Winner: Standing Still

Feb 192009

I’m totally amazed at the response for the giveaway of “Standing Still” by Kelly Simmons, a whole lot of you wanted to win this book! Not that I blame you, it was really very good, it made a good first read of the year for me.

Unfortunately, I can’t give one to everyone. I can, however, give one to our winner as chosen by Random.org….

….Darlene from Peeking Between the Pages! Darlene, your signed paperback will be coming directly from Kelly herself, I hope you enjoy it!

Those of you who didn’t win have some options as well:

Buy this book on Amazon (hardcover).

Buy this book on Amazon (paperback).

Don’t forget to check out Kelly’s guest post if you missed it!

The Sonnets – Book Review

Feb 182009

The Sonnets by Warwick Collins

What was the inspiration behind Shakespeare’s sonnets?

This is the question addressed in Warwick Collins’ new books, “The Sonnets,” as he imagines Shakespeare’s life during the time the London theaters were closed due to plague. The reader follows Shakespeare’s thoughts, feelings, and life as he stays at the home of his patron, the Earl of Southampton and composes his famous sonnets.

This is a very quick read and truly feels as if it is a snapshot of Shakespeare’s life, it could almost be an excerpt from his lost diary, if it were only written in diary format. It was definitely a well-written, well-thought-out, and plausible story. That being said, it really wasn’t the right book for me. I was able to appreciate that it was good, but I didn’t have much interest, although I wasn’t ever tempted to give it up. I think part of my problem was indeed the feeling of the story being a snapshot of Shakespeare’s life. Because there was little background and I simply entered into his story, I never became attached to any of the characters.

Perhaps my real problem, though, was simply my inability to read poetry in the midst of prose. Confession: I almost ALWAYS skip the poems and songs that authors include in their novels. I really tried to read them in “The Sonnets,” because I knew that they were the entire reason for thes story, but I wasn’t always successful.

Although this book wasn’t the best fit for me, it may work very well for other readers, particularly those enamored with Shakespeare’s sonnets and those with the ability to pay attention to poetry in novels. Bad luck if you’re American, though, as “The Sonnets” seems to be available from Amazon in the UK and Canada, but not in the US.

BTT: Authors Talk

Feb 122009

Do you read any author’s blogs? If so, are you looking for information on their next project? On the author personally? Something else?

I do read author blogs, although just a few. I want from author blogs what I want from all blogs: that they be interesting, meaning they need to be well-written and have interesting content. I generally want a mix of a discussion about personal life, general thoughts, and an author’s work. Each of the three author blogs I read has these elements to varying degrees.

Whatever by John Scalzi: I first started reading Whatever when John linked to my review of his book Zoe’s Tale in a post about how the book was being received, as evidence that it was being enjoyed by people who aren’t big fans of Science Fiction. As the title indicates, Whatever is largely a random collection of just whatever John decides to post about, from politics, to his animals, to his work, to bacon. The posts are generally humourous and often insightful. Scalzi is also a fairly prolific blogger, so there’s almost always something new to read.
Scobberlotch by Karen Harrington: Karen’s blog philosophy is a bit like John’s. Scobberlotch is, of course, a verb meaning “to loaf around doing nothing in particular” (when I say ‘of course’ I mean I learned that from Karen’s blog and don’t expect anyone else would know it). I think Karen’s blog could best be described as mostly bookish randomness. She participates in many of the same memes as many book bloggers and of course plugs her good reviews and guest posts. Karen’s blog is usually fun and sometimes laugh out loud funny.
Farworld by J. Scott Savage: Of all of the author blogs I read, this one is most focused on actually being a writer. For instance, the latest blog post is entitled “Getting Published 101.” This is primarily a blog about Scott’s experience selling his first book (part of a children/young adult series) to a publisher and what the experience of actually being published has been like for him. I found this author and this blog when he organized a huge blog tour last spring for the release of his first book, sending ARCs to (I think) 200 bloggers and guaranteeing each of them another ARC to give away as they pleased, as well as a guest post or interview.

What great author blogs am I missing that I should be reading? Where do you come down in prefering the mix of shop-talk, life, and randomness?

A Writer’s Childhood – Guest Post by Kelly Simmons

Feb 112009

Note from Jen: Thanks to Kelly for her great guest post! Check out my review of her book, “Standing Still,” here, or enter to win your own autographed copy here.

A Writer’s Childhood

I had a charmed childhood. Not because I was privileged, or because I grew up in idyllic surroundings. No. I simply had the perfect crazy childhood for a person who wanted to be a writer.

Not every writer has the good fortune of having a mother who was terrified of being alone, combined with a father who was a traveling salesman. Irony! Learned at age five. Not every writer has the sheer luck to have an aunt who was married to a car thief, and who, when she generously invited you to a picnic, asked you to bring the food because she spent all her money on bail. Or to live on a street where the neighbors had “body painting” parties. Key parties? Ice Storm? So passé, please.

Growing up, of course, I had no idea that as my mother’s fears and phobias morphed into a complete inability to deal with injury or illness of any kind, that her panic attacks could help me form the main character of my first novel, Standing Still. All I knew as a child was that my mother was very different. I knew this because other mothers did not scream the following when one of us scraped a knee: “Don’t show me! Go get your father! If Daddy’s not home, go get the neighbor! If the neighbor’s not home, flag down a stranger and ask them if they know how to make a tourniquet!”

My friends didn’t play at my house because they knew they were taking their lives into their hands. Any of us could drown in a pool of our own blood while my mother shrieked ‘do you need stitches?’ and ‘can you drive a stick shift and take yourself to the emergency room?” from behind her mask of clenched fingers.
Yes, we all knew my mother was unique. But as I grew older, I saw her and other members of my family for what they truly were: characters. And I have had an abiding interest in creating fictional folks to rival them ever since.

Kelly Simmons, a former journalist and advertising creative director, is the author of Standing Still, in paperback February 10, and coming soon, The Bird House. She visits as many book clubs as she can (here’s a great article in The Philadelphia Inquirer about her visiting clubs). And she’s now offering an exclusive Book Group DVD to those she can’t. For more information, see her website: www.bykellysimmons.com, or email her at kellysimmonswrites(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Giveaway – Standing Still by Kelly Simmons

Feb 102009

Yesterday I reviewed the great debut novel “Standing Still” by Kelly Simmons, which has recently been republished in paperback. To celebrate this occasion, Kelly is offering an autographed paperback copy of “Standing Still” to one of my readers in the US or Canada. Entering is easy, just leave me a comment on this post about why you want to read the book. If you publicize this contest in some way (your blog, twitter, emailing a friend, facebook) and let me know, I’ll give you an extra entry.

The contest ends at 12:01 AM Central Standard Time on Tuesday, February 17. Don’t forget to check out Kelly’s fascinating guest post on “A Writer’s Childhood” tomorrow!

Standing Still – Book Review

Feb 092009

Standing Still by Kelly Simmons

I read the first 40 or so pages of “Standing Still” n New Years Eve as I was waiting for stuff to happen. The morning of New Years Day, I woke up earlier than planned and decided to read a bit more until I was ready to get up. Next thing I knew, hours had passed and the book was finished!

“Standing Still” is the story of Claire, a mother and journalist who suffers from panic attacks. After years of fearing an intruder whenever her husband was not home at night, Claire hears a noise and finds out her worst nightmare has come true; there is a strange man standing in her daughter’s room in the middle of the night. After begging the man to leave the girl and take her instead, Claire finds herself kidnapped and held for ransom.

As much as the plot sounds dramatic, most of this book was primarily internal. What made it so interesting were Claire’s thoughts and feelings about what was happening to her, particularly as her relationship with her captor evolved. I also loved the way that Simmons drew the reader deeper into Claire’s past and psyche, to discover what turned a vivacious reporter into the shell of a woman she became.

I thought that “Standing Still” was extremely well done for a debut novel. I am very glad I requested and read it, and will be looking forward to Simmons’ future work.

Buy this book on Amazon (hardcover).

Buy this book on Amazon (paperback).

Mistress Shakespeare – Book Review

Feb 062009

Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper

Those studying Elizabethan times have discovered something odd in the historical records. William Shakespeare has two entries in the marriage registry on two consecutive days: on November 27, 1582 to Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton and on November 28, 1582 to Anne Hathaway of Stratford. The general consensus has been that Anne Whateley and Anne Hathaway are the same person and the odd registry entries are the result of a careless clerk. In “Mistress Shakespeare,” however, Karen Harper posits that Shakespeare’s two Annes were not the same woman, and that Anne Whateley was his true love and secret wife.

Harper’s Anne Whateley was a completely delightful and strong woman, without seeming completely out of her own time period. I found her relationship with Shakespeare to be very realistic as well. When he was forced to marry Anne Hathaway the day after his secretive ceremony with Anne, she was realistically and understandable furious and hurt. Her ability to eventually at least partially forgive him and their complicated life seemed completely natural. I also loved the political aspects of the book, including the complication of the Shakespeare family’s Catholicism in Elizabeth’s England.

Not only did I really enjoy this book, but so did one of my coworkers. She saw it on my desk the day I got it and asked if she might borrow it when I was finished with it. Within a week, we had both finished it. Generally I like my historical fiction to be about real people: kings, queens, playwrights. This, however, worked perfectly for me and provided great insight into the world of Elizabethan England outside of the court.

Buy this book on Amazon.

January Reading Wrap-Up

Feb 052009

Well, I only read 9 books again this month, which puts me FAR short of my goal of 150 for the year. I don’t think I really did that badly, though. One of the books was nearly 1,000 pages long, another was relatively long literary criticism, which doesn’t exactly make for a quick read. Hopefully February will pick up a bit (although this week doesn’t help since I’m not home all week). I did read nearly 3500 pages, though, so cheers to that. Links go to reviews.

Fiction

Standing Still by Kelly Simmons (review coming February 9th)

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lillian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Blew the Whistle by Lillian Jackson Braun (probably won’t review either of these)

The Grift by Debra Ginsberg

Historical Fiction

The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman

To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy

The Jewel Trader of Pegu by Jeffrey Hantover

Nonfiction

The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventure in Narnia by Laura

Favorite Book of the Month

sunne in splendor picture

“The Sunne in Splendor” is Sharon Kay Penman’s amazing debut novel and a fantastic recount of the War of the Roses and the life of Richard III. I was so engrossed by this book that I carried it absolutely everywhere – including into a restaurant with my husband on vacation where I subsequently forgot it after finishing it at the table. Hopefully someone in Sturgeon Bay, WI is now greatly enjoying Penman’s fantastic work.

The School of Essential Ingredients – Book Review

Feb 042009

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

When Lillian’s father left and her mother turned inward, Lillian became all but an orphan. Lillian had no idea how to reach her mother and turn them into a family once again until she discovered cooking. With a natural gift for putting together food and knowning what people would like to eat, Lillian made her goal to cook her mother back to the rest of the world.

As an adult, Lillian has her own restaurant and a once per month cooking class. The majority of the book follows the lives of the different people in one cooking class as well as the classes every month.

Because of the way the book was styled as vignettes, I wasn’t sure I would really enjoy it, I thought that I might not get enough of a look at any one person’s life to care about them as a character. I was completely and totally wrong. The language was lyrical, the descriptions of the food sensous. I was immediately intrigued by each and every character and by the way that food was able to transform their life. The book had a bit of the feeling of magical realism, without anything actually standing out as being too magical.

Simply, I loved it; I only put it down once and only because I was too tired to go on. It was completely lovely and fantastic. In my opinion, it is even worth buying in hardcover.

Buy this book on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday

Feb 032009

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers

“As Henry left the quiety sanctuary of Japantown and warily headed north on South King, in the direction of home, he saw someone – a boy. He could barely make out his shadow in the moodnlight, backlit by the streetlamps that buzzed and hummed, surrounded by moths bouncing off glass.”

- Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, page 98