Category Archives: books/book review

New to the TBR list

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I have added three books to the TBR list this week. The first I am really excited about. I traded books with another author. You see I adore autographed books. I’m a bit of a fan girl in that respect, and all authors are celebrities to me. It occurred to me one day that I fall in that same category. Yes I am an author, and if others like signed books too, then they might be willing to send me one of theirs in exchange for one of mine. I thought I had come up with a truly brilliant idea. I got really excited about it actually, but only one person took me up on the offer.

I think people are afraid that an offer of equal exchange must be a scam of some sort; that I’ll wait for their book to arrive in the post and never send them one in return. We all still pay for those copies after-all, and when working with a stranger there is no guarantee of honest reciprocation. (I refuse to allow myself to think that its just that no one was interested in The Weeping Empress.) I can understand their hesitancy. I certainly considered the possibility of loosing several copies of my own book with nothing to show for it, but I decided to go ahead with the offer.

I’m disappointed that more people didn’t respond. I was prepared to exchange half a dozen of my own books for 6 (or so) great signed summer reads. But I can’t complain about the one that came through. Y.I. Less has sent me a copy of

The Shadowed Valley, a dark fantasy with close to 4.5 stars on both Goodreads and Amazon. This is just up my alley. Here is the description:

“In The Shadowed Valley, nothing is quite what it seems. What Celia faces here is worse than anything she experienced in the land of Dauthus. The evil residing in the valley messes with your mind.”

I’m really looking forward to this read, and The Weeping Empress is soon to be in the mail to Y.I. just as promised.

The other two books are also awful enticing. They are both Goodreads first-reads wins. This week I offer for consideration More Deaths Than One and Rainwater.

More Deaths Than One looks like a thought provoking middle-eastern adventure.  Here is the description:  “Thomas Thornton has settled down to expatriated family life in Saudi Arabia. Wrongfully caught up in shariah law on drug-dealing charges, he discovers injustice is a bitter–and potentially fatal–pill.” I like thought proving.

Rainwater, by Sandra Brown promises to be a bittersweet love conqures all story. It has a very long description, but here is a taster: “The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of drought and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas boardinghouse with an efficiency that ensures her life will be kept in balance. Between chores of cooking and cleaning for her residents, she cares for her ten-year-old son, Solly, a sweet but challenging child whose misunderstood behavior finds Ella on the receiving end of pity, derision, and suspicion.” It looks really promising.

I came to a revelation this weekend. I couldn’t figure out how I had won five books in such a short amount of time. Then I realized it is a factor of living in the UK. There are far fewer Goodreads giveaways available to us on the island, but those that are have a far smaller pool of applicants. GB isn’t that big after-all, and only a fraction of the population is registered for GR, and even fewer enter the contests. As an example, last week I mentioned winning The Whipping Club. The author was giving away 100 copies of the book, and 107 people entered. It would have been more surprising not to have won.

This is my point. Giveaways open to the US and beyond attract entries in the thousands, those only open to GB and the surrounding areas usually only a hundred or so. I recently ran a giveaway. I offered 5 books, and the contest ran for a whole month, open only in GB. 143 people entered. That’s a 1 in 28 chance of getting a book, not too steep. So, I look forward to reporting lots of first-read books here. I will diligently read and review each one in time, so look forward to it.

 

The Weeping Empress is FREE to download on Goodreads

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I’m trying to drum us some reviews for The Weeping Empress. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am more than thrilled with the ones I’ve recieved so far. Check these out:

5/5* “I really liked this book and really liked the characters. Chiyo, Muhjan and Senka have such chemistry. They kept me coming back for more.” Iris – Amazon

5/5* “Forsythe creates a new and strange world, rich and complex in both it’s characters and history. It calls to mind those tantalizing and complete worlds created by C.S Lewis and Tolkien. As with a C.S. Lewis novel, Forsythe transports us into this alternate universe from a real and modern timescape, giving the reader just the right amount of believability to step into the reluctant heroine’s shoes. Though Chiyo finds herself in what, to her, is a nightmare, the escapist in all of us, will find her story intriguing and irresistible. A fabulous read!” Heather – Amazon

5/5* “A very well written and engaging book that is impossible to put down. It’s the story of a woman’s survival in adverse conditions, and the price of that survival. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story moves fast, and the twists and turns are surprising. It has a little bit of everything – the development of friendship, love, violence, betrayal, and loyalty, and the endurance of the human spirit. I’d recommend this book to anyone.” Karen – Amazon

“What? A woman, seemingly happy in her modern day life as a mother and a wife suddenly awakes to find herself transported back in time, to a place unfamiliar where emperors ruled in castles, where one defended with swords and people were looking for a savior. Not a book I would typically read nor want to pick up, however it was sitting in my nook as a free download and I needed something to read, so I went for it. I was pleasantly surprised by how addicted to the book I became. The writing was crisp and the characters engaging. Toss in battles, heartache, triumph, loss, strength, a bit of mystery and you have ‘The Weeping Empress’.  Overall a good read, I would actually give it 3.5 stars!” – Diana, Goodreads

5/5* “The Weeping Empress is a hard hitting, manga-like epic fantasy. What it lacks in warm-fuzzies it makes up in determined action. The main characters come across as sharp and vivid, and the ending is truly chilling.”- googlebooks

5/5* “This is a worthy read. From the very first page you, like the main character, are thrown into the action, keeping you interested in what happens next. The characters are relatable, despite the fictional setting, and the ending leaves you wanting more. Anyone who likes a strong female lead, untenable situations and a little titillation will love this book. I know I did and will definitely read another one of Forsythe’s books.” Barnes & Noble

4/5* “Totally unexpected storyline, Very enjoyable and unexpected story. A pleasant read.” B&N

5/5* “Excellent. Thoroughly engrossing.” B&N

Plus, two people have given it 5* on Lulu without leaving reviews and one person gave it a 4* on Goodreads without a review.

Not bad right? It makes you want to run out and read it right? The problem isn’t the quality of the reviews. How could it be. I’m tickled pick with the response so far. The problem is that there aren’t enough of them. I need more, MORE, MORE! <Insert Mwuhaa-ha-ha style laughter here> Seriously I need more readers. For this reason I have made it free for download at Goodreads, or you could read it here. There is a reader widget on the The Weeping Empress page.

I know the market is flooded with free ebooks. I swear sometimes I feel like swatting them away like flies, and mine is just one more in the swarm. But look up. Look at those fab reviews (and I didn’t cherry pick them, thats all of them). This isn’t a thrown together saga of sappy teen romance designed to take advantage of the urban/paranormal fantasy lovers. This is a real story worth your time, even if I am saying so myself. Again, scrollup.

So follow this link: The Weeping Empress is FREE, hit the download button, make a quick cup of tea (or sake if past 4:00), and settle down for the ride. Then go back to this link (its the same, don’t bother following it yet), and write the review you think it deserves. Alternatively this link  (Amazon) and/or this link (B&N), and/or this link (google books), or any other one really. So what are you waiting for, hop to it. 🙂 

If you are a book blogger and want a physical copy leave  comment or hit the email button in the upper right corner (it’s the orange envelope) and shoot me a quick request. 

Review of Frank Herbert’s Dune

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An oldie but a goodie…

Description from Amazon:
“This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the “spice of spices”. Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and also grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence.

The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don’t want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet’s harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what’s rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a superhuman–he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the centre of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium.”

Dune was initially published in 1965. I wasn’t kidding when I said it was an oldie, but it is also a real sci-fi classic. Every fan of science fiction should read it. It started it all. There would be no fame for the likes of Gibson, Stephenson or Scott-Card without the path blazing prose of Herbert. Now, don’t get me wrong, it can be difficult to fall into pace with Dune. I know this puts some people off. A good bit of the book is written in dreamscape, and until you get comfortable switching between dream dialogue and ‘reality’ it can be hard to follow. It is absolutely worth it though. The characters are deep and complex. The landscapes are vivid and imaginable. Even the the psychic aliens and space travel don’t seem so unbelievable in Dune. Read it. Read it now.