Sunday Salon: Being Honest About the Books You Read

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! Also visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer, and It's Monday: What Are You Reading? at Book Journey. Also, Mailbox Monday at its permanent home, and Stacking the Shelves at Tyngas' Reviews.

I have noticed a few bloggers are being more outspoken about the books they don't like and I think I will join the ranks. My first two-star rating on goodreads went to The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, which I found more than wanting. The characters seemed pre-programmed, like a clock, that is, and were unsympathetic and totally without redemptive value. I must say though that the suspense in the thriller -  for that's what it is, a thriller - was good, but somewhat disturbing, the violence being committed by another clockwork-like character. I wanted real characters that I could understand, if not the girl or the villain, then at least the main character. This is Peter Swanson's first book, however, so there is hope....And would you believe it - I find it hard to fathom - he's a poet!

New books that I hope will be good reads:

From the library, I borrowed
White Ginger by Thatcher Robinson, a mystery set in San Francisco and
The Harlot's Tale by Sam Thomas, a midwife mystery set in 1645 in England.

What are you reading this week; what new books do you have?

Book Review: FALLEN BEAUTY by Erika Robuck

Title: Fallen Beauty: A Novel by Erika Robuck
To be published March 4, 2014; NAL Trade
Genre: historical fiction

My comments: I admit I was slightly shocked by the free and easy ways of the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who, historically, had both male and female lovers and a wealthy husband who enabled and supported her in all her artistic pursuits. A well known poet who became famous and relatively rich from her writings, Millay went by the name "Vincent" as she chased after new experiences for the sake of her poetry.

In this book, the fictional Laura Kelly, a young woman whose future is changed when she has a child out of wedlock, becomes a seamstress for the poet, making dresses, gowns, and cloaks for the poet's traveling tours. Laura's personality and struggles in life are a stark contrast to Millay's fame, wealth, and excesses, and we are left to decide which has the better life, in the end. The novel is narrated by both Laura and Millay.

I enjoyed the historical details the book gives of the poet, whom I knew little about. Engrossing and revealing, the novel pulls us into Millay's life of contradictions. The novel makes us question whether Millay's fame and art should outweigh the humility and the traditional sense of behavior of a person such as Laura. The author seems to prefer Laura. Who would you choose as the more worthy "fallen beauty"?

When ... Marie had shown up at my back door in tears, telling me that...Everette had slept with the poet, my shock had given way to anger. (ch. 11, uncorrected proof; final copy may differ)

About the novel: In 1928 in upstate New York, Laura Kelly, an unwed seamstress with a young daughter, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, the wealthy and famous Bohemian poet, work together to create costumes for Millay’s next grand tour. Each woman confronts what it means to be a fallen woman…and to decide for herself the price she is willing to pay to live a full life. (publisher)

GIVEAWAY: The publisher is offering a copy of the book to a reader. Please leave a comment to enter by February 25 to win a paperback. U.S. residents only; no P.O. box addresses, please. Winner will be notified by email by Feb. 26 and will have 24 hours to reply before another winner is chosen. The publisher will mail the book to the winner. Good luck!

I am including a sample of the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay:

First Fig
  by Edna St. Vincent Millay 

My candle burns at both ends; 

It will not last the night; 

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— 

It gives a lovely light!  

See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20233#sthash.IWis1ZtK.dpuf

I received a galley proof of this book from the publisher. 

GIVEAWAY UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY IS NAIDA, CHOSEN BY RANDOMIZER. CONGRATS!

Waiting on Wednesday: OLEANDER GIRL by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Let us know what new releases you are eagerly awaiting. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.

Title: Oleander Girl by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Paperback edition due March 4, 2014; Simon & Schuster
Genre: women's fiction

From the publisher's description:
"A coming-of-age tale about a young woman who leaves India for America on a search that will transform her life.

Orphaned at birth and raised by her grandparents in Kolkota, India, Korobi Roy is troubled by the silence around the circumstances of her parents’ death and clings to her only inheritance from them: the love note she found, years ago, hidden in a book of poetry that had belonged to her mother. Korobi dreams of one day finding a love as powerful as her parents’, and it seems her wish has come true when she meets Rajat, the only son of a high-profile business family.

 Shortly after their engagement, however, a heart attack kills Korobi’s grandfather, revealing serious financial problems and a devastating secret about Korobi’s past. Shattered by this discovery, Korobi decides to search across post-9/11 America to find her true identity. Her dramatic journey will thrust her into the most difficult decision of her life."

Looking forward to the paperback edition of this novel, first printed as a hardcover on March 19, 2013 by Simon and Schuster. What new release are you waiting for?

Teacup Turbulence by Linda O. Johnston

First Chapter, First Paragraph is a weekly meme hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea.

First paragraph:

"But I was here first!" The senior lady with frizzy yellow hair stood in front of me on the crowded sidewalk. She placed her hands on her hips and looked up with her lower lip jutting belligerently.
I tried to smile, in case this woman was a better potential dog adopter than she initially seemed. "That never matters in pet adoptions. What's important is finding the right home for each of our wards."

Title: Teacup Turbulence: A Pet Rescue Mystery by Linda O. Johnston 
Published January 7, 2014; Berkley
Genre: cozy mystery

Book description: "Los Angeles animal shelter manager Lauren Vancouver has a soft spot for animals in need—and a keen eye for crime. . .

Thanks to a savvy ad campaign for HotPets Bling—a new line of faux jewelry dog collars—small dog adoptions have skyrocketed across the city. So when Lauren discovers a shelter in the Midwest with more toy dogs than it can handle, she arranges a private plane to fly the pups back to LA.

But Lauren didn’t count on rescue worker Teresa Kantrim coming along for the ride. Her biting comments haven’t earned Teresa any new friends, but when she turns up murdered, Lauren digs into Teresa’s past to find out who wanted her put down." (publisher)

Based on the opening paragraph of the book and the book description, would you keep on reading? 

It's Monday: What Are You Reading? Women's Fiction and Historical Fiction

Visit It's Monday: What Are You Reading? at Book Journey. Also, Mailbox Monday at its permanent home, and Stacking the Shelves at Tyngas' Reviews.

Review books, thanks to the publishers:

The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman; Penguin; February 13, 2014.
"Rachel, Max and their daughter Ellie had the perfect life - until the night Rachel's heart stopped beating. Now Max and Ellie are doing their best to adapt to life without Rachel, and just as her family can't forget her, Rachel can't quite let go of them either."

The Moon Sisters by Therese Walsh; Crown; March 4, 2014
A coming-of-age novel about two sisters on a journey to forgive their troubled mother, with a sheen of almost-magical realism that overlays a story about the love of a family, and especially between sisters.

Lovers at the Chameleon Club: Paris 1932 by Francine Prose; Harper; April 22, 2014. 
"Love, art, and betrayal, set in Paris from the late 1920s into the years of World War II.  Paris in the 1920s, where jazz venues like the Chameleon Club draw expats, artists, libertines, and parvenus. A time of terror, bravery, and difficult moral choices." (from the publisher description)

Updike by Adam Begley; Harper; April 8, 2014.
Biography of Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike--a candid, intimate, and detailed look at his life and work. An illuminating portrait of the acclaimed novelist, poet, short-story writer, and critic who saw himself as a literary spy in small-town and suburban America, who dedicated himself to the task of transcribing "middleness with all its grits, bumps and anonymities."( from publisher's description)

What are you reading this week? 

Book review: Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman

Title: Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman
To be published March 6, 2014; Viking Adult
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Genre: historical romance; mystery

My comments: A combination of Pygmalion/My Fair Lady but with much darker overtones. Nature vs nurture, one of the theories being debated in mid 19th century,  is the main theme of this novel. Suspenseful till the very end.

Publisher description: From the author of The Orphanmaster, a novel about a wild girl from Nevada who lands in Manhattan’s Gilded Age society. An alluring, smart eighteen-year-old girl named Bronwyn, reputedly raised by wolves in the wilds of Nevada, is adopted in 1875 by the Delegates, a wealthy Manhattan couple, and taken back East to be civilized and introduced into high society.

 A series of suitors, both young and old, find her irresistible, but the willful girl’s illicit lovers begin to turn up murdered. Zimmerman’s tale is narrated by the Delegate’s son, a Harvard anatomy student. The tormented, Hugo Delegate speaks from a prison cell where he is prepared to take the fall for his beloved Savage Girl. This narrative—a love story and a mystery with a powerful sense of fable—is his confession.

From the Author's Note:

"Though this book may its head in the clouds of fantasy it has its feet planted firmly in fact. Stories of feral children, private transcontinental train travel and a tigon in the Central Park Zoo all are grounded in historical research, as are details of confectionary Fifth Avenue mansions and outlandish French ballgowns..." 

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book. 

MOVING TARGET by J.A. Jance

Another J.A. Jance thriller: 

Title: Moving Target by J.A. Jance
Publication: February 18, 2014; Touchstone
Genre: mystery, thriller

page 56:

"Maybe you weren't wrong," Ali said. "Back in that era and even now, I have a feeling, there have been more than a few gay people who married and stayed married for camouflage reasons." 

Leland shook his head. "Maybe so," he said.

Book beginning:
Prologue

Lance Tucker had always hated ladders, but between climbing up and down a ladder in the recreation hall and sitting through another one of Mrs. Stone's endless GED classes, there was no contest. Climbing the rickety ladder to decorate the nine-foot Christmas tree was definitely the lesser of two evils.  

Book description:
 Lance Tucker, a juvenile offender and talented hacker, is set on fire one night and severely burned while hanging Christmas decorations in a lockup rec room. B. Simpson, Ali Reynolds's fiancé and the man who helped put Lance in jail, feels obliged to find out what happened. With Ali off in England helping Leland Brooks at a family reunion, B. turns to Taser-carrying nun, Sister Anselm, for help.

Meanwhile, in England, Ali investigates the decades-old murder of Leland's father, which Leland himself was once suspected of committing. With unsolved murders here and in England, Ali, B., and Sister Anselm are united by their search for answers and the jeopardy they get into as a result. (publisher)

Would you keep reading Moving Target, based on the excerpts and book description?