Review: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Format: Hardback Number of pages: 320Release date: 04 May 2010 Publisher: Ace trade paper (Penguin imprint)Formats available: Hardcover, Kindle editionPurchasing info: Penguin, Amazon, Goodreads

Synopsis:

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry…

My …

Explore This! Paris Suburban Life and Algeria

Last week, I posted my review for Some Dream For Fools by Faiza Guene. The bulk of this story takes place in the poorer suburbs of Paris. We’ve all seen the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Arc D’Triomphe, right? Well, our heroine, Ahleme, takes us to parts of Paris that we don’t often hear about. The Pierre de Coubertin Stadiuam, where her brother Foued gets in trouble with his friends, the Galleries Lafayette and the Thiais shopping centres, and the Chatelet-Les Halles, where Ahleme arranges to meet up for a date (this last picture is much older but I’m sure the archetecture remains much the same.) Note: the pictures are in order as listed.

Review: Some Dream for Fools by Faiza Guene

Format Read: HardcoverNumber of Pages: 176 pagesRelease Date: Jun 3 2009Publisher: Houghton Mifflin HarcourtFormats Available: Hardcover, eBookPurchasing Info: GoodReads, Book Depository

Received from the Publisher;

Book Blurb:

Ahleme, a young woman living on the outskirts of Paris, is trying to make a life out of the dreams she brought with her from Algeria and the reality she faces every day. Her father lost his job after an accident at his construction site. Her mother was lost to a massacre in Algeria. And her brother, Foued, boils with adolescent energy and teeters dangerously close to choosing a life of crime.

As she wanders the streets of Paris looking for work, Ahleme negotiates the disparities between her dreams and her life, her youth and her responsibilities, the expectations of those back home and the limitations of life in France.

My Thoughts:

I will admit, I had never heard of Faiza Guene before or her first book, Kiffe, Kiffe Tomorrow, though …

Explore This: Tang Dynasty China

My virtual tour for this week was inspired by my recent review of Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay (I reviewed it on my on blog, which can be linked to here). While Under Heaven takes place in a fictional place, it is loosely based on Tang Dynasty China. The Tang Dynasty began in June of 618 and lasted until June of 907 AD.

Today, I have samples of architecture, art work, and even a dance all based on this era of Chinese history. And, no discussion of China is complete without mentioning the Great Wall, which, again, has a paralleled version in Guy Gavriel Kay’s novel. For further research, I’ve linked some interesting articles at the bottom of this post. Happy traveling!

Tang Dynasty

The Great Wall

New Releases, April 27th

April 26 – May 2

The Wish List ( Time of Transition Trilogy, book 1) by Gabi Stevens

Genre: When Kristin Montgomery discovers her three aunts are fairy godmothers and she’s next in line for the job, her uncomplicated life as a CPA disappears like magic. No, not like magic; it is magic – and she had no idea magic existed until her aunts handed her a wand and took off on a cruise around the world! Left to her own devices, Kristin not only has to deal with burgeoning magical powers, but also a reluctant arbiter, a selfish sprite, and a suave French sorcerer. When one of them turns out to be the bad guy, Kristin must learn to trust her heart and her instincts to keep herself and the ones she loves out of danger.

Passion Model by Megan Hart

Genre: Erotic Sci-FiWhen Recreational Intercourse Operative GMMA 03271971 …

Review: Death With Interruptions by José Saramago

Format Read: Trade Paperback

Number of Pages: 238 pages
Release Date: October 6th 2008
Publisher: Harcourt
Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Hardcover, eBook

Purchasing Info: GoodReads, wikipedia entry about the Author, Amazon

Book Blurb: On the first day of the new year, no one dies. This of course causes consternation among politicians, religious leaders, morticians, and doctors. Among the general public, on the other hand, there is initially celebration -— flags are hung out on balconies, people dance in the streets. They have achieved the great goal of humanity: eternal life.

Then reality hits home —- families are left to care for the permanently dying, life-insurance policies become meaningless, and funeral parlors are reduced to arranging burials for pet dogs, cats, hamsters, and parrots.

Death sits in her chilly apartment, where she lives alone with scythe and filing cabinets, and contemplates her experiment: What if no one ever died again? …

Explore this: Prague

As bookish people, we seek out our favourite reading spot and allow ourselves to be swiftly taken to different times and places. My new feature here focuses on the “places”. Call me your armchComposeair reference guide to the (literal) world of books; the less expensive way to explore our world, right here at your fingertips.

 I reviewed Vampire a Go-Go by Victor Gischler here yesterday. It starts off in anytown America…I don’t think it ever tells you where “Gothic State University” is, so that part is unimportant. We’re quickly whisked away to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. To quote the Wikipedia entry, “Situated on the Vltava River in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural and economic centre of the Czech state for more than 1100 years. For many decades during the Gothic and Renaissance eras, …

Review: Vampire a Go-Go by Victor Gischler

Format Read: PaperbackNumber of Pages: 352Release Date:  September 1st 2009Publisher: TouchstoneFormats Available: Paperback, eBookPurchasing Info: GoodReads, Author Website, Bookdepository

Book Blurb:Victor Gischler is a master of the class-act literary spoof, and his work has drawn comparison to that of Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, and Thomas Pynchon. Now, Gischler turns his attention to werewolves, alchemists, ghosts, witches, and gun-toting Jesuit priests in Vampire a Go-Go, a hilarious romp of spooky, Gothic entertainment. Narrated by a ghost whose spirit is chained to a mysterious castle in Prague, Gischler’s latest is full of twists and surprises that will have readers screaming – and laughing – for more.My Thoughts:In Vampire a Go-Go, we have the story of a modern man, our intrepid hero, Allen Cabbot, whose greatest accomplishment to date is his uncanny ability to research anything, “Imagine a superhero whose mutant …