Housecleaning

I’ve been cleaning up some older reviews to correct formatting issues and what not. It appears they may have popped up in people’s feed readers, and for that I apologize. No spamming was intended. If anyone knows how to update a post in Word Press without it going to feed readers, your advice would be much appreciated.

Back to reading…

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FOL sale follies

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Friends of Library

I just love the Friends of Library sales, such a cheap way to feed my never-ending book lust. The problem is, they can be so crowded with not much room to really look a book over, so I end up just snatching up anything with historical eye-candy covers and hope for the best. Here’s the latest batch, all picked up for a whopping $3.

HIS STORY WAS THE STORY OF AMERICA…

Charles Burton Irwin. An American legend. He was a leader of men and a lover of adventure. With his wife and children at his side, he grabbed hold of the reins of change and rode the wild American West into a new frontier – the twentieth century.

From the wagon trains and cattle drives of the old West, to the birth of the railroads, he shaped America’s destiny in the dawn of a new age.

This long-awaited monumental saga from the bestselling author of SACAJAWEA was years in the writing. PRAIRIE. A vivid portrait of the spirit and passions of a bold new land – and the of the man who embodied its shining future.

This is a major door-stopper, the trade paperback weighs in around 700 pages.

MOTHERS When the century was as young as their love, Carlotta and Sharif left their aristocratic homes for a lover’s exile – and a struggle for survival – amid the elegance of Old New York.
AND Their beautiful, fierce-willed child, Alicia, poured her heart into the Principessa Gallery, her parent’s legacy. Everything she touched turned to gold…except the passionate love she craved, hidden away in the soulless marriage.
DAUGHTERS Her own children carried on the quest. Elegant, Golden-haired Sally, searching for happiness with the “perfect” husband. And strong-willed Jenny – for too long she buried her dreams in a safe marriage, while her heart cried out for so.

Big fat family saga, or glitter trash? Time will tell.

Even from the ruins of a tragic moment, Juliette Peridot would emerge a beautiful young woman with a spirit that could not be defeated by either the harshness of the New Zealand wilderness or the cruelty of those who would betray her.

Pursued by shameful secrets of forbidden love and violent revenge, she struggled for a dream her heart refused to surrender…until fiery passions so long denied exploded in a triumphant moment of truth and love.

Oooh, New Zealand. From one review at Goodreads it appears it’s the first in a trilogy. I need another series like I need another hole in my head.

Hannah Blau, the midwife, fought savage religious prejudice to gain medical training in Moscow’s legendary Imperial College. She fought her own doubts and fears as she plunged into a forbidden love affair and an even more hazard-filled marriage. She fought the awesome odds facing a Jewish immigrant and the bitter hostility of male doctors in turn-of-the-century New York. She fought for her burning dreams and desires. She fought and she won.

A WOMAN IN A MAN’S WORLD

Her handsome, laughing cousin Adam gave young Delie Gordon her first taste of love–its soaring happiness, its heartbreaking pain.

Virile, self-confident riverboat captain Brenton Edwards showed Delie her weakness in the face of a man’s overwhelming passion–but though he made her his wife, he could not enslave her proud and defiant spirit.

Wealthy and elegant Alastair Raeburn taught Delie how sweet forbidden ecstasy could be–and how high its ultimate price.

Here is a spellbinding story of a beautiful and vital woman–the man she loved, the children she bore, the dreams she followed, and the destiny she found. Here, set against the lush, wild countryside and winding rivers of Victorian Australia, is a saga that surges over eight dramatic decades and four generations.

I love those big fat multi-generational sagas. Last, but not least, here’s the one that’s really a-calling me and there may be a sequel as well.

ACROSS TWO CONTINENTS AND A LIFETIME OF JOYS AND SORROWS, REGINA DARED ALL IN THE PURSUIT OF A PASSIONATE, FORBIDDEN LOVE…

Raised in the tender warmth of a wealthy New York family, Regina had everything a young woman could desire – beauty, charm, intelligence. And in the triumphant days of America following the first world war, she sailed through her enchanted youth like a princess. Until Jerold. Until her carefree world was shattered by a love that flowered in secret, a love hidden from the family’s prying eyes. A passion that her own heritage demanded she deny…

Fleeing to the cosmopolitan world of Paris in the Twenties, Regina struggled to ease her heart’s pain in the arms of an older, wiser man. Together they would create a family and build a fabulous business empire. Yet through it all, through births and deaths, tragedies and triumphs, Regina will be haunted by the memory of Jerold’s burning touch. And soon, she must summon the courage to defy tradition. The free herself forever of…Family Ties.

Now to stay on track with the Mt. TBR challenge and just read pre-2012 purchases…

A few new finds at the thrift stores…

Although new isn’t exactly the right word, just lots of delicious looking old treasures to add to the ever-growing TBR pile. Here’s the most promising of the lot:

Chinaberry by William Lavender. The romance of GONE WITH THE WIND… the sweep of BEULAHLAND…the frankness of MANDINGO…a sprawling plantation on the Mississippi…lush with prosperity…grand in hospitality…smouldering with forbidden desire and scandalous family secrets…until the night of the party, the night the master’s daughter is discovered out back with her personal slave-boy. After that, CHINABERRY is never the same! Here is a saga of the old South in all its splendor and decadence…of a plantation rent by its loves and hates, ravaged by civil war and bloodthirsty vengeance, reborn in a bleak aftermath…but mostly of the people, white and black, who intermingled in one generation’s shame and another’s daring, tied forever to each other and to CHINABERRY.

That sounds so delightfully non PC 😀

Troubled Spring by John Brick. The stormy era that followed our Civil War was a time of great hope and great expansion; also it was a time when men tried desperately to find themselves in a strange new world where progress went hand in hand with ruthlessness and greed. This dramatic novel tells the story of one man’s search for his destiny in those turbulent days.

In the troubled spring of 1865, Sam Bellnap, haggard and exhausted from many months in Andersonville, most dreaded of Confederate prisons, returned to his home in Highland Landing, N.Y. He looked forward to resuming a way of life that had been a sustaining memory for four long years of war. But Sam did not know that the War Department had declared him dead over a year ago, and that Martha, the girl he loved, had taken the name Bellnap-Mrs. Robert Bellnap-as the wife of Sam’s elder brother.

I do so love Civil War stories, particularly when they focus on the people and not on the battles.

The Far Side of Home by Maggie Davis. In this extraordinary novel, Maggie Davis adds a new dimension to our understanding of the men and women who fought for the Confederacy.

The Cavaliers…the Sir Walter Scott characters who blaze through most of the fiction of the period…the pillared plantations…the gracious, mannered, romantic aristocracy are not to be found here.

The Far Side of Home portrays those rural, middle-class Southerners who had no slaves and wanted none, who stood to gain little whatever the outcome of the war. They were, nevertheless, the solid, tough backbone of the Confederacy. They fought for their homeland and brought an almost forgotten splendor to the story of Dixie. This is the story of one of them…

And look at what is on the inside cover (click to enlarge):

Deepwater by Pamela Jekel. From the first settlement on Roanoke Island and the birth of Virginia Dare through the revolution that created a new nation and the Civil War that tore it apart, Pamela Jekel weaves a vast, colorful tapestry, bursting with the tempestuous beauty of the land, surging with human drama, and peopled with courageous women and bold men whose joys and sorrows forged the triumphant history that is the glory of the Carolinas.

I love me those big fat sagas, although the font size in the paperback is pretty scary.

When Love Commands by Jennifer Wilde. As Marietta Danver’s conveyance sped across the wintry Russian landscape, not even her sumptuous furs could keep out the sudden chill of apprehension. Was she letting wounded vanity lead her into danger? Her heart had been broken…but could she really forget by running off to St. Petersburg with Count Gregory Orlov?

Soon it was too late for regrets. Gregory Orlov — the tall, broodingly handsome, wildly passionate Russian, notorious as Catherine the Great ‘s uncrowned emperor–revealed the violent nature which took pleasure in her torment. She was no more than his prisoner…snared in the intrigues of a glittering imperial court… pursued by the rage of a jealous empress…thrust into the savagery of revolution.

Defenseless and nearly broken, she resigned herself to death, or worse. Yet the man she had run from, trying to forget, had not forgotten her…or the dreams of love they once shared.

Erm, not sure what to make of that cover and I suspect this will be a bit sexed up, but how can I pass up Catherine the Great and Count Orlov?

San Antonio by Sara Orwig. OK, here’s an interesting one and it appears the author has several titles in a similar vein. Memphis, Denver, Albuquerque and Atlanta. Anyone read these?

SAN ANTONIO, the untamed territory of Texas, where acres of wilderness were up for grabs and fortunes were waiting for every man who had fought for Texas.

SAN ANTONIO, where Luke Danby, growing up in this land of peril and promise was driven by a hunger for power and a lust to wreak vengeance on those who had destroyed his family.

SAN ANTONIO, where Catalina Piedra, the stunningly beautiful daughter of a ruthless, powerful man, displayed a will strong enough to defy her father, and used a sensual sorcery that made men her willing playthings.

SAN ANTONIO, a magnificent saga of a man who let nothing stand in his way…a woman who let no one rule her actions…and a love that broke through all barriers to bring them together – in a time of decision and a place where all things were possible for those who dared to believe their dreams…

Now to find time to read them all. BTW, a new to me thrift store is Deseret Industries. They’re only in the western states, and while the book selection wasn’t huge, there were some interesting finds there (du Maurier and Mary Stewart). Paperbacks were $.50, much cheaper than the $.99 at St. Vincent de Paul and the $1.99 charged at Goodwill.

Been there, done that bookcovers

Thanks for my pal Rio at Goodreads for spotting this for me.

What do you think? Photoshopped or different artwork? I did receive a copy of the Eugenie R book from Amazon Vine last week. Tried a few chapters, but it might just be a bit too literary for me. Will wait until some other guinea pigs reviewers give it a go and see what they think 😉

The dangers of used book stores and Friends of Library sales…

Like I didn’t have enough to read I go and do this to myself. First up was a visit to my local library FOL sale a couple of weekends ago. All books $.50 until Sunday when it was stuff as many as you could in a plastic grocery bag for $3. All told I popped just under $10 for all of this (click for larger image):

That edition of Anya Seton’s Katherine in the pile is dated 1954. I scored a bunch of Jennifer Blake and Laurie McBain romances, as well as four of Patricia Hagen’s Coltrane series (some friends at Goodreads have started these and loving them for the most part).

Soooooo, if that wasn’t enough I had a lunch date with a bookish blogger friend and I was foolish enough to Google used book stores in the area and found one neither of us had heard of before and no surprise we had to check it out for ourselves. The prices weren’t all dirt cheap, but we had some interesting finds including a bunch of the Angelique books and some HTF Plaidy paperbacks. Here’s what I nabbed:

The edition of The Sheik by E.M. Hull you see there has an inscription of Xmas 1926 on the inside so it’s an oldie. The Costain at the very top is about Napoleon in exile and it is a-calling me to be read and very very soon. As much as we took away, there were a lot more treasures left behind: The Windhaven saga, Roberta Gellis’ Roselynde series (although you would have had a mis-matched set). Shelves and shelves of old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. This place is a must for book nuts, and you can see an old video of the shop and the owner here on C-Span. And don’t worry, there’s plenty of free parking. What are you waiting for?

Weekend reading wrap up

I spent part of this last weekend blowing through some shorter books and since I’m lazy and have to work today I’m putting them all into one post so here goes.

A Trail of Broken Promises by Jess Davon Joslin. This is a very short book, and that’s just not the 151 page count as the book measures 5″ x 7″ and can easily be finished in an hour or two. The story focuses on Elsie Feather and her family as the US Government forces the Cherokees to relocate and the long “trail of tears” to get to their new *home*. A promising premise for a novel, but there just isn’t enough meat on the bones to really engage this reader like a full length novel with better character development might have. If a copy falls in your lap (as mine did) and you have a bit of time to kill this might interest, but otherwise I’d give it a miss. 2/5 stars.

Heathcliff by Jeffrey Caine. Author Jeffrey Caine attempts the unenviable task of telling the reader what *might* have happened during Heathcliff’s absence from Wuthering Heights. But, therein lies the problem – throughout this 252 page novel there’s a whole lot of telling and not very much showing. Not a whole lot of interesting story either.

The book begins in 1803 as Lockwood receives a lengthy missive from Mrs. Dean with a long-lost (and incredibly long) letter written by Heathcliff and intended for Cathy. The POV switches to that of Heathcliff’s as he recounts his journey from Wuthering Heights to London and eventually hooking up with the
Durrants – the husband who appears to be a respectable landlord whilst truly dealing with the criminal elements along with his wife Elizabeth who wants his money but would rather be in another man’s bed. Could Heathcliff soon fall victim to Elizabeth’s charms? Do we care?

No, we do not. Or at least I didn’t. The latter third is then told from Elizabeth’s POV as Lockwood locates her and she recounts the latter part of the story, thus giving the reader another heavy dose of oh-so-boring info dumps. I know, I know that Heathcliff is not a likeable fellow but still I found nothing and no one to care about and what was happening bored me to tears and I skimmed a great deal just to end the pain of it all.

Only recommended for die-hard fans of Wuthering Heights who must know *the rest of the story*.  2/5 stars.

And last but not least and since it isn’t out until 2012 I haven’t a cover to share,

Ride for Rights by Tara Chevrestt

“They have been arrested, abducted, and everything else under the setting sun, they can handle a few nights in the desert by now!”

The story begins in 1916 as sisters Angeline and Adelaide Hanson attend a National Preparedness meeting and getting a bit put out at the attitude that women will be relegated to mending and such in the upcoming war effort (let alone not having a right to vote!). Anyhoo, the well-bred young ladies decide to make a “Ride for Rights” across country on Indian Model F motorcycles, and the reader follows their adventures through Chicago, Colorado, Utah, a side trip with Jose Cuervo and on to the end of the road in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The story is written in the third person, and fleshed out with excerpts from the diary of Angeline as well as news bulletins from reporter Joe Miller who followed the sisters’ story from the beginning.

This is a fairly short book at 185 pages (including the author’s notes), and as one who likes books with a bit more meat on their bones I’d have preferred to see the sisters and their travels fleshed out a bit more, but since this book is geared towards the YA market I’ll just have to live with what I get. According to the author’s notes, the Hansen sisters are  based upon the real Van Buren sisters who did ride cross-country in motorcycles. And speaking of the author’s notes, this reader very much appreciated knowing what was real, what was surmised and what was fudged for the sake of the story. Two thumbs up for that. 4/5 stars.

A very promising start for this new author, and I’m looking forward to what she’ll come up with next, and that includes the romance she once promised me 😉

FTC disclosure: Broken Promises was passed along to me from another reader. Heathcliff was purchased. Ride for Rights was sent to me by the author  (who is a friend) for input, there was no expectation of a review, and the choice to do so is mine and mine alone.

Mailbox Monday

 Mailbox Monday is the creation of  The Printed Page and is hosted this month by I’m Booking It. I nabbed the first three from Amazon Vine,

“The war that’s been brewing for a decade has exploded, pitting North against South. Fearing that England will support the Confederate cause, President Lincoln sends Charles Francis Adams, son of John Quincy Adams, to London. But when Charles arrives, accompanied by his son Henry, he discovers that the English are already building warships for the South. As Charles embarks on a high-stakes game of espionage and diplomacy, Henry reconnects with his college friend Baxter Sams, a Southerner who has fallen in love with Englishwoman Julia Birch. Julia’s family reviles Americans, leaving Baxter torn between his love for Julia, his friendship with Henry, and his obligations to his own family, who entreat him to run medical supplies across the blockade to help the Confederacy. As tensions mount, irrevocable choices are made—igniting a moment when history could have changed forever.”

Apparently this novel was first published as In The Lion’s Den: A Novel of the Civil War and a big thumbs up to the publishers for putting that piece of info right on the cover. Thanks for that.

“Amid the intrigue and danger of 18th-century Italy, a young woman becomes embroiled in romance and treachery with a rider in the Palio, the breathtaking horse race set in Siena….

It’s 1729, and the Palio, a white-knuckle horse race, is soon to be held in the heart of the peerless Tuscan city of Siena. But the beauty and pageantry masks the deadly rivalry that exists among the city’s districts. Each ward, represented by an animal symbol, puts forth a rider to claim the winner’s banner, but the contest turns citizens into tribes and men into beasts—and beautiful, headstrong, young Pia Tolomei is in love with a rider of an opposing ward, an outsider who threatens the shaky balance of intrigue and influence that rules the land.”

I was a bit underwhelmed with Fiorato’s last book, The Botticelli Secret (that potty mouth was too OTT for my tastes), but I’m willing to give her another go. Last book and it’s not a historical this time,

I just couldn’t resist having a look-see at this one. No book description up yet, at least at Goodreads.

Books selling at $1/lb?

Yes. They. Are. Or should I say at least one UBS is and this one is too damned close to home for comfort’s sake. Once Sold Tales (love that name!) is also an online seller, but when I found out they had opened up a shop for retail peeps like me I just couldn’t resist a closer look. I had lots of fun browsing, although the historicals are not separated from general fiction so you’re on your own hunting them down amidst the Steven Kings, Sidney Sheldens, etc. There were some interesting sightings of books I already owned that I passed on, including Karlen Koen’s Through a Glass Darkly and Now Face to Face (original hardbacks). Oh, and if there’s something in their online catalog you can just pick it up there – I nabbed one of the last few cheap copies of Lily Cigar (I know the library had it, but what if they purged the catalog and there were no more copies?).

What did I get this time around?

 (click on any cover for larger image, and you can find jacket blurbs on Goodreads)

A Roaring Wind was written by the same author who wrote The Travels of Jamie MacPheeters (a Pulitzer Prize winner) and sounds like a gas of an adventure set in old Montana. Can’t wait.

All in all a pretty decent haul and all for about $15 and change. Lily Cigar was from their online catalog so that was $3 or thereabouts and the rest was at the $1/lb rate – most of those hardback and a lot heavier (adding to my $1/lb rate). I already own an older copy of Legacy but it is in sad condition and with no cover so I couldn’t resist nabbing this copy. If you are planning a visit to the Seattle area and/or have along layover at SeaTac airport (the store is just down the hill from the airport) do try to find time to come and browse. It’s dangerous, but oh so much fun 🙂

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.

From the rugged mudflats of the Northwestern frontier to a rusting strip mall, West of Here is a conversation between two epochs. In his eagerly awaited second novel, Jonathan Evison tells the stories of the people who first inhabited the mythical town of Port Bonita in Washington State from 1887-1891. Moving ahead more than a century to 2005-06, he introduces those who live there now and must deal with the damage done by their predecessors.

The characters are drawn with compassion and truth, the themes are grand and sweeping: regeneration, the trappings of history, the elusive nature of perception, who makes footprints and who follows them. Evison writes with heart and verve, capturing evocative details and unforgettable scenes.

I know Point Bonita is a fictional setting, but I am curious to figure out where in Washington State it is located in. I’m going to guess the northern Olympic Peninsula and see how close my guess is 🙂

I’ve seen mixed reviews about The Darling Strumpet and I hear the sex is rather OTT at times, but I am curious enough to give it a go.

From London’s slums to its bawdy playhouses, The Darling Strumpet transports the reader to the tumultuous world of seventeenth-century England, charting the meteoric rise of the dazzling Nell Gwynn, who captivates the heart of King Charles II-and becomes one of the century’s most famous courtesans.

Witty and beautiful, Nell was born into poverty but is drawn into the enthralling world of the theater, where her saucy humor and sensuous charm earn her a place in the King’s Company. As one of the first actresses in the newly-opened playhouses, she catapults to fame, winning the affection of legions of fans-and the heart of the most powerful man in all of England, the King himself. Surrendering herself to Charles, Nell will be forced to maneuver the ruthless and shifting allegiances of the royal court-and discover a world of decadence and passion she never imagined possible.

So, what’s landing on your hold shelf this week?

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.I haven’t been looting too much from the library as I’m tring to whittle away at my actual pile of owned books for The Biggest Book Loser contest at Paperbackswap so there’s just a couple this week.

One of my friends at Goodreads discovered this long-lost gem via a Bookmooch swap and we’re going to buddy it – although she got a head start on me with this one. The blurb:

“She was a beautiful young innocent, driven into the sins of that womanhood by the dark desires that ruled men’s hearts. You will never forget Lily — as a child watching her mother die in want…as an orphan struggling to protect her reckless brother…as a teen-aged innocent discovering the power of desire…as a fear-filled young girl learning to sell her body in the most elegant brothel in the wickedest city on earth…as a captivating beauty whom men would pay any price to possess…as a mother desperately trying to keep the truth from her daughter…as a woman forced by love to return to the city of her shame and seek to conquer it..

And you will never forget Lily’s story — as it moves from the Hell’s Kitchen squalor and Fifth Avenue splendour of old New York..to the rolling decks of a great clipper ship…to the brawling streets, the fantastic pleasure palaces, the magnificent Nob Hill mansions of San Francisco, through storm and earthquake and fire in a breathless saga of love, intrigue and illicit passion….”

My kinda book. I’ve also been looking for a South American setting for the Around the Wold in 80 days reading challenge at PBS (the only other one I had my eye on was huge) so I was thrilled when Tara at Book Babe reviewed this one and yay (!) the library had it in the catalog.

From critically acclaimed author Jaime Manrique, comes a breathtaking, sweeping novel based on the life of one of the most controversial women in the history of the Americas.

Before there was an Eva Peron, Collette, or Mata Hari, there was Manuela Saenz. Arguably one of the most fascinatingly sexy women in all history, she single–handedly helped to secure independence for much of South America from Spain.

Based on actual events, Our Lives Are The Rivers tells the life story of a woman who was willing to risk it all for her country –and her lover–and in whose legacy lies the history of an entire continent.

I also picked up a few interesting OOP’s at the FOL sale shelf, plus DVD #10 of the old Dark Shadows TV series. I am loving watching this series all over again (yes, I know it’s campy as all get out). except for the current storyline. I can’t wait for the Adam/Frankenstein story to end and Quentin’s to begin and another trip to the past.

That’s my loot for a while, anything good coming your way?