Letters from the Way by Barbara V. Anderson

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

 

Today, we're taking a stroll through Europe courtesy of our featured author.  This particular title came to my attention the end of last year but alas, I've not had a moment to add it to the review schedule.  I know, bad reader/reviewer.  Well after the week I've had and the promise of a day off tomorrow (technically today as this is posting on Sunday), I was in the mood for a wander.  Grab your walking shoes and your passport, we're heading overseas for a unique look countries most dream of backpacking through in today's book of choice... 

 

 

Letters from the Way:

A Walking Journey

by

Barbara V. Anderson

9781941217054

Incanto Press

 

 

It's just what it sounds like, a collection of letters that the author wrote/sent while making her way along the path of St-Jacques.  It's a pilgrimage route that many soul searchers and walking enthusiasts embark on for reasons of their own, crossing from France to Spain with few resting stops along the way.  If you're expecting tourist hangouts, five star restaurants, and big chain hotels...think again.  Having a roof over your head while you partake of a family's evening meal and sleep in a bed of any sort is a blessing bigger than you can imagine here, but it's not about the amenities; it's about the journey of the heart.

 

The author found more than just beauty in the scenery surrounding her, though that was abundant and clear thanks to the photographs included within, she discovered kindred spirits in those traveling the same road as well as her own inner strength.  Despite language barriers, getting lost along the way, and almost having to call it quits before it even began, she forged a path that would remain in her memories as well as her heart.  It was wonderful to see just what clarity the trip brought her as her letters revealed her innermost wonderings and thoughts.  To see priorities realign themselves and her determination set in once again, just reminds us to value what we hold dear and take nothing for granted.  It was an experience to be there first hand I'm sure, but the recollections shared certainly make you feel like one of the gang.

 

 

 

 

Special thanks to Kevin at Leabhar Public Relations for the review copy.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, or those promotions forthcoming, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Incanto Press, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

 

Until next time...happy reading!

 

 

 



BOOKMARKED: Perverse Wonderland by Jennifer Harrison

HI guys!

Welcome back to the site that aims to please the reader in you....Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

This weekend is all about the movies, or rather books that remind me of movies and those that should be them.  Why?  Because...just because.

Today's featured title is one that I'm officially taking a break from.  Sounds dire, right?  Well, think again.  First, let me introduce the little wordy wonder before it jumps from my shelf through the screen.  

Perverse Wonderland

by

Jennifer Harrison

9781941217023

Incanto Publishing

About the book....

...When our American heroine is abandoned by her English ''gentleman'' in a strange land of Pimm's and Jack the Ripper slumlords, the fairy tale is turned on its head after kissing Prince Charming turns him into an ''arse.'' This novel will have you swiftly flipping pages to keep up with the ongoing conflicts between our irreverent redhead's heart, mind and libido as she interacts with a memorable cast of characters including the romantic Irish poet, the Jewish American Princess, and the bizarre Russian painter....

AMAZON   |   BARNES & NOBLE   |   INDIEBOUND

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so here's the kicker.

I have yet to finish this book.

I've been reading this book in spits and spats for over a month.

I am putting this read on PAUSE...and my choosing that particular phrasing has a bigger meaning.

Now before you go fretting your little heads about how awful this book must be to cause me to NOT finish it, let me say this....it's not awful.  It is in fact curious and interesting albeit a bit crass and unusual.  The lead character's obsession with her four selves agreeing on the same guy (head, heart, hair, and other-regions) is a bit obtuse but a lovely dream to entertain.  Her resourcefulness in capturing said individual may lack imagination but it makes up for it in misleading tangents.

To put it bluntly....THIS WOULD MAKE A MUCH BETTER MOVIE THAN A BOOK.

Have you seen Bridget Jones' Diary?

Grant it, it's a book as well (no, I haven't read it yet...still on the "to-read" list) but let's focus on the film for a moment.  You know how the lead character over anaylizes everything, and basically the whole of the film is voiced over by her thoughts and inner jumbles?  THAT'S how this book reads....except all those random thoughts, jumbles, and ramblings take shape as words, and words, and words, and words, and...yeah, you get the picture.  To me, there's an over indulgence in letting her speak her mind and way too many detailed scenes  (never thought I'd say that).  For example on the latter part there, our leading lass goes on a drinking binge of all the English ales and such she can drink (and boy can she drink!).  Not only are we part and party to her scheming and buying, but the drinking of every last drop.  It's voyeristic in the degree of attention paid to every golden drops disappearance.

In the end, well...I guess I can't truly say in the end as I didn't make it there at this time....but some day, I shall return to her adventure and seek to understand her heart's desire and the path she's traveling to attain it.  Then again, maybe I'll wait for the movie because as I understand it, the author is writing the script as we speak.  *ponders*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the author...

Jennifer Harrison was raised in Tennessee, educated at the University of Tennessee, and recently moved from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area. She researches and writes grant proposals for nonprofit foundations and has worked as an editor for university professors, lawyers, journalists, and writers of fiction and nonfiction.

She also has extensive experience in the entertainment industry, working with musicians, actors, attorneys, and talent managers. Ms. Harrison’s first book was a memoir about the culture of a small Southern town in the 1950s and 1960s and her family’s relationship with neighbor Elvis Presley. Perverse Wonderland is her first novel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Review copy received courtesy of Kevin at Leabher Public Relations.  (THANKS!)  For more on this title, feel free to click through the links provided above.  The official release was celebrated July of this year, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.  Recommended read for adult readers only due to content.

Until next time...happy reading!

Lady Emma in Her Land of Wonder by Martha M. Harrison

HI there!

Welcome back to the Friday edition of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers....the place where as the weekend approaches we prepare not to slow down and take it easy, but to get busy, READING that is!

Today, we're stepping into the land of Storybooks for a tale that's...well, hard to explain.  It actually took me TWO read throughs miles apart to draw the lessons of the story out and connect the pieces I couldn't quite fit.  Now the cover?  That's an ENTIRELY different story.  Readers and appreciate-tors of the bookish things in life, allow me to introduce today's book of choice....

Lady Emma in Her Land of Wonder

by

Martha M. Harrison

Based on the original story by

Jennifer Harrison

97819413217047

Incanto Press

I firmly believe that while I want everyone to fall madly in love with every book they meet....that's just not a reality.  NOT EVERY BOOK IS FOR EVERY READER.  There...I've said it.  This one, sadly enough was one of those for me.

I ADORE the cover....really truly and earnestly want to climb right into that magical realm Lady Emma is peering at through the window.  The cat is simply ADORABLE.  The hedgehog so CUTE.  The colors are vivid and carry forward as you open the cover and turn page after page.  The visual specs take a small detour when dealing with faces, but overall it still works.  Now, as for the story....

The rhyming scheme for me was a bit forced.  Some parts really didn't mesh well nor did they make sense as the only option for the tale to be told.  The tale itself felt like it left readers grasping for the message in lieu of putting it out there for you.  In all honesty, I read it when it first arrived and then placed it aside because at that moment....I'm not quite sure how my review would have turned out.  It's not that I wanted it to grow into something more, I just wanted my appreciation for the book to have time to sort itself out before making a final judgment call.  I'm glad I did because although I said I'm not necessarily its biggest fan, I can now sorta see upon that second read through what the author was perhaps aiming for.

Author Martha M. Harrison

It seems to this reader that the author is imparting a "can do" attitude to little ones that take on Lady Emma's story.  Throughout her stumbles and falls, she picks herself back up again and figures things out.  It speaks to her strong male role models along the way (her father, and then the prince) and how they supported her in lieu of actuall doing everything for her.  It talks about building character and let's you know that Lady Emma believes in you as well for she's only doing JUST what you would be doing if the situation was reversed.  In the end, it's a stretch.  I feel the visuals will draw in many, but the story may take some time.  It doesn't mean it doesn't have merit....it just means it needs the right audience.

Review copy received courtesy of Bostick Communications and Incanto Press.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, be sure to stop by the publisher's site. 

Until next time...happy reading!