Books Bought!

My friend Cindy hosts this meme profiling books bought recently. You can see her recent purchases here.



Last week I bought the second book in Stieg Larsson's trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire. I haven't read the first one yet, but I'm planning to get to it this summer.


In an earlier post, I wrote about a 'tug-of-book' I had with my husband about a novel that was in our bookstore. I wanted it but it was the store copy so I didn't get it. Laura Fabiani generously gave me her copy of The Thirteenth Tale and so I didn't need the store copy any longer. Well, this time around it's my husband who wants The Girl Who Played with Fire. I've told him he's going to have to wait for it!

Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show Giveaway!!!

I recently had the opportunity to read a great new book by the author Frank Delaney called Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show. I really enjoyed this novel for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the story. Set in Ireland during the early 1900's, it breathes a vivid life into that distant time. You can read my review here.


I'm therefore very happy to be able to offer a signed copy of this book! For a chance to win, leave a comment with your email address. For two chances, become a follower (or let me know if you already are and that will count too). Contest closes on April 7 April 11 at 6 p.m. Open to the US and Canada.

Tuesday Teasers

Tuesday Teasers is hosted by Should Be Reading. The rules are as follows:


Grab your current read and let the book fall open to a random page. Share two sentences somewhere between lines 7 and 12 and the title of the book that you’re getting the teaser from. Please avoid spoilers! Read the official Tuesday Teaser Rules.



My teaser this week is from Forest Gate by Peter Akinti. From page 4:

'They encircled their necks with rope, nooses tightened with well-practiced slip knots. And then they held the slack from the rope in the palms of their hands, training their thoughts, allowing for no further doubt.'

Mailbox Monday

This meme is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page and Kristi at The Story Siren.



Last week I was pleasantly surprised to receive Anna Quindlen's new book called Every Last One.



The description from the Random House website reads:

Mary Beth Latham is first and foremost a mother, whose three teenaged children come first, before her career as a landscape gardener, or even her life as the wife of a doctor. Caring for her family and preserving their everyday life is paramount. And so, when one of her sons, Max, becomes depressed, Mary Beth becomes focused on him, and is blindsided by a shocking act of violence. What happens afterwards is a testament to the power of a woman’s love and determination, and to the invisible line of hope and healing that connects one human being with another. Ultimately, in the hands of Anna Quindlen’s mesmerizing prose, Every Last One is a novel about facing every last one of the the things we fear most, about finding ways to navigate a road we never intended to travel, to live a life we never dreamed we’d have to live but must be brave enough to try.

I'm a huge fan of this author and I can't wait to read this one!

This week I'm featuring a book called Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon. It's the first in the Guido Brunetti mystery series. I love mysteries and if they're set in an exotic location (well, anywhere outside of Montreal can be exotic to me!), so much the better.

The description on the back of this book reads:

There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. But the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Now all of his admirable abilities must come into play in the deadly affair of Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor who died painfully from cyanide poisoning during an intermission at La Fenice.

But as the investigation unfolds, a chilling picture slowly begins to take shape -- a detailed portrait of revenge painted with vivid strokes of hatred and shocking depravity. And the dilemma for Guido Brunetti will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one.

I'm putting this on my TBR pile for the summer!

Review: VENETIA KELLY'S TRAVELING SHOW by Frank Delaney

Thanks to Evelyn for sending me this book to review.

I’ve had Ireland by Frank Delaney on my wish list for some time now and therefore when I was offered Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show to review I was quite excited and felt I was in for a treat.

I found the story to be refreshingly different. Set amid the politics of Ireland in the early twentieth century, the plot revolves around Ben McCarthy and his quest to bring his errant father back home to the family farm. This character, Ben, is imbued with warmth, humour and strength – much more strength than that shown by either of his parents. Other characters, King Kelly and his daughter and granddaughter, seem larger than life and I suppose, a book reminiscent of some of the world’s best-loved fables, are meant to be. I’d always thought people like that were a bit scary and this is confirmed by the slightly sinister feel of these people. I’ve known people like King Kelly – I’m related to one – so that character hits close to home.

This book is filled with contrasts: Ben, though just eighteen is loyal, persistent, steadfast and strong; his father, Harry is flighty, weak, unfaithful and easily swayed. His mother too is an eerie foil for the beautiful Venetia Kelly. Where one woman behaves ‘above it all’, the other lives in a world closer to earth.

The history and politics of Ireland also play a role in this novel. While the politicians, local and national, are battling it out for power, a ventriloquist’s dummy is giving them a run for their money. Some of the dialogue from this dummy is not so dumb and the author’s clever use of this character adds to the quirkiness of the plot.

I enjoyed this book for many reasons but probably the most was that it was set in Ireland where my grandparents were born. I can still remember my grandmother calming my baby girl by gently uttering the word ‘whisht’ and I was delighted to see that word actually in print (page 77) in this novel. The characters were wonderfully oddball and the story kept me turning the pages. And for all that Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show looks like a large-ish book (at over 400 pages) it was a pretty quick read with most chapters being relatively short.

You can find all sorts of information on Frank Delaney's upcoming author tour on his Facebook fan page here.

The Canada Reads Winner!

From the Canada Reads website:

"Nicolas Dickner's first novel, Nikolski , was published in 2005 to rave reviews and went on to win Quebec's most prestigious literary awards, including the Prix des libraires du Québec, the Prix littéraire des collegians and the Prix Anne-Hébert. It also won France's Prix Lavinal Printemps des lecteurs.

To date, Nikolski has been published in five languages and seven countries. The English translation, by Lazer Lederhendler, was published in 2008 and won the Governor General's Award for French-to-English translation.

After studying visual arts and literature at university, Nicolas travelled extensively in Europe and Latin America, then settled in Montreal, which continues to be his home base.

In 2000 he published his first book, a collection of short stories entitled L'encyclopédie du petit cercle, which won two awards, including the Prix Adrienne-Choquette, given annually to the best collection of short fiction in French by a Quebec author.

Nicolas is also the author of Boulevard Banquise, a children's book, and a second short story collection, Traité de balistique, both published in 2006. He is currently a literary columnist for the Montreal cultural weekly Voir and is working on his next novel."

I recall Nikolski being offered last year on LibraryThing's early reviewer programme. I likely requested it, but I sure didn't get it. I'll be looking for it now though since it's been brought to my attention once again. On it goes to my gigantic TBR pile!

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teasers is hosted by Should Be Reading. The rules are as follows:


Grab your current read and let the book fall open to a random page. Share two sentences somewhere between lines 7 and 12 and the title of the book that you’re getting the teaser from. Please avoid spoilers! Read the official Tuesday Teaser Rules.

My teaser is from Frank Delaney's Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show. From page 177:

I loved our woodland, and I knew all the residents-they stood there, one-legged, cold in the winter, anxious in the damp and mists. In the coming summer I'd see them relaxed and so pleased with themselves in their new leaves.

Mailbox Monday

This meme is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page and Kristi at The Story Siren.





I received one book last week. It's called Forest Gate and it's written by Peter Akinti. I read the first page as soon as I opened the envelope and I can say without a doubt I'm going to really like this one. The blurb on the back of the book reads:

In a community where poverty is kept close and passed from one generation to the next, two teenage boys, best friends, stand on top of twin tower blocks. Facing each other across the abyss of London's urban sprawl, they say their good-byes and jump. One dies. The other, alternating with the sister of the deceased, narrates this novel.

James gives us a window into the inner city -- his mom is a crack addict, his gang "brothers" force him to kill another black boy. Meina describes with feeling her family history in Somalia: after her parents are killed before her eyes, her village aunt sells her to six husbands -- before she is even a teenager. Desperate to rebuild their lives, James and Meina set out to find the place for which every child longs -- home.

Brutal and shockingly violent in places, rambunctious and lively in others and slyly, dryly witty in yet others, Meina and James's journey toward life through their past is ultimately a powerful story of redemptive love and the debut of an extraordinary literary talent.

From my bookstore shelves this week I'm again featuring an author I haven't read before. It is Susanna Gregory and the book is called Blood on the Strand.


From the publisher's website:

Rebellion is in the air of London in the spring of 1663. Thomas Chaloner, spy for the King's intelligence service, has just returned from thwarting a planned revolt in Dublin, but soon realises that England's capital is no haven of peace. He is ordered to investigate the shooting of a beggar during a royal procession. He soon learns the man is no vagrant, but someone with links to the powerful Company of Barber-Surgeons. He master, the Earl of Clarendon, is locked in a deadly feud with the Earl of Bristol, and an innocent man is about to be hanged in Newgate. Chaloner is embroiled in a desperate race against time to protect Clarendon, to discover the true identity of the beggar's murderer, and to save a blameless man from the executioner's noose.

On the front cover of this book it says this is 'Chalouner's Second Exploit in Restoration London'. So, this is the second book in this historical mystery series. I would have profiled the first book, but this is the one I have on my shelf. I like historical fiction quite a bit so I'm putting the first of this series on my TBR list.