Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Showcase The Nation of Plants by STEFANO MANCUSO Translated by GREGORY CONTI

Oh wow I've featured some very interesting reads from Other Press, my favorite indie but I think this one may take the cake, The Nation Of Plants by STEFANO MANCUSOa leading plant neurobiologist presents the eight fundamental pillars on which the life of plants—and by extension, humans—rests. 
I can't wait to dig into my copy. How about you?
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-1-63542-099-9
Publisher: OtherPress
Release Date: 3-30-2021
Length: 176pp
Source:
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:

In this playful yet informative manifesto, a leading plant neurobiologist presents the eight fundamental pillars on which the life of plants—and by extension, humans—rests.

Even if they behave as though they were, humans are not the masters of the Earth, but only one of its most irksome residents. From the moment of their arrival, about three hundred thousand years ago—nothing when compared to the history of life on our planet—humans have succeeded in changing the conditions of the planet so drastically as to make it a dangerous place for their own survival. The causes of this reckless behavior are in part inherent in their predatory nature, but they also depend on our total incomprehension of the rules that govern a community of living beings. We behave like children who wreak havoc, unaware of the significance of the things they are playing with.

In The Nation of Plants, the most important, widespread, and powerful nation on Earth finally gets to speak. Like attentive parents, plants, after making it possible for us to live, have come to our aid once again, giving us their rules: the first Universal Declaration of Rights of Living Beings written by the plants. A short charter based on the general principles that regulate the common life of plants, it establishes norms applicable to all living beings. Compared to our constitutions, which place humans at the center of the entire juridical reality, in conformity with an anthropocentricism that reduces to things all that is not human, plants offer us a revolution.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Review: Flight By Laura Griffin Texas Murder Files #2

Today I'm reviewing one of my all time favorite authors, and top fave in Romantic Suspense, Laura Griffin's latest #2 in her new Texas Murder Files series, Flight. Get ready for a rollercoaster ride.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13:  978-0593197349
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: 3-30-2021
Length: 336pp
Source: Author For Review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound


Overview:


One tenacious local detective can only get the help he needs from a former forensic photographer with a serial killer on the loose in the new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

When former forensic photographer Miranda Rhoads moves to the seaside town of Lost Beach, she's decided to make her living as a wildlife photographer and put crime scenes behind her. But her plans are quickly upended when one morning, she comes across a couple sleeping in a canoe, entwined in an embrace. Looking closer, she realizes the man and woman aren't asleep—they’ve been murdered.

Detective Joel Breda sets out to find answers--not only about the unidentified victims in the marshy death scene, but also about the aloof and beautiful photographer who seems to know more about his investigation than he does.

As they begin to unravel the motivation of a merciless serial killer, Miranda and Joel must race against the clock to make an arrest before the killer can find them first.


Monday, March 29, 2021

Sophia Rose Reviews: Quiet in her Bones by Nalini Singh

Happy Monday today Sophia Rose returns with Nalini Singh's latest stand alone thriller, Quiet in her Bones. Fans of her paranormal/fantasy novels who haven't yet tried this side of her writing need to get on board because this lady can really write a chilling thriller. Sophia Rose will tell you all about it.
Enjoy!

Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh

Domestic Thriller

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 2.23.21

Pages:  384

Rating: 4

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers: AmazonBarnes & NobleKobo

ADD TO: GoodReads


 

GoodReads Blurb:

In this gripping thriller set in New Zealand, New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes you into the twisted world of an exclusive cul-de-sac located on the edge of a sprawling forest.

My mother vanished ten years ago.
So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash.
Thief. Bitch. Criminal.
Now, she's back.
Her bones clothed in scarlet silk.


When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband.

But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that’s housed the same influential families for decades.

The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago.

Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he’s determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance…but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.

Even the dead aren’t allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.

Friday, March 26, 2021

#MacmillanAudio Review of - Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz narrated by Scott Brick

Today I'm reviewing the #MacmillanAudio edition of Prodigal Son, #6 in Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X series. I was new to the series so when Macmillan reached out and asked if I'd review it I had no idea it would become my new obsession. Now I have to go back to the beginning and learn all about how Evan got to be who he is today. If you're looking for a non-stop action packed edge of your seat read, Prodigal Son should definitely go on your wish list.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250787927
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 1-26-2021
Length: 13hours-43minutes
Source: Publisher for review
Buy It: Audible

Overview:

Forced into retirement, Evan Smoak gets an urgent request for help from someone he didn't even suspect existed—in Prodigal Son, the next New York Times bestselling Orphan X book from Gregg Hurwitz.

As a boy, Evan Smoak was pulled out of a foster home and trained in an off-the-books operation known as the Orphan Program. He was a government assassin, perhaps the best, known to a few insiders as Orphan X. He eventually broke with the Program and adopted a new name—The Nowhere Man—and a new mission, helping the most desperate in their times of trouble. But the highest power in the country has made him a tempting offer—in exchange for an unofficial pardon, he must stop his clandestine activities as The Nowhere Man. Now Evan has to do the one thing he’s least equipped to do—live a normal life.

But then he gets a call for help from the one person he never expected. A woman claiming to have given him up for adoption, a woman he never knew—his mother. Her unlikely request: help Andrew Duran—a man whose life has gone off the rails, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, bringing him to the deadly attention of very powerful figures. Now a brutal brother & sister assassination team are after him and with no one to turn to, and no safe place to hide, Evan is Duran’s only option. But when the hidden cabal catches on to what Evan is doing, everything he’s fought for is on the line—including his own life.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Sophia Rose Reviews Dearest Friends by Pamela Lynne, narrated by Brigid Lohrey

Today Sophia Rose reviews Dearest Friends, an Austen Inspired Romance.
Enjoy!


Dearest Friends by Pamela Lynne, narrated by Brigid Lohrey

#1 Austen-Inspired Romance

Historical Romance

Publisher:  Indie

Published:  1.7.21

ASIN: B08SBSS81W

Time:  14 hours 41 minutes

Rating: 4.5

Format: Audible

Source:  Author

Sellers:  Amazon / Audible

GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

The historical romance Dearest Friends retells Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a sensual adventure that will delight a modern audience. Fitzwilliam Darcy left Hertfordshire following a friend’s betrayal, but his heart remained with Elizabeth Bennet, the impertinent beauty who captured his attention in ways no woman ever had before. When he encounters her unexpectedly in London, he realizes he can no longer live without her and begins his pursuit for her hand. When he finds that Elizabeth is not free to marry, will he again walk away or will he fight for the lady he loves?

While Darcy and Elizabeth pursue their own happiness, around them friendships progress to love and infatuation leads to disappointment. Join a group of unlikely friends as they support our dear couple on their journey, each treading unique paths along the way.

**Contains Mature Content

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

#MacmillanAudio review of All Creatures Great and Small by James Harriot narrated by Nicholas Ralph

When Macmillan Audio offered me a review copy of  a new reprint of All Creatures Great and Small by James Harriot I said yes please because like millions of you I was enjoying season 1 on PBS when I learned that Nicholas Ralph, the actor playing James Harriot in the series was narrating I couldn't download it fast enough. I hope you enjoy my review and I hope it persuades you to get your own audio copy.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250796875
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 11-17-2020
Length: 15 hours-23 minutes
Source: Macmillan Audio for review
Buy It: Audible

Overview:

The classic multimillion copy bestseller

Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages.

Monday, March 22, 2021

Showcase Gathering Dark by Candice Fox a new release from Tor/Forge Books a Macmillan Imprint

Today I'm so exciting to be showcasing #1 NYT bestseller Candice Fox's latest standalone thriller  Gathering Dark. A convicted killer. A gifted thief. A vicious ganglord. A disillusioned cop. Together they’re a missing girl’s only hope.
My copy is high on my TBR shelf and I know after learning about it you'll want your own.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13:  9781250317636
Publisher: Tor/Forge
Release Date:
Length: 320pp
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:

Gathering Dark is a new standalone thriller set in Los Angeles from #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author Candice Fox.

Dr. Blair Harbour, once a wealthy, respected pediatric surgeon, is now an ex-con down on her luck. She’s determined to keep her nose clean and win back custody of her son. But when her former cellmate begs for help to find her missing daughter, Blair is compelled to put her new-found freedom on the line.
Detective Jessica Sanchez has always had a difficult relationship with the LAPD. And her inheritance of a multi-million dollar mansion as a reward for catching a killer has just made her police enemy number one.
It’s been ten years since Jessica arrested Blair for cold-blooded murder. So when Jessica opens the door to the disgraced doctor late one night she expects abuse, maybe even violence. What comes next is a plea for help…

Friday, March 19, 2021

Showcase - Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano an Oceanview Publishing new release

Today I'm showcasing another fantastic offer from Oceanview Publishing, Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano a chilling medical thriller. Stop by and check it out!
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-1608094165
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Release Date: 3-2-2021
Length:v320pp
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS


Overview:

Perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen

When her elderly patients start dying at home days after minor surgery, anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey wants to know why. The surgeon, not so much. “Old people die, that’s what they do,” is his response. When Kate presses, surgeon Charles Ricken places the blame squarely on her shoulders. Kate is currently on probation and the chief of staff sides with the surgeon, leaving Kate to prove her innocence and save her own career. With her husband in a prolonged coma, it’s all she has left.

Aided by her eccentric Great Aunt Irm, a precocious medical student, and the lawyer son of a victim, Kate launches her own unorthodox investigation of these unexpected deaths. As she comes closer to exposing the culprit’s identity, she faces professional intimidation, threats to her life, a home invasion, and, tragically, the suspicious death of someone close. The stakes escalate to the breaking point when Kate, under violent duress, is forced to choose which of her loved ones to save—and which must be sacrificed.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Sophia Rose reviews - An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

Today on the blog Sophia Rose is reviewing #6 in Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series, An Unexpected Peril. I so want to start this series especially after reading Sophia Rose's reviews now if I can just find the time, or maybe clone myself. 
Enjoy!

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

#6 Veronica Speedwell

Historical Mystery

Publisher: Berkley

Published: 3.2.21

Pages:  336

ASIN:  B089S7GYM7

Rating: 4.5

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers:  Amazon / Barnes & NobleKobo


ADD To: Goodreads  

 GoodReads Blurb:

A princess is missing, and a peace treaty is on the verge of collapse in this new Veronica Speedwell adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

January 1889. As the newest member of the Curiosity Club—an elite society of brilliant, intrepid women—Veronica Speedwell is excited to put her many skills to good use. As she assembles a memorial exhibition for pioneering mountain climber Alice Baker-Greene, Veronica discovers evidence that the recent death was not a tragic climbing accident but murder. Veronica and her natural historian beau, Stoker, tell the patron of the exhibit, Princess Gisela of Alpenwald, of their findings. With Europe on the verge of war, Gisela's chancellor, Count von Rechstein, does not want to make waves—and before Veronica and Stoker can figure out their next move, the princess disappears.

Having noted Veronica's resemblance to the princess, von Rechstein begs her to pose as Gisela for the sake of the peace treaty that brought the princess to England. Veronica reluctantly agrees to the scheme. She and Stoker must work together to keep the treaty intact while navigating unwelcome advances, assassination attempts, and Veronica's own family—the royalty who has never claimed her.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

#GIVEAWAY Happy 11th Blogoversary to Me



Eleven years ago today I started The Reading Frenzy holy cow time flies when you're having fun. 

I'm not going to bore you with all the things I've posted over the years I'm just going to get to the present opening part of the party 


and tell you that as a thank you for all of your loyalty for these last 11 years I'm giving away an $11.00 Amazon Gift Card US ONLY



Here's to another 11 great years of blogging!



Good Luck!!

Please Note you must comment to be eligible for the contest
Thank You!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Showcase - The Art of Wearing a Trench Coat by SERGI PÀMIES Translated by ADRIAN NATHAN WEST

Today I'm showcasing yet another wonderful book from afar released by my favorite Indie, Other Press, The Art of Wearing a Trench Coat by Sergi Pamies Translated by Adrian Nathan West. Inside you'll find 13 stories of life. My copy is high on my shelf and once you learn about this little gem I know you'll want your own copy too.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13:  978-1-63542-078-4
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 3-16-2021
Length: 128pp
Source: Publisher for Review
Buy It: Publisher/ Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview: 

A baker’s dozen of intertwined stories that brilliantly evoke the ups and downs of relationships between strangers, spouses, parents, and children.

Drawing on the author’s own experiences, this slim, intimate collection of thirteen stories explores myriad forms of love (and disappointment and nostalgia and panic) through a narrator who bemoans his inability to wear a trench coat well, like Humphrey Bogart and the other elegant men his mother taught him to admire. In these encounters and these endings, in these details and these feelings, a compassionate portrait of a life emerges.

Terse, droll, sometimes absurd but always lucid, Pàmies casts his gaze on the urge to write as seen through his mother’s final days; on his teenage fantasy that his father was actually Jorge Semprún; and on situations such as adopting a dog to staunch a failing marriage, or a father asked to play the part of a corpse in his son’s short film. In this phantasmagoria of failure and loss, Pàmies confronts us—pulling us in with his use of the second person—with the omnipresence of well-intentioned lies without which it might be impossible to ever make anyone else happy.

Monday, March 15, 2021

Showcase- Unwitting Accomplice by Sid Meltzer a Partners in Crime Virtual Tour

Unwitting Accomplice Banner

Unwitting Accomplice

by Sid Meltzer

March 1-31, 2021 Tour

Synopsis:

Unwitting Accomplice by Sid Meltzer

How can a homicide be prevented when it’s still only in some stranger’s head?

Kim Barbieri, a tough, street-smart New York City crime reporter unfazed by male egos and mangled bodies, is sent an anonymous note with a sinister message:

I intend to commit a murder

She doesn’t know who the killer is.

She doesn’t know who his victim will be.

She doesn’t know where, when and how he will strike.

But there is one thing she does know: If she doesn’t learn to think like a killer, someone’s going to get away with murder.

Kudos for Unwitting Accomplice:

"The tension builds page after page, chapter after chapter, between the psycho driven to kill and the reporter determined to stop him—ending with a surprise twist I just didn’t see coming. And I’m a thriller writer!" ~ Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire and A Man at Arms

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller
Published by: Rogue Phoenix Press
Publication Date: December 7, 2020
Number of Pages: 313
ISBN: 978-1-62420-579-8
Series: A Kim Barbieri Thriller
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Showcase-Strong Silent Cowboy by Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick a St. Martin's Press release

#1 NYT bestseller Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick partner again and bring fans #2 in their Moving Violations series, Strong Silent Cowboy. Leigh's novel should come with a warning, they can scorch the ink right off the page so be prepared to fan while reading.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250220097
Publisher:
Release Date: 03-09-2021
Length: 304pp
Moving Violations #2
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:


From #1 New York Times bestseller Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick comes a second chance at love and bodyguard romance Strong, Silent Cowboy, a Moving Violations novel.

“Leigh’s books can scorch the ink off the page.”—RT Book Review

He Will Do Anything…

Sallie Hamblen had three incredibly hot, sexy nights with Jacob Donovan, an undercover CIA agent, before he disappeared, leaving her broken hearted and forever yearning for the man she lost. Years later, Jacob doesn’t know that the beauty he’s about to seduce in a small town bar is the woman he held in his arms all those years ago… and that she’s on the run from her past.

To Keep Her Safe…

Former CIA agent turned cowboy, Jacob Donovan wants nothing more than a simple life. Just the ranch and occasionally someone warm and sweet in his bed. Until Sallie comes back into his life and all of a sudden he wants to be in her bed every night...all night. When he discovers that her life is in danger, he swears he’ll protect her. Even when secrets are revealed that threaten everything between them, he will lay everything on the line to keep her in his arms.

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Showcase- The Devil in her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne a St. Martin's Press release

Ah what woman doesn't want a devil in her bed, he he he, well Kerrigan Byrne's latest in her The Devil You Know series, The Devil in Her Bed, gives fans just that. Stop by and read an excerpt.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250318886
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 03-09-2021
Length: 368pp
Devil you Know #3
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:


The Devil in Her Bed is the third book in the stunning Devil You Know trilogy by USA Today bestselling author Kerrigan Byrne!

He lives in secret service to the Crown—a man of duty, deception, and an undeniable attraction to a woman who threatens to tear his whole world apart.

They call him the Devil of Dorset. He stands alone, a man of undeniable power. Moving in and out of shadows, back alleys and ballrooms, he is unstoppable and one of the Crown’s most dangerous weapons. However, when he sets his sights on the undeniably beautiful Countess of Mont Claire, Francesca Cavendish, he doesn’t realize that he has met a match like no other.

TRUE LOVE WEARS NO DISGUISE

Francesca is a countess by day and stalks her prey—those responsible for the death of her family—by night. What she does not expect is to be thrown into the path of the devil himself, the Earl of Devlin. She has secrets of her own and he seems determined to lay them bare. Can her heart survive finding the love of her life and losing him when all is revealed?

“Romantic, lush, and suspenseful.”—New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Enoch

Monday, March 8, 2021

#GIVEAWAY Showcase The Turncoat's Widow by Mally Becker Banner a Partners In Crime Virtual Tour



Today I'm showcasing The Turncoat's Widow by Mally Becker Banner sponsored by the best blog tours out there #PartnersInCrime Virtual Blog Tours
Enjoy!

The Turncoat's Widow by Mally Becker Banner

The Turncoat's Widow

by Mally Becker

February 22 - March 19, 2021 Tour

Synopsis:

The Turncoat's Widow by Mally Becker

Recently widowed, Rebecca Parcell is too busy struggling to maintain her farm in Morristown to care who wins the War for Independence. But rumors are spreading in 1780 that she’s a Loyalist sympathizer who betrayed her husband to the British—quite a tidy way to end her disastrous marriage, the village gossips whisper.

Everyone knows that her husband was a Patriot, a hero who died aboard a British prison ship moored in New York Harbor. But “everyone” is wrong. Parcell was a British spy, and General Washington – who spent two winters in Morristown – can prove it. He swears he’ll safeguard Becca’s farm if she unravels her husband’s secrets. With a mob ready to exile her or worse in the winter of 1780, it’s an offer she can’t refuse.

Escaped British prisoner of war Daniel Alloway was the last person to see Becca’s husband alive, and Washington throws this unlikely couple together on an espionage mission to British-occupied New York City. Moving from glittering balls to an underworld of brothels and prisons, Becca and Daniel uncover a plot that threatens the new country’s future. But will they move quickly enough to warn General Washington? And can Becca, who’s lost almost everyone she loves, fight her growing attraction to Daniel, a man who always moves on?

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Sophia Rose Reviews- 10-Minute Stretching: Simple Exercises to Build Flexibility into Your Daily Routine by Hilery Hutchinson

Today once again I welcome my friend Sophia Rose to the blog to share a review that frankly is very timely because I don't know about you but I've found that I really stress out over things more since being cooped up and I cope with it by cooking baking and eating when I should be stretching.
Enjoy!


10-Minute Stretching: Simple Exercises to Build Flexibility into Your Daily Routine by Hilery Hutchinson

Non Fiction, Health
Publisher:  Rockridge Press
Published:  1.19.21
Pages:  225
ASIN:  B08SB7986X
Rating: 5
Format:  eARC
Source:  Callisto Publishing

Sellers: Amazon

Add To: GoodReads 

 

GoodReads Blurb:

Fit stretching exercises into your day with easy 10-minute routines

Discover how easy it is to improve your flexibility, reduce pain, and eliminate stress with just a few minutes of stretching every day. This illustrated guide provides you with essential stretches and simple routines for increasing your range of motion, supplementing physical therapy, and more.

Featuring 60 individual stretches for your neck, feet, and everything in between, the detailed instructions and informative images in this book give you everything you need to incorporate stretching into your life. You’ll also find insight into how to develop short, multi-muscle routines for everyday living, exercise, and even injury recovery.

This collection of stretching exercises includes:

**Stretches for the whole body―Practice a variety of stretching exercises that target nine critical muscle groups, from head turns and cross-body stretches to hurdler’s stretches and towel pulls.
**10-Minute routines―Improve the effectiveness of your stretching and make it easy to stick with thanks to 35 short routines you can do virtually anywhere.
**Clear guidance―Find the exact stretches and routines you need fast thanks to chapters focused on specific muscle groups.

Keep yourself fit and flexible with this guide to simple and effective stretching exercises.

 

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Showcase An I-Novel by Minae Mizumura A Columbia University Press release

Today I'm featuring another incredible release from Columbia University Press once you read all about it I know you'll want your own copy. Mine is high on my TBR shelf.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9780231192132
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Release Date: 3-2-2021
Length: 344pp
Buy It: Publisher/Amazon/B&N/IndieBound


ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:


Minae Mizumura’s An I-Novel is a semi-autobiographical work that takes place over the course of a single day in the 1980s. Minae is a Japanese expatriate graduate student who has lived in the United States for two decades but turned her back on the English language and American culture. After a phone call from her older sister reminds her that it is the twentieth anniversary of their family’s arrival in New York, she spends the day reflecting in solitude and over the phone with her sister about their life in the United States, trying to break the news that she has decided to go back to Japan and become a writer in her mother tongue.

Published in 1995, this formally daring novel radically broke with Japanese literary tradition. It liberally incorporated English words and phrases, and the entire text was printed horizontally, to be read from left to right, rather than vertically and from right to left. In a luminous meditation on how a person becomes a writer, Mizumura transforms the “I-novel,” a Japanese confessional genre that toys with fictionalization. An I-Novel tells the story of two sisters while taking up urgent questions of identity, race, and language. Above all, it considers what it means to write in the era of the hegemony of English—and what it means to be a writer of Japanese in particular. Juliet Winters Carpenter masterfully renders a novel that once appeared untranslatable into English.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Harper Audio Review- Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig narrated by Julie Whelan

Today it is my great privilege to present my #Harper Audio review of Band of Sisters,  the latest historical novel by one of the best in the genre Lauren Willig.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9780063070332
Publisher: Harper Audio
Release Date: 3-2-2021
Length: 958 minutes 
Source: Netgalley for review
Buy It: Audible/B&N/GooglePlay

Overview:


“With heart and humor, Willig explores the complexities of female friendships—feuds, forgiveness, and all. A touching portrait of triumph and found family in the midst of war. Bravo!”—Stephanie Dray, New York Times Bestselling author of America's First Daughter & The Women of Chateau Lafayette

A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story—a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network—from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig.

A scholarship girl from Brooklyn, Kate Moran thought she found a place among Smith’s Mayflower descendants, only to have her illusions dashed the summer after graduation. When charismatic alumna Betsy Rutherford delivers a rousing speech at the Smith College Club in April of 1917, looking for volunteers to help French civilians decimated by the German war machine, Kate is too busy earning her living to even think of taking up the call. But when her former best friend Emmeline Van Alden reaches out and begs her to take the place of a girl who had to drop out, Kate reluctantly agrees to join the new Smith College Relief Unit.

Four months later, Kate and seventeen other Smithies, including two trailblazing female doctors, set sail for France. The volunteers are armed with money, supplies, and good intentions—all of which immediately go astray. The chateau that was to be their headquarters is a half-burnt ruin. The villagers they meet are in desperate straits: women and children huddling in damp cellars, their crops destroyed and their wells poisoned.

Despite constant shelling from the Germans, French bureaucracy, and the threat of being ousted by the British army, the Smith volunteers bring welcome aid—and hope—to the region. But can they survive their own differences? As they cope with the hardships and terrors of the war, Kate and her colleagues find themselves navigating old rivalries and new betrayals which threaten the very existence of the Unit.

With the Germans threatening to break through the lines, can the Smith Unit pull together and be truly a band of sisters?