The Year of Mysterious Giveaways (April)

The Year of Mysterious Giveaways

Welcome to another month of mysterious giveaways. I am very excited to share with you all this month's fabulous selection.

Belinda Bauer's Blacklands was a book I reviewed over a year ago. It still haunts me! This is for fans of psychological thrillers. I need to stress that. It is NOT for the faint of heart or someone looking for a cozy read or a neatly tied up ending. No siree. This one will leave you hanging, a bit upset but still enthralled. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy of Blacklands to give away.

Check out the description from the publisher's website.

EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO, Billy Peters disappeared. Everyone in town believes Billy was murdered—after all, serial killer Arnold Avery later admitted killing six other children and burying them on the same desolate moor that surrounds their small English village. Only Billy's mother is convinced he is alive. She still stands lonely guard at the front window of her home, waiting for her son to return, while her remaining family fragments around her.

But her twelve-year-old grandson Steven is determined to heal the cracks that gape between his nan, his mother, his brother, and himself. Steven desperately wants to bring his family closure, and if that means personally finding his uncle's corpse, he'll do it.

Spending his spare time digging holes all over the moor in the hope of turning up a body is a long shot, but at least it gives his life purpose.

Then at school, when the lesson turns to letter writing, Steven has a flash of inspiration . . . Careful to hide his identity, he secretly pens a letter to Avery in jail asking for help in finding the body of "W.P."—William "Billy" Peters.

So begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game.

Just as Steven tries to use Avery to pinpoint the gravesite, so Avery misdirects and teases his mysterious correspondent in order to relive his heinous crimes. And when Avery finally realizes that the letters he's receiving are from a twelve-year-old boy, suddenly his life has purpose too.

Although his is far more dangerous . . .

Right? A little edgy, I'd say. Here's my review if you want to check it out before entering. I was really surprised and quite intrigued to find out that the author had another book coming out! Darkside comes out in May and I do not have a copy of THAT to give away but it will give you something to look forward to if you like Blacklands.

Here is a description of Darkside from the publisher's website as well.

In bleak midwinter, the people of Shipcott are shocked by the murder of an elderly woman in her bed. As snow cuts off the village, local policeman Jonas Holly is torn between catching a brutal killer and protecting his vulnerable wife, Lucy.

When the inquiry is commandeered by an abrasive senior detective, Jonas finds himself derided by his colleagues and ashamed to admit to Lucy that he's been sidelined. It seems his first murder investigation may be over before it's begun. But when he receives a series of increasingly sinister anonymous notes, Jonas is thrust back into the center of the case. Someone in the village is taunting him, blaming him for the tragedy. Someone thinks he's not doing his job; someone seems to know every move he makes. And soon Jonas has to ask: Who's hunting who?

Author's Website

Contest rules are:

* Follow my blog

* Leave an email address

* Reside in United States

* Answer "Do you have a favorite "type" of mystery?"

My favorite is a tie between suspense and psychological. I like the twists and turns of a suspense thriller but I also really enjoy the "extraoridinary" happening to the "ordinary" aspect of psychological mysteries.

Contest runs from April 4-April 29!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Loosely Bound: Tales of My Literary Life (3)

Books and Baseball

So, what do books and baseball have to do with one another? Nothing really except I LOVE them both! And today is the season opener and I can't wait! In celebration, my husband took this cheesy picture of me with my Minnesota Twins hat on!

Hoot! Hoot! Can't wait! And due to the fact that this is the second year for our lovely new stadium, tickets are hard to come by. I managed to get a few. My dad even managed to get a game against the Yankees, the team I love to hate!

Suck it, Jeter! (oh, wait, sorry that was inappropriate!) HA! I get a little gruff when it comes to baseball. I cuss like a sailor and swig beer like there's no tomorrow. Surprised? Most people are. It's like the red headed evil child comes out!

Anyhoo...

This month's post from my Literary Life will not be all about baseball because really, do you come here to read about that?! Doubt it.

Nope, this month's posts is about Author Events and how I love them. Call them whatever you like; Autograph signings, Book Signings, Author Tours, whatever. I tend to go back to my bookstore days of WORKING them, so I call them Author Events.

I have been to a fair amount thoughout the years and some have been inspring and some have fallen flat. You know the feeling? You gear up for meeting the person behind the wonderful words you like to read and they have the personality of a cardbox box. It's happened a few times but nothing horrible really to divulge. Just a tad bit disappointing.

For instance, I LOVE The Time Traveler's Wife and when I saw Audrey Niffennegger at a Library event some years back I was so excited. Unfortunately, she seemed a bit shy and awkward speaking in front of a crowd and it was hard to hear her most of the time. I dare say, it was a bit boring. Still love her and her books though, just not a very jazzy event.

The gems I have been able to see stick in my mind; Kate DiCamillo, Chuck Palahniuk, Jodi Picoult and most recently, last night actually, Joyce Carol Oates.

Joyce Carol Oates spoke at our Central Library in downtown Minneapolis as part of the Talk of the Stacks program. It's a library hosted program that features various acclaimed authors, reading and answering questions about their work.

Well, I rushed from my own library job to downtown thinking I had plenty of time but my friend was furiously texting me to hurry because she couldn't save seats for too long. It sold out in a matter of five minutes and the open auditorium was closed when I got there. So I had to sit in the small over flow room and watch her on a screen. Oh well! I made friends and even handed out a business card to my site.

This event apparently was the largest ever with over 600 people in attendance. AMAZING!

Go books! Go authors! I love that when it happens.

For those of you who don't know Joyce Carol Oates, she is an amazing author of over 50 novels. She was reading from her newest book, her memoir A Widow's Story.

It is the story of losing her husband of 46 years back in 2008 and the grieving process that she went through. Though I haven't read it, she was powerful in her reading of some of the chapters.

I felt her emotion, her anguish, her craziness.

As I said before, when you are a fan of an author and get to see them in person, you really hope that they speak and act in the way in which they write.

She certainly did. She had an awkward elegance that comes from living a life in your head. She was careful with her speech and the words she chose to explain an event. I could tell she was extraordinarily smart and aware. She was amazing to listen to.

These are the novels I have read by her and I am certainly going to continue to read her.

The Falls, The Gravedigger's Daughter, Man Crazy, and Foxfire.

Author Events are such an important piece of my literary life. I really try to get to them when I can. I am fortunate to live in a city that is host to wonderful literary events all year round. Luckily most of them are free and that helps. It's important to support that piece of the book business. Showing your support to an author is a strong sign to the publisher that they are loved and in demand. And it shows to the author that their craft is appreciated.

Next up, my friend Dawn and I will be seeing Lisa See,

author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

How about all of you? Have you had the chance to see your favorite author? Or just seen any great Authors in person?

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Thieves of Darkness by Richard Doetsch winner!

Another winner has been chosen in The Year of Mysterious Giveaways. For March I had

The Thieves of Darkness by Richard Doetsch to give away and

DarcyO is the winner!

Winner has 48 hours to respond! Thanks to all of those who signed up!

Thank you again to the publisher for supplying a copy to give away!

Stay tuned next week for April's pick.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum (review #116)

Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum

Gallery Books (Simon and Schuster)- Fiction

978-1-4391-5689-6 - $15.00

A unique title for a unique book. Top it off with a beautiful cover and you got a winner to recommend. Though compared to The Poisonwood Bible, Amaryllis in Blueberry has its own very strong voice.

From the publisher's website:

Meet the Slepys: Dick, the stern doctor, the naÏve husband, a man devoted to both facts and faith; Seena, the storyteller, the restless wife, a mother of four, a lover of myth. And their children, the Marys: Mary Grace, the devastating beauty; Mary Tessa, the insistent inquisitor; Mary Catherine, the saintly, lost soul; and finally, Amaryllis, Seena's unspoken favorite, born with the mystifying ability to sense the future, touch the past, and distinguish the truth tellers from the most convincing liar of all. When Dick insists his family move from Michigan to the unfamiliar world of Africa for missionary work, he can't possibly foresee how this new land and its people will entrance and change his daughters—and himself—forever. Nor can he predict how Africa will spur his wife Seena toward an old but unforgotten obsession. In fact, Seena may be falling into a trance of her own. . . .

There are a lot of books out there that write about families and I have indeed read a fair amount of them. I can say that the Slepy family was certainly one of the more upsetting bunch of individuals to read about. The father, Dick, right out of the gate was not a likable character to me. It is explained early on how he became obsessed with Seena and insisted on calling her by her birth name, Christina. Their courting was quick and soon their family had started. He had ambition but it masked with his need for perfection and control. His faith seemed strong though to me it felt like a sham. Not my cup of tea, this man.

Seena, I went back and forth on. At times I could feel how trapped she was and I felt for her. But then there are other times when she was so absent and in her own head, that I wanted to shake her and remind her that she had children to raise. She was obviously an educated woman, and throughout the book, she speaks of Greek mythology and history and how it pertains to her life. She was a mixed bag and overall, intriguing to read about.

The four girls were all so brilliantly different and could each have their own book written about them. It wasn't a long novel, 360 some pages. Their characters were explored though bits at a time. Once they get to Africa, Grace and Catherine take a bit more a center stage. Catherine begins to fast and almost dies. Grace, being the wild one of the bunch, discovers she is with child from her tryst with a local boy back home (a tiny spoiler) and is offered marriage by an African man. The same African man that Catherine has fallen for and so begins their battle.

Tessa explores Africa with a young African boy and Amaryllis follows behind, much like their routine back home in Michigan. Tessa is curious but watchful and at times begrudgingly watches over her younger sister.

I liked Amaryllis. I wanted to care for her. She got a lot attention but it never seemed to be the right kind. I felt she was searching and I wanted her to be cared for.

That's just the mother in me, I guess.

The reader finds out in the beginning that Dick is murdered and Seena is on trial. Throughout the book you get a bit more of Amaryllis' story, when she tells of the "after", after her father was killed. Her and Seena both have their own parts told like that. The rest of the book is five parts going back and forth in time from Michigan to life in Africa.

Rating: 5/6 stars

It was heavy book but I could not let it go. It pushed me along to the end. It was written beautifully and the characters, though at times I wish had more time to develop, were written carefully enough that I felt invested in them. I recommend this novel for fans of serious fiction, especially lovers of Barbara Kingsolver.

Along with the well written characters, you also get a richly described Africa. I felt the fear they all had in the amount of diseases you could get there; the care in boiling the water, surviving the heat and the bugs, and the claustrophobic attention they received from the locals. I was tense reading some of those parts and certainly felt their discomfort.

Book Club Pick?

Yes, without a doubt. This novel explores so many topics; marriage, faith, infidelity, American culture vs. African culture, obligation, desire and survival.

Book clubs will be buzzing.

Author Info:

Christina Meldrum

Places to Purchase:

Shop Indie

Borders

Barnes and Noble

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (review#115)

The Postmistress

by Sarah Blake

Genre: Historical and Women's Fiction

Publisher: Berkley

The Postmistress has been one of those titles that has been floating around the blogosphere for a little while now. It definitely has been on my radar.

I have read a few reviews some time ago, before I had agreed to review it, and they have been both favorable and not so.

When I got the opportunity to review it, I knew I had to give it a go. And after completion, I am glad I did. I seem to remember reading Grange House, the first novel by Sarah Blake, a long time ago but I couldn't tell you what it was about from memory. I remember being some what intrigued by the gothic story line of it all and that's about it.

The Postmistress is a bit different from her first book. Set in 1940, both in a small coastal town in Massachusetts and in London, it focuses on the lives of three very different women.

Iris is an older woman who holds the position of Postmistress or as she calls it the Postmaster position in the town of Franklin, MA. She is smart, a bit serious, somewhat guarded but clear in her role in her job and well received in the community.

Emma is the young new wife of Franklin's new doctor, Will. Orphaned as a child, she holds deep rooted feelings about being alone, being left and being invisible. Will changes that and makes her feel alive and connected to life in a way she hasn't felt.

Frankie is the quick witted, ballsy war reporter based in London. Working along side Ed Murrow, her job is to tell the world what is really happening in those early years of the war.

These women collide in a somewhat fractured but thought out story. It seems to fall to Will, Emma's husband that starts it all. Will decides he needs to go to London to help the war victims. He gives Iris a letter to give to Emma if he does not return alive. Will runs into Frankie in London while hiding out in a bomb shelter. What happens there is the climax, I guess, of the book and ultimately what cements the women's lives together.

That's the basic story in a nutshell and overall, I was engaged enough to continue reading. It seemed to fall pretty heavily on Frankie and a lot of her experiences getting out into the thick of it and reporting the war news. At times, this got a little heavy handed and seemed to get away from the story as a whole. I liked the parts with Iris and Emma and their small town. Iris had her love story with Harry, the older man who sat on top of his roof looking out for German tanks. Emma had her side story when she discovers she's pregnant and pines for her husband to come home.

I find the time period around World War 2 to be fascinating and tragic at the same time. I liked that Frankie was trying to bring it home to the whole world that was listening that war was indeed upon us all. I was intrigued that in Franklin, Iris and her community didn't seem to feel affected.

The author did portray those differences in geography quite well.

This was a quiet, somber read. I was expecting a bit more surprises but overall I was pleased enough with it to continue reading. The ending had enough of what I needed for the story to wrap up. It was matter of fact but still bittersweet.

Rating: 4/6

I do recommend this book for fans of any women's fiction, even those who like historical fiction. It does go into the politics and the war with Frankie's portion but it also has some powerful love stories and strong female characters. I can't say that I would passionately recommend this but I do think it has a strong enough story and well written characters, that it deserves a readership.

Book Club Pick?

Yes, I think this book would be a perfect fit for book clubs exactly. It has that blend of women's roles, history, love, marriage and loss. I think it has enough going on in it to generate a good discussion. I, for one, am passing it along to my mom who I think would love it.

Author Website:

Sarah Blake

Thank you to TLC Book Tours. Please join in on the rest of the stops.

Monday, February 28th: The Literate Housewife Review

Tuesday, March 1st: You’ve GOTTA Read This!

Thursday, March 3rd: Amusing Reviews

Friday, March 4th: Musings of an All Purpose Monkey

Monday, March 7th: Caribousmom

Thursday, March 10th: Book Reviews by Molly

Tuesday, March 15th: Book Club Classics!

Wednesday, March 16th: Debbie’s Book Bag

Thursday, March 17th: In the Next Room

Friday, March 18th: One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books

Monday, March 21st: Peeking Between the Pages

Wednesday, March 23rd: Red Headed Book Child

Thursday, March 24th: Diary of an Eccentric

Friday, March 25th: Life in Review

Monday, March 28th: Suko’s Notebook

Tuesday, March 29th: Books and Movies

Wednesday, March 30th: Stephanie’s Written Word

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

I'm going to BEA! Are you?

Folks, it's been a tough decision this year. I battled with lots of feelings about taking a trip for myself again and NOT taking one with my husband this year.

Do we have enough money? No, not really.

Am I comfortable traveling alone? No, not really.

What if I'm pregnant? Well, that's not happening right now, no matter how hard we try. :(

So, I made the decision to just do it. Money be damned! (okay, the tax money helped a bit!) My husband is very supportive and we are planning on a mini camping trip for the summer, he and I. YAY!

So, I will be going Tuesday, May 24 through Saturday May 28. This is going to be completely 100% Red Headed Book Child meets NYC. Last year, i went with friends and we did a lot of NON book blogger stuff. This year I plan on maximizing all there is to do with tours, cocktail hours, dinners, etc!

I am planning on rooming with Stacy from A Novel Source. YAY! And I plan on hanging out with Steph from Steph the Bookworm. I am SO very excited to meet these ladies and have tons of fun in the Big Apple.

Are you going?

If so, what do you have planned?

Are you going alone? With other bloggers?

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Bite Me by Christopher Moore (Guest Review)

Bite Me by Christopher Moore

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: William Morrow

Out in stores

This guest review is done by my good friend, Rachel. I've written about her a few times before. She and I go back to my bookstore days. She was one of the employees I supervised. Aside from not being a morning person and habitually arriving five minutes late, she was a peach for an employee! I pretended to be all professional and did not pursue a friendship but alas, we hit it off splendidly and couldn't resist hanging out with her outside of work.

Now, being the busy bees that we are, we gather together at least once a month at our favorite Japanese noodle shop. Her with the Soba and me with the Udon.

I, for some reason, STILL get them mixed up.

She is super sassy and smart and addicted to all things crafty. I see her one day owning a farm and while on breaks in her barn, see her sitting surrounded by chickens wearing knee high mud boots and a crocheted hat on her head.

Here is her blog:

Popsicle Sticks and Glitter

Please follow her. I am her only follower. :(

Though she may prefer craftiness to reading most days, she does have quite a bit of good book taste. When I was approached to review this book, I thought of her right away. A bit on the cyncial and feisty side, Rachel and Christopher Moore fit like two peas in a pod.

Here she is folks. Rachel, my Guest Reviewer of Bite Me by Christopher Moore.

Nothing is sacred in Christopher Moore's novels. Nothing is irredeemable either. The duality between raw, goofy, biting and at times juvenile humor, and the sweetness and heroics of his characters always makes for a smart, entertaining read. His characters are at the same time grating and endearing; but always funny.

I was introduced to Moore through his Christmas release, The Stupidest Angel; A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror. In truth, I was sold on the title alone as anyone who has ever done so can attest that working retail during Christmas makes a person fairly cynical about the holiday. Needless to say, I loved it. I mean really, what isn't there to love about Christmas and Zombies? Since then I have read very nearly all Mr. Moore's books, and have become a devoted fan.

When the RHBC asked me to review Bite Me, I was thrilled!

Bite me is the third installment of Christopher Moore's vampire series. Fans of the Twilight or Anne Rice variety vampire will be sorely disappointed, I am afraid. However, fans of the show True Blood, or of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books will find some common ground with Moore in this series. Also, readers of Pratchett, Gaiman, Vonnegut and Douglas Adams will appreciate the zany antics, absurdity and sarcasm of Moore. Quite possibly also readers of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, etc. books.

This story begins in the San Francisco Bay Area. A hoard of vampire cats is roaming the city. Vampire minions Countess Abigail Von Normal, backup emergency mistress to the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, her boyfriend and scientist Foo Dog, and her pathetically gothic best friend Jared attempt to contain the outbreak. Unfortunately, the two vampires that can help the minions have been encased in bronze. Well, to be more accurate, the minions encased them in bronze in the previous book, and they are pretty sure that the vamps will be pretty pissed off, and hungry when released.

Also fighting the vampire cat hoard are The Animals, a group of night-shift grocery store working vampire hunters,The Emperor of San Francisco, a homeless gentleman with his trusty dog companions, detectives Cavuto and Rivera, who have recently become aware of the supernatural ongoings of the Bay area, and a mysterious elderly Japanese gentleman with a sword in day glow orange socks. Hilarity ensues as all the groups of "hunters" with differing motives engage the vampirism outbreak in their own way.

This was a refreshing break from "serious" vampire novels, and vampire romances.

Highly recommended for those who appreciate irreverence.

Wow. Doesn't she write an awesomely wicked review?

Kudos Rachel!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us your thoughts!

Stop on by and check her out at her blog above.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child