Unabridged Chick

Title:Where the Dog Star Never Glows
Author: Tara L. Masih

Genre: Fiction (Short Fiction / Caribbean / Domestic)
Publisher/Publication Date: Untreed Reads, February 2011
Source: The publisher.

Rating: Loved times loved equals loved infinity.  Totally a top 10 of 2011.
Did I finish?: Yes, slowly, because I savored.
One-sentence summary: Seventeen sharp and well-written short stories
Reading Challenges:E-books

Do I like the cover?: Yes - it captures the quiet, meditative feel of many of the stories.

I'm reminded of...: Diane Ackerman, Penelope Lively, Sigrid Nunez

First line: That night, dawn light seeping into dark, Cap did not walk home from the No. 9 mine. - from 'Where the Dog Star Never Glows'

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Buy -- especially because it's $4.99 as an ebook!

Why did I get this book?: An excerpt from the collection's first story just grabbed me -- not even half a page of text -- and I was desperate to read the rest.

Review: I am not a short story girl.  (Embarra…

Title:Heart of Lies: A Novel
Author: M.L. Malcolm

Genre: Fiction (Historical / WWI)
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Paperbacks (2010)
Source: My public library

Rating: Disliked.
Did I finish?: Yes, with great effort.
One-sentence summary: Hungarian Leo Hoffman reinvents himself in 1920s Shanghai.

Reading Challenges:Eastern European, Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: Yes!  Isn't it pretty?  It's romantic and atmospheric and hints at the setting.

First line: He had not spoken to Julia since the day he ended their affair.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow, I suppose, or skip -- I've started the sequel and find that the recap provided sets the story up well and is slightly  more enjoyable than this one.

Why did I get this book?: The setting, the era, and the promise of some romance.  It had been on my TBR for forever and when I was offered a chance to review the sequel, I couldn't wait!

Review: From the other reviews I've seen I know I'm in the minority here, but I disl…

Title:Separate Kingdoms: Stories
Author: Valerie Laken

Genre: Fiction (Short Fiction / Contemporary)
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Perennial (2/1/2011)
Source:TLC Book Tours

Rating: Liked but the mood was too raw and grim for me to fall in love.
Did I finish?: Yes - in two nights!
One-sentence summary: Beauty, pain, love, and loyalty are explored in eight deft short stories.

Do I like the cover?: Yes, although on my ARC it's a photo of the cover so I'm not sure how it looks in real life. Still, the colors are gorgeous.

I'm reminded of...: Aimee Bender, Jane Bowles, Siri Hustvedt, Sara Maitland, Lorrie Moore

First line: Instead of the gold-plated onion domes Josie had hoped for, the view from their room revealed only the grimy, cement backside of the Oktyabrskaya metro station, where a few merchants had set up tables selling flimsy newsprint magazines bearing pictures of naked women. - from 'Family Planning'

Why did I get this book?: The author lived and worked in Russ…

I adored The Beauty of Humanity Movement (see my review) and I'm thrilled to share my Q and A with author Camilla Gibb.  See the end of the post for info on my giveaway (two copies now!).

What was the plot of your very first piece of fiction?

It was about a girl who lived on the roof of her parent’s house and communed with the squirrels. Might have been somewhat lacking in the plot department.

Do you have any writing rituals or routines?

I like to start early in the morning before anyone else is awake. Before I have spoken.

Where did Hu’ng’s story come from?

I know a young Vietnamese man who dreamt of opening his own pho restaurant in Hanoi (he since has). I asked him where you could find the best pho in Hanoi and he said that it wasn’t in any restaurant, but off the back of an old man’s rickety cart, an old man who didn’t have a license to operate a business and was constantly being hassled by the police. I came home, and wrote the old man into being.

Was The Beauty of Humanity …