Sunday Post / It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

HAPPENING NOW

GIVEAWAY for a copy of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell- enter to win here (US residents only). Good luck!

This has been an interesting week. Been very busy with two concerts for my daughter- orchestra and band. She did great and we are very proud of her. Lots of other stuff going on too so I didn't get much reading time in this week. No reviews from me, but I'm happy to report my oldest daughter has posted a guest review- you can find that here. She reviewed Twice Upon A Time: Rapunzel by Wendy Mass and I think she did great. She did all the writing, I just made a few suggestion and edited lightly- let us know what you think in the comments.

Congratulations to Melodi LadyRuger Mance for winning a SIGNED copy of Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. Hope you enjoy the book Melodi!



AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE

Some good stuff from io9 this week. Check out the following discussions:

Why is JJ Abrams replacing the writer of Star Wars Episode VII? This could be good or it could be bad. I'm not sure about JJ Abrams being involved in this movie but Lawrence Kasdan- thats more comforting. He was involved with The Empire Strikes Back so maybe he knows what he's doing. Really though- I have a very bad feeling about this.

Divergent movie- a visit to the set, with pics and lots of details of filming. If you're into this movie, check it out!

Who remembers Tom Swift? The comments are where it's at here.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie details.

The greatest chase in scifi/ fantasy? Loads of choices here, and hilarious comments.

And elsewhere...

Exploding pumpkins. Maybe don't try this at home kiddies.

So how was your week?

Guest Post Review: Twice Upon A Time: Rapunzel

Today I've got a guest post review by M, the daughter of Book Haven. M is 11 years old and is an avid reader, as is her sister. They both plow through books like nobody's business! They have also become very interested in this blogging thing, so when they breezily suggested they have their own blogs we decided to start with a guest post or two. So here is M's take on the book she just finished- we hope you enjoy the review! 

Twice Upon A Time: Rapunzel by Wendy Mass was a very good book. The main characters are Rapunzel, Prince Benjamin, Prince Elkin, and Andrew the page. The book was written in two perspectives- Rapunzel's and Benjamin's. Rapunzel was whisked away by a witch on her twelfth birthday. She was taken to a tower in the woods, where she had only the bare necessities. She learned things she never knew about herself and her family at the same time. She was afraid, too, because she could hear heavy breathing at night, and it was not hers! 

Prince Benjamin lived with his mum, father and sister Annabelle who was 3 years old. Benjamin was easy to relate to, I learned a lot about his life in the book. His cousin, Prince Elkin, was staying with them, and he always seemed to get the boys in trouble. Benjamin became friends with Andrew, who wished to become a knight. Andrew has heard many amazing stories, and he gets Benjamin and Elkin involved in a very interesting and dangerous rumor about a cave, a treasure and a troll!

Prince Elkin loved to make mischief. He made Benjamin go to a party with him- the only problem was they were not supposed to be there! While at the party, the two princes learned unbelievable news about Annabelle! Even though he was very annoying, Prince Elkin was helpful when Prince Benjamin was trying to rescue Rapunzel. 

Rapunzel was very well laid out, and it was easy to imagine what she was going through. There were some very funny parts in this book. The characters were well written and often quite humorous. Kids 9-14 would probably enjoy this book very much!

From Goodreads: 
  

The girl's stuck in a tower. The boy's stuck in a castle. There are two sides to every story....
Rapunzel is having the ultimate bad day. She's been stolen by a witch, may have a ghost for a roommate, and doesn't even have a decent brush for her hair.
Prince Benjamin's got it pretty tough, too. His father wants him to be more kingly, his mother wants him to never leave her sight, and his cousin wants to get him into as much trouble as possible (possibly with a troll).
Both Rapunzel and Prince Benjamin are trapped--in very different ways. Once their paths cross, well, that's when things get really strange.
Journey back to the days when fairy tales were true with this fun and fresh spin on a timeless tale!

Giveaway: Fangirl

I have a brand new copy of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell for giveaway (US residents only). The book has been getting a lot of good reviews, and I enjoyed it also. My review is here. Enter below for a chance to win and good luck!

From Goodreads:

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? 


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Sunday Post / It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

HAPPENING NOW 

Interview/ Giveaway with Jessica Brockmole. Jessica was kind enough to stop by and talk about her novel Letters from Skye. There's also a giveaway for a signed copy of Letters from Skye- check it out!

Interview & Giveaway with Jessica Brockmole- Author of Letters from Skye

Today I'm pleased to welcome Jessica Brockmole to the blog to discuss her novel Letters from Skye. There is also a giveaway (US residents) for a signed copy of the book from Jessica. Letters from Skye is a love story told in letters and has been garnering lots of attention. I thought it was a great read. See my review here.

                                                                  INTERVIEW

What inspired you to write Letters from Skye?

At the time that I wrote Letters from Skye, I had just moved to Scotland with my husband and children. I was across an ocean from friends and family, without either a webcam or the budget for (very) long distance phone calls. We all had to transition into communicating more often through the written word. As a writer, I found this fascinating, to see just how much we had to put into our correspondence, how much more was said beyond the words on the page. In the past, when families or lovers were separated, sometimes those letters were all that existed to hold them together. I wanted to explore this in a book.

In this day and age of modern communication, letter writing almost seems like a lost art. Was this story always going to be told in letters, and was it particularly challenging to do so? 

Yes, it was always going to be told through letters. I wanted to try to tell a story in nothing but letters, to see how a relationship could unfold on the page and how, with only stamps and envelopes, it could be maintained.

The writing itself came easily, the getting to know these characters and their stories through their own words. In the revision process, though, when I really had to take a closer look at my structure, I understood the limits of the epistolary style.  I had to be careful to balance the accuracy of the format with the readability of a novel. Bits of dialogue had to be worked in naturally and descriptions had to be sparing. I found this particularly challenging in the letters recounting the times that Elspeth and David were together. It wasn’t a natural thing for them to write about without a clunky, “Do you remember when we…” structure, but I had to get that information across to the reader, preferably without bringing in a third correspondent. My solution was to give each character differing perspectives on the meeting, giving them something to discuss on the page after the fact.

The relationship between Elspeth and David was the heart of the story but towards the end I was really rooting for Margaret to find happiness as well. Was there a character that you enjoyed writing the most, or that surprised you?

I’m quite in love with Elspeth (and we don’t need to tell my husband about my crush on a certain fictional ambulance driver), but my favorite character has to be Finlay. He’s so emotionally complex, and he gives up his story so reluctantly and sparingly throughout the novel. He’s the character who I think, most of all, has more to tell us. Interestingly enough, he was a fairly late addition to the novel. I needed a correspondent to fill in some gaps for Margaret, to offer her information that none of the other characters could. He also ended up providing a much-needed outside view of Elspeth and her relationship with David. As eleventh hour as his appearance was, I can’t imagine the book without him.

Was it a challenge researching this book, set as it is during both World War I and World War II? Did you find anything surprising about the time period that affected the story?

Writing this did involve a lot of research, not only historical but also linguistic and epistolary, but honestly none of it felt like work. These are eras of history that I’m particularly interested in and the reading was fascinating.

The American Ambulance Field Service and their volunteer work for the French army early in WWI was something new to me. We tend to hear more about later ambulance work, with the Red Cross or the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and the famous names associated with that (Hemingway, Dos Passos, Walt Disney). The Field Service, though, especially at the beginning of the war, was full of thrill-seeking, opinionated college boys—a perfect fit for my David. I loved learning about its development, its enthusiasm, and its volunteers.

I also learned a lot about Edinburgh during WWII that surprised me. Despite knowing that the city was across the Firth from a naval dockyard, I didn’t know it had been subject to so many air attacks during the war. Now when I say “so many,” I’m speaking relatively, as it never came close to the frequency seen in London or even Glasgow, but Edinburgh had the somewhat dubious distinction of being the site of the very first and the very last enemy air attack on mainland Britain during the war. Edinburgh had the misfortune to lie along the flight path between Glasgow and Germany, and many bombs left over from attacks on Glaswegian shipyards were offloaded over Edinburgh to lighten the flight home. I’m sure it didn’t make the residents of Edinburgh feel any better to know that it “wasn’t personal.”

The Isle of Skye almost seems like another character in the story at times, with its rugged beauty and stark landscapes. Is there a particular place on the Isle of Skye that was inspiring to you, or that influenced the story?

The setting was inspired by a little family getaway that we took up to Skye after our first year in Scotland. After the bustle of the city, the island felt like a refuge. We chased rainbows, we walked barefooted along the rocky beach, we hunted for fairies through the heather. I was completely taken in by the poetry and almost otherworldliness of the landscape. I could see how a person could live on Skye and never want to leave, how it can be such a part of their soul that their very personality is shaped by the island. From this the character of Elspeth was born, a poet inspired by her surroundings, who could never imagine stepping foot off the island. But she could see the mainland from the shore and, with that, she couldn’t help but wonder what else might be out there in the world.

Did you always know how the story would end, or did it gradually develop?

I knew how it would end. And, to tell the truth, that was about all that I knew when I started writing it! The rest of the story developed from that ending. How would their relationship develop to get them where I needed them to be? How would Elspeth’s life unfold? Who else would she need with her on this journey? I’ve probably read it a hundred times, but that ending, it still gets me every time!

Can you tell us anything about your next project? Will it be epistolary as well?

My next project is also set during WWI, centered around another pair of lovers separated by the war. A Scottish and a French artist in war-torn Paris yearn for a shared, but long lost, summer of innocence. Though it’s not epistolary, I couldn’t resist putting a fair number of letters throughout. It’s just such an organic, comfortable way to get to know a character.

Where can readers find you online?

You can find me at my website www.jabrockmole.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jessicabrockmoleauthor, and on Twitter at @jabrockmole. I have the most fun on Twitter, sharing whatever fun and fascinating history I come across that day. I’d love to connect with you!

Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to do this!   

Thank you so much for inviting me, Greg!

                                                               GIVEAWAY 
                                                   

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Feature and Follow Friday # 8

Feature and Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This is a blog hop designed to increase followers and make new friends.

This week's question: What are some of your favorite magazines?

I don't read magazines as much as I used to, but these are a few I like to read.

Traverse magazine is the magazine of northern Michigan, including Traverse City 

Review: A Poisoned Season

A Poisoned Season is the second book in the Lady Emily series from Tasha Alexander. Emily Ashton is recently widowed and settling into London society after coming out of mourning. She is joined by her friend, the always entertaining Cecile from Paris, on an extended visit. It is the start of the London Season and this means an endless succession of parties and social events. The news around town is about a man claiming to be a descendant of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, who is making the rounds of society and plans to reclaim the French throne. Not only that, but a daring cat burglar is on the loose, striking fear into the aristocracy and pilfering items related to the old French royal family.

Things really get interesting when the cat burglar develops an interest in Emily. He sends her notes and even breaks into her home at one point. When a murder occurs that could be linked to these events, Emily finds herself drawn into danger and intrigue. And of course there is the matter of her continuing romance with Colin Hargreaves, the dashing gentleman who takes on special missions for the crown.

There is a lot going on in this story. Emily tries to solve the murder mystery and also plays cat and mouse with her mysterious secret admirer. Her friend Ivy suspects her husband is having an affair, and to top it off Emily finds herself the victim of vicious rumors and a scandal that could tarnish her reputation. Will she survive the game, and even if she does will her good name be ruined?

Alexander weaves these various subplots throughout the story effectively, drawing it all together and keeping the story flowing. However the dialogue is the real strength of this story, it feels spot-on and is often quite humorous. The exchanges between Emily and Colin play up the romantic tension in their relationship- Colin proposed to Emily at the end of the first book, but she has not accepted yet. There is no doubt she loves him, but she is fiercely independent and wants to live on her own terms, not by the strict rules of Victorian society. Her struggle to reconcile this with her feelings for Colin is one of the highlights of the book. Things get really interesting when Colin proposes a wager- if Emily discovers her admirers' identity before the end of Season, he will travel to Greece with her in the fall; but if she does not, she agrees to marry him. Emily enthusiastically agrees, and the game is on.

The only real issue I had with this story was the identity of the killer- I thought it was a little farfetched when it was revealed. The motivation is there, it just seemed a little implausible that the person in question would take it that far. Other than that, its a fun mystery with twists and turns and a little historical intrigue thrown in for good measure. The book, while part of a series, can be read as a standalone. The first book, And Only To Deceive, introduces the reader to Emily and her supporting cast, and we see the beginning of Emily and Colin's courtship, but its not necessary to enjoy this book. Recommended for those who like historical fiction and for anyone who likes stories set in the Victorian era.

From Goodreads:

London's social season is in full swing, and Victorian aristocracy is atwitter over a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Adding to their fascination with all things French, an audacious cat burglar is systematically stealing valuable items that once belonged to the ill–fated queen.

But things take a dark turn. The owner of one of the pilfered treasures is found murdered after the theft is reported in the newspapers, and the mysterious thief develops a twisted obsession with Lady Emily Ashton. It takes all of Lady Emily's wit and perseverance to unmask her stalker and ferret out the murderer, while faced with a brewing scandal that threatens both her reputation and her romance with the dashing Colin Hargreaves.