Note that this review is for the Book Club Kit not the full book. That having been said, after reading this kit, I immediately requested the book from my library. It looks quite intriguing.
This guide is helpful for any reader including those who are not in book clubs. There is information about the book and author, an interview and many good questions to ponder.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Library Resources for this title. All opinions are my own.
The author of this title was a Lady in Waiting to Queen Elizabeth. She, herself, has had a rather colorful life. Interestingly, Anne Glenconner has tried her hand at fiction and this is her second story, following on Murder on Mustique.
The novel’s protagonist is named Anne Coke which makes her feel a stand in for the author whose maiden name this was. Parts of the book take place when she was a child with a difficult governess. The story is fueled by what happens when Anne’s grandfather dies in 1950. Was it foul play? Trust Anne to find out in this atmospheric read whose Hall is a real place.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Mobius Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
This is one of the most gorgeously illustrated children’s books that I have seen. Go slowly and let the pictures speak to you (and the child that you may be reading this to.) The subject is impermanence, a topic that I was recently learning more about in a book by Pema Chodron. Here the concept is presented in an easy to understand both neutral and positive way. Learning to accept that things change truly can help in living one’s life. The earlier this is learned, maybe the better!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Shambala Publications, Inc. for this title. All opinions are my own.
Many thanks to Algonquin for the material for this post.
Lark Ascending:
A riveting story of survival and hope, set in the not-too-distant future, about a young man forced to flee the United States and seek refuge across the Atlantic.
As fires devastate most of the United States, Lark and his family secure a place on a refugee boat headed to Ireland, the last country not yet overrun by extremists and rumored to be accepting American refugees. But Lark is the only one to survive the trip, and once ashore, he doesn’t find the safe haven he’d hoped for. As he runs for his life, Lark finds an abandoned dog who becomes his closest companion, and then a woman in search of her lost son. Together they form a makeshift family and attempt to reach Glendalough, a place they believe will offer protection. But can any community provide the safety that they seek?
For readers of novels such as Station Eleven, The Dog Stars, and Migrations, Lark Ascending is a moving and unforgettable story of friendship, family, and healing.
Reviews of Lark Ascending:
“In Lark Ascending, Silas House casts an irresistible spell, conjuring a near future that is both familiar and unbearable, illuminating the brutality and suffering that our own thoughtless age seems determined to invoke. But Lark Ascending is not merely, or even mainly, a tale of pain and grief. This beautiful book is shot through with such tenderness and humanity, such love and courage and beauty and hope, that it feels almost like a prayer.”
— Margaret Renkl, author of Late Migrations and Graceland, At Last
“Silas House has always served as an ancestor from the past who has stepped into the present with rich lessons in tow. But with Lark House reveals himself to be an oracle from the future who has come back to illuminate our lived moment with a snapshot of what the years ahead could hold. The vision is terrifying and spare, but in House’s capable and delicate telling, it is also beautiful and compelling. Lark marks a stunning turn in House’s career, taking him from the Appalachian Mountains to a post-apocalyptic Atlantic crossing, but I have no doubt that readers will follow Silas House wherever he goes, whether into the past or headlong into the future.”
— Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of When Ghosts Come Home
“A postapocalyptic epic that is quiet and lyrical…an emotional testament to the power of hope.”
— Booklist (starred review)
“A fiercely visceral reading experience.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A cleareyed and engaging apocalyptic yarn.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“The not-too-distant dystopia of House’s latest becomes a vehicle for the author to tell a compelling story about a refugee crisis. Because House takes the story out of a contemporary context, readers can more easily empathize with the novel’s refugees rather than focusing on real-world quandaries.”
— Library Journal
“Silas House’s “Lark Ascending” is a dystopian classic, finding new notes of peril and possibility in the once-and-future homeland of Ireland and giving us the kind of richly observed alternative family that humanity of any era would call savior. It also has the best dog ever, excepting my own. Don’t miss this one.”
— Louis Bayard, author of Jackie and Me
“I was sucked into this urgent story where survival in the not-too-distant future depends on forging connections with strangers and nurturing tenderness and hope within. An essential, heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting read.”
— Michelle Gallen, author of Factory Girls
“Just astonishing . . .terrifying, moving, beautiful, instructive, and haunting. I have never been more deeply moved by a novel.”
— Lee Smith, author of Dimestore
“With Lark Ascending, the gifted Silas House has, with the most deft and masterful touches, forged a quite terrifying and all-too-plausible glimpse of our near future and somehow imbued it with almost impossible quantities of poetry and humanity. A gripping story of endurance, suffering and loss, but also of overwhelming love, loyalty and hope, the result is a hugely impressive feat of the imagination . . . A beautiful, haunting piece of work, and a compulsive read.”
— Billy O’Callaghan, author of Life Sentences and The Dead House
Author Bio:
Silas House is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, one book of creative nonfiction, and three plays. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Advocate, Time, Garden & Gun, and other publications. A former commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered, House is the winner of the Nautilus Award, the Storylines Prize from the NAV/New York Public Library, an E. B. White Honor, and many other awards.
Flappy enters the esteemed company of authors like E.F. Benson of Mapp and Lucia renown in this novel. Here is a story of a classic busybody full of her own importance…and yet, readers root for Flappy all the same.
In this second in a series, Flappy has much to flap about. She has had an affair with the delectable Charles even though his wife is one of her close friends. In outdoing the neighbors, she is planning un ballo in maschera, there is a new couple in the village who (horrors) sit in Flappy’s church pew and, as if that were not enough, Flappy’s son is here from Australia. Watch as the indomitable Flappy juggles everything and enjoy a fun read. This book is perfectly fine as a standalone but readers may want to seek out the first in the series as well.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for this title. All opinions are my own.
October is a strange month around Crime Reads HQ, Canadian division. In my usual sorting of the galleys by month it was a hefty stack, but not that many domestic thrillers were in the stack or in the mix. I found more—there are always more books—but it does make me wonder if the future of…
Here is the first of two Jane Austen themed mysteries written by this author. I was drawn to the references to Austen and P and P. I also like the British setting and a protagonist with a bookshop. Perfect ingredients for a cozy!
Much of what follows is precipitated by a meeting of the Jane Austen society. The old guard and new are not in sync. The situation worsens when a Mrs. Pemberley (!) is murdered.
There are many suspects. Also here are detectives that readers will enjoy getting to know along with our bookshop proprietor.
This title will be enjoyed by cozy lovers. I am sure of that.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title. All opinions are my own. !
Pub Date 13 Aug 2019
Review
Praise for Pride, Prejudice, and Poison:
“[A] winning series launch from Blake…The village is rife with scandals and secrets, as well as both shocking and delightful romances.” —Publishers Weekly
Unlike many others, I did not know who Peet was before I began to read this book. I had a very strong sense of who he was by the time I read the last page.
For those who don’t know, Peet was a “normal” height child in a family of little people. In this brightly illustrated, rhyming title, he recounts his experiences growing up. It was not always easy for Peet (or anyone else in his family) but he found his way. His message is that others can too.
This is a children’s picture book but if it is to be read with very young children, and even with older kids, discussion seems important. There is Peet’s own unique story but also a branch out to the ways in which many may feel different or struggle when growing up.
Many thanks to Ginger With a Soul LLC and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 