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Spotlight of A Hundred Small Lessons by Ashley Hay

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All information in this spotlight is courtesy Mirtha Pena of Simon and Schuster.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

This November 28^th, 2017, ATRIA BOOKS is proud to publish Ashley Hay’s A HUNDRED SMALL LESSONS, a profoundly relatable tale  of two mothers from two different generations attempting parenthood and life and general. Their two stories interweave through the house that bears witness to their lives, a building which becomes a sort of character itself, sharing its secrets and memories. In this luminous and deeply affecting novel,  Hay puts into words exactly the small things, feelings we experience daily and the beauty and impact of small accumulating moments across years. Prepare to learn a few lessons….and maybe even cry a little.

When Elsie Gormley leaves the Brisbane house in which she has lived for more than sixty years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to establish their new life. As they settle in, Lucy and her husband Ben struggle to navigate their transformation from adventurous lovers to new parents, taking comfort in memories of their vibrant past as they begin to unearth who their future selves might be. But the house has secrets of its own, and the rooms seem to share recollections of Elsie’s life with Lucy.

In her nearby nursing home, Elsie traces the span of her life—the moments she can’t bear to let go and the places to which she dreams of returning. Her beloved former house is at the heart of her memories of marriage, motherhood, love, and death, and the boundary between present and past becomes increasingly porous for both her and Lucy.

Over the course of one hot Brisbane summer, two families’ stories intersect in sudden and unexpected ways. Through the richly intertwined narratives of two ordinary, extraordinary women, Ashley Hay uses her “poetic dialogue, and stunning imagery” (RT magazine) to weave an intricate, bighearted story of what it is to be human.

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PRAISE FOR A HUNDRED SMALL LESSONS:

“A book that overflows with gratitude for the hard, beautiful things of this world, and for the saving worlds of our imagination.”

— Helen Garner, award-winning author of Everywhere I Look
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“A Hundred Small Lessons explores notions of home, family, identity, creativity, aging and our relationship with cities and the natural world.…Hay explores the ways in which we inhabit spaces: building homes and filling them with our possessions, dreams, regrets, fears and secrets. This graceful novel, with its unflinching approach to reality and its gentle undercurrents of sadness, nostalgia and hope, is a highly recommended read for fans of literary fiction.”

— Books + Publishing (Australia), five stars
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“Hay renders the small details of an undramatic, decent life with tenderness that is touching and compelling…a measured piece of writing that works carefully to create pensive and evocative images of time and place and people.”— The Australian

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“Hay’s intelligent scrutiny of the human psyche gives depth to this neatly constructed story.”

— Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ashley Hay is the internationally acclaimed author of the novels The Body in the Clouds and The Railwayman’s Wife, which was honored with the Colin Roderick Award by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the most prestigious literary prize in Australia, among numerous other accolades. She has also written four nonfiction books. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

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PRAISE FOR THE RAILWAYMAN’S WIFE - MS. HAY'S FIRST NOVEL:

“Author Ashley Hay has succeeded on several levels. Her prose style is simple yet vivid, and her insights on bereavement and moving forward are wise. Perhaps most impressive is her portrayal of the human predicament, the notion that one's heartfelt hopes are sometimes crushed against the rocks of reality.” – Star Tribune

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“Ashley Hay weaves a moving tale of love, loss and hope.” – US Weekly

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"After wow-ing European audiences, this book is coming stateside to dazzle you.  Beautifully written, and featuring some excellent passages about writing and reading itself, this book will have you feeling every emotion at once." –Bustle

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“No matter how much heartbreak her words described, there was no way I would stop reading. This is a literary and literate gem of a book that leaves you with a set of emotions that I suspect last for a long long time” – Psychology Today

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“Hay is both cerebral and emotional in portraying life’s catastrophes and the way people cope. Multilayered, graceful, couched in poetry, supremely honest, gentle yet jarring, Hay’s thought-provoking novel pulls you along slowly, like a deep river that is deceptively calm but full of hidden rapids.” – Kirkus Reviews

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“Hay has lovingly crafted a poignant, character-driven novel filled with heartache and hope.” – RT Book Review

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“Poetic story of love, loss and moving on.” – Star- Telegram

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“This poignant, elegant novel delves into the depth of tragedy, the shaky ground of recovery, and the bittersweet memories of lost love.” - Booklist

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

The book is perfect for this time of year with today being Thanksgiving.

It is a book about being thankful for who we are and who helped us get where we are.  Whether we realize it or not, we "are" our mother, father, grandmother, or grandfather and can't change that.

This book is a warm, cozy read about reliving family moments, making new family moments, starting anew with your life, and definitely is all the things your parents told you would be coming true some day….all the good things that is.

Link to full review is here.

Giveaway and Spotlight of The Faerie Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon

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All Information and photos in this post are from the book:

"THE FAERIE HANDBOOK by Carolyn Turgeon. Copyright © 2017 by Carolyn Turgeon.

Reprinted courtesy of Harper Design, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.”

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My thoughts:  

A beautiful book with wonderful photos, ideas, and recipes. 

A perfect Christmas gift.

I enjoyed browsing through it.

Giveaway at the bottom of the post.  

Good Luck.  

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

On sale November 14, 2017.  

Editor-in-chief Carolyn Turgeon and the editors of Faerie Magazine welcome you into a sumptuous realm rich with myth, mystery, romance, and natural beauty.

Faerie Magazine is one of Barnes & Noble’s top-selling lifestyle magazines with a readership of 28,000 and over 1,600,000 followers on Facebook. 

Featuring a highly curated array of vintage and contemporary fine art and photography, literature, essays, do-it-yourself projects, and recipes, it is a lush compendium that traces the history of fairies from literature to pop culture; offering a multitude of ideas on modern-day living and entertaining with a distinctive fairy touch.  

The book is organized into four sections—Flora & Fauna; Fashion & Beauty; Art & Culture; and Home, Food, & Entertaining. With an inset image on the front cover, ornate silver foil patterning on the front, spine, and back, silver stained edges, and a satin bookmark, it is a beautiful volume for all ages.

The book includes dozens of DIY craft projects and holiday recipes. I do hope you will consider coverage this month or come December. It is a perfect book for the holidays.

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A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE FAERIE HANDBOOK

 Section I: Flora & Fauna

This section is perfect for garden lovers complete with a “Select List of Fairy World Inhabitants” and a “Fairy Herb and Flower Almanac.”

DIY projects include fairy houses, fairy furniture, pressed flowers, and fairy terrariums.

 

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Section II: Fashion & Beauty  

This section is perfect for fashion lovers and connoisseurs of couture.  “Fairy Queens: Style Icons of the Fairy Realm”  includes an array of fairy shoes, dresses and accessories crafted from flowers. Understand the art of fairy wing and learn how to make a fairy crown to master the art of gossamer style.

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 Section III: Arts & Culture 

For lovers of literature and fans of lore, this section includes an essay on the quintessential fairy drama A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Victorian fairy paintings, excerpts from poetry, and stunning contemporary photography and illustration including Arthur Rackham, Charles Vess and Kirsty Mitchell. 

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Section IV: Home, Food & Entertaining

This section has everything you need to know to entertain like a fairy. Host a full-blown fairy garden party and a tea party, or hold a fairytale literary salon. Or, choose a selection of sumptuous recipes (perfect for the holiday season) such as candied violets, lollipops infused with edible flowers, a lavender-infused honey ricotta tart, and frosted cranberries. These dishes are sure to add sparkle to your kitchen routine.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carolyn Turgeon has been editor in chief of Faerie Magazine since 2013. She is the author of five novels: Rain Village (Unbridled, 2006), Godmother (Crown, 2009), Mermaid (Crown, 2011), The Next Full Moon (Downtown Bookworks, 2012), and The Fairest of Them All (Simon & Schuster, 2013). Her books have been optioned for film by Sony Pictures, Random House Films/Focus Features, and Gaumont Film Company, and published in the United Kingdom, Brazil, China, Korea, Spain, and Portugal. She’s published short fiction in Fairy Tale Review and the anthology Haunted Legends (Tor, 2010) as well as essays in Allure, the Hairpin, and The New Inquiry, among other publications. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. www.faeriemag.com

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BUY LINKS:

Link to purchase (click on orange pre-order box on the right hand side of the screen to purchase)  

https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062668110/the-faerie-handbook

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GIVEAWAY:
CONTEST HAS ENDED.

THE WINNER IS JESSICA FROM MISSOURI.

THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED.

I am partnering with Harper Collins for this giveaway.

USA ONLY

November 22 - 29

Enter here

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Poison by Galt Niederhoffer

A whirlwind romance opposed by her mother, a marriage made in heaven, and a move across the country.  Was the move part of Ryan’s plan to have no family around for Cass?

A second chance with a man that she never dreamed would come into her life after her husband died was what Cass needed, and Ryan fit the bill.

Everything was perfect wasn't it? A perfect marriage, three perfect kids, and a loving relationship until..…

The Connor family looked perfect on the outside, but the Connors were not perfect at all.  Ryan and Cass started out as the dream couple until Ryan showed his true colors of physical as well as psychological abuse.  When Cass would confront him with things that happened, he would turn it around and make her feel as if she were the guilty party.

Ryan went from the perfect loving husband and father to an abusive monster that Cass put up with and even denied.

POISON had good writing that pulled you in, but it seemed to drag on and brought up one crazy situation after another.

Domestic abuse was the main theme of POISON and very upsetting, but not as upsetting as some domestic thrillers.  It definitely is frightening how often domestic abuse occurs and how many books have this as a theme.

Cass made some very stupid decisions that put herself and her children in danger when she knew she should have just left.  It was pretty tense at those moments.

POISON was not a bad read, and the ending was unexpected, but it could have been shortened. 

It definitely is a psychological thriller and makes you wonder who you can truly trust.

I would not recommend reading this book if you have been in a similar situation.

If you like intense situations, you will enjoy POISON.  

I read it very quickly because I was nervous about what would happen. 4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Paris Secret by Karen Swan

An apartment hidden for 73 years and forbidden by the owner to be known to anyone, but why?

The children didn't even know about it until the apartment was broken into.

Once the apartment was revealed to the children, in comes Flora and Angus, well-known art dealers and auctioneers.  And what a find in that apartment closed for 73 years...famous paintings, artifacts, and the home left as it had been when the family lived there.

Flora was in her domain and in her glory over this, but some things didn't seem right with the Vermeil family - the children were obnoxious, and their parents seemed excited but a bit disinterested in the apartment and its contents.  Something else must be behind all of this.

We follow Flora as she investigates the contents of the apartment and the path of sales of the Renoir from the painter to each seller.  She came to a standstill when she found out that a dealer who dealt with the Nazis was the last recorded owner of the Renoir.  If that was where it ended, no one would want the painting.   Then when Flora went to Vienna to meet someone who had the companion painting to the Renoir, another surprise awaited her.

Mystery, intrigue, and deceit abound in THE PARIS SECRET.

I truly  enjoyed THE PARIS SECRET.  It was a bit of mystery mixed in with history.  I was impressed at how much  research goes into checking the authenticity of paintings. It actually was quite fascinating along with the excitement of recognizing the names of famous painters.

This was my first book by Karen Swan and am sorry I have never read anything else by her.  The story line is interesting, the writing is marvelous and very descriptive.

If you love Paris, drama, art, finding treasures in old buildings, and a bit of romance, THE PARIS SECRET won't disappoint.  

The secret revealed in the ending pages was excellent. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Giveaway and Review of I SEE YOU by Clare Mackintosh

Image credit

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To celebrate the release of the paperback edition of

 

Penguin Random House has a copy for ONE lucky USA reader.

Entry link is at the bottom of the post.

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REVIEW:

Seeing your blurry but recognizable photo in an ad for escorts caught Zoe Walker's attention, but no one in her family believed the photo was Zoe.

After seeing other faces in the same ad and seeing that harm had come to those women either brutally or by robbery definitely had Zoe worrying she was next.

I SEE YOU was confusing at first because there were too many characters, and making a connection took a while.

The plot seemed to go round and round and not get anywhere, but I didn't want to stop because I know Ms. Mackintosh throws in zingers and twists right up to the end.

The zingers started when Zoe's live-in boyfriend and her boss seemed to be suspects in the stalking. 
The ending was ​good and was worth the LONG wait for the suspense to begin.
I am wavering between a 3/5 and a 4/5 for my rating.

The 3/5 would be because it took too long for the suspense to begin.

The 4/5 would be because I SEE YOU dealt with a problem that technology ​ can potentially cause as well as being helpful, the intense ending, and how the characters involved with the crimes were a complete surprise. 

I will leave it at that, and let you make your decision after you read the book.

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

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GIVEAWAY:

I am partnering with Penguin Random House for this giveaway.

Contest has ended...CONGRATS TO LISA!!
 

November 14 - November 21

USA entries ONLY 

Click here to enter the contest

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