Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 52

Lady Milliner Faces Sexual Harassment in the 1920s in The Hatmaker's Heart by Carla Stewart

This was a huge disappointment for me and normally I don't waste my time reading books I don't think I'll enjoy, but I kept thinking and hoping this heroine would grow a backbone (before the 95% mark) and thus, be in my opinion a good read. But this did not happen.

It had a lot of interesting side stories: the stuttering, the death of her grandmother, the fashion industry of the twenties, a royal wedding, but frankly it didn't all quite tie together.

It kept me reading, however, even though at 65% I was ready to throw my kindle against the wall because I could not fathom a girl could be so stupid and blind, so spineless. Does she buck up in the end? Yes, but too little too late for me.

There's no romance here. I am not sure if this is being marketed as one, but I know many will expect one. There's not. While this heroine has two men interested in her (one NOT for the right reasons, so I hesitate to say romantic interest), she only pines for a boy she grew up with and he doesn't really have an actual role in the gist of the story.

The 411: Nell left England because her father and grandfather had both passed on, leaving the estate to her uncle. She's now an apprentice to a man named in Oscar and she makes hats, becoming the sensation among young ladies in both NY and England. But her boss sexually harasses her constantly and ridicules her every chance he gets. And she just takes it...endlessly. And this is why I grew very tired of the story.

I really enjoyed the look at the fashion industry of this time though and I found myself wanting to learn millinery myself, so I did get something out of it.

Though marketed as a Christian fiction, it is NOT preachy, at all. You wouldn't know this was even with a Christian publisher if they didn't pray every now and then. There's all of maybe one Bible verse in the whole book. So for those not into being preached at, no worries.

I received this via Netgalley.

The Reading Radar 7/5/2014

Recommended to me by a friend, Lance Greenfield, this has hit my wishlist. It's not on kindle and is a bit pricey for the word count. In the Wings: Stories of Forgotten Women.

A collection of historical fiction by students and friends of editor Bernadette Rule. These stories highlight the little-known lives of women, most of whom were connected to--and overshadowed by--famous men. Women featured are: Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare; Helene Boullé de Champlain, wife of Samuel de Champlain; Molly Brant, sister of Joseph Brant; Laura Secord, who played an important role in the War of 1812; Georgina Hogarth, sister-in-law of Charles Dickens; Marguerite Monet Riel, wife of Louis Riel; Bridget Boland; Alice Seeley Harris; Constance Lloyd, wife of Oscar Wilde; Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson; Annie Taylor; Syrie Wellcome Maugham, wife of Somerset Maugham; Pilar Casals, mother of Pablo Casals; Lillian Bounds Disney, wife of Walt Disney, Rani Lakshmibai, the ruler of the state of Jhansi who led the Indian Rebellion of 1857; Bertha Fried Hirning, a pioneer in the Spirit River area of northern Alberta and Joan Douglas, daughter of Tommy Douglas.

***
Spotted on Edelweiss and def on my wishlist, Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder. It's a novel chronicling the life of a woman athlete in the twenties. A must read.

Girl Runner is the story of Aganetha Smart, a former Olympic athlete who was famous in the 1920s, but now, at age 104, lives in a nursing home, alone and forgotten by history. For Aganetha, a competitive and ambitious woman, her life remains present and unfinished in her mind.

When her quiet life is disturbed by the unexpected arrival of two young strangers, Aganetha begins to reflect on her childhood in rural Ontario and her struggles to make an independent life for herself in the city.

Without revealing who they are, or what they may want from her, the visitors take Aganetha on an outing from the nursing home. As ready as ever for adventure, Aganetha's memories are stirred when the pair return her to the family farm where she was raised. The devastation of WWI and the Spanish flu epidemic, the optimism of the 1920s and the sacrifices of the 1930s play out in Aganetha's mind, as she wrestles with the confusion and displacement of the present.

Part historical page-turner, part contemporary mystery, Girl Runner is an engaging and endearing story about family, ambition, athletics and the dedicated pursuit of one's passions. It is also, ultimately, about a woman who follows the singular, heart-breaking and inspiring course of her life until the very end.

***
On my to-read for certain: The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella. It's about a woman wrestler!!! How cool is that?
A debut, coming-of-age novel in which a teenage girl from Philadelphia leaves her old life behind to become The Sweetheart, one of America’s most infamous female wrestlers.

It’s 1953 and seventeen-year-old Leonie Putzkammer is cartoonishly tall and curvaceous, destined to spend the rest of her life waiting tables and living with her widowed father, Franz, in their Philadelphia row house. Until the day legendary wrestling promoter Salvatore Costantini walks into the local diner and offers her the chance of a lifetime.

Leonie sets off for Florida to train at Joe Pospisil’s School for Lady Grappling. There, she transforms into Gorgeous Gwen Davies, tag-team partner of legendary Screaming Mimi Hollander, and begins a romance with the soon-to-be Junior Heavyweight Champion Spider McGee. But when life as Gorgeous Gwen leaves her wanting, she orchestrates a move that will catapult her from heel to hero: she becomes The Sweetheart, a choice that attracts the fans she desires but complicates all of her relationships—with Franz, Joe, Spider, Mimi (who becomes her fiercest competitor), and even with herself.

Angelina Mirabella’s surprising, affecting, and morally complex novel describes how a single decision can ripple through the lives of everyone around us. How Leonie sizes up the competition, how she triumphs, how she fails, and how she manages, somehow, to endure, holds promise: if she can, maybe we can, too. The Sweetheart showcases Mirabella’s breathtaking talent; it is daring, innovative, and powerful storytelling.

***
On Shomeret's wishlist: Her Promised Road by Efrat Israeli.

Inspired by the chronicles of Golda Meir's early life, Her Promised Road gives voice to the story of Devorah Abramson, a woman like all others and yet compelled to heights that many could not endure. The year is 1931, and the heroine is sent to the United States on behalf of the Women Worker's Council in Palestine, to raise funds for Palestine's pioneer women giving their blood, sweat and tears to the revival of the Jewish National Homeland. Efrat Israeli guides the reader through the challenges, deliberations and passionate soul searching of a young woman in her early thirties - her natural desire to be loved, an obligation to family, and the urgency of the mission ahead; while questioning if her promised road is worthy of the heavy cost to her personal life... and heart. American Judaism, in the throes of a boiling revitalization post the massive immigration of the early twentieth century, is the significant backdrop to Devorah Abramson's climb. With insight, empathy and exuberance the author takes us along Devorah's missions, embraced in a plot rich with introspection, emotion and some of America's most fascinating figures of the period.

Dear Historical Authors, Please Write a Novel Featuring Louise Boyd, Woman Explorer

With Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge and Call the Midwife all done for the year, I've been left to watch American TV. *gasp* But I've become quite hooked a show called Mysteries at the Museum, and in this show, they share different stories surrounding different objects in museums all over the United States.

It's some incredibly fascinating history, complete with re-enactments. The other night, the episode I watched just briefly mentioned Louise Boyd. It was a mere sentence, but it said she was an arctic explorer. I immediately had to hit the internet and find out more. Here is what I discovered about her:

-After growing up in CA with two brothers, she inherited her father's fortune at the age of 33 in 1920. (They were claimed by heart disease, her brothers.)

-(This makes me think of the Van Buren sisters) In 1919, just three years after the VBs did their cross-country trip, Louise drove a touring car across the U.S. Remember, there were no paved roads and whatnot.

-She traveled to Europe and Egypt that year as well and worked as a nurse.

.She was hunting polar bears with chartered boats by 1926.

-She was awarded the Chevalier Cross of the Order of Saint Olav (first American woman) by the Norwegian government after traveling 10k miles across the arctic ocean in search of a missing Norwegian Explorer. She did not find him, and apparently this trip was actually a pleasure trip at first, but while on the ocean, she found out about the missing explorer and said, “How could I go on a pleasure trip when those 22 lives were at stake?” (How awesome is that?)

-She discovered an underwater mountain ridge and had a piece of land named after her. She also penned three books. (One, the U.S. gov't actually held back from publication, not wanting the data (her research about the area) to end up in enemy hands.

The Fiord Region of East Greenland (1935)
Polish Countrysides (1937)
The Coast of Northeast Greenland (1948)

-Did work for the government, studying the effects of polar magnetic fields on radio communications before she finally retired to a scholarly life in California. During WWII, she did some secret assignments as well. Naturally, I can't find more details on that. LOL

-In 1955, she was the first woman for fly over the North Pole in a chartered aircraft.

I found no mention of a romance or marriage. It was very unusual for women to remain unattached back then. I feel there must be a story there! No woman goes an entire lifetime without some romance. I'm sure you historical romance writers could have some fun with this. Hint, hint.

Even without romance, there's a lifetime of wonders and stories here. And just how many novels are there about women explorers? We've got cowgirls, vikings, seamstresses, mill workers, whores, actresses, and queens, but what about arctic explorers, or just explorers?

I hope you all have found her as interesting as I do.

Resources: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/expl...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Boyd
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Lou...

"Downton Abbey" Comes to Life on the Page in The Best of Daughters by Dilly Court

I'm not fond of Lady Mary. I think she's uptight and makes choices for the wrong reasons, but that doesn't deter me from watching and thoroughly enjoying Downton Abbey. Just like my unsure feelings of this heroine, Daisy, didn't deter me from enjoying this novel.

It's the eve of WWI and Daisy, the daughter of wealthy parents fallen on hard times, is trying to decide just who she is. The world is changing. She must change with it.

There's only one servant throughout the story, really, so the novel is missing that strong DA feel as far as mingling with the hired help and there were no side dramas with them we could get really lost in. No Bates in jail, no Anna being raped, no housekeeper with breast cancer.

The one girl, Ruby, does get into some trouble though, the kind you'd expect back then. I won't get into it.

Ruby and Daisy also develop a friendship that starts in their suffragette days. And here is one of my big disappointments: the blurb promised me a suffragette or at least made me feel I would get some suffragette story. It's only in the beginning of the story and is such a small amount, it doesn't feel worth mentioning. I feel a bit ripped off in that aspect.

I liked Daisy sometimes, and others she just plain confused me. Perhaps that's supposed to be, as she seems confused by herself and her feelings as well. What is this strong attraction she feels to a cad? Does she believe in dividing the social classes? She says no, but her actions and snootiness often say yes.

She's afraid of the sight of blood, yet joins the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. She passes out in the butcher shop, yet assists a girl having a stillbirth with no trouble. Um...you see my point? She confuses me.

Disappointment number two: I did not know about the FANYs and was excited that this novel brought them up. It was an all-female unit that participated in intelligence work and nursing during WWI. During the war, they drove ambulances and ran hospitals and clearing stations. I guess they were somewhat like our Red Cross.

I had hoped the book would get into this further, that we'd have actual scenes of this part of Daisy's life, but instead, the novel glosses over these bits quickly, tells in about four pages that she did this and that, readied a hospital, tended the wounded, wrote letters, remained unscathed after everyone around her contracted dysentery, drove an ambulance, etc. There was so much that could have been a story on its own, but instead the author chose to focus the actual scenes on Daisy's imagined romance with a cad, her maid's stupidity, and Daisy's engagement to her childhood friend. The FANY stuff was just told to us as quickly as possible.

...but she had glimpsed a different way of life and made new friends and found it unsettling in the extreme.

Ok. Great. What friends?

But it still an enjoyable read as Daisy grows up, deals with her snobby mother, struggles to keep her family fed and cared for, and makes decisions that are right for her in a changing time. Long review short: I wish the first half had been chopped up a lot and the last half made more of a story on its own. I could have done without that Bowman (the cad) dude entirely. Less Bowman drama, more FANYs would have made me a happy reader.

I loved the ending though, very much.

I received this via Netgalley.

Why We Need A Novel About George Sand--An Interview With Anna Faktorovich

After I posted my review of The Romances of George Sand here  on Book Babe, author Anna Faktorovich said she would be interested in an interview that presents her perspective on why she chose to write a novel about George Sand.  Below are my questions and her responses.
Shomeret:  Welcome to Book Babe, Anna.  Here's my first question. Why did you select the title The Romances of George Sand?
Anna: This title in part reflects the initial idea I had of writing a series of more standard romance novels, where each of the novels in the series would have discussed one of George Sand’s main romances, including the ones with Chopin and Musset. I quickly got away from this concept because as I studied the details of the biographical romances, it seemed to me that Sand was anti-romantic, or even asexual, and that a standard romance novel could not describe her sexual and emotional experiences. I considered a few alternatives, and decided on writing a single historical and biographical novel where I discuss all of the romances, explaining how Sand and other powerful women frequently fail to find positive romantic relationships. For this new concept, the title made even more sense to me, both sarcastically and literally, as the novel was focusing on both the various “romantic” relationships that Sand had across her life, and it was focusing on the romance novels or “romances” that Sand wrote, and how she became a novelist in the French Romantic Movement. You mentioned in your review that the novel isn’t very romantic, and that’s where the sarcasm in the title comes in; if the sex is bad and the relationship is volatile and negative, is it still a romance?  

Shomeret: Why did you decide to write this book as historical fiction rather than a biography?
Anna:  I have published several academic titles, and a few more are forthcoming. I enjoy writing non-fiction, and frequently bring in the writers’ biographies into my literary criticism, but it was time for me to try a different genre, and to step into historical fiction. In addition, there were already a couple of good biographies of George Sand’s life, and another one would have been repetitive. At the same time, while there were good biographies out in libraries, most of the movies, like Impromptuand Children of the Century, about George Sand are based more on the fictional romantic ideals in her novels than on the reality of her relationships with men and women. It was clear to me that I had to be as exact as possible about the events in Sand’s life, but also had to animate the biography with fictionalized actions and dramatic events that expanded the dry details available in biographies, so that readers would be entertained. Biography frequently cannot make educated guesses about what must have happened. A biographer can only report evidence of what must have happened. Those “maybe” theories are the mysteries that I wanted to solve with this novel. These theories included if George’s second child, Solange, had a different father from her first, Maurice, and who this father might have been. Another mystery is if Sand had a lesbian love affair with Marie Dorval. As a biographer, I would have had to state that there wasn’t enough evidence to make conclusions, but as a fiction writer, I could fill in the gaps with research, but without dryly explaining what my conclusions were based on. Trust me, the size of this response would’ve been nothing compared with the mumbo-jumbo I would’ve had to insert after each word of this novel to explain how I arrived at my conclusions.

Shomeret:  What do you consider to be the strengths of fiction as opposed to non-fiction?
Anna:  Of course, the main strength of fiction is that it has a lot more readers than non-fiction. Statistically an enormous quantity of historical romances is purchased annually, and only a tiny amount of biographies sell. Thus, if I want to work as a professional writer, writing fiction is the only fiscally viable route available.

Shomeret: How much in this novel is fictional speculation?

Anna:  Most of the sexual encounters, all of the filled in conclusions about what must have happened, and all of my own reflections on various subjects are fictional speculations. How much of it is fiction? One of the top Oxford George Sand scholars, Belinda Jack, gave me a positive blurb for the book earlier today. She mentioned that it was an exciting read, and did not comment on the percentage of the book that was fiction vs. biography because the two are finely intertwined and they are just a kind of new genre I’ve crafted: fictionalized biography. Instead of fiction about a historical character, or biography that reports the facts, I’m offering what I believe Sand’s life was like, even if I cannot prove every detail with citations. Perhaps one day a critic will calculate the exact percentage split; I didn’t keep track of the numbers.
Shomeret: Tell us about your research on the life of George Sand.

Anna:  I began reading George Sand’s novels as an undergraduate, and I believe I’ve read all of them. I’ve also read the bulk of other novels from the Romantic Movement. Thus I’ve read a lot about and by most of the novelists, and historical characters that Sand encounters before starting this project. I also studied the British 19th century culture, history and literature as part of my graduate studies and for academic books I’ve published, and some of that information crossed over into this novel. Before starting this novel, I read closely Sand’s autobiography (over 1,000 pages), and a biography of her life, in addition to short stories, various articles, primary sources, and other information I found online and at my local university library. Basically, you can trust almost all of what’s in this book as if it’s a biography, but you should read the biography and autobiography I cite if you want to know with certainty what is fact and what is fiction (in case you are writing a book on the subject or the like).  
Shomeret: Why do you think George Sand is an important figure?

Anna: George Sand is a central figure in the history of female authorship because she was pretty much the only woman in the French Romantic Movement, and this movement has had a major influence on modern romance novels. Female authors, including Virginia Woolf, have discussed the difficulty women have of finding a feminine voice, or in figuring out if their writing should differ from the style male authors use. Thus, many feminist critics look back at key historical female authors like Sand to understand the roots for what is considered feminine writing today. If critics and those who just enjoy reading Sand will be putting her on a pedestal, it is important to understand exactly who she was, the type of life she lived, and what shaped her literary style.
Shomeret:  What statement do you think your novel makes about George Sand?

Anna:  I hope it says that Sand was a revolutionary, socialist, communist, estate operator, doctor, legal aid, theorist, reporter, scientist, pharmacist, and a long list of other things before she was merely a lover, and that she certainly wasn’t a silly romantic desperate to find a man to love her.
 
Shomeret:   Thank you, Anna Faktorovich, for giving us your reasons for writing The Romances of George Sand and good luck with your future work.  Anyone interested in finding out more should contact her at Anaphora Literary Press

 

Small Island, Even Smaller Minds, Big Dreams

"This island is too small if you have big dreams and without dreams, we are nothing."

I did not read the book. I am not sure why I first passed on the book when I heard of it, but when I discovered there was a movie based on it...well, to be frank, there are millions of historical fiction books I can read, but very very few period dramas I can watch, so there you go.

In the three hours this movie played, I laughed ("I get perish in here."), cried, nodded my head in agreement, just went through every emotion possible. On the screen we see Jamaica and England both, from the pre-WWII years to the period just after. We see men fighting for the same thing, the same damn thing--freedom from tyranny and oppression--and yet on the homefront, the West Indians, the people of color cannot get their own freedom.

Hortense, Gilbert, and Michael--as Michael says--go from one small island to another, each island containing the same small minds. But they have big dreams and it's fulfilling in the end, watching these people--just when you think their lives are at rock bottom--fulfill those dreams. While left hanging about Queenie and Michael's lives, we at least know that Gilbert and Hortense find happiness.

But, gosh, is a long way there. Hortense is a really hard character to like. Her upbringing, her broken heart, perhaps has made her that way and if anyone can through to her it would the charming, funny, sweet Gilbert. While all the women in the movie were drooling over Michael--a cad who preys on lonely married women--Gilbert totally stole my heart. I was ready to jump into the TV screen, murder Hortense, and take him for myself, and yes, I'd make him the best damn fish and chips if that's what it took. LOL

I thought it was fascinating the way Jamaica was back then, how they were taught England was the motherland and they all thought everyone there was wealthy, with electricity in their homes, and doorbells...and it was sad to watch the people face the truth, that while they may adore the motherland, the motherland doesn't adore them. Hortense can't even teach in England. They get called names in the street. We see a lot of prejudice.

The only main player NOT immigrating from Jamaica is Queenie, a white married woman who married not for love, but lack of choice. And just when she feels dead inside, something comes along to make her feel alive. She faces a world of heartbreak and at times doesn't make the best of choices.

Long review short: Costumes: loved them. Issues brought up in the movie: racism, infidelity, loneliness, war, how demons are not "in" us, but "out there" (I'm not going to explain that one. It would spoil), shell shock or battle fatigue. The acting: impeccable, especially whoever it is that plays Queenie. It is a very thought-evoking movie with real issues that England faced during that time period. I felt it makes a fabulous tribute to those who immigrated from the West Indies, faced and overcame these issues, and made their dreams come true despite all the odds.

Do not let the three-hour length deter you. This one is worth your time.

I bought this DVD on PBS.

A Better World by Marcus Sakey: Great Characters Hanging From A Cliff #Giveaway

A Better World is the second volume in The Brilliance Saga by Marcus Sakey.  Although I haven't read the first book, I felt that this novel included enough background so that it could stand on its own.  I never felt lost.  The concept, the plot and the motivations of the characters were all understandable to me.    I received an ARC of A Better World through the publisher via Net Galley in return for an honest review.


A Better World is a science fiction novel with a strong thriller vibe.  Covert agents are very central to the novel including the protagonist, Nick Cooper.  When the book opens, he is employed by a fictional covert agency in the United States called the Department of Analysis and Response (DAR).  In some respects, Nick is an old fashioned thriller hero.  He loves his country and he wants to save the world.  Yet unlike James Bond, he is also a family man and his family is very important to him.   He is also a more complex thriller hero who is introspective.  His introspection actually isn't portrayed as a weakness.  Since he is capable of evaluating his own performance, he can avoid repeating any errors that he has made so that his next action will be more likely to accomplish his goals. I considered him a strong and sympathetic hero. 

 The science fiction aspect involves mutated humans called Brilliants with paranormal powers.   It invites comparison to Marvel's X Men.  Certainly the Brilliant leader, John Smith, has attitudes similar to those of Magneto.   Both were victims of the inhumanity of  unmutated humans when they were younger which caused them to develop tremendous resentment toward the ungifted.  Yet I feel that Magneto was a sympathetic anti-hero, but that Marcus Sakey's character John Smith is  thoroughly villainous and lacking in dimension.  Perhaps it's because I read and was impressed by  X Men: Magneto Testament  which depicts his experiences as a Jew in the Holocaust.  Sakey didn't give us an equally powerful flashback to John Smith's past experiences in Hawkesdown Academy.    I concede that the Academy system is shown to be an awful one, but I wanted to see how it personally impacted the young John Smith, so that he could be more real to me.   Nick Cooper is also a Brilliant, by the way, but he felt like a deeper character.

The female Brilliant character, Shannon, wasn't particularly complex, but she pleased me anyway because she is independent, resourceful, turned out to have excellent judgment and has a very cool paranormal gift.   Perhaps other Book Babe readers will feel the same way about her.

Yet despite the fact that I liked some of the characters, I have a longstanding dislike of  cliffhangers. I have always believed that the central conflict of a novel's plot should be resolved within that novel.  A series should not be a single book chopped into parts.  They should tell different stories about the characters or stories which take place in the same milieu.  I think that cliffhangers are manipulative and that they seem to display a lack of confidence in the strength of the work.  Does the author or publisher actually think that readers would be less interested in a new story about Brilliants?  Regardless, I personally prefer fiction that is fully resolved.  If it had been a completed novel, I would have given A Better World one more bike.

                                                 
                                                                                              



Tara here...so what'd you all think of Shomeret's review? Are you a fan of this series and hoping to acquire book two? Here's your chance! Shortly after Shomeret scheduled this review, a brand new paperback copy of this title landed on my doorstep with a note saying this copy was to do with as I pleased. And I've decided to share it with you book babes. See the Rafflecopter below to found out how this book can be yours. And everyone, take a moment to comment on Shomeret's review, show her some Book Babe love!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Reading Radar

Spotted on Goodreads Giveaways: Touched With Fire by Christpher Datta. It's apparently based on a real woman and def on my wishlist. You'll see why once you read the blurb... *This is also on Shomeret's to read and wishlist. We have similar taste. Perhaps there will be a joint review in the future.*

Touched With Fire is a novel of the Civil War inspired by the true story of Ellen Craft.

Ellen Craft is property, in this case of her half-sister Debra, to whom she was given as a wedding gift. The illegitimate daughter of a Georgia plantation owner and a house slave, she learned to hate her own image, which so closely resembled that of her father – the same wiry build, the same blue eyes, and the same lily-white skin.

Ellen lives a solitary life until she falls, unexpectedly, in love with a dark-skinned slave named William Craft, and together they devise a plan to run North. Ellie will pose as a gentleman planter bound for Philadelphia accompanied by his “boy” Will. They make it as far as Baltimore when Will is turned back, and Ellie has no choice but continue. With no way of knowing if he is dead or alive, she resolves to make a second journey—South again. And so Elijah Craft enlists with the 125th Ohio Volunteers of the Union Army. She will literally fight her way back to her husband.

Eli/Ellie’s journey is the story of an extraordinary individual and an abiding love, but also of the corrosive effects of slavery, and of a nation at a watershed moment.

***
Spotted on GR giveaways and on my wishlist for certain: Maplecroft by Cherie Priest. It sounds delightfully spooky and is narrated by "Lizzie Borden".

The people of Fall River, Massachusetts, fear me. Perhaps rightfully so. I remain a suspect in the brutal deaths of my father and his second wife despite the verdict of innocence at my trial. With our inheritance, my sister, Emma, and I have taken up residence in Maplecroft, a mansion near the sea and far from gossip and scrutiny.

But it is not far enough from the affliction that possessed my parents. Their characters, their very souls, were consumed from within by something that left malevolent entities in their place. It originates from the ocean’s depths, plaguing the populace with tides of nightmares and madness.

This evil cannot hide from me. No matter what guise it assumes, I will be waiting for it. With an axe.

***
Spotted also on GR Giveaways, I want to read An American Duchess by Sharon Page.

Set on a crumbling English manor estate during the height of the Roaring Twenties, an American duchess must decide how much she's willing to risk for the life she truly desires…

It's 1922, and New York heiress Zoe Gifford longs for the freedoms promised by the Jazz Age. Headstrong and brazen, but bound by her father's will to marry before she can access his fortune, Zoe arranges for a brief marriage to Sebastian Hazelton, whose aristocratic British family sorely needs a benefactor.

Once in England, her foolproof plan to wed, inherit and divorce proves more complicated than Zoe had anticipated. Nigel Hazelton, Duke of Langford and Sebastian's older brother, is as austere and imposing as the family's ancestral estate. Still reeling from the Great War, Nigel is now staging a one-man battle against a rapidly changing world—and the outspoken Zoe represents everything he's fighting against.

When circumstances compel Zoe to marry Nigel rather than Sebastian, their heated quarrelling begets passion of another sort. But with Nigel unwilling to change with the times, will Zoe be forced to choose between her husband and her dreams?

***
The below are titles on Shomeret's wishlist:
Where the Carnies Are by Kayla Curry. Why? She has a strong interest in circuses and carnivals.

Olive is having a very bad day. She caught her boyfriend cheating on her, she lost her job, and she stumbled into a portal leading to a secret carnival kingdom which she can't escape. The good news is she meets an eccentric, but stunningly handsome knife thrower. The bad news is she can't go home for another two months. The world she lands in is full of sideshow characters, terrifying amusement rides and her biological parents' past. She was born a carny, but raised as a normal human. Magic lives in her blood, but it hasn't reached her heart. To find out who she really is, and why carnies are disappearing, Olive must deceive the king with the help of Alex the knife thrower. Olive and Alex play a dangerous game with their emotions when they decide to have a fling during Olive's stay. They both lead very different lives and being together would mean one of them giving up the life they've always known. Tricks and traps are around every corner in this kingdom. Few can be trusted and Olive will need all the help she can get to make it through unscathed.

***
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick. Eleanor of Aquitaine is a 12th century icon who has fascinated readers for 800 years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive.

This stunning novel introduces an Eleanor that all other writers have missed. Based on the most up-to-date research, it is the first novel to show Eleanor beginning her married life at 13.

Overflowing with scandal, passion, triumph and tragedy, Eleanor's legendary story begins when her beloved father dies in the summer of 1137, and she is made to marry the young prince Louis of France. A week after the marriage she becomes a queen and her life will change beyond recognition . . .

The Sacred River by Wendy Wallace

This story wasn't what I was expecting. I liked it well enough though. We have three women with very different types of strength that we see at very different points of the story. Their ages and situation vary greatly, as do their desires.

Sickly Harriet just wants to live again and feels she can do that in Egypt, a place she's always been somewhat obsessed with. If she can't live, she just wants to die. She picks up a beau (so she thinks), learns about love--what it feels like, and also finally develops the gumption to speak up for herself and say, "No, Mom." Through her we see that letting yourself be treated like a child will make you feel like one and others will view you that way too.

Her mother Louisa is tortured by her past when someone from it happens to be on the same ship to Egypt. I can't say I enjoyed her part much. I didn't see the point, the moral. I'm sure there was something there, but I'm not picking it up. I found this character somewhat weird.

Yael, the aunt, has to be my favorite. I love how she strays from the safe, the norm, and breaks convention to stay in Alexandria and open a clinic to teach women how to practice good hygiene and fight disease. I feel too often the story went long periods of time of not giving us more Yael and switching to Louisa instead. The moral I sorta took from her: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I really liked her though.

Long review short: It was well written if a big overly long at times, a bit drawn out. I must say, however, and though this doesn't bother me, there was no romance really. "A romantic, vivid novel about three women..." I wouldn't call the "love" stories romance to be honest. If you're looking for a romance, this isn't for you.

I do however find myself a little disappointed. "The Sacred River is an indelible depiction of the power of women and the influence they can have when released from the confines of proper English society." Except for Yael, I fail to see how these women have influence over anyone, at least in a good way. Making a man seek revenge? Is that it? I guess I was expecting something else.

Is it a strong woman book? Hm. Louisa shows strength in trying to protect her daughter. Yael shows strength and courage both by what she does, and this in a time of turmoil as hatred against Europeans mounts. Harriet doesn't show much strength 'till the very end. I thought her a tad weak, though fighting an illness can't be easy.

I'd like to add that the descriptions about Egypt and the tomb and the situation there are really very vivid and done in an interesting way.

I receive this via Netgalley.

Fire! Fire! Grab the...

Have you ever wondered how you would act in the heat of an emergency? Would you remain calm and do what was needed or freak out and scream bloody murder and pretty much just need to be rescued?Creativedoxfoto/freedigitalphotos.net
I’ve always pondered how I would react. Except for a nasty car wreck, I haven’t faced too many emergencies (knock on wood). Something funny happened to me this week and I discovered how I would react if there was a fire at my place of work.
You see, we had a fire drill, only I didn’t know it was a fire drill. With all the mishaps that have occurred in the building, I honestly thought upon seeing the flashing fire lights, “Oh crap. One of the machines must have caught fire. I better get the heck out of here.”
I’m pleased to inform you all that I was perfectly calm. I shut off my machine, took off my smock (I’m not sure why I did this, except it’s hot outside. LOL), grabbed my car keys (if the building burned down, I sure didn’t want to be stuck there), my wallet (can’t drive home without it), and decided everything else, like my lunch and papers, and tote bag, and even my chocolate (gasp!), was expendable. “Let it burn,” I thought as I walked toward the exit.
All this time, I moved quickly but calmly. It’s a big building. I wasn’t too worried about a fire reaching me that fast. I’m sure, however, that if a fire chief were to read this, he’d wince.
I made it safely outside and stood amongst my coworkers for a head count, peering around for the fire.
We were then informed it was a drill. I was torn between relief that nobody was hurt and disappointment ‘cause I’d rather looked forward to just going home…
And then the bosses kept on and on about something I couldn’t understand…so I opened my kindle and began to read.
Yes, in the heat of the moment, when I thought the building may be burning around me, I grabbed my kindle, boys and girls. LOL
As my husband says, “A girl’s got to have her priorities.”
So now I know that in the event I’m facing fire, I will of all things, grab my kindle. LOL I share this story because I know you book lovers will chuckle and understand.
Children and pets aside (We all know that’s the #1 priority, always), what would you grab on your way out the door? What’s the one item you apparently can’t be without, even if the building is about to burn to the ground?