New Jewish Fiction Jan-June 2017

May 22, 2017

I recently did a presentation on new Jewish fiction at my library and thought I’d share the list here as well. These are books by Jewish authors or about Jewish subjects that have been published from January through June, 2017.

JANUARY

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Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan by Ruth Gilligan: Interweaves the experiences of a young Lithuanian emigrant in Ireland at the start of the twentieth century, the unlikely friendship between a
young Irish deaf boy and a lonely caretaker in 1958, and the identity crisis of an Irish journalist in the present day. “Gilligan makes a stellar U.S. debut with this wistful and lyrical multigenerational tale linking the struggles of two immigrant Jewish families in Dublin with an Irish Catholic woman’s complicated relationship with her Jewish lover.” Publisher’s Weekly

 

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The Patriots by Sana Krasikov: Three generations of a Jewish-American family endure the difficult challenges of the Depression and the Cold War while pursuing dreams of better lives and reflecting on painful experiences from their earlier lives in Moscow. “In a galvanizing tale of flawed and courageous protagonists, erotic and political passion, and harrowing struggles for survival, Krasikov masterfully and devastatingly exposes the “whole dark clockwork” of totalitarianism and asks what it means to be a hero, a patriot, a human being.” Booklist

 

FEBRUARY

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A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman: An Israeli comedian, a bit past his prime, conveys with semi-questionable humor anecdotes from his violence stricken youth during a night of standup. Meanwhile, while a judge in the audience wrestles with his own part in the comedian’s losses. “Grossman brings real humanity to this heart-wrenching and well-written novel, offering insight into one man’s psychological makeup and how society has damaged him. An excellent translation; highly recommended.” Library Journal

 

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We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter: A novel based on the true story of a Jewish-Polish family recounts how the Kurcs are scattered throughout the world by the horrors of World War II and fight respective hardships to survive, reach safety and find each other. “First-time novelist Hunter got the idea for this book in conversations with her grandmother after unearthing family history of which she’d been ignorant…engrossing read is best recommended for those who enjoy fiction set during World War II and sprawling family sagas.” Library Journal

 

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The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff: The Nightingale meets Water for Elephants in this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, set in a traveling circus during World War II. Sixteen-year-old Noa, forced to give up her baby fathered by a Nazi soldier, snatches a child from a boxcar containing Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp and takes refuge with a traveling circus, where Astrid, a Jewish aerialist, becomes her mentor. “Against the backdrop of circus life during the war, the author captures the very real terrors faced by both women as they navigate their working and personal relationships and their complicated love lives while striving for normalcy and keeping their secrets safe.” Publisher’s Weekly

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On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman: Living in her suburban hometown, while her fiance is off on a crowdfunded cross-country walk, Faith discovers mysterious artifacts in her home’s attic that
make her question a promising new relationship and everything she believes. “Lipman is known for her dialogue, so snappy, funny, and real that it cancels out any dubiousness about the kooky mystery plot. Warm, clever, a little silly, a lot of fun.” Kirkus Reviews

 

 

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The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan: “Just because the men have gone to war, why do we have to close the choir? And precisely when we need it most!” Letters and journals reveal the struggles, affairs, deceptions and triumphs of five members of a village choir during World War II as they band together to survive the upheavals of war and village intrigue on the English home front. ” Ryan’s novel, reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, captures the experience of the war from a woman’s perspective. Readers may have come across this kind of story before, but the letter/diary format works well and the plot elements satisfyingly come together.” Publisher’s Weekly

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The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky: One very special work of art—a Chaim Soutine painting —will connect the lives and fates of two different women, generations apart, in this enthralling and
transporting debut novel that moves from World War II Vienna to contemporary Los Angeles. “Umansky’s richly textured and peopled novel tells an emotionally and historically complicated story with so much skill and confidence it’s hard to believe it’s her first.” Kirkus Reviews

 

MARCH

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The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck: Written with the devastating emotional power of The Nightingale, Sarah’s Key, and The Light Between Oceans, Jessica Shattuck’s evocative and utterly enthralling novel offers a fresh perspective on one of the most tumultuous periods in history. At the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society, three widows’ lives and fates become intertwined. “Haunting, a beautifully written and painfully vivid glimpse into one of the most horrific times in world history.” Bookpage

APRIL

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What To Do About The Solomons by Bethany Ball: Reminiscent of Nathan Englander’s For the Relief of Unbearable Urges and Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, and told with razor-sharp humor and elegant acuity, What to Do About the Solomons is an exhilarating first book from a bright new star in fiction. A humorous multigenerational family saga set in Israel, New York, and Los Angeles explores the secrets and gossip-filled lives of a kibbutz near Jerusalem. “For all its humor, penetrating disillusionment underlies Ball’s memorable portrait of a family, once driven by pioneer spirit, now plagued by overextension and loss of direction, unsure what to do with its legacy, teetering between resentment, remorse, and resilience.” Publisher’s Weekly

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All the Rivers by Dorit Rabinyan: A controversial, award-winning story about the passionate but untenable affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, from one of Israel’s most acclaimed novelists. When an Israeli translator named Liat goes to New York for six months of study, she meets Hilmi, a charismatic and kind Palestinian born in Hebron, and their passionate affair grows into something more, forcing them to choose between love and duty. “Bernstein Prize winner Rabinyan’s modern take on forbidden love between young dreamers on opposite sides of a bitter cultural conflict enthralls and delights.” Publisher’s Weekly

MAY

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The Awkward Age by Francesca Segal: “They’ve chosen the one thing that will make our family life impossible. It’s genius really, when you think about it. It’s the perfect sabotage.” After her daughter, Gwen, has trouble adjusting to her new beau, James, Julia Alden must do her best to unite two households, but when Gwen turns for comfort to James’ 17-year-old son, Nathan, the consequences will test her mother’s loyalty and threaten their fragile new happiness. ” In finely wrought prose, with characters who seem to walk beside us and speak aloud, Segal’s latest novel is a sympathetic portrait of the difficulties in finding love and raising teenagers.” Kirkus Reviews

 

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Shtum by Jem Lester: After strategically faking a separation with his wife to influence a tribunal’s decision about the future of his severely autistic son’s education, Ben Jewell moves in with his elderly and cantankerous father and learns harsh lessons about accountability. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, Shtum is the impassioned debut novel about fathers and sons and autism with all the heart and verve of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. “Lester’s debut, based on his experience of raising a child with autism, is an emotional and uplifting tale of love and sacrifice.” Publisher’s Weekly

 

JUNE

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The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish: A mysterious collection of papers hidden in a historic London home sends two scholars of Jewish history on an unforgettable quest….”Kadish’s characters are memorable…Kadish leaves no stone unturned in this moving historical epic. Chock-full of rich detail and literary intrigue.” Kirkus Reviews

 

 

 

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The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor: A historical novel of love and survival inspired by real resistance workers during World War II Austria, and the mysterious love letter that connects generations of Jewish families. A heart-breaking, heart-warming read for fans of The Nightingale, Lilac Girls, and Sarah’s Key. “Excellent writing, unusual storytelling, and sympathetic characters make a winning combination.” Kirkus Reviews

 

 

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The Songs by Charles Elton: Iz Herzl, famed political activist and protest singer, has always told his children that it is the future not the past they should concentrate on. Now, at 80, an almost forgotten figure, estranged from everyone who has ever loved him, his refusal to look back on his extraordinary life leaves his teenage children, the brilliant Rose and her ailing younger brother, Huddie, adrift in myths and uncertainty that cause them to retreat into a secret
world of their own. “A heartbreaking read. Recommended for fans of literary fiction.” Library Journal

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Author Spotlight: Gideon Rachman

May 21, 2017

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Easternization by Gideon Rachman

Asia’s Rise and America’s Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond

**Named BOOK OF THE WEEK by Fareed Zakaria, CNN**

Gideon Rachman, Financial Times Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, will be in the US for events during the week of 5/22. He is primed to discuss growing tensions with North Korea, Trump’s reversal on Xi Jinping & China and broader brush-stroke arguments about the growing shift of economic and political power away from the West and towards Asia.

· CHICAGO, IL: Chicago Council on Global Affairs – 5/22
· SAN FRANCISCO, CA: World Affairs Council San Francisco & Mechanics Institute – 5/23·
· SEATTLE, WA : Town Hall Seattle – 5/24
· NEW YORK, NY: 92nd Street – 5/25

NY Times Op Ed: How Trump Can Solve His Chinese Puzzle

“Reviewing China’s challenge to America’s decades long predominance in Asia’s waters, Mr. Rachman links it to a broader Chinese goal, led by Mr. Xi, of finally overcoming China’s so-called “century of humiliation.” This is a fascinating story…”
—WALL STREET JOURNAL

“This intelligent and provocative new book by [The Financial Times] leading Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, Gideon Rachman, reminds us of different requirements for journalistic excellence: historical education, engagement in scholarly debates and tireless travel to interview global decision-makers.”
—NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

The fresh and persuasive argument laid out in EASTERNIZATION, contends that the rise of China is bringing to an end, the era of American dominance of world affairs. As Rachman explains, the eclipse of America is driven by a historic shift in power from the West to Asia – that is bringing to a close, 500 years of Western dominance of world affairs.

The book crisply outlines the mounting evidence for “Easternization”; catapulted by Asian countries exponential growth over the last fifty years. This escalating power-shift eastward is directly shaping the lives of people around the world, from Russia to Brazil to Ethiopia, and domestically within the U.S. – jeopardizing a tenuous peace between East and West.

EASTERNIZATION goes further to explain the appeal of Trump, Brexit and the growing wave of nationalist populism in Western countries and considers how this phenomenon will play into and escalate changes to the global balance of power. A timely preface addresses the election of Donald Trump and his pledge to “make America great again” – by returning the US to a golden era, when America’s status as the richest and most powerful nation in the world was unchallenged. Rachman argues that the Trump strategy, by failing to adapt intelligently to an irreversibly changed world, is actually likely to escalate the decline of US power around the globe – and increase the risk of instability and conflict between the major powers.

Drawing from interviews with top political and military leaders, EASTERNIZATION is an absorbing, cogent argument and a must-read for anyone interested in the underlying forces driving fiscal and political upheaval and threatening the West’s global power.

« From the Winner of the 2016 Orwell Prize and the 2016 European Press Prize Commentator Award «

“A focused delineation of the shifting center of gravity toward Asia and the need for a strenuous Western response without losing global primacy. Financial Times chief foreign affairs commentator Rachman (Zero-Sum Future: American Power in an Age of Anxiety, 2011), a recent winner of the Orwell Prize, presents a fair, astute assessment of China’s rise during the past few decades in relation to its nervous neighbors, and especially the nuanced—and highly criticized—response of President Barack Obama… Rachman carefully looks at both India’s and Russia’s roles in the global shift toward “easternization,” and he considers the American and Western response, which has been largely ineffectual since the crises of 2008…A sage, forward-seeing study to be heeded.” —KIRKUS

“Excellent… Rachman’s theme takes him on a most interesting and stimulating tour du monde. His discussion of the impact of China’s rise on south-east Asia, contrary to the great majority of accounts, is subtle and nuanced… A most informative, readable and interesting piece of work that deserves a wide readership.” —Martin Jacques, GUARDIAN

“What this book is really about, and is very good at describing,
is the growing impact of China on its neighbors, on the world” —THE ECONOMIST

“A vivid and persuasive analysis of the dramatic shifts in global power…In his timely new book, Easternization, Gideon Rachman articulates a clear and persuasive idea… [His] flair for rich anecdotes, clever writing, strong analysis and original insight are impressive… Easternization hits its mark, with a wide range of arguments and prognostications that scholars and policymakers must contemplate as we consider the coming Asian century.” —FINANCIAL TIMES

About the Author

Gideon Rachman is chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times. He won the European Press Prize awards, regarded as the “European Pulitzers,” as well as the Orwell Prize, Britain’s leading award for political writing, in 2016. Before joining the Financial Times in 2006, Gideon spent 15 years as a journalist and editor at The Economist  – and he has worked as a foreign correspondent in Bangkok, Brussels, and Washington. His first book,Zero-Sum Future (2010), predicted the rise in international political tensions and turmoil that followed the 2008 global financial crisis. He is married with four children and lives in London.

EASTERNIZATION by Gideon Rachman. Other Press (April 4, 2017). ISBN: 978-1590518519. 336p.

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Win THE BITTER SEASON by Tami Hoag!

May 20, 2017

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Kovac and Liska take on multiple twisted cases as #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag explores a murder from the past, a murder from the present, and a life that was never meant to be. 

Win a copy of the new paperback of THE BITTER SEASON by Tami Hoag!

I loved this book when it came out in hardcover last year. My review:

The Kovac-Liska Series

This is the latest entry in the popular Kovac-Liksa series, but they are no longer working together for the Minneapolis police homicide unit. Detective Nikki Liska is now working the new cold case squad in hopes of spending more time with her teenage sons.

Detective Kovac is lost without her but learning to deal with a young, green partner on a new case; a brutal home invasion. An Asian studies professor and his wife were killed by a Samurai sword from the professor’s collection.

Liska is assigned a twenty-five year old murder of a highly honored sex crimes detective, and for some reason, his family does not want the case reopened and Liska doesn’t even want it. There is no DNA, which is the primary resource to help solve cold cases, but she is determined to do the best she can anyway, even while envying her old partner his new case.

This is a dark, gritty thriller but Hoag manages to lighten it up now and then with some black humor. A real page turner that is sure to please her legion of fans.

Copyright ©2016 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE BITTER SEASON by Tami Hoag. Dutton; Reprint edition (May 2, 2017).  ISBN 978-0451470072. 512p.

To win a copy of the new paperback of THE BITTER SEASON by Tami Hoag, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with “BITTER SEASON” as the subject.

You must include your U.S. street address in your email.

All entries must be received by May 31 2017. One (1) name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. Your books will be sent by the publicist.

One entry per email address. Subscribers to the monthly newsletter earn an extra entry into every contest. Follow this blog to earn another entry into every contest. Winners may win only one time per year (365 days) for contests with prizes of more than one book. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.

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SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR by Dorothea Benton Frank

May 19, 2017

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This is Frank’s annual tribute to South Carolina’s Lowcountry in her latest beach read. I generally enjoy her books, especially because I’m now at the same age as her protagonists.

The story goes back in time to when two couples, Adam and Eliza, and Carl and Eve, first met one summer when they rented condos next door to each other. Carl and Eve live in Raleigh, and Adam and Eliza live out in the country, a nice distance from Charleston, but they both rented on the Isle of Palms, one of the barrier islands off the coast. Eliza and Adam have twin boys, and Carl & Eve have a daughter the same age, and they all become friends.

Except it turns out that Adam and Eve were high school sweethearts. Their spouses don’t know and they don’t feel the need to inform them. The friendship between the couples grow over the years, sharing summer after summer together but for me, a lot of the relationship stuff felt forced and even awkward at times.

Eventually all good secrets come out and the effect on their marriages isn’t good. Will they all work it out? It takes more than a death in the family or a magical trip to Corfu to put it back together – and I have to say I really hated the ending of this book. It just felt completely contrived, as if the author had written herself into a corner and took the easy way out. I was drawn in for the first 300 pages, despite some reservations, but the ending truly was a disappointment.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR by Dorothea Benton Frank. William Morrow (May 16, 2017). ISBN: 978-0062390783. 384p.

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THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER by Amy E. Reichert

May 18, 2017

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Sanna Lund is the fifth generation to live and work on the family apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Once a thriving family business, now it is just Sanna and her aging father, and business is terrible. Sanna is obsessed with making cider, but doesn’t have the first idea about how to sell it.  Her father borrowed money to purchase all the expensive equipment necessary for making and bottling cider, but it is just collecting dust. She also has a gift – she can see colors in the apples that grow on their orchard. By mixing different colored apples she can achieve the flavors she wants. It’s the touch of magical realism that Reichert is known for.

Isaac Banks is a web designer whose ex-wife, a drug addict, has overdosed and died. Their young son, Bass, doesn’t know and Isaac can’t bear to tell him, so instead he takes him on a road trip for the summer. They wander aimlessly until they reach Door County, where he learns the Lund family could use some help in their orchard. Sanna is suspicious when her father hires Isaac, but they have a trailer out back where father and son can live. Then the senior Lund falls off a ladder and is seriously injured, and it’s Isaac and Bass that pick up the slack.

Sanna is surprised to find herself attracted to Isaac, and he to her, but he also realizes that he is going to have to move very slowly to win her over. Sanna has a brother who moved away from the orchard and is now trying to talk her father into selling to a big developer. There are other complications along the way before the happily ever after is reached.

Another enjoyable and delicious read – with recipes.

Enjoy this short video – Amy E. Reichert talks about her new book, THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER, and why Wisconsin is more romantic than you thought!

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER by Amy E. Reichert. Gallery Books (May 16, 2017). ISBN: 978-1501154928. 336p.

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Author Spotlight: Tasha Eurich

May 17, 2017

3 strategies for becoming more self-aware | Tasha Eurich – Tasha Eurich (organizational psychologist and author of INSIGHT) gives three tips for becoming more self-aware, based on her extensive research of highly self-aware people.

Insight: Why We’re Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life by Tasha Eurich

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The first definitive book on the science of self-awareness, Insight is a fascinating journey into everyone’s favorite topic: themselves.

Do you understand who you really are? Or how others really see you? We all know people with a stunning lack of self-awareness—but how often do we consider whether we might have the same problem?

Research shows that self-awareness is the meta-skill of the 21st century—the foundation for high performance, smart choices, and lasting relationships. Unfortunately, we are remarkably poor judges of ourselves and how we come across, and it’s rare to get candid, objective feedback from colleagues, employees, and even friends and family.

Integrating hundreds of studies with her own research and work in the Fortune 500 world, organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich shatters conventional assumptions about what it takes to truly know ourselves—like why introspection isn’t a bullet train to insight, how experience is the enemy of self-knowledge, and just how far others will go to avoid telling us the truth about ourselves. Through stories of people who’ve made dramatic gains in self-awareness, she offers surprising secrets, techniques and strategies to help readers do the same – and therefore improve their work performance, career satisfaction, leadership potential, relationships, and more.

At a time when self-awareness matters more than ever, Insight is the essential playbook surviving and thriving in an unaware world.

INSIGHT by Tasha Eurich. Crown Business (May 2, 2017). ISBN 978-0451496812. 368p.

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SECRETS IN SUMMER by Nancy Thayer

May 16, 2017

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Growing up on Long Island, New York, and now living in South Florida, I am familiar with the idea of seasonal residents and how the population can double, triple or more during “season.” In Boca Raton, many of our winter residents summer in the Hamptons in New York, and this book, set on Nantucket, was very reminiscent of the Hamptons and that experience.

Darcy Cotterill is a year round resident, but the homes surrounding her own are summer rentals. Darcy is divorced and basically without family, and doesn’t generally bother with the summer residents. She is a children’s librarian and her storytimes feel the strong influx of summer residents, and she does enjoy that.

But this summer brings a family renting the house behind hers that is a shocker. It is her ex-husband Boyz, his wife Autumn, (the woman he left Darcy for,) and her teenage daughter Willow. When Darcy overhears Willow with a boy who is trying to talk her into trying heroin and sex, she rushes over and scares him off, befriending the young teen in the process.

Darcy’s other neighbors include Susan, her husband Otto who may or may not be having an affair with Autumn, and their three rambunctious sons, and on the other side, Clive, a very good looking man who is taking care of his grandmother, Mimi, for the summer. Somehow Darcy becomes involved with all of them.

Meanwhile, Darcy has been seeing Nash Forrester, a carpenter in town, but things are not progressing the way she’d like. She’s tempted by Clive, but as the summer progresses, so does her relationship with Nash. At least until he sees her kissing Clive.

This is a story of multigenerational friendships with a bit of romance, and the beach setting is charming of its own accord. I have to say there was something about the way this book was written that fell flat for me. I liked the characters but most of them, especially the main character Darcy, didn’t seem fully formed to me and the action felt forced a lot of the time. On the other hand, Thayer really nailed the setting and the atmosphere, I could practically smell the salt in the air. All that said, this was my first “beach read” of the summer, and for the most part, I enjoyed it.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SECRETS IN SUMMER by Nancy Thayer. Ballantine Books (May 16, 2017). ISBN: 978-1101967072. 336p.

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A TWIST OF THE KNIFE by Becky Masterman

May 14, 2017

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Brigid Quinn Series, Book 3

 

Brigid Quinn is a retired FBI agent that has turned into a bit of a rogue, to say the least. In this story she heads to Florida when her father ends up hospitalized. Brigid and her parents are not exactly close, none of the family is. Her father was a cop who shared completely inappropriate information and pictures from his cases with his very young children and all of them went into law enforcement. Brigid’s brother Todd is a Florida cop and their sister Ariel is in the CIA – and completely out of contact.

Brigid has another reason for heading to Florida. Her former protege/partner, Laura, asks for her help. She’s left the FBI and is working as an investigator with an appeals attorney on a death row case. The case has renewed urgency thanks to the governor signing a hurry up and die type law into effect and the clock is ticking.

Getting several law enforcement agencies to work together towards freeing a man on death row has as many hurdles as it sounds like, but makes for a really compelling read. I missed Brigid’s late in life relationship with her ex-priest husband  – he barely puts in an appearance here, but other than that I really enjoyed this latest entry in the series.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A TWIST OF THE KNIFE by Becky Masterman. Minotaur Books (March 21, 2017). ISBN 978-1250074515. 320p.

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Win THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC!

May 13, 2017

Win a copy of the new paperback of THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC by Mark Tompkins, PLUS The Last Days of Magic Tarot Card Deck!

“Fantastic . . . an honest, beautifully detailed book and an entertaining read.”
—DIANA GABALDON, THE WASHINGTON POST

“A fantastical treat.”
—PEOPLE

“Simultaneously sweeping and intricate . . . Tompkins’s amazing debut novel conjures an epic battle for the soul of Ireland. Filled with papal machination and royal intrigue, magic and mayhem, faeries, Vikings, legates, kings and queens, angels and goddesses, this is one wild and breathless ride.”
—KAREN JOY FOWLER

“Plundering the treasure chest of human myths, from mysterious biblical giants to ferocious Celtic faeries, Tompkins has created a fantasy adventure with the shifting perspectives of dreamscape. A novel rich and strange.”
—GERALDINE BROOKS

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What became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend, fairy tales, and Biblical mysteries, The Last Days of Magic brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping us back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries.

Aisling, a goddess in human form, was born to rule both domains and—with her twin, Anya—unite the Celts with the powerful faeries of the Middle Kingdom. But within medieval Ireland interests are divided, and far from its shores greater forces are mustering. Both England and Rome have a stake in driving magic from the Emerald Isle. Jordan, the Vatican commander tasked with vanquishing the remnants of otherworldly creatures from a disenchanted Europe, has built a career on such plots. But increasingly he finds himself torn between duty and his desire to understand the magic that has been forbidden.

As kings prepare, exorcists gather, and divisions widen between the warring clans of Ireland, Aisling and Jordan must come to terms with powers given and withheld, while a world that can still foster magic hangs in the balance. Loyalties are tested, betrayals sown, and the coming war will have repercussions that ripple centuries later, in today’s world—and in particular for a young graduate student named Sara Hill.

The Last Days of Magic introduces us to unforgettable characters who grapple with quests for power, human frailty, and the longing for knowledge that has been made taboo. Mark Tompkins has crafted a remarkable tale—a feat of world-building that poses astonishing and resonant answers to epic questions.

To win a copy of the new paperback of THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC by Mark Tompkins, PLUS The Last Days of Magic Tarot Card Deck, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with “LAST DAYS OF MAGIC” as the subject.

You must include your U.S. street address in your email.

All entries must be received by May 20, 2017. One (1) name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. Your books will be sent by the publicist.

One entry per email address. Subscribers to the monthly newsletter earn an extra entry into every contest. Follow this blog to earn another entry into every contest. Winners may win only one time per year (365 days) for contests with prizes of more than one book. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.

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THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY by Susan Rivers

May 12, 2017

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Placidia Fincher becomes the second Mrs. Hockaday when, at age 17, she marries Major Gryffith Hockaday. He is almost twice her age, recently widowed and left with a very young son. She agrees to marry him and the next day they return to his home, a 300 acre farm in South Carolina. The Civil War is raging, and after a couple of days of marriage, the Major returns to his post leaving his teenage bride in charge of his home, his baby, his farm and his slaves.

The Major doesn’t return home for two years, spending much of that time in a Union prison. Upon his return he learns that his wife has become pregnant and had a baby during his time away, the baby died and she is accused of murder and on her way to jail. There are a lot of plot lines threaded throughout, and a number of characters so I had to pay close attention to keep it all straight.

This is an epistolary novel, written in letters, journal entries, etc. which always gives a very intimate, voyeuristic feeling to the reader and this is no exception. There are some very dark chapters, as is to be expected during war time in the South, but it is restrained. The violence is there but is not gratuitous and is never over the top. The book is loosely based on a true incident, and the writing style is interesting and seems accurate to the time period although the lack of some punctuation is difficult at times.

One of the things I liked best about this book was that it’s a woman’s perspective of the Civil War, and the difficulties that women faced were very different from the men. A most compelling read and an excellent debut novel.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY by Susan Rivers. Algonquin Books; First Edition edition (January 10, 2017).  ISBN 978-1616205812.  272p.

Kindle

 

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

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