Waiting on Wednesday #55: Wishes and Sorrows by Cindy Lynn Speer

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

Due out October 30, 2014
from Dragonwell  Publishing

This week, I had my mind on fairy tales when I was looking through the books that are coming out soon. I came across this collection of stories by Cindy Lynn Speer entitled Wishes and Sorrows.

Dragonwell publishing's blurb says:

For every wish there is a sorrow...
Wishes are born from sorrows, blessings are sometimes curses, and even fairy godmothers cannot always get what they want. In this original collection, Cindy Lynn Speer, the author of The Chocolatier's Wife, brings to life creatures of myths and tales mixing them into a vibrant tapestry of stories, happy and sad, magical and real, each lovingly crafted and sure to touch the reader's soul. 

Step into the world where magic is real and every mundane bit of reality is as magical as a true fairy tale.

 It makes me think of the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for." On the other hand, I was wishing for a book with fairy tale type stories and there it is. So, sometimes we get lucky. 

What book are you waiting on this week? Give me a link or a title in the comments below. And Thanks for coming by!

Teaser Tuesday: The Last Days of Dorothy Parker by Marion Meade

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.

Anyone can participate. just do the following.

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t  give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

This week is a second teaser from The Last Days of Dorothy Parker by Marion Meade. 

My sentences come from about 60% into the book starting at location 1167:

 "For a valid reason, Lilly described Dottie as a reluctant memoirist: often enough she had been overheard saying that rather than write her story she would cut her throat with a dull knife."

(on writing a autobiography) ..."she had tried, "but it doesn't come." One reason it didn't come was her speed. For a slow paced writer who joked she put down five words and erased seven, the completion of a full length book on any subject was virtually impossible."

It's funny, but until I read this I never pictured the witty lady having any trouble writing down anything after her bon mots and certainly not something as easy for her to tell as the story of her life. So, live and learn. 

What book is your teaser from this week? Give us a taste or a link in the comments. And thanks for stopping by!

Review: Jackaby by William Ritter

September 16, 2014
Algonquin Young Readers

Abigail Rook was fresh off the ship from Europe and in need of employment. After several failed attempts at finding any finally she found one ad that had promise.

On p.18:
"I carefully freed the advertisement, which read as follows:

INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES

ASSISTANT WANTED

$2 PER WEEK

MUST BE LITERATE AND POSSESS A

KEEN INTELLECT AND OPEN MIND

STRONG STOMACH PREFERRED

INQUIRE AT 926 AUGUR LANE

DO NOT STARE AT THE FROG

Thus she meets Jackaby for the second time since her boat made landfall. She finds him to be an interesting character. I have to agree with the blurb that he is a bit like Doctor Who and Sherlock rolled into one person.

Jackaby's purpose seems to be to help the police solve unusual or unsolvable crimes. He hires Abigail on a provisional basis since their abilities compliment each other. He notices the unusual but important details, such as fairies, non-human involvement, and the like; and she notices what might be considered commonplace but important details. They are quickly drawn into a case in which Jackaby maintains there is a non-human culprit, but the chief of police is skeptical.The story is told "as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre." (from the blurb)

I find this book to be very enjoyable. There is a rather bloody fight scene, so I would keep it on the YA to adult side of things. The humor and adventure is fun to read. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy paranormal stories with humor and a Holmes/Watson sort of relationship between the characters. I would definitely buy it as a gift for someone. Jackaby is due out September 16, 2014 from Algonquin Young Readers. I give it 4 stars.

All quotes unless otherwise noted come from an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Waiting On Wednesday # 54: As You Wish by Cary Elwes

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

The movie "The Princess Bride" is one of my all time favorites. What's not to like? There's a swashbuckling hero, a maiden, magic, and bad guys. If you loved the movie, chances are you will enjoy the book, As You Wish - Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden with a forward by Rob Reiner. I'm pretty sure it's not a kissing book, but I can't say that for 100% sure until I've read it. Cary Elwes played the part of Westley aka The Dread Pirate Roberts in the movie. 

Goodreads has this to say about the book:

From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.

The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.

Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets, backstage stories, and answers to lingering questions about off-screen romances that have plagued fans for years!

With a foreword by Rob Reiner and a limited edition original poster by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey, As You Wish is a must-have for all fans of this beloved film.

 I am so looking forward to this book as more about the Princess Bride world. It's due out October 14, 2014 from Touchstone. 

What book are you looking forward to this week? Share it or a link in the comments. 

Teaser Tuesday: A Curious Man by Neal Thompson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.

Anyone can participate. just do the following.

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t  give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Published May 7, 2013
by Three Rivers Press

A Curious Man - The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert Believe It or Not Ripley by Neal Thompson is so far an interesting biography of Robert Ripley. It also has other facts from the eras thrown in for good measure such as the origin of such phrases as "for crying out loud"(p.31). There is a nice pictorial section that runs 8 pages front and back with pictures of Ripley at various points in his career and on his travels.

Teasers:

(p.166) Ripley was given office space at the New York American in Manhattan, but he often chose to work from home.

(p.167) On his Central America trip he had picked up a foulmouthed parrot that he taught to say "Hello, Rip" and "Goodbye, Rip." From its previous owners, the birds had learned more colorful words. Ripley's pet was capable of as "sulfurous a flow of potent language as ever horrified delicate ears."

So, telecommuting existed even back in the 1920's it seems. According to the book he was very productive at home and worked very hard. 

So, what are your teasers this week? Leave them or a link in the comments please. Thanks for reading!

Waiting on Wednesday #53: Tomes of Terror by Mark Leslie

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

Dundurn  Available
September 27, 2014

This week I am waiting on a nonfiction paranormal book entitled Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores and Libraries by Mark Leslie. I suppose it only qualifies as nonfiction if you believe in ghosts. The publishing company is selling it as nonfiction so the people who told the stories to Mark Leslie must have believed in the hauntings. 

It reminds me of the old Borders store I worked at. Many of us believed the store to be haunted. Books would fall off the shelf for no reason. The shoplifting alarms would go off after hours by themselves if certain music was played. If you were walking down the hall towards the backroom, sometimes you would see the doors to the backroom move by themselves as you approached. And sometimes when you were working alone in the backroom it would sound like someone else was working in the room with you when no one else was there.The ghost never did anything really bad, just sometimes was annoying. We did have one employee quit over it though. She said that she didn't need that meaning the ghost.

Goodreads  has this to say about the book: Throughout history, books have inspired, informed, entertained, and enriched us. They have also kept us up through the night, thrilled us, and lured into their endless depths. "Tomes of Terror" is a celebration and an eerie look at the siren call of literature and the unexplained and fascinating stories associated with bookish locations around the world. Mark Leslie's latest paranormal page-turner is a compendium of true stories of the supernatural in literary locales, complete with hair-raising first-person accounts. You may even recognize a spectre of your local library lurking in these true stories and photographs. If you have ever felt an indescribable presence hanging about a quiet bookshop, then you ll enjoy these fascinating and haunting tales.

So, I am curious what kinds of experiences other people have had in other supposedly haunted bookstores and libraries. Have you ever had any experiences in either of those kinds of locations? Feel free to email me. If you email me, please put the name of the book as the subject so I know it isn't spam. Thanks!

And what book are you waiting on this week? Please leave a title or a link in the comments. Thanks for sharing!

Teaser Tuesday: Jackaby by William Ritter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.

Anyone can participate. just do the following.

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t  give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

September 16, 2014
Algonquin Young Readers

This week's teasers comes from the soon to be released book Jackaby by William Ritter. How could I resist a book that's been described by the publisher as "Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes? William Ritter's debut YA novel features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre."

Here are a few sentences in the voice of Jackaby's soon to be assistant, Abigail Rook from a postcard she wrote to her parents on p.14

As you had previously cautioned, a professional dig site proved to be no place for a young lady to run around. Currently in seek of a better place to do so.

So, what's your teaser this week? Please leave a link or your teaser in the comments.