THIS BLOG IS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO RECOMMEND BOOKS, DISCUSS BOOKS AND ARE INSPIRED BY BOOKS. JOYCE'S CHOICES FEATURES FICTION, NON-FICTION AND QUIRKY COMMENTARY BY AN OPINIONATED READER.
The past few months I have been spotlighting unknown authors. The holidays are upon us, so why not support a new voice and gift a friend or family member with a book by an undiscovered talent.
Here's a recap of the featured authors. You can order a book immediatly by clicking on the title in the above graphic.
Between the Cracks by Carmella Cattuti
Bad Girls by Deborah Doucette
Small Gods of Summer by Gregory LeStage
The Hands of Time by Irina Shapiro
The Interloper by Peter Savodnik
The Lailly Worm by Walter Donway
The Frankenstein Candidate by Vinay Kolhatkar
Cossacks in Paris by Jeffrey Perren
For detailed info about these books enter the title in the Blog Search Box at the top of this page.
A friend on Goodreads.com recently sent a comment concerning DEAR LIFE, the 2012 Nobel Prize winner by Alice Monro. It's a collection of fourteen short stories that are considered atypical of Monro's writing and quite unforgettable.
Most feature ordinary people from all across the social spectrum trying to get through life. The drama is understated, and the subtleties are beautiful, definitely worthy of the Nobel Prize.
If you are a short story fan, you'll find this collection illuminating and complex. DEAR LIFE will stick with you long after you've read the final page.
BARBARA A. said:
"There is a certain, and intentional, one-dimensional aspect to these stories which belies the organic nature within. Seemingly devoid of grand passion, written in a straightforward, no-nonsense style, each story turns on a quiet moment that reveals the dream denied; the hope unfulfilled; the resignation with which to carry on. Not ebullient, these characters, not fast nor flashy nor famous, they still chose life--dear life--for at the end of the day, what else but to do so?"
I've been a huge fan of author Wally Lamb since his staggering work, SHE'S COME UNDONE. I eagerly anticipated the release of WE ARE WATER and finally I am immersed in it...totally immersed. The complex characters are disquieting and unforgettable, the writing is fearless and stunning...almost impossible to put down.
To say that it's a story of family dysfunction would be accurate but not the entire truth. Yes, secrets bind this family together and there are moments of intrigue, despair and triumph. The layers are so numerous I could never do it justice by description.
I think Wally Lamb is brilliant. His ability to switch narrators and impart a cohesive and addictive story is one of his many skills. WE ARE WATER is an intense, brilliant piece of fiction, psychologically astute and an emotional workout.
To Order Click on the Amazon Search Box in the Sidebar
COSSACKS IN PARIS by Jeffrey Perren is an historical novel written by an unknown author on his way to becoming notable, hopefully! This novel joins the ranks of undiscovered talent that should be getting our attention. I'm hoping to achieve that goal.
COSSACKS IN PARIS is set in Napoleonic France, between 1812 and 1814. As one reviewer said "It's a ripping good yarn.." History buffs will appreciate the setting and Romanticists will appreciate the plot.
In paperback and Kindle, you can order COSSACKS IN PARIS directly from this blog. Click on the Amazon Search Box in the Sidebar.
The pair soon fall in love — but Kaarina is betrothed to Agripin, a vicious Cossack and a favorite of the Tsar. When she refuses him, Agripin kidnaps her, aided by Kaarina's envious twin sister, Kaisa, and a battle is set between the two men. Breutier deserts Napoleon's army and faces prosecution for treason. Dodging the vengeance of the world's most powerful rulers sends him on a perilous quest to hunt down the era's most ruthless Cossack.
Interweaving the characters' personal dramas with the historical wars in Europe of the following two years forms the core of the story. The novel climaxes at the moment when, for the first time in 400 years, foreign armies invaded France, leaving behind Cossacks in Paris.
WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?
Jeffrey Perren wrote his first short story at age 12 and went on to win the Bank of America Fine Arts award at age 17. Since then he has published at award-winning sites and magazines from the U.S. to New Zealand. He lives in Sandpoint, Idaho with his wife. With her he shares a love for Golden Retrievers and keeps a healthy friendship with a neighborhood Belgian Shepherd.
"Cossacks In Paris" was his first published novel. He released in August, 2013 "Death Is Overrated" a mystery novel set in contemporary UK.
I found the book GAME CHANGE by poltical experts Mark Halperin and John Heilemann a riviting,"fly on the wall" political read. Okay, maybe I skipped to the "juicy" Sarah Palin stuff first, but overall it was an accurate inside view of a political climate...with just the right amount of "juicy".
Their new book DOUBLE DOWN is another backroom account. Who knew that Mitt Romney poked fun at fat people? Do I need to know that? Well, no but it left me wanting more...
Just released this week, DOUBLE DOWN is rapidly heading to the best seller list. There's enough political inside info to keep our heads spinning until the next election, and then some.
DOUBLE DOWN BY Mark Halperin and John Heilemann
What the veteran political reporters Mark Halperin and John Heilemann report in “Double Down,” their buzzy, behind-the-scenes book on the 2012 election, is that on the eve of the second debate, the usually self-possessed president was having doubts about his ability to rise to the occasion. “I just don’t know if I can do this,” they quote him saying to his advisers in a last-minute crisis meeting.
Such provocative scenes — served up with fuzzy sourcing and breezy prose — pepper “Double Down,” the follow-up to “Game Change,” the authors’ best-selling book about the 2008 presidential campaign.
Again the emphasis is on creating a novelistic narrative that provides a you-are-there immediacy but that can make the reader wonder at the authors’ supposed omniscience. And again, small telling details — like Mr. Romney reportedly being prone to poke fun at fat people or Mr. Obama trying to quiet his mind by making lists on yellow legal pads — take precedence over historical perspective and analysis.
The book testifies to its authors’ energetic legwork and insider access, while pointing up their eagerness to emphasize the roles that personality and process (as opposed to pure policy) play in politics.
(New York Times Book Review - Michiko Kakutani)
This week I am highlighting another unknown author who has written a book definitely worth noting. If you are a political junkie and you crave a good novel, overflowing with political intrigue and mystery, you'll be happily overwhelmed.
The author, Vinay Kolhatkar takes you on an exciting and unforgettable journey in this provocative novel titled THE FRANKENSTEIN CANDIDATE.
You may not have heard of Vinay Kolhatkar but his resume is impressive and reviewers have drawn parallels to Alan Drury of Advise and Consent fame.
Vinay Kolhatkar (above) has written screenplays for film and television. He also has extensive experience in the world of high finance holding a Master's Degree from University of New South Wales.
He studied creative writing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia. Later, he studied screenwriting at ScreenwritingU in Los Angeles and at the Story Department in Sydney.
After losing patience with the inane banalities and rhetoric of political campaigns, he decided to write a satirical thriller exposing such practises in a fictional setting. His keen insight in US politics combined with his screenwriting skills resulted in this debut novel.
The result is a purely fictional story with an authentic ring to it. THE FRANKENSTEIN CANDIDATE provokes, educates and entertains, all at the same time.
THE FRANKENSTEIN CANDIDATE by Vinay Kolhatkar
Senator Olivia Allen—brilliant and beautiful—signs onto the Democratic presidential ticket, unaware of powerful forces that seek either to control her or destroy her.
Her opponents are Frank Kenneth Stein, a billionaire who would rather be
forthright than President, and Quentin Kirby, the power-hungry, Republican Vice President.
As the campaign advances toward an electrifying climax, their brutal maneuvers play out against a backdrop of national crises. Hyperinflation looms and bloody riots sweep the country.
For Olivia, however, the greatest perils lie in the corridors of Washington power, as she finds herself becoming a mere pawn in a deadly game of entrapment, blackmail, and assassination. Can she turn the tables—ensuring America’s survival as well as her own?
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Vinay Kolhatkar welcomes reader interaction. He can be contacted at vk2@optusnet.com.au
He can also be contacted at Linkedin, Facebook, or through the Facebook page of THE FRANKENSTEIN CANDIDATE where
visitors are welcome to start a discussion.
Please support the unknown authors that are spotlighted on Joyce's Choices by purchasing their books. Click on the Amazon Search Box in the Sidebar to order.
New releases this month sound very exciting...until I read them..but hopefully they'll live up to all the positive reviews. Here's a brief sampling from Goodreads.com.....
THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT by Amy Tam
The New York Times bestselling author and international sensation returns with her long-awaited novel, a magnificent family saga of fate and identity that moves from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village
THE BULLY PULPIT: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of Team of Rivals, captures the Progressive Era through the story of the broken friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, culminating in their running against one another for president in 1912.
THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN by Mitch Alboum
THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN tells the story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. An allegory about the power of belief--and a page-turner....
Even Onslow, who sleeps all day, perked up for this news! Two of my favorite books for 2013 are out in Paperback. Both are controversial reads and if you haven't discovered them, now's the time. You won't be sorry.
THE DINNER by Herman Koch
An internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives -- all over the course of one meal.(Wall Street Journal )
MAY WE BE FORGIVEN by A. M. Homes
May We Be Forgiven digs deeply into the near biblical intensity of fraternal relationships, our need to make sense of things, and our craving for connection. It is an unnerving tale of unexpected intimacies and of how one deeply fractured family might begin to put itself back together. (Amazon.com)
I'm the co-administrator of a Facebook page that focuses on memories of my hometown. Members post photos of times past and talk about events that were meaningful to them. Conversations often get contentious and spirited debates ensue. With close to 10,000 members everyone holds a different perspective of their city.
When Walter Donway asked to join, I knew someone worth noting had surfaced. His Timeline said "Author"...and I gently went in for the kill...(Meaning, maybe blog-worthy?)
NEW AND WORTH NOTING is a blog segment that highlights an unknown author, plugs a book and hopes you'll take notice...I guaranty you won't forget Walter Donway's eloquence whether you like his latest book, THE LAILLY WORM, or not!
WHO IS WALTER DONWAY?
WALTER DONWAY is a professional writer and editor whose four novels serialized on the Web site Literotica that have been read and praised by tens of thousands of readers. His other work includes widely admired poetry; articles on topics from brain science and health-care policy to psychology and the arts; online publications on topics from investment and finance to international politics.
He started the quarterly journal, Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science, and edited it for eight years. His book of poetry, Touched By Its Rays, was hailed as reasserting the great tradition in poetry that is magical to the ear, accessible to read, and always emotionally rewarding. The Price of Hannah Blake, published by Romantic Revolution Books, was his first novel published as an Amazon Select book.
Mr. Donway makes his home in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island, with his wife, Robin. (Amazon.com)
THE LAILLY WORM by Walter Donway
The Lailly Worm, named after the legendary Scottish popular ballad, is a romantic thriller about how evil, striking in an instant out of nowhere, can crush the beautiful, the successful, the “safe”--even in the privileged suclusion of an exclusive Long Island resort town. Sometimes, though, fate offers the victim a slender chance to fight back.
But when a beautiful woman who took her passion and allure for granted has been reduced to “the lowly worm,” will there be enough left of her courage to fight justice? Can the love of a tough ex-Marine who conceives a passion for Caroline save her—even from herself—as their affair blazes into life in the presence of deadly danger?
The pace of this novel keeps accelerating right up to the moment innocence and evil come face-to-face. Then, you discover that the real battle is not to salvage life itself, but to reignite the passion that makes life worth living.
Caroline Brecher is every woman—and human being—whose courage and will to live and love again are tested when the unimaginable—and unendurable—strikes out of nowhere. (Goodreads.com)
