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Mailbox Monday #103

November 1, 2010 by

Mailbox Mondays (click the icon at the right to check out the tour) has gone on tour since Marcia at The Printed Page passed the torch.  This month our host is Julie of Knitting and Sundries .  Kristi of The Story Siren continues to sponsor her In My Mailbox meme.  Both of these memes allow bloggers to share what books they receive in the mail or through other means over the past week.

Just be warned that these posts can increase your TBR piles and wish lists.

Here’s what I received:

1.  Anne Elliot, A New Beginning by Mary Lydon Simonsen, which I received from the author for review.

2.  The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey, which I received from Big Honcho Media for review.

3.  The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey, which I received from Big Honcho Media for review.

Stay tuned for a giveaway for the Monstrumologist series in November.

What did you receive in your mailbox?

Filed Under: mailbox monday

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2010 by

Halloween is my husband’s favorite holiday, though we haven’t been to an actual party in a long time.  My favorite part of the holiday is sitting at home, watching scary movies, and checking out the kids costumes.  My husband gets really into the holiday by putting on make up or scary masks to go to work on the day of or the Friday before the holiday and when he hands out candy to the kids.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday!

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With:

69th Virtual Poetry Circle

October 30, 2010 by

Welcome to the 69th Virtual Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

You knew I couldn’t resist returning to Edgar Allan Poe for Halloween:

Spirits of the Dead

Thy soul shall find itself alone
‘Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.

Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness — for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.

The night, though clear, shall frown,
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given,
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne’er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.

The breeze, the breath of God, is still,
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy, shadowy, yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles. It’s never too late to join the discussion.

Filed Under: virtual poetry circle

Playing Basketball With the Viet Cong by Kevin Bowen

October 29, 2010 by

Kevin Bowen‘s Playing Basketball With the Viet Cong is his first collection of poems and they focus on his memories of the Vietnam War.  Although there are moments of brutality and horrifying images, many of these poems intend to infuse the enemy with humanity — whether that enemy is a U.S. soldier or a member of the Viet Cong.  In a way these poems diverge from other war veterans’ writings in that rather than attempt to sort through mere emotional trauma, Bowen seeks to draw parallels between two nations that were once at war with one another and highlight their similarities in a way that will generate peace and forgiveness.

From “Willie, Dancing” (page 27):

When we moved south
we found comfort
nights at base in new dug bunkers,
the womb hum of generators,
artillery thud and mortars
marking time.  And whiskey,

Bowen’s lines are sparse, but use each word to its fullest potential to provide a sensory overload, much like the one he may have experienced in Vietnam himself.  Readers will hear the bombs hit the ground and feel the anxiety of the soldiers as each poem unfolds.  How did these soldiers ever “feel at home” in the jungles surrounded by the enemy?  Did they live in constant fear as the adrenaline pumped through their veins?

Poetry often tries to convey more than the lines state on the surface.  Bowen often blurs the lines of his memories with reality and myths from Vietnamese lore.  But always there is a connection made between enemies through their humanity.  For example, the lines of “Missing:” (page 34-5)

I was there that day, felt the tug,
looked down and saw my own face
looking up to me from the paddy,
searching the sky where already you’d disappeared.

Everything, even in war is connected and on some level the soldiers killing the Viet Cong were in a way killing themselves — little by little.  Not all of Bowen’s poems are from a soldier’s perspective, with poems narrated by a female voice, perhaps a wife, dealing with the far off glances, the silence, and the nightmares her lover experiences.  Readers will enjoy the wide variety in Playing Basketball With the Viet Cong, which strives to pull to the forefront the humanity in everyone and find a common ground from which each side can begin anew.

Incoming (page 22)

Don’t let them kid you–
The mind no fool like the movies,
doesn’t wait for flash or screech,
but moves of its own accord,
even hears the slight
bump the mortars make
as they kiss the tubes good-bye.
Then the furious rain,
a fist driving home a message:
“Boy, you don’t belong here.”
On good nights they walk them in.
You wait for them to fall,
stomach pinned so tight to ground
you might feel a woman’s foot
pace a kitchen floor in Brownsville;
the hushed fall of a man lost
in a corn field in Michigan;
a young girl’s finger trace
a lover’s name on a beach along Cape Cod.
But then the air is sucked
straight up off the jungle
floor and the entire weight
of Jupiter and her moons
presses down on the back of a knee.
In a moment, it’s over.
But it takes a lifetime to recover,
let out the last breath
you took as you dove.
This is why you’ll see them sometimes,
in malls, men and women off in corners:
the ways they stare through the windows in silence.

About the Poet:

Kevin Bowen was drafted at age 21 and served in the 1st Air Cavalry Division in the Quang Tri Province near the DMZ (demilitarized zone) and the Tay Ninh Province in Vietnam from 1968-1969. He is a 1973 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston. A former Danforth Fellow and Fulbright Fellow at New College, Oxford, he earned his Ph.D. in English Literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He worked as an aide and speechwriter for Lt. Governor Thomas P. O’Neill, III prior to becoming director of the Veterans’ Upward Bound Program at Umass Boston in 1984 . He was appointed co-director of the Joiner Center in 1984.

Playing Basketball with the Viet Cong, his first collection of poetry, was published by Curbstone Press in 1994. His poems have appeared in Agni, American Poetry Review, Boston Review, Ploughshares Press, Prairie Schooner, TriQuarterly, Witness and other places.

This is my 9th book for the 2010 Vietnam War Reading Challenge.

This is my 12th book for the Clover Bee & Reverie Poetry Challenge.

Filed Under: 2010 Clover Bee and Reverie Poetry Challenge, challenges, poetry, purchased, Read in 2010, reviews, Vietnam War Challenge 2010 Tagged With: ,

ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes, Year 2

October 28, 2010 by

Susan Helene Gottfried‘s ShapeShifter:  The Demo Tapes, Year 2 is another volume of outtakes, short stories, and character sketches related to her newly published novel, Trevor’s Song.  The band ShapeShifter is like a wheel with its center, Trevor and Mitchell, and the spokes around that wheel.  Once these guys are on the road, look out because it’s a wild ride.

What readers will enjoy most about this second slim volume is the camaraderie between the characters, the outbursts they have, and the seemingly mundane yet fun conversations they have.  For example, there’s a conversation between Mitchell and Trevor before they make it big as rock stars about why Mitchell should get an earring — sounds like a typical teenage disagreement/peer pressure situation.

“‘No one’s gonna think I’m gay,’ Precious Boy said.  ‘That’s not the problem.’

‘Yeah, and I’m already a fucking rock star.’  Trevor eyed Mitchell, convinced he knew what the guy was about to whine:  It’ll hurt, Trev.

‘Dad,’ Mitchell said instead.  Without whining; in fact, he was pretty damned convinced.  ‘He meant it when he said he’d kick me out of the house if I do it.’

Trevor smirked.  ‘You’re not going to do it.  I am.’

‘Same thing, as far as Dad cares.’

Trevor sighed as loudly as he could.  Was Mitchell really this stupid? ‘That’s why you grew your hair out, asshole.’

‘I thought it was to get girls.’

‘Well, since you’re too lame to make that work, maybe this is the reason.'” (page 24 of ARC)

What writers will enjoy about this inside look at the band and its antics are the introductions Gottfried has included about what inspired her to write particular snippets.  When discussing the short outtake “Hands,” she notes, “Sometimes, fiction is like this.  Something springs out of an unidentified source.  It dares you to set it down on a page or screen, to save it in ink or memory cards.”  (page 71)

Readers will thoroughly enjoy getting to know these characters as they prepare to read Trevor’s Song, and most will want to buy the Demo Tapes 1 and 2 before the novel, especially since they get to learn about the characters’ histories with one another and even before they met.  Well done, Susan Helene Gottfried.

***Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book for review.***

About the Author: (from Amazon.com)

Susan Helene Gottfried is the author of The Demo Tapes: Year 1, The Demo Tapes: Year 2, and Trevor’s Song, three books (and counting) about the fictional band ShapeShifter.

A tone-deaf rocker at heart, Susan worked in retail record stores, in radio stations, as stage crew, and as a promoter while earning two college degrees in creative writing.

Drop in at Susan’s online world: http://westofmars.com and stop by the official author’s blog, The Meet and Greet. Check out the book reviews at Rocks ‘n Reads, and see what other writers are up to around the Internet at Win a Book.

Filed Under: ARC, fiction, Read in 2010, reviews Tagged With: ,

Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany

October 27, 2010 by

Janet Mullany‘s Jane and the Damned follows Jane Austen’s transformation into Nosferatu shortly after the rejection of her first novel in 1797.  Jane is as brash and outspoken as Elizabeth Bennet, and her sister Cassandra is as beautiful and demure as Jane Bennet in Mullany’s novel.  Attending country assemblies bores Jane, but she takes out her frustration by writing, but disappointments lead her to take chances she might not have otherwise.

While her sister and their friend are off playing cards and dancing, Jane is charmed by Mrs. Smith who comes to her aid and later her brother, Mr. Smith.  Jane knows about their affliction and confidently challenges them with her wit, but her openness about her negative experiences leads to her transformation.

“The vampire who called himself Mr. Smith lowered the unconscious woman onto a chair.  The room was still empty, and the dance, with its imperfect harmonies and clumsy thudding of feet, continued.  They would not find her for a good fifteen minutes, a tiny grain of dust in time.

He licked the last of the blood from her arm and breathed the wound closed.”  (page 21)

Once transformed will Jane take to her new nature or seek out the curing waters of Bath?  And will she learn that her new strengths could come in handy to fight the French as they invade England?

Mullany mixes the supernatural with Regency England deftly to create a clash of cultural norms that don’t necessarily apply to the new Jane.  She uses modern language to depict the struggles of Jane in her new role and to illustrate that even class differences influence the society of vampires.  However, certain aspects of the period are lost in that the Austens are not often referred to in more formal manners, instead addressed by their first names, and Jane seems to shun propriety a lot more than some readers may expect.  Additionally, in some ways the novel takes itself too seriously, and readers may be expecting a more tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.  Overall, Jane and the Damned provides a dash of adventure with the society readers have come to know through Jane Austen’s very own novels, and it provides an absorbing tale in which readers could lose themselves.

About the Author:

Janet Mullany was reared in England on a diet of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, and now lives near Washington, D.C. She has worked as an archaeologist, waitress, draftsperson, radio announcer, performing arts administrator, proofreader, and bookseller.

Connect with Janet via Twitter, on Facebook, and through her Website.

Check out the other stops on the TLC Book Tour.


This is my 51st book for the 2010 New Authors Reading Challenge.

This is my 9th book for the Jane Austen Challenge 2010.

This is my 5th book for the Everything Austen II Challenge.

Filed Under: ARC, challenges, everything austen challenge, fiction, Harper Collins, Jane Austen Challenge 2010, New Authors Challenge, Publishers/Publicists, Read in 2010, reviews, tlc book tours Tagged With: ,

Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds

October 26, 2010 by

Abigail Reynolds is a go-to author of Jane Austen variations.  Mr. Darcy’s Obsession tells the story after Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy meet at Rosings, but Mr. Darcy never has a chance to propose because Lizzy must return home when her father falls gravely ill.  The death of her father, unfortunately, sends the Bennet family further down the social ladder when Mr. Collins becomes the new owner of Longbourn, forcing the family to rely upon the Gardiners and other family members’ kindness.

“She needed to acknowledge that Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn was no more, and in her place was an impoverished young lady with a patchwork education and no prospects.”  (page 103 of ARC)

Reynolds clearly knows Pride & Prejudice very well, and while she does create alternative story lines for these characters, she never loses sight of their essence.  Darcy fights his desire to be with Lizzy, but finds himself drawn to her against his “better judgment,” and Lizzy falls for Darcy in spite of her misconceptions about him and their misunderstandings.  Meanwhile, new characters — like Lady Seaton — come on the scene to spice up the narrative and make it fresh.

Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds is a novel for Austen enthusiasts, and there are fewer stolen moments — those ones that defy common behaviors of the Regency period — between the lead characters than in previous variations.  Readers should be warned that not all is pleasant with the Bennets, particularly where Jane and Bingley are concerned and of course, there is the ever-impetuous Lydia.  Overall, another well written, cast, and lively variation from Reynolds.

***Thanks to Sourcebooks and Abigail Reynolds for sending me a copy of this book for review.***

This is my 8th book for the Jane Austen Challenge 2010.


This is my 4th book for the Everything Austen II Challenge.

Filed Under: ARC, challenges, everything austen challenge, fiction, Jane Austen Challenge 2010, Publishers/Publicists, Read in 2010, reviews, sourcebooks

Mailbox Monday #102

October 25, 2010 by

Mailbox Mondays (click the icon at the right to check out the tour) has gone on tour since Marcia at The Printed Page passed the torch.  This month our host is Avis of She Reads and Reads .  Kristi of The Story Siren continues to sponsor her In My Mailbox meme.  Both of these memes allow bloggers to share what books they receive in the mail or through other means over the past week.

Just be warned that these posts can increase your TBR piles and wish lists.

I really wouldn’t have had a Mailbox Monday to report this week if I had not visited the discount bookstore Wonder Book in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which simply put is a maze of older books from other people and remainders from books stores and more.  I also received two books in the mail.

Here’s what I received:

1. The Collected Tales of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, although this volume insists in the introduction that The Raven is a story and in the book, which are both incorrect statements.

2. Jane Austen Ruined my Life by Beth Pattillo, which I was happy to buy half off the listed price of $4.97 since some of the pages were falling out.

3. Everyman’s Poetry: The Brontes, which includes the poems of not only the sisters, but also their brother.

4. The Best of H.P. Lovecraft with an Introduction by Robert Bloch

5. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo for the Vietnam War Reading Challenge.

5. Nuremberg and Vietnam: An American Tragedy by Telford Taylor for the Vietnam War Reading Challenge.

6. Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic for the Vietnam War Reading Challenge.

7. Villette by Charlotte Bronte for the Brontes Challenge that I plan to extend through next year for myself.

8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen because my copy has been so well loved that it has fallen apart from the binding.

9. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris, which I won from Jo-Jo Loves to Read!!! which I can’t wait to read for the Reagan Arthur Challenge.

10. Heidegger’s Glasses by Thaisa Frank for a TLC Book Tour.

What did you receive in your mailbox?

Filed Under: mailbox monday

68th Virtual Poetry Circle

October 23, 2010 by


Welcome to the 68th Virtual Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

Continuing our exploration of Halloween poetry, we’re turning to a contemporary poet Paisley Rekdal:

Bats

unveil themselves in dark.
They hang, each a jagged,

silken sleeve, from moonlit rafters bright
as polished knives. They swim

the muddled air and keen
like supersonic babies, the sound

we imagine empty wombs might make
in women who can’t fill them up.

A clasp, a scratch, a sigh.
They drink fruit dry.

And wheel, against feverish light flung hard
upon their faces,

in circles that nauseate.
Imagine one at breast or neck,

Patterning a name in driblets of iodine
that spatter your skin stars.

They flutter, shake like mystics.
They materialize. Revelatory

as a stranger’s underthings found tossed
upon the marital bed, you tremble

even at the thought. Asleep,
you tear your fingers

and search the sheets all night.

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles. It’s never too late to join the discussion.

Filed Under: virtual poetry circle

What’s New at War Through the Generations?

October 21, 2010 by

First, I wanted to say thank you for all the support you’ve all given me since the passing of my grandfather.  It has helped.

Second, you may have noticed that I’ve only read 8 of the 11 books I had hoped to read for the Vietnam War Challenge at War Through the Generations, and that I haven’t posted a review for that challenge since July.   I hope to have some additional reviews for this challenge read by the end of the year, so stay tuned.

Third, there have been some reviews that I’ve neglected to post due to other obligations, but in the past week, Anna and I have been very diligent about pre-scheduling review snippets, book review links on the book reviews page, new books to the recommended reading list, and guest posts.  We hope to continue this trend through the end of the challenge.

In light of that, I wanted to draw everyone’s attention to a recent Vietnam War guest post from author Phyllis Zimbler Miller about where she was during the war.  We’d love to hear your thoughts about where you or your loved ones may have been during that time as well, so feel free to comment.

Thanks to everyone participating in the challenge for their patience and understanding about the lack of updates . . . it has been a rough year, and I take the blame for this one since the Vietnam War was supposed to be my year to take care of the updates.

Filed Under: announcements, Vietnam War Challenge 2010 Tagged With:

Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell

October 20, 2010 by

Jill Mansell‘s Take a Chance on Me is another romp in England with some outrageous characters from the chauffeur Cleo Quinn to teenager Georgia Summers.  Set in Channings Hill, Cleo has been unlucky in love for a long time, but she’s had dreams of meeting Mr. Right for a long time, so long as he meets her expectations set by her sister Abbie’s marriage to Tom.  Johnny LaVenture, a former classmate and now famous sculpture, was the closest to her dream boy until he asked her out on a bet in high school and ruined her impressions of him forever.

The drama in this novel is over the top, but engaging.  Each character is quirkier than the last, but each is endearing to readers in their own special way.  Cleo is often helping her friends find their true love while sitting on the sidelines, and for too much of the book, she seems to be the supporting character.  However, readers soon discover that she is the glue that holds this madcap bunch together and keeps them rolling.

“He was looking smarter than usual in a dark suit and with his habitually wayward black hair combed back from his forehead.  For a split second, he glanced to the left and their eyes met, prompting a Pavlovian jolt of resentment in her chest.  She couldn’t help it; old habits die hard.  Then Johnny looked away, carried on past, and took his place between his ancient aunts in the front pew.”  (page 3 of ARC)

Despite her disastrous love life, Cleo manages to help her DJ friend Ash snag his dream girl, repair her sister’s marriage, and help Johnny meet the needs of his aunt.  Mansell has a gift for witty dialogue and creating characters who are memorable and that you love to hate.  Georgia is forthright to a fault, and Fia fawns too heavily over Johnny, but eventually even these characters mellow and stabilize.  Another fun, quirky winner from Mansell.  Take a Chance on Me is more than a fun chicklit novel, dealing with not only promiscuity, alcoholism, shyness, and childhood trauma, but also finding oneself, learning to stand on your own, and learning to love without fear.

***Thanks to Sourcebooks and Jill Mansell for sending me a copy for review.***

Filed Under: ARC, chicklit, Publishers/Publicists, Read in 2010, reviews, sourcebooks Tagged With: ,

Mailbox Monday #101

October 18, 2010 by

Mailbox Mondays (click the icon at the right to check out the tour) has gone on tour since Marcia at The Printed Page passed the torch.  This month our host is Avis of She Reads and Reads.  Kristi of The Story Siren continues to sponsor her In My Mailbox meme.  Both of these memes allow bloggers to share what books they receive in the mail or through other means over the past week.

Just be warned that these posts can increase your TBR piles and wish lists.

Here’s what I received:

1.  Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning, which is the fourth book in the MacKayla Lane series.

2. The Cool Woman by John Aubrey Anderson for review and another one for the Vietnam War Reading Challenge.

What did you receive in your mailbox?

Filed Under: mailbox monday