Review & Giveaway: The Night Circus

by:  Erin Morgenstern
published by:  Doubleday
publish date:  September 13, 2011

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

This book, much like a real circus, was quite a spectacle to behold.  It was finally something completely different and imaginative. 

This was one of the few books that I felt like it would make a better movie than a book.  It's not to say that the book was bad by any means.    It was just such a visual book that I think it could be so much more as a movie.  The movie right have already been optioned.  It definitely needs Tim Burton as a director.  The entire circus and it's cast is clad in black and white only with little bits of silver here and there.  That screams Tim Burton to me, plus he would lend that undertone of evil that is woven through the whole story even though there's a love story blossoming.

What I liked about this book was the writing.  It was beautifully written.  I loved the circus.  I loved how mysterious and magical it was.  I really liked the black and white theme, it was perfect.  I think it illustrated how naive the players in the duel were and how evil their masters their masters were.  I liked Celia and I liked Marco, however I didn't like them together.  That brings me to what I didn't like.  I didn't find them together very believable.

I wish there had been a little more explanation of the dual and what exactly it was it was going to be in the beginning.  It seemed like there was going to be an epic battle of magicians, a la Lord of the Rings, but it far different than that.  Not different bad, but don't expect something like that.

Thanks to the great people at Doubleday I have 2 copies to giveaway.  US addresses only.  No P.O. Boxes.  Please leave a comment below with a valid email address to enter.  If you'd like an additional entry you can spread the word about this contest (facebook, twitter, etc.) please leave a link in a separate comment.  I'll pick a winner on 9/19/11.

The Devil All the Time

by:  Donald Ray Pollock
published by:  Doubleday Publishing
publish date:  July 12, 2011

Set in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a cast of compelling and bizarre characters from the end of World War II to the 1960s. There’s Willard Russell, tormented veteran of the carnage in the South Pacific, who can’t save his beautiful wife, Charlotte, from an agonizing death by cancer no matter how much sacrifi­cial blood he pours on his “prayer log.” There’s Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife team of serial kill­ers, who troll America’s highways searching for suitable models to photograph and exterminate. There’s the spider-handling preacher Roy and his crippled virtuoso-guitar-playing sidekick, Theodore, running from the law. And caught in the middle of all this is Arvin Eugene Russell, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up to be a good but also violent man in his own right.

Donald Ray Pollock braids his plotlines into a taut narrative that will leave readers astonished and deeply moved. With his first novel, he proves himself a master storyteller in the grittiest and most uncompromising American grain.

Hands down the best written book I've read so far this year.  This book was awesome.  It was graphically violent and some parts were pretty disturbing.  It was like a train wreck though, I couldn't stop reading.  I'd be reading with my mouth hanging open, screeching "oh my god", peeking between my fingers because I kept covering my eyes.  Read this one during the day.

I found Pollock's writing style to be somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King's.  The both have a really great way of introducing a character, telling a backstory that may or may not matter in the grander scale of the story, but it made you care about and love (or hate) the character.  This writer had an excellent ability to tie all his stories together, to intertwine all the characters' lives, and bring everything to a satisfying conclusion.

I've been telling everybody about this book.  I highly recommend this one.   It's dark and violent, so if that's not your cup of tea, skip it, otherwise read it!

Giveaway: The Astral by Kate Christensen

The Astral is a huge rose-colored old pile of an apart­ment building in the gentrifying neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. For decades it was the happy home (or so he thought) of the poet Harry Quirk and his wife, Luz, a nurse, and of their two children: Karina, now a fer­vent freegan, and Hector, now in the clutches of a cultish Christian community. But Luz has found (and destroyed) some poems of Harry’s that ignite her long-simmering sus­picions of infidelity, and he’s been summarily kicked out. He now has to reckon with the consequence of his literary, marital, financial, and parental failures (and perhaps oth­ers) and find his way forward—and back into Luz’s good graces.

Harry Quirk is, in short, a loser, living small and low in the water. But touched by Kate Christensen’s novelistic grace and acute perception, his floundering attempts to reach higher ground and forge a new life for himself become funny, bittersweet, and terrifically moving. She knows what secrets lurk in the hearts of men—and she turns them into literary art of the highest order.

This book is getting so much buzz!  I'm really excited to be a part of this giveaway.   I keep seeing it mentioned in newspapers and being added to those lists of books that you must read for the summer.  It also made it on Oprah's Summer Reading List.  I have my copy firmly in hand, now here's a chance for you to win a copy. 

The wonderful people at Doubleday have made this possible so we're going to follow their rules:  US addresses only, no P.O. Boxes. 

Just leave a comment below telling me one book on your summer reading list, make sure your email address is in your comment.  If you would like an additional entry, you can spread the word about this contest on your blog, twitter, facebook, etc.  Just leave the link in a separate comment.  I will randomly pick winners on June 24.

Double DoubleDay Giveaway!!

That's right folks!  Step right up!  We have 2, count 'em, not 1 but 2 giveaways today from the awesome people at DoubleDay.

First up is The Russian Affair

Twenty-nine-year-old Anna Viktorovna lives in Moscow with her young son and her father, a once popular and respected poet who has fallen into disgrace because of his dissident views. Her husband, a junior officer in the Red Army, is on active duty and living seven time zones away. Anna struggles gamely through her difficult existence, doing the best she can amidst the long lines, bureaucratic inferno, and corruption and incompetence of the police state. When she meets and makes an impression on a pow­erful Soviet official—Alexey Bulgyakov—her life begins to look a little brighter. Alexey is married and nearly twice her age, but he turns out to be a man of infinite patience and forbearance, and gradually a strange but solid bond grows between them. Though Anna still loves her mostly absent husband and harbors no illusions about the future, she and Alexey become lovers.

Soon Anna and Alexey’s burgeoning romance is irrevocably threatened when a KGB colonel forces Anna to spy on Alexey, who is suspected of disloyalty to the state. Though Anna loathes the notion of double-crossing the man she has come to love, when her family is threatened she must com­ply. But Anna isn’t the only character playing a double game.

With bravura storytelling, stunning authenticity, and com­plex yet sympathetic characterizations, The Russian Affair depicts a love that struggles to survive against all odds and despite its many-layered deceptions.

The second book we have to offer is Treasures From the Attic: The Extraordinary Story of Anne Frank's Family.

An old lady dies in Basel, Switzerland. Her devoted daughter-in-law, Gertrude, steels herself to do what all families must in the aftermath of death—she heads upstairs to the attic to sort through the effects. But Helene Elias wasn’t just any old lady, and none could put a price on what she left as an inheritance.

Helene Elias was born Helene Frank, sister to Otto Frank, and thus Anne Frank’s aunt. Alice Frank, the matriarch and grand­mother of the family, left Germany for Switzerland in the 1930s, and though her family had scattered across Europe, she remained at the hub of their lives. They wrote voluminously, sent photos, visited for summer holidays and reunions, and of course wrote about them when they returned home. Alice kept every bit she could. It all sat upstairs in the house, which was eventually passed down to Alice’s grandson, Buddy Elias, Anne Frank’s childhood playmate, and his wife, Gertrude.

What Gertrude found has become an utterly engaging, endear­ing, and convincing account of a family that tells us who shaped Anne Frank, made her who she was. They believed themselves to be ordinary members of Germany’s bourgeoisie. That they were wrong is part of history—one that we celebrate here.

Due to the generosity of Doubleday I have 2 copies of each book to giveaway. US addresses only, no PO boxes. Leave a comment with a valid email address before May 31st. I'll randomly pick winners on the 31st. If you want extra entries you can spread the word (twitter, facebook, etc.) about this giveaway and leave a separate comment with a link to each place you posted about it.  Please specify which book (or both) you would like to win.

Robopocalypse

by:  Daniel H. Wilson

published by:  Doubleday

publish date:  June 7th, 2011

In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late. When the Robot War ignites -- at a moment known later as Zero Hour -- humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united.

First off there are some cool things going on with this book.  Check out the Facebook page for Robopocalypse, there's a video contest with great prizes.  There's a count down page for the book release.  Also, Steven Spielberg has already signed on to direct the movie which is slated to come out in 2013, so if you're interested there's information about that on IMDB.

There are a lot of books out there about machines coming to life and killing all the humans, it's not totally new.  I think what makes this one unique is the way it's told.   It's told through a series of historical accounts of the war that breaks out between the robots and humans.  In this way it was somewhat similar to The Passage, which was another one my recent favorites. 

For me, it took a little while for this book to get going, but once it did it was awesome.  It was full of action and adventure and unlikely heroes.  Parts were really sad and some parts were horrific and a lot of it will totally creep you out.  I think this was one of the first books that really portrayed the full spectrum to which computers/robots have taken over our lives.  It's kind of scary to think that we're trying to let that technology think for itself. 

I think this movie is going to be a big one in a couple of years, so check out the book before it comes out.   Just look at that cover!  Doesn't that make you want to read it??

Winners and a New Giveaway!

The winners of The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady are SusieBookworm and Orchid!  Congratulations!!  I'll be sending you emails shortly. 

Now for the new giveaway!  Yay!!

I have another great book from Doubleday.  Snowdrops by A.D. Miller

A. D. Miller's Snowdrops is an intensely riveting psychological drama that unfolds over the course of one Moscow winter, as a young Englishman's moral compass is spun by the seductive opportunities revealed to him by a new Russia: a land of hedonism and desperation, corruption and kindness, magical dachas and debauched nightclubs; a place where secrets - and corpses - come to light only when the deep snows start to thaw - Snowdrops is a chilling story of love and moral freefall: of the corruption, by a corrupt society, of a corruptible young man. It is taut, intense and has a momentum as irresistible to the reader as the moral danger that first enchants, then threatens to overwhelm, its narrator.

This book was a little hard to read, not necessarily because of the subject matter, but because of the location.  It takes place in Russia so there are a lot of long Russian words in it and I'm not one of those people that can just skip over a word like that, I have to stop and sound it out and so it took me a while to make my way through this book. This is also why I never got past the first couple of chapters of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!

Snowdrops was written as a confession, the narrator to a fiancee I assumed, explaining what his life was like when he lived in Russia.  He was a lawyer and he was involved in some shady schemes.  He dealt with some really interesting characters and he's telling this other person everything that happened.

I found the book pretty interesting.  I felt like I learned a few things about Moscow, beginning with what a "snowdrop" is.  If you're thinking it's a flower, think again!  This book is dark and tense and keeps you wondering what's going to happen.

Same giveaway rules apply: US addresses only, no PO Boxes please.  Leave a comment WITH A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS please!  If you want an extra entries you can spread the word about this giveaway (facebook, twitter, etc) and post the link in a separate comments.

There will be 2 winners for this giveaway and I'll randomly pick names on April 20th.

Review & Giveaway: The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady

by:  Elizabeth Stuckey-French
published by:  Doubleday

Seventy-seven-year-old Marylou Ahearn is going to kill Dr. Wilson Spriggs come hell or high water. In 1953, he gave her a radioactive cocktail without her consent as part of a secret government study that had horrible consequences.

Marylou has been plotting her revenge for fifty years. When she accidentally discovers his whereabouts in Florida, her plans finally snap into action. She high tails it to hot and humid Tallahassee, moves in down the block from where a now senile Spriggs lives with his daughter’s family, and begins the tricky work of insinuating herself into their lives. But she has no idea what a nest of yellow jackets she is stum­bling into.

Before the novel is through, someone will be kidnapped, an unlikely couple will get engaged, someone will nearly die from eating a pineapple upside-down cake laced with anti-freeze, and that’s not all . . .

Told from the varied perspectives of an incredible cast of endearing oddball characters and written with the flair of a native Floridian, this dark comedy does not disappoint.

I generally like a dark comedy, but when I was reading about this book I was trying to imagine who funny a 77 year old woman could be.  Think Betty White!  If this book was ever made into a movie I could totally see her playing the part as the devious Marylou acting like nothing but a forgetful sweet old lady but in reality trying to kill an old man and make his family crazy. 

Marylou wreaks all kinds of havoc on Wilson Sprigg's family.  Through her mischievous manipulations his family is awakened from the stupor they've been living in and their lives get turned completely upside down.  In the end though, all these problems aren't for the worse.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  I've been in a bit of a slump lately.  I've had a hard time finding a book to hold my interest all the way through and this one did.  The story was unique and pulled in contemporary as well as some historical issues.  It has a little bit of something for everyone.

Thanks to the lovely people at Doubleday I have 2 copies to giveaway.  US addresses only, no PO boxes.  Leave a comment with a valid email address before April 13th.  I'll randomly pick winners on the 13th.  If you want extra entries you can spread the word (twitter, facebook, etc.) about this giveaway and leave a separate comment with a link to each place you posted about it.

Giveaway: The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise

by:  Julia Stuart

From Goodreads:  Brimming with charm and whimsy, this exquisite novel set in the Tower of London has the transportive qualities and delightful magic of the contemporary classics Chocolat and Amélie.

Balthazar Jones has lived in the Tower of London with his loving wife, Hebe, and his 120-year-old pet tortoise for the past eight years. That’s right, he is a Beefeater (they really do live there). It’s no easy job living and working in the tourist attraction in present-day London.

Among the eccentric characters who call the Tower’s maze of ancient buildings and spiral staircases home are the Tower’s Rack & Ruin barmaid, Ruby Dore, who just found out she’s pregnant; portly Valerie Jennings, who is falling for ticket inspector Arthur Catnip; the lifelong bachelor Reverend Septimus Drew, who secretly pens a series of principled erot­ica; and the philandering Ravenmaster, aiming to avenge the death of one of his insufferable ravens.

When Balthazar is tasked with setting up an elaborate menagerie within the Tower walls to house the many exotic animals gifted to the Queen, life at the Tower gets all the more interest­ing. Penguins escape, giraffes are stolen, and the Komodo dragon sends innocent people running for their lives. Balthazar is in charge and things are not exactly running smoothly. Then Hebe decides to leave him and his beloved tortoise “runs” away.

Filled with the humor and heart that calls to mind the delight­ful novels of Alexander McCall Smith, and the charm and beauty of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is a magical, wholly origi­nal novel whose irresistible characters will stay with you long after you turn the stunning last page.

Personally, I just couldn't get into this book.  I tried 3 different times and it just wasn't my cup of tea (haha).  However, it's getting quite the rave reviews so it must be really good!  Now you can find out for yourself. 

I have 2 copies of this book to giveaway from the publisher (Thanks Doubleday!) so publisher rules apply.  US addresses only and no PO boxes.  I'll pick winners on Nov. 1. 

To enter just leave a comment on this post with a valid email address.  If you would like an extra entry you can mention this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook and leave a link to it in a separate comment.  Good Luck!

The Wave: Review and Giveaway

By:  Susan Casey
Publisher:  DoubleDay

From Susan Casey, bestselling author of The Devil’s Teeth, an astonishing book about colossal, ship-swallowing rogue waves and the surfers who seek them out.

For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis­missed these stories—waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea—including several that approached 100 feet.

As scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon, others view the giant waves as the ultimate challenge. These are extreme surfers who fly around the world trying to ride the ocean’s most destructive monsters. The pioneer of extreme surfing is the legendary Laird Hamilton, who, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board suicidally large waves of 70 and 80 feet. Casey follows this unique tribe of peo­ple as they seek to conquer the holy grail of their sport, a 100­foot wave.

In this mesmerizing account, the exploits of Hamilton and his fellow surfers are juxtaposed against scientists’ urgent efforts to understand the destructive powers of waves—from the tsunami that wiped out 250,000 people in the Pacific in 2004 to the 1,740-foot-wave that recently leveled part of the Alaskan coast.

Like Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, The Wave brilliantly portrays human beings confronting nature at its most ferocious.

This book is AWESOME!!  If you like the ocean or surfing or boats or anything like that you'll find this book fascinating.  The pictures in this book are amazing.  I don't know what else to say about it other than run out and get this book and read it.  Susan Casey must be one cool chick, seriously I want to go hang out with her she must be full of stories.

Thanks to the fabulous people at Doubleday I have two copies of this book to give away.  Publisher giveaway rules apply.  Must have a US address and no PO Boxes please.  Just leave a comment below with your email address if you would like to be entered.  If you would like an additional entry you can tweet about it or post on Facebook, leave the link in a separate comment.  I'll randomly pick winners on 10/18.