A Far Piece to Canaan by Sam Halpern

Morning, everyone! Today I am excited to be part of TLC's book tour for Sam Halpern's A Far Piece to Canaan.

Nora's final request before she passed was for her husband to return to Kentucky. Samuel Zelinsky and his family lived as sharecroppers in a small Kentucky town for three years. During that time, Samuel made friends that would stay with him for the rest of his life. But Samuel hasn't seen or spoken to any of them for decades. Now in his seventies, he's finally returned to the old farm and is forced to face the memories of so long ago. 

My own synopsis here doesn't do this book anywhere near the credit it deserves but I kind of felt that the one on the book gave away a bit more than I'd have liked it to. You can read the official copy here on Goodreads if you like.

My husband and I listened to Justin Halpern's Shit My Dad Says on one of our road trips back home, so the fact that A Far Piece to Canaan was the debut novel by the dad from Shit My Dad Says meant that curiosity alone was enough to land this book on my must read list. Even with the name recognition there to prompt me to read this one, I had pretty much no idea what to expect.

And while I didn't know what to expect with A Far Piece to Canaan, I can say that I did not expect this! Sam Halpern's debut is in fact a heartfelt and enthralling read, one that he's apparently been working on for decades.

Halpern smoothly transitions between present day passages and flashbacks, switching into what the character calls "hillbilly" speak when he reminisces about his time in Kentucky. Not only was it a clever way to clearly switch between timelines, but it definitely set the tone and the sense of place more firmly in the my mind as the reader.

A Far Piece to Canaan is reminiscent at times of The Body/Stand By Me (your pick, King's story or the movie based on it) and other similar coming-of-age stories strongly focused on the bonds of friendship. Readers trust me when I say this is an exceptional story and a book you will fall in love with. In fact, I dare you not to try!

Rating: 5/5

(Check out this interview Justin Halpern did with his father for Tablet online.)

To see more stops on the tour, check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Sam Halpern, head over and like his Facebook page.

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Mac (MacKayla) Lane was looking forward to some downtime by the pool when she received devastating news: her sister, Alina, is dead. She'd been living in Ireland attending an overseas school program when her body was discovered in an alley. Mac's grief is almost too much to bear especially when she realizes that her sister left her a strange voicemail just moments before her murder. Mac knows that the locals have all but given up on the case and decides that she must travel to Ireland herself to present the new evidence. While she's there, she intends to find out what was going on with Alina and try to unmask the killer herself. 

But Mac discovers something surprising when she arrives: she and her sister share a gift - a piece of their heritage they were previously unaware of. This gift awakens on the Emerald Isle and Mac realizes there are things around her she could never have imagined. 

I know that this series by Karen Marie Moning is pretty massively popular, so I'm not sure how I missed it for this long. I have to say I pretty much loved it!

I loved how dark the story was at times. In fact, my only real complaint was that it didn't maintain that level of darkness throughout. Just a personal preference as I really do enjoy quite dark tales.

Mac is snarky and funny and her level of sarcasm does lighten things up quite a bit. As a character she's a lot of fun, stubbornness and all.

And of course this first outing has a pretty big cliffhanger of an ending, which pretty much guarantees you'll be running out to get the second installment as soon as you can (which, of course, I did - I just haven't had a chance to read it yet. Argh!).

I like that Moning has a little something for everyone here. The fae are creepy! The setting for the story is enchanting, to be sure, and leaves a lot of room for the weirdness and magic of the fae world. I mean, c'mon, anyone who's been to Ireland would pretty much feel the same way. It's easy to believe there are otherworldly creatures lurking around the corners. And while Darkfever is technically paranormal romance, Moning balances the story quite well with a lot of action, suspense, and a bit of mystery. I'm sure the romance aspects probably get played up further in subsequent installments - there's really not a whole lot of room for it in this introductory book anyway.

I'm prepared to binge read this series if I have the chance. I currently have all of the books in hand (with the exception of the new first in the connected series). They are:

Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Iced

Rating: 4/5

The Doll by Taylor Stevens

Vanessa Michael Munroe has been kidnapped. It happened while her boss - and lover - was watching from his office window. Within moments, he'd begun trying to track her down only to discover that a second acquaintance was gone as well. 

Munroe wakes to find she's been transported overseas by a man known as the Doll Maker. The man has Munroe's friend, Logan, as his bargaining chip and claims that she owes him a debt. Once her debt has been paid, both she and Logan will go free. Munroe is well aware that the Doll Maker cannot be trusted but defying him this early in the game will mean certain death for Logan even if she is able to escape. And what's the job? Human trafficking. The girl in question has had her face splashed all over the media since her highly publicized disappearance. Munroe can't fail but choosing the victime - Logan or the kidnapped girl - isn't sitting well with her either.  

I kind of made a mistake with this latest from Taylor Stevens. I was told that it could easily be read on its own but the publisher very kindly supplied me with the first two installments so that I could read them in order. And I ran out of time. Readers, read them in order! The Doll begins with beaucoup action. It's a story already in progress. Which is not to say that it picks up in a to-be-continued way from The Innocent (I checked) but that it literally begins with Munroe's kidnapping. For me, this meant starting with no clue as to what Capstone was, who Bradford was to Munroe, who Logan was to Munroe, or what Munroe's special set of skills actually was. Stevens does touch on all of these things but I think getting to know the character from the beginning of the series would have been easier than diving in midstream.

Not to mention the references to previous jobs! I'm know for a fact that this means spoilers for when I do go back to the beginning. So no, this one can't be read easily on its own in my opinion, unless it's the only Taylor Stevens novel you plan on reading, which I highly doubt would be the case once you finish this latest in the series.

All of that said, The Doll is the kind of book you can (and probably should) read all in one go. The action doesn't let up at any time in the book - it begins on page one and you're soon off alternating between Bradford as he tries desperately to save Munroe and Munroe herself as she attempts to outwit the Doll Maker.

The Doll is out on shelves today. The Informationist and The Innocent (books one and two in the series) are both available in paperback.

Rating: 4/5

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Featuring Travel

I've decided to jump on board with Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week the topic is: Books Featuring Travel.

I don't really seem to have read many books about travel. Some of these are going to be a stretch!

1. Across the Universe by Beth Revis - space travel!

2. White Horse by Alex Adams - it's a post outbreak road trip... of sorts.

3. Mayday by Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block - it does take place on a plane.

4. Song of Kali by Dan Simmons - Simmons's debut and a phenomenally freaky horror story about a father whose son goes missing on a trip to Calcutta.

5. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - there's lots of travel in this one as the main character searches for her father and later hunts Dracula.

6. Dare I say it? The Song of Ice and Fire series!!! Yeah, I'm just having fun with this list because I realize I've got nothing 100% appropriate.

7. Except for Mark Henry's Road Trip of the Living Dead

8. Wired by Liz Maverick and Twist by Colby Hodge - two time travel reads from the sadly defunct Shomi line.

9. The Man From Primrose Lane by James Renner - more time travel.

10. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - really needs no explanation.

A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb

Morning, again! I'm also on the TLC tour today for Katherine Webb's latest, A Half Forgotten Song!

I'm a bit short on time so I'm going to cheat and use the synopsis from Goodreads this morning:

1937. In a village on the Dorset coast, fourteen-year-old Mitzy Hatcher has endured a wild and lonely upbringing, until the arrival of renowned artist Charles Aubrey-along with his exotic mistress and their daughters-changes everything. Over the next three summers, Mitzy sees a future she had never thought possible, and a powerful love is kindled in her. A love that grows from innocence to obsession; from childish infatuation to something far more complex. Years later, a young man in an art gallery looks at a hastily-drawn portrait and wonders at its intensity. The questions he asks lead him to a Dorset village and to the truth about those fevered summers in the 1930s.

I was introduced to Webb last year with her release The Unseen. I adored the book and, as is typically the case, went into A Half Forgotten Song with certain expectations as a result. I was not let down!

Oftentimes I hesitate to call something a beach read or a perfect summer read, but I will admit that I associate certain times of year with certain books - generally this is set around an author's/publisher's release schedule. Considering this is the second summer that I've had time to spend with Webb's work, the connection between the season and her books is there. The combination of her elegant writing (and the often hair raising detail) and reading in the summer sun is definitely something I've come to look forward to (as is the case with a few other typical summer release authors).

Webb's writing is so rich and real and her stories are wonderfully textured. I really enjoy the dual timelines of the story and the way Webb uses memory and its unreliability as the heart of this story. In this case, Mitzy has been living with her story for so long, twisting it up and then telling it to Zach in a way that's not entirely true.

All of the detail in the book is carefully woven into the story. I was particularly intrigued by Mitzy and her mother's hedge-witchery. It's not only a fascinating layer to Mitzy's tale but it's also another way that Webb weaves in that sense of time and place - Dorset in the 1930s.

Katherine Webb is the kind of author I would love to see generate a larger audience. I actually can't believe that I missed her debut, The Legacy, and that more folks aren't talking about her work. Readers who enjoy authors like Kate Morton and Susanna Kearsley will love Webb.

To see more stops on the tour, visit the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Katherine Webb and her work, you can follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook. As an added bonus, you can also read an excerpt of A Half Forgotten Song over on Goodreads.

Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett + a Giveaway

Morning, readers! I'm on two TLC tours again today. First up is another in the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who tour!

The Doctor, Rory, and Amy are on their way back to Leavenworth for Christmas when they make an unexpected detour. Hereafter has been home to the Morphan's terraforming project for over twenty generations now. In recent years, though, the Morphans have experienced increasingly frigid winters like none other they've ever experienced. And now something is attacking their livestock. When the Doctor and his companions arrive, they are almost immediately separated. The Doctor and Amy are imprisoned when the Morphans decide they must be Unguidely enemies. All is not lost, though, as the Doctor is able to convince one of the Morphans that he can help with their situation. He and Amy are freed in exchange for promising to help find a recently missing Morphan girl. Meanwhile, Rory finds himself on the run from monstrously large creatures, creatures the Doctor has encountered before. And it's not long before the Doctor himself discovers what's causing such havoc to the Morphan settlement.

Oh, I was so sad to have to say goodbye to the Ponds last fall! I love Rory and Amy and returning to them here with a new adventure was so very welcome! I do love Clara and her part in the current Doctor's story but Arthur Darville and Karen Gillan had such fantastic chemistry - both together and separately with Matt Smith as the Doctor.

Interestingly, current audiences didn't get to experience the Ice Warriors until this most recently ended series with Clara. But that's just who the Doctor and friends are up against in Dan Abnett's The Silent Stars Go By, the chosen 50th Anniversary title for Matt Smith's Doctor eleven.

I find it particularly cool how, now having read two of the anniversary installments, each author has captured the particular quirks and mannerisms specific to the different doctors.

Trivia: The Ice Warriors first appeared in 1967 in The Ice Warriors during Patrick Troughton's reign as the second Doctor. Troughton was up against them once again in 1969 in The Seeds of Death. Jon Pertwee also had his chance to face them in 1972's The Curse of Paladon and 1974's The Monsters of Paladon. The Martian warriors then took a bit of a break until Matt Smith's Doctor and Clara encountered them in Cold War this past April (which was set in the 1980s).

Rating: 5/5

To see all of the stops on the tour and a full list of the anniversary titles, check out the official TLC tour page here.

Now, some of you may have already seen my earlier giveaway for winner's choice of a copy of Only Human by Gareth Roberts (Doctor nine's anniversary installment) or the soon to be released Who-Ology: Doctor Who The Official Miscellany by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright. I'd originally set the contest to end on June 2 but I've extended it out to June 16 and am including it here. Please note, if you've already entered via the original Only Human post, you do not need to enter again. Though the rafflecopter appears on both posts, it's one entry form so entering on either post is valid for the whole giveaway.

The publisher is offering up winner's choice of either Gareth Roberts's Only Human or the new Who-Ology. Simply fill out the rafflecopter below between now and midnight, June 16 to enter. This contest is open internationally! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New releases 6/3/13

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

Joyland by Stephen King

If You Were Here by Alafair Burke

Lost by S.J. Bolton

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

The Doll by Taylor Stevens

Summer Death by Mons Kallentoft

Stolen by Allison Brennan

Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

The Shining Girls by Lauren Buekes

Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa by Benjamin Constable

A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson

Angel City by Jon Steele

The Time Between by Karen White

Blood Orange by Karen Keskinen

Corrupt Practices by Robert Rotstein

Social Crimes by Jane Stanton Hitchcock (reprint)

One Dangerous Lady by Jane Stanton Hitchcock (reprint)

Trick of the Eye by Jane Stanton Hitchcock (reprint)

Out of Range by Hank Steinberg

Sandstorm by Alan L. Less

The Firebrand by Susanna Kearsley

The Kill Room by Jeffery Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme series)

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White

Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Stormbringers by Philippa Gregory

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Tidal by Amanda Hocking

Elegy by Tara Hudson

New on DVD:
Warm Bodies
Identity Thief
Sadako (another Ring movie)
Falling Skies season 2

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido
Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan
Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson