Katie Scarlett O’Hara was my childhood icon. Scarlett (The sequel to Gone with the Wind) has the honor of being the first book that ever made me cry.
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Verb Vixen
I read. I listen. I watch. I write.
Thursday, May 31
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Tuesday, May 29
Mermaids on Memorial Day
Tangled Tides (Sea Monster Memoirs #1)- Karen Amanda Hooper
What’s a better read than a mermaid story for Memorial Day? Tangled Tides seemed like a good choice, but I’m not going to lie—-Tangled Tides was just okay for me. The first few pages I had no idea if it was a boy or a girl protagonist. Then Yara is like “hey let’s just run off with this stranger.” Did someone not teach her stranger danger? Cause for real, that’s just dumb. After those initial problems, Tangled Tides rallied a bit with interesting world creation and mythology. As the story continued the entangled relationships seemed a bit confused for me. In the end, I was kind of just “meh” about it. If you’re looking for a quick mermaid read for the beach then this hits the mark, just don’t expect much more than that.
Overall: B
Tangled Tides is out now and free for Amazon Prime users right now ($4.99 for other Amazon users). Check it out here.
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Dreamless Is OUT NOW!
So you may or may not have read my reviews of Starcrossed and Dreamless by Josephine Angelini. Take this opportunity to go read them now. They explain quite well why I am 100% OBSESSED with this series. OB-SESS-ED.
That being said, I am beyond excited to give you a short and sweet interview with Josie about the books, in particular Dreamless which is out today! (DUH, GO BUY IT). Just past the interview is a recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes which have an interesting role in Dreamless—-interesting and delicious. So read on, cook up, and enjoy fellow Starhearts!
xoxo
V.V.
The Interview:
1. Helen feels quite the burden of responsibility in Dreamless, what
motivates her and that sense of duty?
motivates her and that sense of duty?
Helen has a fantastic relationship with her dad, and that has instilled in her a deep sense of duty and responsibility to family. In DREAMLESS, Hector is an Outcast, and the the only way to restore him to his family is to end the curse of the Furies. Spoiler Alert! Since she believes that Hector is her cousin, she feels an enormous sense of urgency around this. It is her strong commitment to family that drives her (at first. Later, as her understanding broadens, she wants to complete her task for a whole host of reasons). It’s also Helen’s duty to family that fuels her conflict with Lucas. When Helen finds out that they are cousins, she feels deeply divided. One part of her doesn’t buy it that they are related, but the other part is disgusted by the thought that they are. It all comes back to family in my story, as it almost always did in Greek myth.
2. We get to meet new demi-gods and even some gods in Dreamless—what
influenced your creation of those characters?
The gods that I introduce are influenced by a combination of things I’ve read about them (mostly in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology) and from my own imagination. Honestly? There isn’t much written about the gods that I chose to write into this book, so most of it is from my imagination. I just wanted to make unique characters that would really stick in the reader’s mind. And terrify them! ;)
3. You’re so good at taking a story or character we think we know and
then altering that tradition to bring it new life. What is your
process for writing like when dealing with a story that has deep roots
like the Trojan War?
First of all, thank you for that lovely compliment! I work very hard on my characters, and it’s really gratifying to know that it has paid off. My process is all about humanizing the characters that we think we know. The Iliad is an epic poem, so the language used to describe most of the characters is hyperbolic. I wanted to take those broad characteristics and really ground them in every day human reality. What would it be like, for example, to be so beautiful that everyone fought over you and wanted to possess you? It would probably be horrible. You’d probably try to downplay your looks. You might slouch or not want to look people in the eye. I started with that for Helen and built from there.
4. You’ve given us a lot of heart-throb worth boys to swoon over, so
personally who would you choose and why?
I’m a Lucas girl all the way. His intelligence, his determination, and his loyalty are really appealing to me. Not that Orion’s big heart or Hector’s swagger don’t appeal to me as well. They totally do. But if I had to pick, I’d pick Lucas.
The Recipe: So I straight up took this from The Boy Trifecta because they look AMAZING, are made from scratch, and the steps are super simple. So check her out if you like it, cause I had nothing to do with this one.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of milk
4 Tbsp vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
2 eggs
4 Tbsp melted butter
1.5 cups pumpkin puree
1. Mix your milk and vinegar, and let them sit for 5 minutes while you put everything else together.
2. Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl.
3. Add eggs, butter, milk mixture, and pumpkin puree.
4. Cook on a hot griddle.
5. Add some butter and syrup.
6. Eat.
Friday, May 25
IT IS HERE! SUMMER! FINALLY!
I’ll be at the beach if you need me. Don’t need me.
(Source: thecarycollection)
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Monday, May 21
THE CHAPERONE TOUR GIVEAWAY!
What’s up for grabs: a personalized, signed copy of THE CHAPERONE to one lucky winner (US/Canada only!)
How to do it: RAFFLECOPTER HERE
WHY? Besides my review in the post directly below this, here’s a few good reasons:
“It’s impossible not to be completely drawn in by The Chaperone. Laura Moriarty has delivered the richest and realest possible heroine in Cora Carlisle, a Wichita housewife who has her mind and heart blown wide open, and steps—with uncommon courage—into the fullness of her life. What a beautiful book. I loved every page.”—Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife
“What a charming, mesmerizing, transporting novel! The characters are so fully realized that I felt I was right there alongside them. A beautiful clarity marks both the style and structure of The Chaperone.”—Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab’s Wife and Adam & Eve
“The Chaperone is the best kind of historical fiction, transporting you to another time and place, but even more importantly delivering a poignant story about people so real, you’ll miss and remember them long after you close the book.”—Jenna Blum, author of Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers
“THE CHAPERONE is the enthralling story of two women… In this layered and inventive story, Moriarty raises profound questions about family, sexuality, history, and whether it is luck or will - or a combination of the two - that makes for a wonderful life.” -O, the Oprah Magazine
“A fun romp” –Good Housekeeping
Sponsored by Riverhead Books, the contest is open until 5/29.
Friday, May 18
TLC Blog Tour: The Chaperone
The Chaperone- Laura Moriarty
“A captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both.”
A historical fiction about my favorite city, set in the roaring 20’s, with an irreverant female character? IN.
In all seriousness though it takes a higher level of excellence in an adult fiction to win my respect. I’m not quite sure why that is, perhaps because I’ve spent so much of my life reading classics. The Chaperone met my high standards ensuring its place on my shelf as a book that I will go back to repeatedly. It is impossible of course to set a book in 1920’s NY and not be compared to Gatsby. And there was something Gatsby-esque about The Chaperone—-the question of morality, the midwest to NYC transplant, and oddly enough, the weather during certain scenes reminded me of Gatsby as well. That being said The Chaperone goes on to cover such a breadth of history from minute details to unveiling a whole world I didn’t know existed (spoiler: orphan trains). After reading, I felt like I actually understood life in 1922 apart from the cliche flapper girls, rum runners, and speakeasys we’re all familiar with. Cora is such an empathetic character and her transformation and growth may be the most convincing I’ve read to date. Louise Brooks is both riveting and infuriating but delightfully realistic for a 15 year-old girl. There is a plot twist somewhere in the middle of the book that blindsided me and I loved that! I also loved these little gem sentences I found throughout the book that so beautifully got to the heart of a thought (some reminded me Fitzgerald and others of Steinbeck):
“…she was a grown woman, a modern woman, smart and fearless of judgment, a lovely sparkle on the blade of her generation as it slashed at the old conventions.”
“This life is mine because of good luck. And because I reached out and took it.”
“The young can exasperate, of course, and frighten, and condescend, and insult, and cut you with their still unrounded edges. But they can also drag you, as you protest and scold and try to pull away, right up to the window of the future, and even push you through.”
My only real critique is the end—-as we follow Cora through the dust bowl, Depression and World War II into the 1960s, I felt rushed which was so different from the pace of the rest of the book. I may be alone in this but I’d rather not know what happened to Cora et al. than to have so much of her history packed into so few pages. That being said, this book was a delight to read and one that I will be recommending throughout the summer and fall to all who have ears to listen.
Overall: A
The Chaperone is due out from Riverhead Hardcover on June 5th. You can pre-order your copy here. Thank you to TLC and Riverhead books for letting me be part of this great tour!
About the Author: Laura Moriarty earned a degree in social work before returning for her M.A. in Creative Writing at the University of Kansas. She was the recipient of the George Bennett Fellowship for Creative Writing at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and is now a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Kansas. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and is at work on her next novel.
Be sure to check out Laura’s website and her Facebook page!
THE TLC TOUR: Don’t forget to stop by the rest of the tour stops for awesome interviews, reviews, giveaways and more!
Tuesday, May 1st: Sophisticated Dorkiness
Wednesday, May 2nd: bookchickdi
Thursday, May 3rd: From Left to Write
Friday, May 4th: Rayment’s Readings, Rants and Ramblings
Monday, May 7th: Frenzy of Noise
Thursday, May 10th: Bewitched Bookworms
Friday, May 11th: The Well-Read Wife
Monday, May 14th: Fire and Ice
Tuesday, May 15th: Book Journey
Wednesday, May 16th: Babbling About Books and More
Thursday, May 17th: Workaday Reads
Friday, May 18th: An Avid Reader’s Musings
Friday, May 18th: Verb Vixen
Saturday, May 19th: Midnight Book Girl
Monday, May 21st: Never Too Fond of Books
Tuesday, May 22nd: The Compulsive Reader
Wednesday, May 23rd: Kritters Ramblings
Thursday, May 24th: Literate Housewife
Friday, May 25th: Paperspines
Monday, May 28th: Sassymonkey Reads
Tuesday, May 29th: Picky Girl
Wednesday, May 30th: Chaos is a Friend of Mine
Thursday, May 31st: An Unconventional Librarian
Friday, June 1st: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
Thursday, May 17
Monday, May 14
“ In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself … I see with myriad eyes, but is still I that see … I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.
— C.S. Lewis (via thebookishdark)
(Source: presentingbooks)
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Friday, May 4
I’m on a much deserved, much needed vacation to my second home, New Orleans. I’ll be back with a Blog Tour stop and review on May 9th. Can’t wait to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band!
photo via trutupatrick
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Wednesday, May 2
Do you know how impossible it is to have all the titles on all the spines of books line up this perfectly? It is a thing of beauty though…
source: weheartit
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“ Books say: She did this because. Life says: She did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren’t. I’m not surprised some people prefer books.
— Julian Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot (via prettybooks)
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Monday, April 30
“ The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books.
— -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Friday, April 27
Lets Get Dramatic
Take A Bow- Elizabeth Eulberg
Looking back, I’m not surprised I liked Take A Bow. I’ve liked all of Eulberg’s previous contemporaries; she has these heartwarming stories and easy to love characters. In Take A Bow, what immediately caught my attention was how distinct the voices of Emme, Carter, Sophie and Ethan were. Their stories are dramatically different and yet there’s this thread the connects them together (and not just in the overtly obvious they go to school together thing). Each struggles to find out who they are and to chase their dreams. I loved that the focus of this book was more about self-confidence than it was about romance. And perhaps the mark of truly lovely writing is that while I disliked Sophie in the end I could only feel sorry for her and for all the things she will miss in her life. Empathy for the bad girl? Now that’s impressive.
Overall: A-
CONTEST: Enter to win a signed copy of Take A Bow from me!
Enter using the rafflecopter widget here on the facebook page.
The contest will end on May 11th and midnight. Winner will be chosen at random via rafflecopter. U.S. and Canada only. Good luck!
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Thursday, April 26
