Aug 12th, 10
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Arcadia Falls
By Carol Goodman
Ballantine Books
March 9, 2010
More Info / Order Herez
I received and read an Advance Reader’s Copy of Arcadia Falls for Library Thing.
Recently widowed Meg takes a teaching position at the Arcadia Falls art colony in hopes of gaining financial stability, restoring her relationship with her teenage daughter, Claire, and completing her research on the authors of a lost changeling girl fairytale. This fairytale and its lessons weave their truths throughout Meg and Claire’s Arcadia Falls experience.
Carol Goodman’s voice lures you into a seductive world of fairy tales and pagan rituals, mystery and death. She weaves the past and present story threads together well and you find yourself very present in both stories. Ms. Goodman has a knack for description and atmosphere and I very much enjoyed the small college town setting and spooky woods.
I found it slightly disappointing that there were several parallels between this story and The Lake of Dead Languages: the boarding school, a mystery from the past, and the main character’s insecurities. I also felt Meg’s love interest subplot was unnecessary and didn’t really make sense. However, the author’s turn of phrase and ability to create a story within a story will always have me coming back for more of her work. I recommend Arcadia Falls if you enjoy gothic mysteries, fairy tales and myth.
| Rating |
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| Story |    |
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| Refreshing concept and excellent description. |
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| Book Cover | |
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| Intriguing and certainly makes sense as you continue to read. |
| Overall | |
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| Similarities to prior books aside, Carol Goodman's way with atmosphere, and her ability to effectively create a story within a story makes Arcadia Falls worth the read. |
(Orig. Pub. at Sweet Reads 5/27/10)
Jan 24th, 10
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I discovered and am joining The 2010 Pub Challenge hosted by Michelle at 1More Chapter. You might want to join, too.
The rules seem easy to live by:
- Read a minimum of 10 books first published in 2010. You don’t have to buy these. Library books, unabridged audiobooks, or ARCs are all acceptable. To qualify as being first published in 2010, it must be the first time that the book is published in your own country. For example, if a book was published in Australia, England, or Canada in 2009, and then published in the USA in 2010, it counts (if you live in the USA). Newly published trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks do not count if there has been a hardcover/trade published before 2010.
- No children’s/YA titles allowed, since we’re at the ‘pub.’
- At least 5 titles must be fiction.
- Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
- You can add your titles as you go, and they may be changed at any time.
- Sign up at the Pub Challenge site using Mr. Linky.
- Have fun reading your 2010 books!
Tentative Reading List:
- Choices to follow
Another cool book challenge I’ve joined is The Short Story Reading Challenge hosted by Kate. You’ll find the group blog for this challenge HERE.
I joined a similar challenge near the end of last year and didn’t have enough time to complete it. Hopefully, starting in January will help! There are four goal options to choose from and I’m choosing #1.
#1 – If you’re short on time, you can simply commit to reading ten short stories by ten different authors over the course of 2010. If you’re relatively new to reading short stories, any ten will do.
Tentative Reading List: Stories from
- Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
- The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories Edited by Peter Haining
- …and more.
This awesome challenge is hosted at Book Chick City and I, for one, want to be a part of it. I love many of the sub-genres for thriller and suspense so I’m thinking it shouldn’t be too hard. For the challenge rules, please check out THIS POST. And check this out:
“Courtesy of publisher SIMON & SCHUSTER UK, all participants of this challenge will receive a free ARC of either RandomVenom by Joan Brady to start you off on your challenge! Once you have signed up for the challenge, email me with your full name, address, blog URL (if you have one) and your entry number from the participants list below (so I can verify) and I will pass on your details. This is INTERNATIONAL!” by Craig Robertson or
Tentative Reading List:
- The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
- Bury Your Dead by Louise Penney (to be released later this year)
- If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle (to be released February, 2010)
- Espresso Shot by Cleo Coyle
- Death on Demand by Carolyn G. Hart
- … and more.
I hope you’ll join me in these reading challenges. If you do, please let me know by commenting here as I’d love to read your thoughts and reviews on the books you’ve read!
Nov 8th, 09
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October was not my best month, however, when I wasn’t sleeping (due to illness), I did get more reading done. Last month should have been spent writing a short story for an anthology I’m excited about, but my brain could barely fire off a sentence or two. November will need to be very productive indeed!
My newest author discovery is Louise Penny. She’s a wonder! I’ve fallen in love with her Chief Inspector Gamache mystery novels! I love everything about them: the richly developed characters, an inspector you wish was real, and a beautifully written story, all set in the idyllic village of Three Pines. As the Richmond Times Dispatch said “…(a) stylish and sensitive series.” I won’t say more now as I’d like to write reviews for the first two books, Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Three Pines Mysteries)
and A Fatal Grace (Three Pines Mysteries, No. 2)
, but I will say this series is a rare treat I’d love to share with you.
Another author I’m happy to have found is Carrie Vaughn. I’ve breezed through the first two novels in her Kitty series in no time at all. This series is addictive, with a very cool leading lady you can identify with, root for and somehow wish you could be. Ms. Vaughn’s take on the supernatural community, werewolves, vampires, demons and the like, is unlike other stories I’ve read and I appreciate the difference. Again, more later in upcoming reviews. Just go out and get yourself hooked! (Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1)
)
One new book I’m excited to read is Tainted (THE BLOOD LILY CHRONICLES)
by Julie Kenner. I’ve read all of her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series because it’s such a hoot, so I can’t wait to read this first book in The Blood Lily Chronicles. It’s all about family, good vs. evil, Heaven and Hell and one kick-ass heroine!
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you read or have read any of these novels. Have a glorious week of reading (and writing)!!
~ Pamela
