her wedding reception at the Princess’s palazzo. I often asked myself why Giulia took such an interest in Angela. As I began to research the connection I found out that the Princess’s husband’s last name was Lanza. There is definitely a strong connection there and I am in the process of investigating this relationship.
How well did I know my great aunt? On the surface I knew her very well, but underneath it all I think she harbored a resentment because she did not receive her true inheritance: acknowledgement that she was part of the Lanza family.  If she was related to Pietro Lanza di Trabia (Giulia’s husband) then she would have been entitled to the benefits of being part of the Lanza family, which would have been considerable. There was an element of unbearable beauty to my great aunt’s countenance even as she aged. I have strived to have this be an undercurrent running through the novel.
I peppered the book with situations that would shed light on the real Angela’s character. I wanted her to shine in a way that was frowned upon for a female immigrant during this time in history. If she were alive today she would have had her own clothing design business and been quite successful. I included dialogue that I heard while growing up in her house (we lived upstairs from her and her husband) and integrated some of the conversations into the book.
Angela Lanza Barone was an artist with a cultural sensibility that transcended time and place. I hope that the reader is quickened to connect with his or her own awareness.
***
Join Angela Lanza as she experiences the tumultuous world of early 20th century Sicily and New York. Orphaned by the earthquake and powerful eruption of Mt. Etna in 1908, Angela is raised in the strict confines of an Italian convent. Through various twists of fate, she is married to a young Italian man whom she barely knows, then together with her spouse, immigrates to the U.S. This novel is an invitation to accompany the young Angela as she confronts the ephemeral nature of life on this planet and navigates the wide cultural gaps between pre-World War II Italy and the booming prosperity of dynamic young America. Author, artist, and teacher Carmela Cattuti created Between the Cracks as an homage to her great-aunt, who survived the earthquake and eruption of Mt. Etna and bravely left Sicily to start a new life in America.





***Publication Date: August 15, 2013Three Towers PressFormats: eBook, PaperbackPages: 324Genre: Historical Fiction
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About the Author Carmela Cattuti started her writing career as a journalist for the Somerville News in Boston, MA. After she finished her graduate work in English Literature from Boston College she began to write creatively and taught a journal writing course at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education As fate would have it, she felt compelled to write her great aunt's story. "Between the Cracks" has gone through several incarnations and will now become a trilogy. This is the first installment. To connect with Carmela email her cattutic@gmail.com or leave a comment at betweenthecracksnovel.blogspot.com.

Between the Cracks Blog Tour ScheduleMonday, February 9Guest Post at Book Babe
Tuesday, February 10Spotlight at What Is That Book About
Wednesday, February 11Review at Back Porchervations
Thursday, February 12Guest Post at Boom Baby Reviews
Monday, February 16Review at Bookish
Wednesday, February 18Review at Book Nerd
Friday, February 20Spotlight at My Book Addiction and More
Tuesday, February 24Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, February 25Guest Post at A Literary VacationSpotlight at Layered Pages
Thursday, February 26Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views
Friday, February 27Spotlight at Passages to the Past
GiveawayTo enter to win a Kindle Touch eReader (valued at $59) & eBook of Between the Cracks, sponsored by author Carmela Cattuti, please complete the giveaway form below.Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on February 27th. You must be 18 or older to enter.Only one entry per household.All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.Winner will be chosen via GLEAM on February 28th and notified via email.Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.Please email Amy @ hfvirtualbooktours@gmail.com with any questions.Between the Cracks

Someone Knows My Name Comes to Television as The Book of Negroes

The original book was The Book of Negroes. The edition I read in 2009 was called Someone Knows My Name.

It was a heart-wrenching story and my review went on Goodreads back then. 
Fantastic historical fiction!! One of the best. I found this novel engrossing and emotional and I hated to put it down. I had to remind myself that I needed to sleep, thus had to set it aside here and there. It is a very unbiased look and recollection of the slave trade. By unbiased, I mean this novel shows the flaws and the wrongs of everybody involved. The blame does not sit on one group or country. The story follows Aminata, an incredibly likable and wonderfully sassy young girl that is captured and stolen from her family in Africa by fellow Africans and then sold to white men from America.

Readers get an appalling and emotional ride on a slave ship and learn about the foul conditions and ill treatment that was dished out to the captured people everyday. Following the ship, the story takes us to a South Carolina plantation and Aminata learns to read and finds love while at the same time, dealing with a cruel, sometimes abusive "owner".

From there, the feisty heroine makes it to New York City and the world of Black Loyalists and then Novia Scotia and finally, London. Aminata leads a hard, tough life and deals with good and bad from every race. From the Africans who sold her to the Americans that bought her to the British that betrayed her and back to the Africans who attempt to enslave her yet again. What a story! And during all this trauma, Aminata still finds love and joy in her life and makes friendships. I felt like I really knew her and sometimes I had to stop reading to collect myself. My only complaint about this novel is sometimes there was too much information about bowel movements. Otherwise, it was perfect and the ending brought tears to my eyes.


That being relayed, I'm excited to announce this wonderful book has made it to the "little" screen. You can watch or set your DVRS to record The Book of Negroes Feb 16th on BET. And it's got Cuba Gooding Jr in it, so some eye candy indeed. 
It's not clear to me, however, just how many episodes there are. I see two different episodes on the TV, but a channel named CBC seems to have 4, 5 episodes, so I'm a bit confused. You'll have to figure that out for yourselves! And if you miss it Feb 16th, it will be available on DVD on Amazon April 7th.

The Reading Radar 2/7/2015

I spotted this one on Historical Editorial (probably my favorite blog in the world for books. My TBR is toppling because of it!) Regardless, The Hidden Hills Saga: Book I: Ice Whispers by K. Willow has hit my wishlist.

Slavery of a different kind, beyond physical chains, leads to a different type of escape . . .

Marissa Kristofferson can taste freedom. Her long years of suffering at the hands of her sadistic husband, Lance, are coming to an end as he lies dying. But she is stunned when he reveals the contents of his will and what she must do to keep Kristofferson Plantation, and how he plans to keep her bound to him even beyond the grave.

The beautiful slave Lolley has always envied Marissa’s life, and after learning that the master has also ordered her freed after his death, she is determined to reach for the life she wants by becoming the mistress of Marissa’s son, Shane, though she does not realize the lengths Marissa will go to to prevent the match, or the far-reaching consequences that will follow.

And Shelby, the plain and dutiful slave of free blacks, is unwittingly caught in the shocking drama that unfolds as a family is torn apart. Used as a pawn in a game of rivalry, deception, and betrayal, hers is a fight for survival while attempting to remain true to herself.

Three women—so very different but each carrying dark secrets that are closely intertwined, caught in a world between slave and free, a world which is becoming more fragile and precarious as war threatens and alliances shift, and each harboring seemingly impossible dreams of a better future.

In this first book of a dark historical saga, K. Willow paints a lush, emotional portrait of scandal, murder, injustice, and the ties that bind in the antebellum South.

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Spotted on Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature: Silence in Center by Jody Studdard hit the wishlist. The heroine's situation sounds so similar to things I've faced.

Melody Gold is a fourteen-year-old fastpitch player who wants to make the move from Little League to select ball. But none of the select coaches want her since she has a hearing impairment and must wear hearing aids at all times, even during games. Unwilling to take "no" for an answer, Melody becomes determined to prove her hearing impairment is irrelevant and she can compete at the highest level. An inspiring tale for readers of all ages.



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Spotted on Reading the Past, Scandal in the Secret City by Diane Fanning made my radar/list.

From the author of the Lucinda Pierce series, comes a thrilling new mystery, set during the Second World War . . ."
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, otherwise known as the Secret City, rose seemingly overnight in 1942, built by the US Government. No one was quite sure what its purpose was or where it came from, but there was certainly something going on . . .
Libby Clark, a gutsy Bryn Mawr graduate, is determined to find her place as a scientist in a world where women are thought better suited to housework and marriage. As the only female scientist in the top secret facility, Libby is excited to begin what she believes is important government research.
She soon begins to suspect, however, that not all is as it seems. And to make matters worse, one frosty night she discovers the dead body of her roommate s sister sprawled behind the bleachers. No one else seems to think finding the killer is important and it s up to Libby to make sense of the situation. Aided by a band of like-minded scientists, Libby follows every possible lead until she comes to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.