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I’m puzzled by this girlie cover for the paperback version of Intuition by Allegra Goodman. It’s all about this young woman, who works in a cancer lab. (Thank God there’s a cute doctor also working there!) But oops, his ex is on a rampage and she tries to mess with his work and there’s all these ethical and moral dilemmas and hey, maybe another cover (more serious) would have been better! More like the hardcover maybe?

Speaking of covers, one of my favorite books of 2006  Abide with Me, by Elizabeth Strout had a total redesign for the paperback. How do you go from this to this?

We also have a crumbling cupcake cover trend. From Miss Invisible by Laura Jensen Walker  to the The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

On the Rise:

The hot new novel looks to be The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle. (Mentioned earlier in the month in this blog.)

Link Love

I enjoy group blogs and found Deadline Hellions to be mighty fine reading.

Read  of the Week

I re-read The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Banks and it was like discovering a brand-new book. I didn’t remember a bit of it except for the last story where her main character tries to follow The Rules.

I was surprised by the spare prose and the shortness of the novel, but I still really enjoyed it and think the work holds up after ten years. Still I prefer her latest The Wonder Spot which I believe I’ll re-read for comparison.

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A Must-Read!

A few best-selling authors are guilty of occasionally phoning in their novels. Many authors are expected to produce a novel a year, and publishing companies count on certain authors to contribute substantially to their bottom line. What pressure! Is it any wonder that every now and then an author produces a slap-dash effort?

Best-selling author, Jodi Picoult, however is NOT one of those authors. It amazes me that she consistently writes well-plotted, well-researched page turners every year. Her latest Nineteen Minutes about a school shooting is a tour de force. She juggles dozens of points of view, yet never confuses the reader or loses the momentum of the story. Her skillful pacing makes you to want to devour the novel one sitting. Additionally her characters are so well-crafted and true-to-life she manages to make the reader feel sympathy for the shooter.

Don’t miss this one!

Link Love

This is a thoughtful article on  the future of book reviews. 

Thank goodness! Baby boomers love their books.

A Little South in Your Mouth

I’m lucky because people actually send me books! For free. And sometimes they are wonderful like More Culinary Kudzu by Keetha DePriest Reed. It has YUM Southern recipes organized by seasons  and amusing stories accompany the recipes. You’ll want to try the Hummingbird Cake (a favorite of mine), cheese straws, garlic chess grits, funnel cake, seven layer salad, tea time tassies and a whole lot more of your Southern favorites. This is the second book in a series of cookbooks and I just LOVED it. I know I don’t usually do cookbooks ‘round here, but this one was too good not to mention.

Looking Ahead

There are certain books I drool over long before they hit the shelves and the one I’m lusting over the most right now is  A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans.  First of all, it’s been compare to  The Secret History by Donna Tartt one of my ten top-favorite books of all time.

Then Publishers Weekly said “this stunning novel marks the debut of a serious talent.” Kirkus calls it “a psychological thriller that keeps the reader on edge until the last page.” Library Journal said, “this debut novel grips readers from the first chapter.”

The novel is about man who refuses to hold his newborn son because of traumas he’s experienced in the past. It debuts in May.

Fun Read of the Week

Karen Quinn, author of Ivy Chronicles has a new novel called Wife in the Fast Lane. Instead of going one a multi-city tour, Quinn asked her publisher to help subsidize a contest on her web site instead which net 750 entries but also brought over 7,000 visitors to her web site. The contest is closed but you can read about it on Quinn’s site.

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In “me” news I’m very pleased that my next novel Earthly Pleasures finally has publication date. February 2008 may sound like it’s very far away but it’s a mere blip in publishing time.

The novel will be published under a pen name as it’s so very different than what I have written in the past. It took me over two years to write the novel (a very looong time for me) because it was such a complicated plot and yet it’s rather short as novels go.

In deal lunch (way back in May 2005) it was described thusly: “ A hospitality greeter in Heaven crosses the dimensions to reunite with her lover on Earth.”

On another topic, it’s wonderful news that teens are buying more books that they have in decades.

Also I finished Still Life with Husband. This is one of those books that doesn’t have a very compelling hook, i.e. it’s about a woman whose bored with her marriage and has an affair.

BUT… it’s wonderfully clever and great fun to read. Very Lolly Winston or Suzanne Finnamore. Lauren Fox, the author, has such a winning style she doesn’t need a high concept plot.

On my list to read is Sloppy Firsts by Megan Mccafferty. Curious, I went searching for an  excerpt. MAN. What a distinct voice. You don’t often see something like that right off the bat. Can’t wait to read.

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The GCC Presents  Melanie Lynne Hauser Author of Super Mom Saves the World

I love the premise of Melanie’s novels. A PTA mom has a horrible Swiffer accident and acquires super powers. The press release says she’s having lustful thoughts about Mr. Clean. (Love it!) I’m partial to the Brawny towel guy, but whatever…

Anyhoo, you know this one’s gonna be fun. Both the notoriously cranky Kirkus and Booklist gave it the thumbs up.  

Q. SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD is a sequel. Did you anticipate having a sequel when you wrote your first novel?  What was the writing process like?

A. No, I didn't anticipate it.  I'd written a stand alone - or so I thought.  It's an odd thing, as a writer, to be told that no, you didn't actually end the story where you thought you did.  And I admit, it was tough - the hardest thing I've had to write so far.  There are so many other people reading over your shoulder when you're writing a sequel.  And I had a couple of false starts.  But in the end, the book I wrote is a good book, I think; I'm happy with what has happened with these characters, and feel privileged to have had the chance to live with them this much longer. 

Q. You did a lot of promotional work for your first novel. Any big plans for your second? Now that you're a veteran what will you do differently this time around? 

A. I'm not doing quite so much, actually; I think I learned that there are a lot of things outside the author's control, and no matter what else you might come up with, there's just a critical point where you can't move the mountain on your own.  So hopefully I'm being smarter by concentrating on talking with independent booksellers, for example, instead of spending a ton of money on Google AdWords that really don't seem to make a difference.  I think I'm just using my time and money in a smarter way, at least I hope!  Not just randomly driving around, looking for books to sign, but making sure I'm going places where there are actually promotion and media opportunities.  Not having lots of silly contests on my website, either.  Those don't seem to make a big difference.  And while, with the paperback, I spent a lot of time on MySpace, I'm not sure that was worthwhile, at least not for the audience for my book.  So I'm not spending so much time there. 

(Although, now that I think about it, there is, currently, a silly contest on my website! And also, some Google AdWords. But I'm not spending nearly as much money & time on them as I have in the past!)

Q. What's the next for you?

A. Wish I knew!  I have a lot of ideas I'm excited about, but it's too soon to tell what's going to happen first.

Q. What's your favorite part of writing a novel? Your least favorite?

A. There's no least favorite part about writing!  That's the most important thing I've learned since being published - that the writing is IT, the reason I'm doing this.  The publishing part is much more daunting, and can be heartless, and if that's the only reason you're doing this, you're going to have a tough time.  But if you're doing it for the love of the writing, you can weather any slings and arrows that come your way

Q. How did you stumble into novel writing in the first place? Was it something you always wanted to do? 

A. I was always a voracious reader, and I suppose there was always a sense that I was good with words, and had a vivid imagination.  But I didn't always want to be a writer, no; I really wanted to go into the performing arts, and did a lot of theater.  But in my mid-thirties, when my children were a bit older, I looked around and realized that "Hey, you know - maybe I should be a writer!"  And so I started out small, writing humorous parenting essays, and working my way up to writing novels.  That was always my ultimate goal, but it was a bit intimidating, and it took me a while to get my courage up.  But once I started, I haven't stopped!  And I hope I never do.

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What to Read In March

Cassandra King has a new one out called  Queen of Broken Hearts It’s about a divorce coach who is leery of ever falling in love again. If you’re a Southerner you probably also know that King is the wife of Pat Conroy. Her new novel opens in Fairhope, Alabama, home to Page and Palette and Over the Transom bookstore. (Page and Palette is mentioned. There’s also a character named Son. Could this be a nod to Over Transom owner Sonny Brewer?) Dorothea Benton Frank, Sandra Brown and Fannie Flagg give the novel raves.

Here’s the excerpt.

One of my favorite authors, Tawni O’Dell has a new release Sister Mine. As the title may or may not suggest, O’Dell writes about coal miners, which would ordinarily be about as interesting to me a book about lint.

But her prose, storytelling and voice is sooo wonderful. I’m desperately disappointed that I couldn’t find an excerpt to show you how great O’Dell is. But here’s an excerpt from a previous novel to demonstrate that O’Dell has got the chops.

One of the most disturbing and compelling novels I’ve ever read was Lionel Shriver’s  We Need to Talk About Kevin.  Shriver’s latest is  Post-Birthday World. The main character is tempted to cheat on her husband and the author presents a two-pronged narrative of what happened when she stayed faithful and what might of happened if she strayed. It’s sort of high-brow Sliding Doors. All the major reviewers are raving. No excerpt, dang it. I really wanted a taste.

Imagine losing your fiancé’s six-year-old daughter in the split second your attention is diverted. That’s the premise of The Year of Fog, by Michelle Richmond. I’m pretty sure this sample chapter will reel you in. Love the spare prose. Reviews are wunderbar, and include a starred Library Journal. Michelle is originally from Alabama.

Susan Coll writes a witty send-up on the college admission process in Acceptance. Looks fun but I couldn’t find an excerpt or even a web site. Reviews are good.

Tara Ison writes a darkly comic novel called The List about a couple with a rocky relationship. They make a list of ten things they want to do before they break up for good. The list becomes progressively dysfunctional. Sounds like an intriguing premise. No excerpt available.

Much loved Anne Lamott has an essay collection out called  Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith revealing a more mellow side of the writer.

 Helpless by Barbara Gowdy is about child abduction. (Hence the hints of Lovely Bones in the cover). No excerpt but with two starred reviews this one may be worth looking into.

The God of Animals (a Books Sense pick) is about a poor rancher girl who is exposed to a world of wealth and privilege when her family boards horses. Here’s a snippet.

Naked on the Page a non-fiction offering by San Francisco Chronicle columnist Janet Ganahl chronicles middle-aged dating (almost an oxymoron and book I could have written myself) Kirkus calls it “Carrie Bradshaw meets AARP.”

I mentioned Spellman Files, by Lisa Lutz before about a quirky family who owns a detective agency. This has “big book” written all over it with the tons of foreign rights sold and movies rights optioned. There’s a sample chapter when you click on the first link.

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A new wind is blowing at Southern Comfort. I’ve decided to post my most detailed blog every Friday. That’s where you’ll find a big, fat serving of reading selections or other worthy things I’ve collected during the week. There may be little driblets during the week but Friday is the big day to get your weekly shot of Southern.   

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Spent the weekend at one of the best-run book festivals in the country SC Book Festival. Loved mingling with other Southern authors like Patti Callahan Henry, Sonny Brewer, T. Lynn Ocean, George Singleton, Ad Hudler and many, many more. Click on authors for the line up.

Right now I’m reading The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee which is wicked, frothy fun.

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Reading Rainbow

The font is big because LJ is MESSED UP! They forget to add the post-to-journal button but I can’t complain because it’s FREE.

Enuff. Read Joe Hill’s debut and it was engaging and fun until near the end when it got over-the-top, confusing and weird. I’ve seen this in horror novels a lot. The author seems to think anything goes because, “Dude, I’m a horror novelist.”

Whatever.

I skimmed a lot of tedious action, gore and incomprehensible junk to get to the ending.

In other bad news, I wasn’t amused with this offering. There’s some funny stuff but it’s bogged down in backstory and a lot of non-essential scenes. And it tries too hard.

Whenever I start feeling blue about my reading material, I return to something I know is near perfect like this.

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New This Week

 Some Like It Haute, by Julie K. Dam a novel about Fashion Week in Paris is out in paperback. Here’s an excerpt.

 Notoriously finicky NY Times critic Michiko Kakutani  gave a rave review to  Still Life with Husband, by Lauren Fox. (I’ve mentioned this novel before and featured an excerpt.)

Janice Kaplan (one of two authors of Botox Diaries) strikes out on her own with a mystery called  Looks to Die For. Reviewers are raving. Here’s an excerpt.

A daughter takes care of her dying mom and reconnects with her distant dad in Ask Again Later, by Jill A. Davis. (I couldn’t find an excerpt.)

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Although I’ve never knitted I find myself reading two knitting novels in the last couple of weeks (no doubt the term “knit lit” has been coined by now and if not, it damn well ought to be). Juts finished the The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood, a touching novel, lovingly crafted. Hood lost her five year old daughter to a severe case of strep throat and she reconciles her grief by fictionalizing her experiences. The novelis all the more moving since Hood lived through the unfathomable experience  of losing a child.

Hood has much more finely-honed writing more chops than Kate Jacobs of  The Friday Night Knitting Club, but she’s also six novels ahead of Kate so that’s to be expected.

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I know I already mentioned The Worthy by Will Clarke but it’s so damn worthy that I have to talk about it again because I finished it and there was not a single wrong note in this faboo novel.

I’ve decided that if I really love, love a book I’m going to post an Amazon review which I promptly did and which you can savor at Amazon. (I’m lazy so do not be expecting some kind of thoughtful, insightful review. I’m not looking for a grade here.)

Anyhoo, whenever I really like a book I always have to check out all the reviews and press to make sure everyone agrees with me and to boo and hiss those who don’t.

I ran across a positive review of the very worthy Worthy, which included the following puzzling statement, “ Mr. Clarke isn’t going win a Pulitzer with The Worthy.”

The Worthy, by the way, is about a frat kid who haunts his fraternity house. It’s full of funny hijinks. I think it’s highly unlikely that Will Clarke wrote this novel and thought to himself, “Jeepers. I wonder if I stand a chance for the Pulitze?.”

Why don’t book reviewers get this? I read this type of dufus statement all the time in book reviews. Books that win prizes and books that are meant to entertain are too different animals.

Movie reviewers don’t have this problem.  You don’t read reviews that say, “The Wedding Crashers is no English Patient.”

Restaurant reviewers don’t say, “Barney’s BBQ is not the Four Seasons.”

Apples and oranges, people. Oranges and apples.

And don’t get me started about why our culture tends to value drama over comedy.

Okay. Hopped off soapbox and have moved onto…

THE GIRLFRIEND CYBER TOUR

Featuring two girlfriends to be precise who have written one debut novel called  China Dolls. It’s described as The Joy Luck Club meets Sex in the City and has garnered quotes from Emily Giffin and the Nanny Diary authors. Check out the authors’ site as well as a taste of their yummy confection.

Here’s my interview with authors Blossom Kan and Michelle Yu, who, incidentally are cousins:

Q. What was the collaboration process like? Why did you decide on
collaborating?

A. The collaboration process was a lot of writing and re-writing. Michelle and
I would write sections, send them to each other, and rewrite each other.
Collaborating was a natural thing for us because we are cousins and we grew
up together. Being only children, we spent a lot of time growing up together
and it seemed really natural to collaborate together.

Q. What  is the back story on CHINA DOLLS?

A. Michelle and I love chicklit/women's fiction, but we felt that there weren't
any books out there that spoke to the experiences of young Asian women. 
Aside from the dating/professional issues that all women face, Asian women
have to deal with stereotypes that add a whole new layer to these things. 
So we felt there was a story to be told here, and we decided that maybe we
could be the ones telling it.

Q. What's been the most exciting part of the publishing process? What's
been the most unexpected thing that's happened?

A. Seeing our book in the bookstore was huge. At that moment, it really seemed
real to us. The most unexpected thing was what happened at our first book
reading this week. We had friends and family there, of course, but there were
people there who we didn't know us who had heard about our book. They were
actual, genuine fans - and that was really cool.

Q.  How are you celebrating the release of your novel?

A. Well, we're having a launch party tomorrow night, but that's pretty much the
extent of our celebrating. It's terrible, but we've been so busy and so
stressed that we really haven't been able to relax and celebrate. In a few
weeks though, it will definitely happen!

Q.  What's next for you?

A. After we get back from our tour, we're going to have to sit down, roll up
our sleeves and start writing our next book. We are under contract for our
next two books, so we have some real deadlines coming up.

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This Week’s Reading List

Read the hot, new knitting novel and good news, you don’t have to be a knitter to enjoy it. (although brace yourself for some poetic waxing about yarn. I skimmed those parts.) Told from lots of point of views, this novel suffers from a sagging middle but still has its enjoyable moments. People have been calling it the Steel Magnolia knitting novel ( not because it’s the least bit Southern, mind  ya—it takes place in Manhattan- but cuz someone kicks the bucket. You gotta read the novel to find out which poor gal takes a dirt nap.)

ATTENTION BOOK CLUBBERS- Have I got a novel for you! Immediately breeze on down to the your bookstore and snag a copy of The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne. It’s the kind of book that, upon completion, makes you say, “What the hell?” or if you’re in the South, “What was that mess ?”

I’m not saying it’s a crummy book. I truly liked it. It raises all kinds of unanswered questions, making it utter catnip if you’re a member of a serious book club. On the other hand if you’re one of them “eat, drink and get pie-eyed book clubs” you may want to read  Heiress For Hire by Erin McCarthy, which is very funny as well as sexy.

If you’re looking for a really clever read, check out  The Worthy: A Ghost's Story by Will Clarke. It’s funny and very expertly plotted, I can’t put it down even though it has a gross goat’s head on the cover. It’s described as Ghost meets Animal House. Move over Christopher Moore!

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New This Week

Jane Smiley, who mainly writes books with a farm feel (Moo, Thousand Acres and Horse Heaven) has her head in Hollywood with her latest Ten Days in the Hills. The novel was heavily reviewed this weekend and most of the advance notice is positive. Here’s an excerpt. (I’ve never heard of a certain male appendage being described as ‘nonchalant” but I can dig it.).

Stephen King’s kid Joe Hill debuts with Heart-Shaped Box about a heavy metal rocker who buys a haunted suit. Reviews are good (except for a particularly snooty review in the Times today) but an earlier review by Janet Maslin was far more positive. (TWO reviews in the Times. How about them apples?) Here’s an excerpt (you’ll have to click a couple of times) as well as some exceptionally moody music. Dad must be proud.

Susan Issacs is one of the authors who sparked my desire to write. Her latest Past Perfect is about an ex CIA agent who gets called back into duty.  Excerpt

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LOVE this cover. Sadly I can’t read the book because of this statement by Kirkus: “The slow pace is sometimes maddening.”

LOVE this cover and the title. KEY-YOU-OOT!

This title and this title are too durn close.

Cute cover even cuter concept.

Of possible interest:

You gotta be intrigued by a novel that’s described as “perfectly disturbing.” The Remainder has an utterly original plot and this excerpt intrigues. My only thought: Can I spend several hours with a crazy dude?

With eighteen foreign sales and optioned movie rights, interest is sure to be keen in the Spellman Files. Here’s an excerpt.

For Southern Fiction Lovers

Lynn York has a follow-up to The Piano Teacher with The Sweet Life.

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Do we want to read  Because She Can, by Bridie Clark despite sucky reviews and a lame cover? Yes, we do! This excerpt has too much telling and not enuff showing but I like this section, especially the line about the sweat pants.

“Anyway, I just wasn’t in the mood. Not tonight. My mind was stuck on my work situation, plus I still had a solid week of moping over James left in me. (Who doesn’t secretly relish a breakup—or at least the guiltless freedom it provides to smoke way too many cigarettes, eat buckets of ice cream, not move from the couch, and indulge in every other possible cliché? I wasn’t about to cut this short.)

I explained to Bea that my sweatpants had developed a terrible case of separation anxiety, but she persisted. Then she begged.

Still I wasn’t budging. And so she moved on: “I wonder if James is sulking on his couch right now.”

I can SOOOO relate, girlfriend.

Best-selling Row

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Link Love

This article about James Patterson has been all over the internet like a bad cold but I thought it was interesting enough to provide a link. It talks about how he hooked up with his latest co-author.

And speaking of co-authors, someone told me she met a co-author of Nora Robert’s. This is only rumor but if the gossip is to believed the best-selling romance author isn’t quite as prolific as she appears. The co-author said she is sworn to secrecy not to tell anyone in the pub biz that she is the co-author of at least one of Mizz Robert’s novels. Here’s Nora’s rigorous pub schedule for this year.  One can’t help but wonder about this gal as well. She too is serving up novels like they were flapjacks. 

Trashionista provides a list of the top ten chick lit novels.

Read of the Week

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Browsing the Stacks

I’ve mentioned Alternada by Neal Pollock before (hipster becomes a daddy). It’s on my TBR list and I’m excited to read an excerpt.

I’ve also talked about  Liar's Diary, by Patry Francis and admired its faboo cover. It’s out on the stands now. If there’s an excerpt to be had I couldn’t find it.

Featured New Releases

Readers have mixed feelings about  Kris Radish's novels, and there’s usually no in between. They either passionately love her work or hate it. She has a new release called Sunday List of Dreams. Read the excerpt and you can decide how you feel. I think she some of the best covers and titles in the biz.

Under the cute-as-button category, imagine that you purchase a B&B in the Ozarks on ebay and instead of getting a bed &breakfast, you own a bait and BBQ. Obviously you’d have to be soft in the head to fall for such ploy, but it’s still a fun premise for  Pamela Morsi’s Bitsy's Bait and BBQ (love the cover!).  I couldn’t find an excerpt but Romantic Times gives it four stars.

The Daily Buzz’s resident Chick Lit reviewer Kristin Hamel has a new release called Blonde Theory which asks the burning question: Do ditzy blondes get all the guys? Check out the excerpt.

Gotta love a novel that includes this sentence: “Balloon Tying for Christ was the cheapest balloon manual I could find.” Clown Girl, by Monica Drake has an intro written by Chuck Palahniuk. Here’s an excerpt.

Other New Releases

 Good Things, by Mia King—Martha Stewart type personality hits rock bottom- reviews are mixed. The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12, by Robin Gold  is another Martha Stewart-esque novel.

 Little Lady, Big Apple, by Hester Browne—I read the first installment of this NY Times  best-selling series on the plane to Paris and much enjoyed it. Not sure if I’ll read the second outing but the reviews are all glowing.

 Ask Again Later, by Jill A. Davis- Davis, who used to be a writer for The David Letterman Show is behind the eight-ball when her mom is ill with cancer and she becomes the primary caregiver. Sounds like a downer but reviews say it’s more funny than sad.

 Naked weddings, dog acupuncture and a haunted artist colony are just a few of the plot elements in  The Queen Gene by Jennifer Coburn (sequel to Tales From the Crib). Reviews are mixed. Here’s an excerpt. (Scroll down.)

Various Musings

Separated at birth? I guess good things come in small, blue packages.

What is with large print editions and their questionable covers? Witness  Devil in the Junior League and then the perfectly normal cover. Are they trying to scare far-sighted folks? Very likely.

Promotion Commotion

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This Week’s Read

When you read a book jacket and see a lot of screaming praise like “Amazon’s Book of Decade!”  or NY Times Editor’s Choice,  certain expectations are created.

And in this case they were woefully unfulfilled (although you should read the link page because the publication story is fascinating as well as very revealing. This is definitely an instance of extreme luck for the author.)

Anyhoo, here is a novel with a plodding start (50 pages could have been cut, easy) and unexceptional prose. But the author did create a couple of heart-stopping sections.

The main complaint of most reviewers(which I heartily agree with) was the ho-hum nature of the main character. She didn’t warrant the obsessive attention from the love interest. (A hot, hot vampire)  All in all, only a mildly entertaining read.

New in Paperback

Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle has a lovely excerpt.

Book Browsing

B&N’s latest “recommend” pick is  The Double Bind, by Chris Bohjalian. I muddled through other books by this author without going ga-ga, but I have to admit the excerpt has me drooling for more.