Month: January 2022

Which was Deeper?

Book Review for “The Second Cut” by Louise Welsh. Summary: "Auctioneer Rilke has been trying to stay out of trouble, keeping his life more or less respectable. Business has been slow at Bowery Auctions, so when an old friend, Jojo, gives Rilke a tip-off for a house clearance, life seems to be looking up. The … Continue reading Which was Deeper? →

TCL’s #DNF Friday #9 – A Bad First Impression(ist).

Why I can't write a book review for “Oscar & Monet: The Essence of Light” by Joe Byrd. Summary: "Does Claude Monet, a painter with eight children, have room in his heart for one more? Oscar Bonhomme, an American soldier, is in a French Army hospital recovering from his wounds when he learns of his … Continue reading TCL’s #DNF Friday #9 – A Bad First Impression(ist). →

Where Beauties Bloom.

Book Review for “The Magnolia Palace” by Fiona Davis. Summary: "Two savvy women separated by 50 years ponder the same curious questions in Fiona Davis’ richly detailed historical mystery. In 1919, down-on-her-luck model Lillian Carter gets a job as a private secretary for demanding socialite Helen Frick. Working in Helen’s Upper East Side mansion proves … Continue reading Where Beauties Bloom. →

#LetsDiscuss2022 and #LetsTalkBookish #2 – What Do I Owe You? – #DiscussionSunday.

The question from Let's Talk Bookish for January 21-27 is... Do Bloggers Owe Their Readers and Vice Versa? (Rukky)? Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions. I do not expect anyone to agree with anything here, and in fact, I'm certain that many will disagree and/or even hate many of the things I've written below. Sorry … Continue reading #LetsDiscuss2022 and #LetsTalkBookish #2 – What Do I Owe You? – #DiscussionSunday. →

TCL’s First Lines Friday #1 for January 21, 2022!

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers that was originally hosted by Emma @ (the apparently, now defunct) Wandering Words (don't click on the link, it isn't there anymore). I've seen this on several blogs, and most recently I noticed that my fellow blogger Julie @ One Book More is still doing … Continue reading TCL’s First Lines Friday #1 for January 21, 2022! →

#LetsDiscuss2022 #1 – Book Buying Bans – #LetsTalkBookish.

The topic for today's post comes from the Let’s Talk Bookish topic hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion and this week - January 14-20: Do Book Buying Bans Work for You? (Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly)? Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions. I do not expect anyone to agree … Continue reading #LetsDiscuss2022 #1 – Book Buying Bans – #LetsTalkBookish. →

Waves of Goodbyes.

Book Review for “Tides” by Sara Freeman. Summary: "After a sudden, devastating loss, Mara flees her family and ends up adrift in a wealthy coastal town. Mired in her grief, Mara's first few days are spent alone, surviving on what scraps of food she can find, and swimming at night in the ocean. When her … Continue reading Waves of Goodbyes. →

… who would not be blithe.

Book Review for “All Among the Barley” by Melissa Harrison. Summary: "Fourteen-year-old Edie [Edith] Mather lives with her family at Wych Farm, where the shadow of the Great War still hangs over a community impoverished by the Great Depression. Glamorous outsider Constance FitzAllen arrives from London, determined to make a record of fading rural traditions … Continue reading … who would not be blithe. →

The Amber Crown is published today – 11th January 2022

Although I don’t read fantasy, my friend Jacey has just published a new novel, and it looks REALLY good. And the cover – just WOW! Go on, you know you want to take a look!

Jacey Bedford

After what seems like an age, the Amber Crown is out today. I’d already written a first draft before I sold my first book to DAW in 2013. That sale led to six books (two trilogies), so I didn’t have time to go back to The Amber Crown until I’d finished all the books that were under contract. Once I delivered Rowankind, I dug out The Amber Crown and started a major structural edit, swapping things around, writing in extra backstory, and completely rewriting the ending.

Why is it set in the Baltic?
A few years ago I was sitting at my desk, falling down a google-shaped rabbit hole, hopping from one random factoid to another when I came across an article on the Livonian Brothers, the Teutonic Knights, and the Northern Crusades. Like most people I always thought of the Crusades as being exclusively Jerusalem-focused and featuring Saladin and…

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American in Paris

Book Review for “The Paris Bookseller” by Kerri Maher. Summary: “When bookish young American Sylvia Beach opens Shakespeare and Company on a quiet street in Paris in 1919, she has no idea that she and her new bookstore will change the course of literature itself. Shakespeare and Company is more than a bookstore and lending … Continue reading American in Paris →