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Friday Fun! (Six Books/Six Months Meme and Blog Tour Updates)
Hello my lovely readers!
This week I saw a new meme over on Jessica’s blog, The Bookworm Chronicles, and I immediately knew I’d want to participate. And what better place than in Friday Fun, eh? The Book Jotter created it after realizing we’re actually halfway through the year already (already!), so the theme is answers to the questions/categories in sixes.
Six New Authors to Me:
- S. A. Archer
- Kat Falls
- Steve Vernon
- David Anthony Durham
- Brandon Shire
- Susan Mallery
Six Authors I Have Read Before
- Brian K. Vaughan
- Robert Kirkman
- Joseph Robert Lewis
- Anne Rice
- Margaret Atwood
- Ann Brashares
Six Authors I Am Looking Forward To Reading More Of:
- Tera W. Hunter
- Joann Sfar
- Richelle Mead
- M. J. Rose
- Isaac Marion
- Roger Thurow
Six Books I Have Enjoyed the Most:
- To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors after the Civil War
by Tera W. Hunter (review)
- Dark Life
by Kat Falls (review)
- Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion (review)
- Acacia
by David Anthony Durham (review)
- Vegan Vittles
by Jo Stepaniak (review)
- The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change
by Roger Thurow (review)
Six Books I Was Disappointed With:
- The Wolf Gift
by Anne Rice (review)
- Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods
by Renee Loux Underkoffler (review)
- Nano House: Innovations for Small Dwellings
by Phyllis Richardson (review)
- The Child Who
by Simon Lelic (review)
- To a Mountain in Tibet
by Colin Thubron (review)
- Robopocalypse
by Daniel H. Wilson (review)
Six Series of Books Read or Started:
- Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
- Touched by S. A. Archer
- Dark Life by Kat Falls
- The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
- Georgina Kincaid by Richelle Mead
- The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose
Phew! That was actually pretty tough to assemble. Super fun though! It’s always interesting to see your reading over a period of time summed up in different types of lists.
Now, it’s time for the Waiting For Daybreak
Earth’s Book Nook hosted a guest post in which I talk about why I made “What is normal?” the theme of the novel and tour. She is also hosting a giveaway!
The Chronicles of an Enamored Soul posted her review, and she said, “The reason it gets FIVE STARS, is because I simply loved how well-realized, and well-developed author McNeil’s characters were, ESPECIALLY Frieda. Amanda writes about mental illness with sensitivity, and yet never fails to make it interesting.”
Tabula Rasa‘s review said, “The book is, on the one hand packed with thrill and action, and on the other, has a very emotional and thought-provoking side. What I really appreciated was how none of it is overdone; I specially liked the subtlety of the relationship between Mike and Frieda.”
Tabula Rasa also hosted an interview! Be sure to check that out to find out everything from whether plot or characters come first in my writing to what my next project is.
Nicki J Markus also interviewed me. Check that out to find out what my favorite zombie book and zombie movie are.
Last but not least, Nicki J Markus is also hosting a giveaway. Two chances to win this week!
Thanks once again to all the participating blogs!
Finally, happy weekends to all my lovely readers! What did you think of the meme? Any surprises or thoughts?
Book Review: Devil Tree by Steve Vernon
Summary:
In a valley near a river in the wood near Indian territory lies a tree. A tree that sends out its roots throughout the valley and demands blood. It is in this valley that the godsman Lucas and his wife Tamsen find themselves wrecked and at the mercy of not just the man Jonah Duvall and his Indian bride Jezebel, but also at the mercy of the tree.
Review:
I decided to dip my toe into magical realism via a genre I love–horror. It turns out it’s not a genre that works for me, although Vernon does it well.
Magical realism is a style in which magic is blended into the real world and characters view it as a natural, normal part of the world. It is more realistic than fantasy but less realistic than traditional horror, for instance. Personally, I could not get into an evil tree that wouldn’t let the inhabitants leave the valley. I think, perhaps, I would have if the characters themselves had been more modern, but they have an antiquated magical feel to them as well.
The books’ main themes are sexual disloyalty and cannibalism. The story seems to be saying that these negative qualities are possible in all humans, but the tree draws them out. All I can say is that although these themes are ones that interest me, they just didn’t do it for me in this story. I reiterate that I think the issue is simply that magical realism is not my style.
The tale is not badly told, although the strongest portions of the story are the flashbacks to Tamsen’s and Lucas’s lost prior loves. Those tales are unique and beautiful, and I can’t help but wonder what made the author choose to tell them as flashbacks instead of as the central piece.
It is difficult to write a review of this book, for although I recognize that it is well-written, it is simply not for me. Some combination of the style and the order in which things are told just didn’t work for me, although there is nothing easily pin-pointed as being wrong with it.
Overall, this is a well-written story that will appeal to fans of both the grotesque and magical realism. You must have a tough stomach to be able to handle this tale, but also an ability to immerse yourself in a world of magic just below the surface.
3 out of 5 stars
Source: Kindle copy from author in exchange for my honest review
This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Opinions of a Wolf 