Month: January 2017

Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: No Man’s Land by Simon Tolkien

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: No Man’s Land by Simon Tolkien

So an embarrassing full literary disclosure….I have never read any of The Lord of the Rings books so I have no first hand knowledge of JRR Tolkien’s writing abilities but the popularity of the series speaks for itself. Many have praised this debut novel by Simon Tolkien (JRR’s grandson), as worthy of the Tolkien name in the literary world.

When this novel came across my desk for review, the last name of course immediately captured my attention and I was eager to see what the novel was about. Obviously the Tolkien name carries a lot of clout in the literary world but I wondered if this new author would be able to live up to the famous family name?

The title and cover imply that it’s a WWI period novel so right there it was an easy ‘yes I’ll review the novel’ response! Edwardian era and WWI England are a sure way to my literary heart.

From the slums of London to the riches of an Edwardian country house; from the hot, dark seams of a Yorkshire coalmine to the exposed terrors of the trenches, Adam Raine’s journey from boy to man is set against the backdrop of a society violently entering the modern world.

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Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo

2017 has started off as a very good year for me when it comes to reading choices! This book, THE FIRE BY NIGHT, sounded so full of potential and interesting that I couldn’t pass it up.

This is the story of two nurses who meet during WWII.

In war-torn France, Jo McMahon, an Italian-Irish girl from the tenements of Brooklyn, tends to six seriously wounded soldiers in a makeshift medical unit.

Enemy bombs have destroyed her hospital convoy, and now Jo single-handedly struggles to keep her patients and herself alive in a cramped and freezing tent close to German troops.

There is a growing tenderness between her and one of her patients, a Scottish officer, but Jo’s heart is seared by the pain of all she has lost and seen. Nearing her breaking point, she fights to hold on to joyful memories of the past, especially the times she spent with her best friend, Kay.

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Books, Reading

Release Day: CHEATING DEATH (The Immortal Descendants #5) by April White

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Release Day: CHEATING DEATH (The Immortal Descendants #5) by April White

cdlivebldHappy release day to April White and her latest novel CHEATING DEATH!

CHEATING DEATH is the fifth book in the Immortal Descendants series and it’s been a favorite of mine for some time now. I will be reviewing it soon so stay tuned for a full review but in the mean time here is a little summary of the new novel!

There are also links at the bottom of this post if you are looking to purchase a copy for yourselves!

In the thrilling conclusion to The Immortal Descendants series, a life has ended, the future is lost, and a war has just begun.

An explosion has split Time and Archer has paid the ultimate price, leaving Saira heartbroken and desperate to repair the rupture. But the blast has trapped Saira in an alternate future where Mongers are cornered predators and Death is the ultimate judge.

If Saira and her larcenous friend, Ringo, ever want to see Archer alive, they must pull off the impossible – alter history at a moment in time to which they cannot return. But saving Archer will restore a timeline where Mongers have complete control, mixed bloods are hunted prey, and the Descendant world is spiraling into chaos.

As Saira uses her Clocking skills to prevent her worst nightmares from coming true, she travels from the dirty streets of Victorian London to the secret archives of the Vatican. She seeks a purpose that is greater than smashed hope, greater than lost love, greater than the prophecy that has shaped her very existence.

She must use the lessons of history to free the present and shape the future. And in the end, Saira and her friends will face War and Death in the most important battle of all – the one for Peace.

Where to Buy

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jLbAOt
iTunes: http://apple.co/2jLgF9J
Nook: http://bit.ly/2jo3LPd
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2jzzijp
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2k4xfot

Books, Reading

Special Feature: LEOPARD AT THE DOOR by Jennifer McVeigh

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Special Feature: LEOPARD AT THE DOOR by Jennifer McVeigh

Jennifer McVeigh burst onto the literary scene in 2013 with The Fever Tree, an exquisite novel that earned rave reviews (see below) and elicited comparisons to Gone With the Wind, The Thorn Birds, and Out of Africa. McVeigh now delivers on the promise of that debut with LEOPARD AT THE DOOR, a sweeping saga and January 2017 IndieNext Pick that spotlights East Africa in all its fierce beauty. McVeigh offers an unforgettable portrait of life in mid-twentieth-century Kenya, a British colony in violent transition with political and racial tensions erupting against the fading backdrop of the British Empire. Kirkus Reviews raved, “Readers who want a story that keeps them on edge will enjoy this historical novel rich with emotional and sociopolitical drama.”

Putnam published LEOPARD AT THE DOOR on January 3, 2017.

LEOPARD AT THE DOOR is at once a historical survey of the Mau Mau Rebellion, a bloody and brutal uprising that the author researched in her travels to remote areas of east Africa, and a story of blossoming love and hope amidst the hostile backdrop of a nation at war. Rachel Fullsmith grew up in Kenya at Kisima, her British parents’ sprawling up country farm.

When her mother died suddenly, the twelve-year-old was abruptly sent back to England for a proper boarding school education and a “civilized” life. Six years later and her schooling finished, Rachel boards a ship for Kenya to reunite with her father and her beloved childhood home. But after her arrival Rachel quickly learns that the Kenya of her dreams is slipping away.

Her father’s live-in companion, Sara, is a controlling, intolerant woman and the farm has changed dramatically without her mother’s loving hands to manage it. Her distracted father is disturbingly accepting of Sara’s casual cruelty toward Africans who for years have served the family and worked the land. Kenya’s political climate is growing more unsettled by the day, with the Africans pushing back against colonial control.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

Hello 2017! Even though I read this book in 2016, it’s my first official book review of 2017 and I couldn’t be happier with this new year kick off!

Kate Pearson has turned into a major slacker. Even though she’s graduated at the top of her class from college and things seem positive in her life, everything takes a turn for the worst.

She was unceremoniously dumped by her “almost fiancé” she abandons her grad school plans and instead spends her days lolling on the couch, watching reruns of Sex and the City, and leaving her apartment only when a dog-walking gig demands it.

Her friends don’t know what to do other than pass tissues and hope for a comeback, while her practical sister, Angela, pushes every remedy she can think of, from trapeze class to therapy to job interviews.

Basically Kate is lost and has no idea what to do with her life. Then suddenly a job at the prestigious Hudson Day School lands in her lap and a whole new world opens for her.

Through every dishy, page-turning twist, it seems that one person’s happiness leads to another’s misfortune, and suddenly everyone, including Kate, is looking for a way to turn rejection on its head, using any means necessary—including the truly unexpected.

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