Chicky’s Great Reads for Mom: Penguin Canada

May 8, 2013 By 5 Comments
Chicky's Great Reads for Moms

Chicky’s Great Reads for Moms: Penguin Canada

 

Today’s picks for Moms are for true fiction lovers. These four treasures, as recommended by Penguin Canada, are perfect for that special woman in your life. They’re chock full of fashion, romance, art, family, and awakening.

 

Just know that once she has one (or more) of these amazing reads in her hands, you’ll probably be making your own supper. And breakfast. So, be warned.

 

For suggestions from some of our other favorite publishers, check out recommendations from Simon & Schuster Canada, Random House of Canada, and Harper Collins Canada.

 

(Also, for some non-literary Mother’s Day Ideas and to find out what I’d like for Mother’s Day, click here.)

 

Studio Saint-Ex by Ania Szado

 

Studio Saint-Ex by Ania Szado

Studio Saint-Ex by Ania Szado
Penguin Canada

 

In the Glittering world of Manhattan’s French expats and 1942 Quebec, a twenty-two-year-old fashion designer on the cusp of launching her career is swept away by the charms of French writer and war pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry … and enmeshed in the schemes of his beautiful, estranged Salvadoran wife, who is determined to win back her husband—at all costs and seductions.

With Paris under occupation by Hitler’s troops, New York’s Mayor LaGuardia vows to turn his city into the new fashion capital of the world—and Mig Lachapelle leaves Montreal for New York to make her name. She finds herself pulled into a fiery romantic triangle in which ambitions, creativity, and passions catch a literary giant between two talented, mesmerizing women and imperil the fate of his work-in-progress, The Little Prince—a poignant tale of a young boy’s loneliness and love among the stars, one of the best selling and most beloved novels of all time.

For fans of The Paris Wife, Loving Frank, and Rules of Civility, Ania Szado’s Studio Saint-Ex explores themes of ambition, devotion, and inspiration in deft, sophisticated prose.

 

The Book of Stolen Tales by D.J. McIntosh

 

The Book of Stolen Tales by D.J. McIntosh

The Book of Stolen Tales by D.J. McIntosh

 

In 2011, D.J. McIntosh took the book world by storm with her debut novel, The Witch of Babylon. Praised for its “stellar research” and “superb writing”, it introduced readers to John Madison, a rakish New York art dealer with a past, who uncovered a fabulous treasure trove of antiquities in the hills outside of Baghdad and the truth behind a famous story long believed to by a myth.

In the highly anticipated sequel, New York art dealer John Madison travels to London to purchase at auction a rare seventeenth-century Italian book of fairy tales for an anonymous client. Before he can deliver it to the buyer, he is robbed by a mysterious man claiming to be the book’s author. When his client disappears and the book’s provenance is questioned, Madison realizes that the only way to find the buyer, recover the lost book, and save his reputation is to immerse himself in the world of European aristocracy and bibliophilic obsession. Along the way, he discovers that a well-loved children’s tale contains a necromancer’s spell and the truth about an ancient Mesopotamian plague.

 

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell

 

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
Penguin Canada

 

Rose Baker seals men’s fates. With a few strokes of the keys that sit before her, she can send a person away for life in prison. A typist in a New York City Police Department precinct, Rose is like a high priestess. Confessions are her job. It is 1923, and while she may hear every detail about shootings, knifings, and murders, as soon as she leaves the interrogation room she is once again the weaker sex, best suited for filing and making coffee.

This is a new era for women, and New York is a confusing place for Rose. Gone are the Victorian standards of what is acceptable. All around her women bob their hair, they smoke, they go to speakeasies. Yet prudish Rose is stuck in the fading light of yesteryear, searching for the nurturing companionship that eluded her childhood. When glamorous Odalie, a new girl, joins the typing pool, despite her best intentions Rose falls under Odalie’s spell. As the two women navigate between the sparkling underworld of speakeasies by night and their work at the station by day, Rose is drawn fully into Odalie’s high-stakes world. And soon her fascination with Odalie turns into an obsession from which she may never recover.

 

 

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani

 

Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafa

Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafa
Penguin Canada

It is 1930, the midst of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty, and girls’ friendships, the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a far remove from the free-roaming, dreamlike childhood Thea shared with her twin brother on their family’s citrus farm—a world now partially shattered. As Thea grapples with her responsibility for the events of the past year that led her here, she finds herself enmeshed in a new order, one that will change her sense of what is possible for herself, her family, her country.

Weaving provocatively between home and school, the narrative powerfully unfurls the true story behind Thea’s expulsion from her family, but it isn’t long before the mystery of her past is rivaled by the question of how it will shape her future. Part scandalous love story, part heartbreaking family drama, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is an immersive, transporting page-turner—a vivid, propulsive novel about sex, love, family, money, class, home, and horses, all set against the ominous threat of the Depression—and the major debut of an important new writer.

 

ENJOY ALL OF THESE GREAT READS!! AND HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

 

 

Filed Under: Books, Fiction, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Chicky’s Great Reads for Moms: Harper Collins Canada

May 6, 2013 By 1 Comment
Chicky's Great Reads for Moms from Harper Collins Canada

Chicky’s Great Reads for Moms: Harper Collins Canada

 

From Elegance to a happy home, history to the paranormal, Harper Collins Canada has got you covered for Mother’s Day. What could make your Mom feel more special than to browse through a gorgeous coffee table book about everyone’s favourite style icon, Audrey Hepburn. Then, it’s back-to-reality with Dr. Oz’s daughter, and straight to pretend with a couple of fantastic fiction finds.

 

Maybe if you’re good, Mom will share these fabulous books you. But, only if you come to her boudoir bearing flowers and chocolates. Life’s a trade-off, you know.

 

For more great reads from our favourite publishers, check out Simon and Schuster Canada, Penguin Canada and Random House of Canada’s picks.

 

Audrey in Rome by Luca Dotti

 

Audrey In Rome by Luca Dotti

Chicky’s Great Reads for Mom from Harper Collins Canada:
Audrey In Rome by Luca Dotti

 

Audrey Hepburn’s son, Luca Dotti, shares almost 200 candid photos of the movie star and style icon during her time in Rome. This is one gorgeous coffee table book that’s perfect for Audrey fans!

 

Relish by Daphne Oz

 

Relish by Daphne Oz

Chicky’s Great Reads for Mom from Harper Collins Canada:
Relish by Daphne Oz

 

The lovely Daphne Oz (yes, that’s Dr. Oz’s daughter, and star of TV’s The Chew!) shares advice on how to relish your food, your home, and your life in order to maximize health and happiness.

 

The Wolves of St. Peter’s by Gina Buonaguro & Janice Kirk

 

Wolves of St. Peters by Gina Buonaguro & Janice Kirk

Chicky’s Great Reads for Mom from Harper Collins Canada:
Wolves of St. Peters by Gina Buonaguro & Janice Kirk

 

Does your mom love historical fiction? Pick up this suspenseful and intoxicating story of young love, art, and betrayal, set in Renaissance Rome.

 

The Golem & the Jinni by Helene Wecker

 

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Chicky’s Great Reads for Mom from Harper Collins Canada:
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

 

The Golem & the Jinni is the perfect read for anyone who loves magic, fantasy, adventure, or The Night Circus!

Filed Under: Books, Fiction, Historical Fiction Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Chicky’s Great Reads for Moms: Random House of Canada

May 2, 2013 By 4 Comments
Chicky's Great Reads for Moms from Random House of Canada

Chicky’s Great Reads for Moms: Random House of Canada

Day 2 of Great reads for Moms (You can see Day 1 here) is brought to you by Random House of Canada. There’s something for everyone on this list: Inspiration, Instigation, romance, and (sorta) reincarnation. I’ve read two of these novels, and I can tell you they’ll get Mom thinking (about lots of different things *wink*).

 

Now, go buy your Mom a great book (or if you’re a Mom, go get yourself one).  Because, it’s time to relax and start the pages turning (or swiping, be that as it may.)

 

Check out these amazing picks from some of our other publishing friends: Simon and Schuster Canada; Harper Collins Canada; Penguin Canada

The Spark by Kristine Barnett

 

The Spark by Kristine Barnett

The Spark by Kristine Barnett

 

The extraordinary memoir of a mother’s love, commitment and nurturing, which allowed her son, originally diagnosed with severe autism, to flourish into a universally recognized genius–and how any parent can help their child find their spark.

 

S.E.C.R.E.T by L. Marie Adeline

 

S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie Adeline

S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie Adeline

 

Cassie Robichaud’s life is filled with regret and loneliness after the death of her husband. She waits tables at the rundown Café Rose in New Orleans, and every night she heads home to her solitary one-bedroom apartment. But when she discovers a notebook left behind by a mysterious woman at the café, Cassie’s world is forever changed.

 

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

 

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

 

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.

 

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

 

life after life by Kate Atkinson

Life after Life by Kate Atkinson

 

What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?
During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath.
During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale.

 

Filed Under: Books, Erotica, Fiction, Holidays, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Author Interview: Susanna Kearsley, The Firebird

April 24, 2013 By 2 Comments
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley, Author Q & A

 

I absolutely adore Historical Fiction.  I also really enjoy reading novels that incorporate some spirituality and / or mysticism (think the Avalon Series by Marion Zimmer Bradley). To me, there’s something really special in how this kind of writing can bring history alive, enriching the facts into a fully realized world, all the while incorporating elements that are less wrapped in reality,  like magic and the paranormal.

 

I’m serious when I say that paranormal historical fiction just sends my already overactive imagination into overdrive.

 

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley has generous sprinklings of both history and the paranormal. These two devices are stirred in with romantic notions that would turn the heads of even the most hardened cynic to create a novel that engages, entices and questions. Although slow at take-off, as the pace of the novel quickens, the reader is drawn in to two parallel stories that explore human nature, love, friendship and loyalty, in a situation where the present really does learn from the past. And, if you’re like me, you will truly fall in love with the two sets of protagonists, Nicola and Rob, and Anna and Edmund.

 

By the end of the Firebird you’ll be weeping, cheering, and truly smiling.

 

My Q& A with Susanna Kearsley

 

1. How did you come up with the concept for Firebird? It’s such a unique premise. Did you have an interest in the paranormal before writing the novel?

I have an interest in the paranormal in that I find the whole notion of things that occur in our world that we can’t yet explain scientifically very intriguing.

 

Years ago, when I was doing research for my novel The Shadowy Horses, a book that involved an archaeological dig in the Scottish borders, I was introduced to the concept of remote viewing—the apparent ability of some people to “see” things far removed from them in time or distance. The academic studies that had been done on this, by everyone from the Soviets to the CIA, were fascinating, as was the actual field experimentation carried out by researchers, in particular Canadian archaeologist Dr. J. Norman Emerson (1917-1978), the highly-respected founder of the Ontario Archaeological Society, who was a pioneer and champion of the use of what he termed “intuitive archaeology”, making use of psychics to assist him with his digs. One of his closest collaborations was with a man who not only demonstrated abilities of remote viewing, but of psychometry as well—the ability to “read” details of the history of an object by holding it. So that’s where the character of young Robbie McMorran, the 8-year-old Scottish boy gifted with similar psychic abilities, who helped my field archaeologists dig in The Shadowy Horses, was born.

 

Later on, just as the first ideas for The Firebird started forming and I was starting to get the first glimpse of my modern-day characters and of the little wooden carving that would be the start of their adventures, a reader emailed me to ask if Robbie was ever going to get his own story. Her timing couldn’t have been better, because when I write a book with a twin-stranded storyline, one that weaves the past and present stories together, part of the challenge is finding the right literary device to serve as a bridge between the two. In the past I’ve used things like reincarnation, genetic memory, actual time travel, or the simpler technique of having other characters just tell their stories to the heroine, but with The Firebird, especially since the little carving played a central role, I could see how Rob’s psychic abilities could be used to link the two stories, and lend more interest to the modern storyline, as well.

 

 

2. How much time do you spend researching? Do you do all your prep before starting to write or ongoing?

 

It’s very much an ongoing thing. I do a lot of reading beforehand, both of the history and of actual firsthand accounts, letters and documents written by people who were there at the time—very often by the characters I’m writing about. And I visit the places where the story will be taking place—in this case Scotland, London, Belgium and Russia. But while I’m at home doing the actual writing there will always be places I reach in the book where I’ll have to stop and search out something else, some detail that I didn’t know I didn’t know. I’ll have to hunt down other documents and letters, or find people I can talk to who might know the answers to my questions, and what I find out will often form the basis of new scenes, or take the story in a new direction that I hadn’t planned, so then I’ll need to do more research…

 

 

3. With regard to your process, are you a planner or a wing-it kind of writer? How much did you know about what could happen?

 

I’m very much a wing-it kind of writer. When I start a book, I generally know the central group of characters and the initial problem facing them, and I have a rough idea where I’d like them to end up, but that’s it. I set them loose on the page, and see what happens. Of course for the historical half of the story, many of those characters were actual people who really lived, and I knew from their letters and documents where they were at certain times, and what they did, and who they met and talked to—those details couldn’t be changed. Any 18th century characters I created had to move within these confines, so that sometimes took a bit of thought, but my planning didn’t go much further than marking out a calendar with dates and times of meetings and locations and events. The characters still drove the story forward, in my mind. Events that I initially thought would become very important ended up taking a back seat to other happenings that I didn’t even know about when I began the book, and real-life characters who I thought would play major roles were overshadowed and outplayed by lesser-known ones who emerged from the first-hand accounts and journals I was reading. It’s a process that I truly love, the way a story grows, and I find if I try to plan it out beforehand it’s not nearly as enjoyable, and what I end up writing isn’t half as good, as if I simply wing it, as you say.

 

 

If you’d like to learn more about Susanna Kearsley, The Firebird, or any of her other books, visit her websites or connect with her on Twitter.

 

Visit her website: http://www.susannakearsley.com/

Tumblr: http://susannakearsley.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusannaKearsley

 

 

 

 

So, what do you think? Are you going to read The Firebird?

Filed Under: author interviews, Books, Canadian Authors, Historical Fiction, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Author Interview: Shyam Selvadurai, The Hungry Ghosts

April 21, 2013 By 1 Comment
The Hungry Ghosts by Shyam Selvadurai

The Hungry Ghosts by Shyam Selvadurai

 

Do you ever read a book and have it change you, change your outlook, maybe even your life? I’m not talking about a self-help book though. I’m talking about a novel. Fiction that resonates, teaches, impels you to grow along with the story.

 

Recently, I read such a novel-The Hungry Ghosts, by Shyam Selvadurai. Set first in Sri Lanka and then Canada (Toronto and Vancouver), this novel tells the story of Shivan Rassiah, a young man who fruitlessly attempts to break free of his past. In the book, the ‘Hungry Ghost’ is both literal (represented by the Grandmother, whose almost insatiable love for Shivan consumes him) and symbolic (Shivan’s desire to escape his fate).

 

In Buddhist myth, the dead may be reborn as “hungry ghosts”-spirits with stomach so large they can never be full-if they have desired too much during their lives. It is the duty of the living relatives to free those doomed to this fate by doing kind deeds and creating good karma. In Shyam Selvadurai’s sweeping new novel, his first in more than a decade, he creates an unforgettable ghost, a powerful Sri Lankan matriarch whose wily ways, insatiable longing for land, houses, money and control, and tragic blindness to the human needs of those around her parallels the volatile political situation of her war-torn country.

 
The novel centres around Shivan Rassiah, the beloved grandson, who is of mixed Tamil and Sinhalese lineage, and who also-to his grandmother’s dismay-grows from beautiful boy to striking gay man. As the novel opens in the present day, Shivan, now living in Canada, is preparing to travel back to Colombo, Sri Lanka, to rescue his elderly and ailing grandmother, to remove her from the home-now fallen into disrepair-that is her pride, and bring her to Toronto to live our her final days. But throughout the night and into the early morning hours of his departure, Shivan grapples with his own insatiable hunger and is haunted by unrelenting ghosts of his own creation. (www.chapters.indigo.ca)
 
 

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to hold a phone interview with the author. Shyam was an absolute pleasure to talk to, and an immensely interesting person. We veered far from the content of the novel and deep into Buddhism, fate, and the meaning of life. (And he, too polite to tell me, allowed me to refer to his novel as ‘The Naked Ghost’ for the first 10 minutes of our conversation. Which was mortifying for me, and mostly amusing for him.) I had to cut out a lot of our amazing chat, as I promised Shyam I wouldn’t spoil the end for all of you. All I’ll say is that once I spoke to him, I totally rethought my feelings towards the ending, which originally mirrored those of this review from the Toronto Star.

 

Note: Some adjustments have been made to the verbatim for flow and continuity. None of the opinions or thoughts have been changed.

 

Shyam Selvadurai
(Photo Credit: kevinkellyphotography.com)

 
 

Me: How much of your story is autobiographical? 

Shyam: There’s more than autobiography-feeling, place, time, but not just factual. For example the feelings Shivan felt when he arrived in Scarborough, and the perception of immigrants in the 80s is authentic (sic). I brought friends and their experiences into it.

 

Me: I felt like I was reading a biography, though, and not fiction. Was that the tone that you wanted?

Shyam: Yes. I wanted the reader to feel so connected to the voice and think that the writer and the character were one in the same. I’m not Shivan- I did not have the complications, like the grandmother, which add layers to the story. In augmenting the family, I wanted readers to connect to the character as if he was a real person. On some level it’s great that people connect to the characters as if they’re real people.

 

Me: What inspired you to include the Buddhist imagery? 

Shyam: I became interested in Buddhist philosophy eight or ten years ago. I’m not religious, but I really like the philosophy. It’s a convenient and common sense way to live your life. I really wanted to incorporate my own personal discovery into the novel in a literary way. I attempted to take these stories-which to me are a fascinating way to connect Buddhist philosophies through narrative- and put them in a modern context. So, the structure of the story is based on the story of the Naked Ghost, but with modern connections.

 

What do you want people to feel about Sri Lanka? Are you as conflicted as Shivan? 

Shyam: No, I’m not as conflicted as Shivan. I accept the country more, and don’t ask it to be anything more than what it is. That way, I can enjoy it. I do go back a lot, and the more I go, the more connected I feel. When didn’t go back as much I felt the same way as Shivan.

 

Me: Do you think Shivan would feel alientated no matter where he lived?

Shyam: It’s not so much alienation as he is unhappy. He cannot find happiness, and he can’t let go, or accept. You can’t just leave your past behind, but rather you must come to terms, incorporate, and absorb your karmic past. But, this is a human condition not just a Shivan condition

 

Me: Do you really feel like the characters are being punished for past crimes? Do some, like Shivan, bring their unhappiness on themselves?

Shyam: Everything you think and do and say causes a ripple effect. It’s something you have to deal with; we produce an effect whatever we do. It’s not just what we do in a past life. He inherited this thing from his grandmother in which he sometimes made the only choices and sometimes the wrong choices. People can’t overcome their Karma. If you’ve inherited certain things, you have to come to terms with what you’ve inherited. Free will is how you deal with what you’re given, but you can’t escape what happens to you. You must find a way to deal with it.

 

Me: Did Love lead everyone astray?
Shyam: No, but desire did. And not sexual desire.  Desire for fulfillment. These characters wanted to be completed. For example, the Grandmother’s fatal flaw is that she loved Shivan too much. They love with the singularity of the unloved.  The world is full of Hungry Ghosts. What we call love is often a strangling thing for the beloved: parental love, love of friends, the love that causes people to try to tell others what’s good for them.

 

Me: Did you mean the novel to be this complex?

Shyam: There are so many layers to this novel. You can read it more simply, or you can read all the layers, just like in a Buddhist story. I wanted people to be able to read the book according to what they wanted to get out of it. (Note: I am probably going to read the novel again to see what else I get out of it.)

 

Me: Is it hard to maintain complex themes like yours throughout a novel? 

Shyam: No, that’s not difficult. The hard part is allowing the theme to take a secondary place to characters. You must let the characters lead you to the real theme, without holding onto a theme regardless of the characters’ needs.

 

Do your characters take a life of their own?

Shyam: Yes. For example, the grandmother was a minor character before. But, the book went where it had to go.

 

Me: Do you outline or just wing it? 

Shyam: I do research until I have come up with an outline. Then, I start at the beginning and at 50-60 pages, the story usually becomes something else. Then, I look at it, see what’s changed, and where is it going. Maybe I go back to the beginning again. My writing seems to proceed by these series of writer’s blocks. I’m always going back and forth, it’s never a straight line through.

 

 

SHYAM SELVADURAI is the acclaimed author of the novels Funny Boy, which was shortlisted for the Giller Prize, won the Books in Canada First Novel Award and was a national bestseller, and Cinnamon Gardens, which was shortlisted for the Trillium Award and sold around the world. He has also written a novel for young adults,Swimming in the Monsoon Sea, which was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Selvadurai now lives in Toronto and Sri Lanka. You can visit him atwww.shyamselvadurai.com.

 

Do you think you’ll read The Hungry Ghosts? Please come back and tell me what you thought.

 

 

Filed Under: author interviews, Books, Canadian Authors Tagged With: , , ,

Romantic Reads for Your Potentially Boring Mini-Break

April 19, 2013 By 5 Comments
Romantic Reads for Your Boring Mini-Break

What to Read on Your Boring Mini-Break
Image source: Jetsetlife.tv

 

Remember in Bridget Jones’ Diary when Bridget goes on a mini-break with sexy Daniel (played with the perfect amount of British dashing roguery by Hugh Grant)? I’m doing the same. Only not with Hugh Grant. And not to the British countryside. And not in the summer.

 

I’m going to a lovely Ontario resort (which I’ll tell you about next week) with my husband. Since it’s that nether-season we Canadians call Spring, we won’t have a lot to do. There’s no winter sports and no summer activities. We’ve been warned to bring rubber boots. Which doesn’t bode well for my princess-y sensibilities.

 

So…what’s a girl to do, on a weekend getaway, alone with her husband? Hmm…well, read romance novels of course.

 

Naked (The Blackstone Affair #1), Raine Miller

 

Naked by Raine Miller (Blackstone Trilogy #1)

Naked by Raine Miller (Blackstone Trilogy #1)

 

A much better written and less creepy 50 Shades of Grey clone. The dirty parts are just a bit dirty, and there are no references to anyone’s goddess. Ethan, as a love interest, is extremely sexy. Brynne  a bit naive and not all that annoying. There’s a story, and it’s a bit intriguing, but really, who cares. We’re reading it for the mental pictures.

 

Only complaint: As soon as it started to get interesting, this book was over. It was too short, and the pace and character development were too fast. Everybody needed to just hold on! I actually liked the characters and was becoming invested before The End.

 

Brynne Bennett is living the good life. An American art student at the University of London and part-time photographic model, she’s putting her life back on track with school and lots of hard work. When ultra successful London businessman, Ethan Blackstone, buys her nude portrait, he isn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. He wants Brynne in his bed and makes plans to keep her there no matter what. His dominant nature captivates and ensnares despite the demons she carries inside her. But there are secrets in this relationship. Huge ones. Can Ethan free Brynne from the past that has marked her? Will Brynne let him or will the specters tormenting her resurface to destroy them both. (Goodreads.com)

 

All In (The Blackstone Affair #2), Raine Miller

 

All In by Raine Miller (The Blackstone Affair #2)

All In by Raine Miller (The Blackstone Affair #2)

 

Much better than the first in the trilogy. Told from Ethan’s point of view, which is pretty amazing. Miller is able to capture a strong, male voice, and he is a much better narrator than Brynne. You’ll fall in love with these two. Make sure you read them together; they really could have been combined into one volume.

 

Ethan Blackstone has a problem on his hands. He’s broken Brynne’s trust and she’s left him. He’s unwilling to live without her and isn’t giving up—he’s dead-set on getting his beautiful American girl back. The passion between them was explosive, but the secrets they hid from each other are dark and chilling and are powerful enough to destroy their shot at a life together. With political threats now directed at Brynne, Ethan is running out of time and he’ll need to gather all his strength and agility to protect her from the dangers that could take her away from him forever. Will Ethan be able to save Brynne from a past that keeps her locked in fear? Will he ever feel the warmth of her touch, the solidity of her trust again? This is a love-struck man who is willing to do whatever it takes to possess the heart of the woman he loves. He’ll go to any lengths to protect her. He’ll go all in. (Goodreads.com)

 

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

 

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

 

Originally published as as Fanfic, and written by the team of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, Beautiful Bastard is one sexy (and fast read). Great characters and situations. Not too much storyline, but enough to keep you reading. Of course, the first in a series (how could it NOT be these days?)

 

Only complaint: Just like in many books in the genre, the story moves a little too fast. A little character development would be nice…

 

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. 

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office. 

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other.

 

Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed, Tina Reber

 

Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

love Unrehearsed by Tina Reber

Love Unrehearsed by Tina Reber

 

These two volumes follow the love story of Ryan and Taryn, a couple who meet under unlikely circumstances, and struggle to maintain a normal relationship. Reber manages to portray what is probably a realistic picture of the costs of fame. She develops her characters well, and unlike many romance novelists, takes the time to let her story and characters unfold. It’s also nice to see protagonists in a love story try to work problems out instead of continually bolting. If you’re looking for erotica, though this isn’t going to satisfy you. It’s sexy, yes, but dirty like we like it, not really.

 

Only complaint: Reber’s writing style is a bit stilted and obvious, and her dialogue is not entirely believable considering the age (under 30) of her characters.

 

Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that accepting a role in an unknown film would toss his career into overdrive. His new fame has cost him dearly; anonymity is no longer an option. His fans stalk him, the paparazzi hound him, and Hollywood studios all want a piece of him. Despite all of that, Ryan Christensen craves the most basic of human needs – to have love in his heart and privacy in his life.

Taryn Mitchell, the story’s protagonist, is a realist. She’s been feigning contentment, running the family pub in Seaport, Rhode Island, while quietly nursing her own internal heartaches. Her feet are fairly glued to the ground and she doesn’t buy into all the hype that has descended on her tiny, coastal town. In her world, men are safe if they’re kept at a distance. (Goodreads.com)

 

 

All books (except Love Unrehearsed) were provided to me for review by Simon & Schuster Canada.  Opinions are my own. 

 

 

Filed Under: Books, Erotica, Fiction, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Book Review: Reconstructing Amelia

March 31, 2013 By 19 Comments
reconstructing amelia by kimberly mccreight

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly Mccreight

 

I pulled the post-it from Harper Collins off Reconstructing Amelia. It read, ‘I hope you like this one. Comes out in April.’ And I did truly enjoy this stellar debut novel from Kimberley Mccreight.

 

I think that when a woman becomes a mother everything changes. At least it did for me. Not only was I filled with an all consuming love, I also experienced feelings of worry and guilt that I didn’t have before. These emotions amplified as my kids started to get older, and even more when they became teenagers and started to pull away.

 

I wondered.. What really was happening in that mysterious world they inhabited?  Had I done enough when they were younger to make sure they’d keep themselves safe as they ventured out on their own? Was I present enough, too much in their faces? Was I asking the right questions, were they being honest with me?  Did I know what was really happening when they went off to school everyday?

 

These questions and more form the foundation of Reconstructing Amelia which explores themes of motherhood and the complicated and secret lives of teenagers. Mccreight delves deep into the culture of young people-their friendships, complications, and betrayals.

 

From Indigo.ca…

When Kate, single mother and law firm partner, gets a phone call summoning her to her daughter’s exclusive private school, she’s shocked. Amelia has been suspended for cheating, completely out of character for her over-achieving, well-behaved daughter.

Kate rushes to Grace Hall to pick up Amelia, but what she finds when she arrives is beyond comprehension. Amelia has jumped from the school’s roof in an act of impulsive suicide. At least that’s the story Kate believes until she gets an anonymous text:

Amelia didn’t jump.

Determined to learn the truth about what really happened on that roof, Kate searches through Amelia’s e-mails, texts, and Facebook updates, piecing together the last troubled days of her daughter’s life.

 

Indigo also says that it’s a…‘page-turner that brilliantly explores the secret world of teenagers, their clandestine first loves, hidden friendships, and the dangerous cruelty that can spill over into acts of terrible betrayal.’

 

And so it is. But, it’s so much more-it’s about the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters and the single-minded determination of a mother who want to protect her children. It’s adults and their secrets and how those secrets can’t really be kept.

 

What I liked: The complicated nature of this novel really pulled me in. It was narrated in the dual voices of both Kate and Amelia, whose chapters were separated by ‘anonymous’ blog posts (a la Gossip Girl) and text and email messages that pushed the story along and filled in the blank spots. Impressively, Mccreight was able to seamlessly change voice while keeping the continuity of the writing.  She also managed to keep a strong control over a storyline and characters that could easily have gotten away from her (like teenage Amelia). Also interesting to me was how Reconstructing Amelia was as much an emotional story as a crime mystery-the tale unraveled as we got to know the players. As I read felt like I was consuming the book;  there were so many surprises that I couldn’t rest until I had the next piece of the puzzle. In many of the characters we were asked to have empathy, if not sympathy, for someone who was ultimately unlikeable, or whose choices we may have disagreed with.

 

What I didn’t like: There wasn’t really anything specific that I didn’t like about Mccreight’s writing or storyline. Parts of the novel may have been deritivative (I just read ‘This Beautiful Life’ by Helen Schulman and saw some similarities.) But, I do think that Mccreight put a unique enough spin on her story that one could read both and feel fulfilled. Lastly, were the antics of the teenagers-unpalatable, but necessary. As a mother of teens I had a hard time believing what some of these kids were getting up to. (However, I’m probably slightly naive and my kids don’t go to a New York City Prep School.)

 

Unputdownable Factor: 10/10 (you won’t be able to stop)

Recommend Factor: 10/10 (You should read it)

 

If you liked Prep by Curtis Settenfeld; This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn you’ll be a fan of Reconstructing Amelia.

Filed Under: Books, Fiction Tagged With: , , , , ,

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson: A Novel about Do-Overs

March 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment
life after life by Kate Atkinson

Life after Life by Kate Atkinson

 

I’ve been waiting for so long to tell you about Life after Life by Kate Atkinson. In fact, I received an Advance Copy as a holiday gift from Random House of Canada. Three months ago. That’s a long time to hold my excitement about this novel.

 

Why?

 

I don’t know about you, but there are so many moments in my life that cause me to pause, and wonder, ‘What would have happened if I’d done this differently? Would my path have changed?’ How hard would it be to change that ephemeral thing called fate?

 

These questions are what Life after Life is all about. This novel explores, with British wit, wry humour, and a light hand, our thoughts about how much control, conscious or unconscious, we have over the events in our life. It reaches out and questions how the twists, decisions, and unwitting forks in the road make the next moment happen. Atkinson tackles ideas of fate, destiny, and human intervention in this engrossing novel about a woman who is born and dies over and over again.

 

In Life After Life we share a conversation about fate, whether some things are meant to be, and what would happen if a woman named Ursula Todd had indeed died on the snowy night that she was born.

 

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, she dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her: In Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization. (from Goodreads.com)

 

What I liked:  Ok, well, Life after Life was my first exposure to Kate Atkinson and now I’m a fan. I’m a big lover of British authors (especially those who write with a light touch) because I lived in England when I was travelling the world (or a part thereof). I’m drawn from a nostalgic point of view to the colloquial language of the British Isles, and Atkinson didn’t disappoint in that are. The premise of the novel was fascinating. I think many of us spend time considering ‘what ifs’, and wishing that on occasion life had do-overs. Life after Life contradicted itself, a trait which I really found endearing. It’s subject matter was serious (what if Hitler had been stopped), but written with a light-hearted British rompy feel. I felt myself reading and thinking with an English accent while I was making my way through this book. I enjoyed the well-developed characters, and the depth, and breadth of the storytelling.

 

What I didn’t like: There were a few points where I got confused, and had to re-read and stop and think to understand where Ursula (and I) were in the story. The back-and-forth in time might throw some people off, as some of the more drastic fate-changers.

 

Unputdownable Factor:  9/10

Recommend Factor: 8/10

 

If you like Kate Morton‘s books or Before I Go to Sleep you’ll want to read Life after Life.

 

 

Filed Under: Books, Fiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

TIFF Bell Lightbox Books on Film Series

March 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
TIFF Lightbox in Toronto Books on Film subscription series

TIFF Lightbox in Toronto Books on Film subscription series

 

For readers and cinemophiles alike the quality of of book-to-movie adaptations is a hot topic of conversation. Especially when well-loved novels are picked up by Hollywood and turned into films. How did the book adhere to the storyline? What did they drop? Was the move authentic to the novel’s storyline?

 

To answer these questions and more,  TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto has launched a subscription series (started in February) called Books on Film.

 

Books on Film is an interactive platform for bibliophiles to connect their Great Reads with Great Cinema. Booklovers can dive into films (for both mainstreamers and cinephiles alike) accompanied by special guests that will discuss the art of adaptation and the sometimes challenging passage from page to screen.

 

The series is hosted by Eleanor Wachtel of CBC’s Writers and Company.

 

Eleanor Wachtel

Eleanor Wachtel of CBC’s Writers and Company

 

Guests and films include:

February 11— Hilton Als (author and New Yorker theatre critic) on The Innocents

March 4 — Richard Russo (Pulitzer Prize–winning author) on Nobody’s Fool

April 8 — Lisa Cortés (music and film producer, driving force behind success of Def Jam Records) on Precious

May 6 — Christopher Hampton (award-winning screenwriter and playwright) on Atonement (which he adapted to screen)

June 3 — Ted Kotcheff (filmmaker and executive producer of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) on The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

June 24 — Deepa Mehta (Canadian filmmaker) on Midnight’s Children

 

Subscriptions to the series are available for $153 for TIFF Members or $180 for non-members (prices include tax). Based on availability, single tickets may be released closer to the event.

 

To purchase tickets go to Tiff.Net. 

 

What was your favourite and least-liked book-to-movie adaptation? Mine are Love Story (obsessed) and My Sister’s Keeper (horrifyingly bad).

 

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