Book Review

Cover Art : Compare and Contrast

Sometimes, I wonder what publishing companies are thinking.  I was checking out a blog I read often – Blood of the Muse – and came across Among Thieves: A Tale of the Kin.  The UK cover art is amazing – the sort of thing I would really be tempted to pick up: But what happened to the US cover art? … Read more

Review: Corrag by Susan Fletcher

Susan Fletcher’s new book, Corrag, is historical fiction that does something I love: it takes an historical event and looks at it from a new angle, through the eyes of a new character. The story is based on the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe, where supporters of King William were responsible for the deaths of 78 members of the MacDonald clan,… Read more

Giveaway! The Sweet Relief of Missing Children

Okay, time for a freebie!  If you were intrigued by yesterday’s review of The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein, here’s your chance to win a copy.  Just fill in the entry form below and click Send – you’re entered! If you mention this giveaway on your blog, website, Facebook or Twitter, I’ll give you extra chances to… Read more

Review: The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein

The Sweet Relief of Missing Children begins with the story of Leonora.  She is pretty and tidy and protected. She has her vaccinations, she knows not to talk to strangers, she eats her vegetables and she never takes the shortcut through the alley.  She is precious to her parents and she understands these precautions because she understands that she cannot… Read more

Review: Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell

Winter’s Bone is not a new book — it was originally published in 2006. If not for this year’s Academy Awards, I might never have heard of it, and that would have been a loss. Daniel Woodrell’s story of courage and desperation in the Ozark mountains is beautiful and haunting and deeply moving.  Mostly, I was moved to fury —… Read more

New books!

Spring is in the air and the books are starting to sprout.  Two more new books appeared in my mailbox (or tucked behind the screen door by the UPS man) this week, and they both look good! Dominance by Will Lavender got me interested as soon as I read the synopsis: 1994: Jasper College is buzzing with the news that… Read more

Review: Dead Head by Rosemary Harris

Paula Holiday left the stress and grind of New York City for a “smaller and simpler life” in Springfield, CT. She runs a landscaping business, Dirty Business, helping realtors dress up the houses they’re selling and local businesses put in pretty patios. Her friend and client, Caroline Sturgis, has approached Paula about opening a business. The offer appears to good… Read more