Unabridged Chick

Sooooooooooooooooooooo excited for the long weekend (sorry non-USians who don't get Monday off!).  I'm still working my way through Tarzan, but have started Fires of London by Janice Law, historical murder mystery set it World War II London, and The Other Half of Me by Morgan McCarthy which seems a bit English-y and moody and dysfunctional family-y. Yum!

I'm all messed up in my review queue because I started two non-queue books because, I don't know, I'm crazy and they were good and .... yeah.  Just finished Maryanne O'Hara's Cascade -- unghfughhhhhh, amazing/good/bittersweet. Am still working on words for that one. 

The other surprise was Kimberly Brock's The River Witch -- a contemporary Southern fic that hooked me with the moodiness and lovely characters.  Two great reads but as a result, I've got to scramble this weekend to write reviews for the books I'm scheduled to review.  Oops!

So, what are you reading this weekend?

Title:The Mirrored World
Author: Debra Dean

Genre: Fiction (Historical / Russia / St. Petersburg / 18th Century / Nobles / Marriage / Madness / Sainthood / Cousins)
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper (8/28/2012)
Source:TLC Book Tours

Rating: Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove.
Did I finish?: Oh yes, inhaled this one!
One-sentence summary: The life of the 18th century Russian saint, Xenia, as told by her cousin.
Reading Challenges:Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: I do -- it's quite pretty -- but I don't think it captures the novel's story.

I'm reminded of...: Sandra Gulland, Kathryn Harrison, Elizabeth Loupas

First line: Yes, this was her house many years ago, when she was still Xenia.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy if you like Russian hist fic or royal hist fic -- this tale of semi-nobles and icy Russian landscapes is marvelous.

Why did I get this book?: I've heard nothing but great things about Dean's previous novel, The Madonnas of Leningrad, so I coul…

Title:Blood Eye (Raven, Book 1)
Author: Giles Kristian

Genre: Fiction (Historical / 9th Century / Northern Europe / Vikings / Norseman / Religious Relics / Amnesia)
Publisher/Publication Date: Bantam (8/28/2012)
Source:TLC Book Tours / NetGalley

Rating: Okay to liked.
Did I finish?: I did.
One-sentence summary: Violent, cinematic saga of a 9th century man who finds his Norse
Reading Challenges:E-book, Historical Fiction, Immigrant Stories, NetGalley

Do I like the cover?: Eh -- it's fine. It looks like what it is -- masculine mass paperback cover of an adventure historical.

First line: The hearth is spewing more smoke than flame, seething angrily and causing some of the men to cough as they hunker down among the reindeer furs.

Do... I love that the author will answer reader questions on his website?: YES.

Do... I love that the author is a former pop star and actor slash model in addition to being a historical novelist?: YES. He is a cutie, too!

Do... I like the book trailer?: YES. I ra…

Title:Summer of the Dancing Bear
Author: Bianca Lakoseljac

Genre: Fiction (Historical / Eastern Europe / 1960s / Coming-of-Age / Gypsies / Rural Life / Grandparents / First Love)
Publisher/Publication Date: Guernica Editions (6/12/2012)
Source: NetGalley

Rating: Liked a great deal -- loved at times!
Did I finish?: I did -- I luxuriated with this one!
One-sentence summary: The summer of 1960 -- with the mysterious disappearance of a neighbor's baby and the arrival of gypsies -- shapes Kata's life for years to come.
Reading Challenges:E-books, NetGalley

Do I like the cover?: I do -- it's a smidgen cheesy but it represents a specific character/scene and I do like that.

I'm reminded of...: David Rocklin

First line: Perched high up in the crown of an old cherry tree, eight-year-old Kata sat in her hideaway, humming a tune.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy if you like poignant coming-of-age stories, Eastern European fiction, or stories from the '60s.

Why did I get this book?: …

Earlier in August I fell madly in love with Alex Bledsoe's medieval-y, noir-y hero, Eddie LaCrosse, first in The Sword-Edged Blonde and then in his newest novel, Wake of the Bloody Angel. I'm thrilled to share my Q&A with Alex Bledsoe -- I'm having a bit of a fangirl moment, I admit -- so read on to learn more about him, his writing, and what he does when he's not conjuring more adventures for Eddie.

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

There’s actually three answers to that.

The earliest thing I remember writing is turning a Batman comic book story into prose, using my dad's manual typewriter. I typed to the very edges of the page, both top to bottom and side to side. I don’t remember the plot, but I do know I got in trouble for using up all the ribbon, since my dad needed it to type up the minutes from the church session meetings. So even my very first story was an offense against God. :-)

I had delusions of becoming the next Geo…

Oofta -- getting ready to go back to work is a rough transition after so much time off. I'm quite spoiled now! Anyway, back to my regular schedule, starting with our winners for the week!


The winner of Diving Belles is ... Mabel S.

The winner of The Forrests is ... Anita Y.

The winner of The Orphan Master's Son is ... Shannon D.

Congrats to the winners! Winners have been emailed; if you didn't win, be sure to check out my other open giveaways.

Title:Mistress of Mourning: A Novel
Author: Karen Harper

Genre: Fiction (Historical / 16th Century / London / UK / Candle-making / Royal Conspiracy / Henry VII / Tudors)
Publisher/Publication Date: NAL Trade (7/3/2012)
Source: The publisher.

Rating: Loved.
Did I finish?: I did.
One-sentence summary: Two grieving mothers -- Varina, a candle maker; and Elizabeth of York, Queen of England -- come together when an unexpected royal death exposes sedition, conspiracies, and more deaths.
Reading Challenges:Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: I don't hate it -- it's lovely seeing the two full figures of the women but I don't think either figure captures the two female leads.

I'm reminded of...: D.L. Bogdan, Sophie Perinot, Sandra Worth

First line: "Just think on it -- us making candles for the royal wedding," my brother-in-law, Gil, called to me from the door of the wax workshop.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy, especially if you like easy-to-inhale historical f…

Title:Before the Rain: A Memoir of Love and Revolution
Author: Luisita López Torregrosa

Genre: Non-Fiction (Memoir / 1980s / Philippines / Journalist / Homosexuality / Romantic Affair )
Publisher/Publication Date: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (8/7/2012)
Source:TLC Book Tours

Rating: Okay to liked, depending on my mood.
Did I finish?: I did.
One-sentence summary: A newspaper editor's intense affair with a journalist during the violent elections between Marcos/Aquino in 1980s Philippines.

Do I like the cover?: I do -- it's so very striking and pretty, and doesn't sensationalize the romance between Torregrosa and her lover Elizabeth (although with those big ole O'Keefe-ian blossoms, there's certainly a sapphic suggestion).

I'm reminded of...: Jeanette Winterson

First line: In the years since that first letter came, postmarked New Delhi and written on pale lavender Claridges Hotel stationery, I have begun this story a hundred times, and each time I was afraid.

Buy, Borrow, or…