Armchair BEA Day Five: Freebie Day!

Today the lovely people at Armchair BEA  have left the topic of the day open to bloggers. As someone relatively new to blogging and very new to participating in events such as this I would just like to take the time to thank all the lovely new bookish friends I have made during this weeklong adventure and state emphatically how much fun I have had. The daily blogging and Instagram Challenges have been a lot of work but all of it has been fun. So thank you to everyone I have interacted with and I hope to "see" you all around the blogosphere quite a bit. I am now hooked and hope to participate in many more events like this in the future!

If you participated in Armchair BEA tell me: What was your favorite part of this week? Any suggestions for other events such as this? Will you be participating in the future? If you didn't participate this year, do you plan on doing so next year?

Armchair BEA Day Four: Beyond The Borders

Oh, I have been itching to write today's post about novels that drag us readers out of our comfort zones, plop us down in another time/place/culture and make us open our eyes to the differences and similarities between worlds! Historical fiction is the perfect genre for this sort of topic, constantly shifting readers into foreign lands and often shocking, confusing or frustrating us with the different customs and practices of the past. That isn't to say historical fiction is the only genre to do this...plenty of genres test our comfort zones. I have always been a fan of stretching the borders of what makes me comfortable and really trying to understand what the characters in these strange settings are going through and sympathize with their choices, even if I don't agree with them. Here are some example of novels I have read that have really made me stop, absorb the strangeness, and think about what it would have been like for me given the same set of circumstances:

Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton

One of the aspects of historical fiction that can be so hard for modern readers is the differences in what is acceptable social behavior. Stephanie Thornton is one of the few authors I have come across that can present a thoroughly enjoyable story even with elements that can make a reader cringe. In Daughter of the Gods, her heroine, Hatshepsut, is made to marry her half brother, Thut, to secure his place on the Egyptian throne. They have a daughter and plan to marry her to Thut's son by his common wife, therefore marrying their daughter to her half brother (did you get that? Yeah, it can get a little twisted!). Simply reading this set up in such bald terms makes it sound icky, doesn't it? Well let me assure you the novel is phenomenal and Ms. Thornton does an unbelievable job of not only presenting this complicated situation in a way that leaves the reader enjoying and understanding the situations but makes you just love Hatshepsut and her quest to be more than just a regent.

 

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Topics that many readers seem to shy away from are those dealing with their greatest fears. That fear can be different for everyone but often deals with loss, pain or helplessness. I've often heard people refuse to read a book just based on the topic but that is something I've never been able to do. For me, my greatest fear is losing one of the people I love most, mainly either my husband or my son. Ms. Reid's Forever, Interrupted, deals with just that: the loss of the main character's husband and her process of trying to cope in the immediate aftermath. Let me tell you, it wasn't always easy to read this novel and I did a lot of crying along with Elsie Porter, but what I felt by the end was relief and appreciation. Elsie was able to survive this tragedy and, in doing so, gave me that little bit of hope that if something similar happened to me I could possibly do the same with some love and support from others.

All The Numbers by Judy Merrill Larsen

I honestly cannot remember the last time I have cried so hard over a book! It was so bad that when my husband came home and discovered me sobbing uncontrollably he assumed something terrible had happened! And in a way it had: my heart was utterly broken for the main character in All the Numbers, a mother who tragically loses her son in an accidental jet ski accident. There is one scene in particular, involving the mother having to physically let go of her son, that I will never forget. Was this hard to read as my baby took a nap? Absolutely! Would I go back and never read the book so that I wouldn't feel that pain or have to imagine going through the same thing? Not on your life. This story is simply heartbreaking and beautiful and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone willing to go through the journey.








So tell me: Have you read any books that tested the boundaries of what makes your comfortable or books that made it hard to keep reading given the topic or situations? Do you have any recommendations?

Armchair BEA Day Three: Novellas/Short Stories

Good morning/afternoon fellow bookworms! Today is Day Three of Armchair BEA as well as being my birthday (it's a big one....35! When did that happen??? Sorry, back on topic!). Today's topic is Novellas and Short Stories. I have always been a bigger fan of epic chunksters that give you a good 400+ pages to really delve into the life and settings of the characters. However, over the years I have found some very entertaining short stories that have both captured my attention and led me to seek out the longer novels by the author. These short stories are also often very inexpensive if purchased as an ebook, which is always a plus for people like me who tend to buy more books than they can ever possibly read. Here are some examples of noteworthy novellas that have come to my attention:

Novellas Introducing Readers To Or Further Developing Characters Found In Full Length Novels

Have you ever become completely enamored by characters in a novel? I know I have! Something I have noticed lately is that some of my favorite authors have begun coming out with novellas dealing with the same characters or settings they have discussed in their full length novels. Some of these are precursors to the longer stories and allow you to get some backstory on why our favorite characters do what they do. Some continue the story or give the reader a different angle from which to view events. No matter what the novellas are discussing they all deepen the experience and entertainment of reading the full novels. Here are some examples of novellas linked to full length novels that sound wonderful:

 

The First Lie by Diane Chamberlain: this short story gives a first glimpse at Ivy Hart, one of the characters in the author's novel Necessary Lies.

 

 

Various novellas by Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series (A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, The Custom of the Army, A Plague of Zombies to name a few):  these appear to give further depth to characters of this much loved series.

 

 

 

Stand Alone Short Stories That Give  You A Taste Of An Author's Talent

Sometimes the best way to discover an author's writing style and see if they would be someone you would enjoy reading (without spending a lot of money and committing to reading 300+ pages) is reading one of their short stories first. Here are some examples:

 

Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion: This is a collection of original short stories by 10 bestselling authors, all taking place on the same day soon after the end of World War II. I've read or bought books based on recommendations for most of these authors and they are phenomenal! This book will give a little sampling of what each author has to offer and help new readers find which ones speak to them most.

 

 

All Is Bright, Love, Accidentally and Beginning Again by Sarah Pekkanen: these are eShort Stories and, having read them all, I cannot recommend them enough! All three introduce new characters but also twist back around to connect to each other. These are quick, emotionally satisfying reads and a great introduction to a wonderful author.

 

So what about you? Do you enjoy reading short stories? Which ones have you enjoyed?

Armchair BEA Day Two: Author Interaction

Today's Armchair BEA daily post topic is author interaction either in the real world or online. Since becoming a blogger my opportunities to interact with authors and publicists has grown exponentially! While I have only gone to a few author readings my biggest interactions have definitely been online.

Probably my biggest avenue for interacting with various authors is through Facebook. By following an author's Facebook page readers can reach out across the blogosphere and ask questions or just geek out and say hi whenever they want. This has allowed me to not only correspond with some of my favorite authors but to find out about giveaways, upcoming books, interviews and blog posts and even how to get signed book plates (which makes any book a keeper, don't you think?). In conjunction with wonderful virtual book tour companies such as Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours readers can also find out about and participate in Facebook launch parties which place fans right in the middle of wonderful discussions with authors, book bloggers and other like-minded readers. These launch parties have become one of my favorite ways to "meet" new authors and readers that I can then interact with in the future.

One of the biggest benefits with being a book blogger (other than getting free books to read, which rocks!) has been getting my feelings and opinions about a book into the hands of the author. Many authors seem to really take the time to read through the reviews not only on blogs but on various platforms such as Amazon and Goodreads. While there have been some horror stories of reviewer trolls and authors behaving badly to negative reviews, I have found nothing but the kindest and most receptive of interactions. I have even had authors post their own comments to my reviews, thanking me for kind words and/or taking the time to read and review their book. I am always shocked and beyond touched to have authors reach out to me personally with their comments. Authors are my rock stars so there is always a lot of squeaking and jumping around when this happens!

My advice to anyone new or nervous to reach out to their favorite authors, either in person or online, would be to JUST DO IT! I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how receptive authors are to fans and how often they are just as excited as you are to talk about their books. Some will even call in to your book club meeting if you're discussing their books! So ask and see what happens....the worst that can happen is no response.

Tell me: Have you had any noteworthy interactions with authors, either good or bad? What authors have you found to be the most receptive to fans? Any additional advice or suggestions to meeting up with authors?   

Armchair BEA Day One: Introductions

As much as I love reading I only discovered this wonderful world of book blogging a few years ago (I know, what took me so long?!). Since then I have become a reviewing collaborator on two blogs: Luxury Reading and, most recently, the history-drenched goodness that is Historical Tapestry. Now that I am a full-fledged blogger I am so excited to be able to participate in blogging events such as Armchair BEA. So, without further ado, my Introduction post to kick off the week:




Designed by Amber of Shelf Notes



Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from? 

Me in front of my largest bookcase

As a huge book nerd I loved the idea of not only getting to share great reads with others but getting to get recommendations as well. Where else can you find so many like-minded people in one place other than on the internet? Unnerved to actually start my own blog I have really enjoyed being a reviewer on various blogs and getting to slowly acclimate to the various roles and responsibilities of blogging. And I love it!

As to who I am, I am a wife, mother to one rambunctious almost 9 year old boy and a grumpy 3 year old Peekapoo Chihuahua and a Student Service Representative at a University. I live and work in Tampa, Florida and spend every possible minute of my free time either reading, spending time with my family or doing both at the same time.

What genre do you read the most? I love to read because ___________________ . 

By far my favorite genres are Historical Fiction and Historical Nonfiction. Through these sorts of stories I get to be transported to places and times I could never possibly get to in my real life. For me, reading is an adventure and entertainment away from the stresses of day-to-day life. What better way to do this than by diving into the past? Also, it seems to really help when playing Jeopardy as well!

 

What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year? 

Okay, this is a hard one for me because I have read a lot of really great books in the last two years! If I had to just pick one from last year it would have to be The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley. Ms. Kearsley has an uncanny ability to weave back and forth in time, braiding together different
characters and storylines in such an exciting way that you don't want to stop reading! Another author that does this so well is Kate Morton, and I also read and loved her book The Secret Keeper last year.

This year my favorite read so far has been Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton. If you like kick-ass women in history who refuse to be just another side note to the powerful men surrounding them pick up her books, she has fast become one of my favorite authors.

What does your favorite/ideal reading space look like?

Oh, what a fun thing to think about! My ideal reading space would be some quiet little book nook with lots of pillows and shelves for all the books I want to read (it would look something like this, found on Pinterest here):

What book would you love to see as a movie? 

This is another great/hard question as I always seem to create movie versions of the books I'm reading in my head as I'm reading them and often I think they would just be visually stunning. At the top of the list would have to be Kate Quinn's two books in her Borgia Chronicles, The Serpent and the Pearl and The Lion and the Rose. Her characters - especially the main characters Guilia Farnese, Leonello and Carmelina - are so complex, humorous yet tragic, that I would just love to see actors attempt to breath even more life into them on the screen.


So that's it! I can't wait to travel the blogosphere to read everyone else's introductions and the other posts throughout this Armchair BEA week. Is anyone else participating or are there any lucky ducky's out there actually traveling to BEA this year?