I was lucky enough to meet the author, Michael Koryta, at BEA this year and he was gracious enough to sign a second ARC for one lucky follower of this blog. To enter, please fill out the form below. Comments will not be counted as entries. Contest is open to all US/Canadian residents. The winner will be announced Friday, July 9th. Good luck!
Eric Shaw is a failed filmmaker who, rather than making the films in LA as he’d hoped and dreamed, is now making a living making family videos for the families of those who have passed. When he is approached by Alyssa Bradford, a wealthy young woman and promised a substantial amount of money to travel to French Lick, IN to research her father-in-law’s history, Shaw cannot refuse. She describes her father-in-law, Campbell Bradford, as an extraordinary man who was extremely financially successful in his youth, despite the Depression.
Alyssa presents Shaw with a small bottle of water, the only evidence she has of her father-in-law’s past. The bottle is full of Pluto Water, spring water from the famous mineral springs that flow around the West Baden Springs Resort. Eighty years ago, the water contained in that bottle was considered a cure-all for all life’s ailments. That water alone brought people from all over to the West Baden Hotel and surrounding area.
The moment he arrives Shaw realizes something is amiss. When he mentions the name Campbell Bradford, the residents of French Lick insist the man is long dead. How is this possible, when Shaw himself met the man just days before his departure? He’s also described as a horrible man, who ran away from the town, leaving a wife and child behind. “People were terrified of the man…thought he was evil.”
When Shaw meets Kellen, a young college student researching the African-American history in the area, he learns of the murder of Shadrach Hunter, a black casino owner who was murdered shortly before Campbell’s disappearance. Campbell was believed to be the killer. Kellen agrees to help Shaw in his hunt for the “true” Campbell Bradford.
Shaw, largely out of curiosity, takes a drink of the eighty year old spring water presented to him by Alyssa Bradford. He is instantly sickened by it’s foul taste. After drinking the water, he begins to have visions, ominous and haunting snapshots of Campbell Bradford. He also begins to succumb to horrible headaches, the only way to alleviate them is to drink more of the ancient spring water, which now tastes sweet.
Anne, an elderly woman who has lived her entire life in that area, is key to Shaw’s “investigation.” Anne has quite the collection of Pluto Water and is able to provide Shaw with a bit of history that no one else can. Another vital part of the story: Anne’s an expert on weather and storms; she keeps a daily record of barometric activity in the area. She begins to notice a significant change in the weather since Shaw’s arrival; perhaps “the” storm she’s been predicting will finally make an appearance. Anne has always been aware of something “different” in the area:
“I’ve always connected it more to the weather myself…there’s something different in this valley…You can feel it in the wind now and again, and on the edge of a summer storm, or maybe just before ice comes down in the wintertime. There’s something different. And charge is the best word for it. There’s a charge, all right.”
Shaw & Kellen soon realize that evil has returned to West Baden, evil buried decades ago. Rather than leave, Shaw feels he must get to the cause of this evil and find out more about the illusive Campbell Bradford.
Let me just start out with this: Koryta’s writting is stunning! The pacing of this thrilling chiller is perfect, it starts out slow, slowly building with momentum, until it explodes at the end. I can’t help but compare this to the storm that builds and builds and then unleashes it’s wrath throughout the book. This storm is like a character itself…it slowly builds and progresses along with the storyline. The way Koryta describes it makes it appear humanlike:
“The mass above it was black and purple but the funnel cloud was stark white. It eased to the ground almost peacefully, as if settling down for a rest, and then its color began to change, the wite turning gray as it blew through the fields and gathered dirt, sucking soil and debris into its vortex.”
The other characters, particularly Shaw himself, are very well laid out and organized. As the book progresses, we learn more about Shaw, his life, his history. Anne’s character is an important one; she ties the present to the past.
One of the things that really interested me in this book was the setting. I was lucky enough to visit the West Baden Springs Hotel while it was undergoing renovation. To state it is breathtaking would be an understatement. Here are just a few pictures:
The exterior of the hotel. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to walk along the dome. Despite my fear of heights, I stepped outside, knowing I’d never have the opportunity again.
Inside the atrium…the tilework, the detail, simply magnificent!
All in all, I highly recommend this unique, chilling thriller! Check back later today for a giveaway: a autographed ARC of the book!
Congratulations, Patricia! I have provided your address to the publisher for shipping. Thanks to all who entered!
I’ve been following Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of THE TWIN’S DAUGHTER (Bloomsbury, August 31, 2010) , THE EDUCATION OF BET (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July 2010), and CRAZY BEAUTIFUL (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 2009) on Twitter for some time now. When she contacted me about her inventive new blog tour idea, I couldn’t say no. Basically, instead of asking the same or similar interview questions on dozens of blogs, Lauren just answers one unique question at each blog she visits.
For my question, I was inspired by a “discussion” that started on twitter a few weeks ago about books that changed one’s life. Therefore, I asked Lauren the following question: What are the five books that forever changed your world, and why?
Following are Lauren’s answers:
1) The Passage to Larkspur Lane, the 10th in the original Nancy Drew series, by Carolyn Keene. I come from a family of big readers but as a small child and being the youngest, I was very intimidated by the reading prowess of my parents and older brother. This book is the first time I can remember not just pretending to read a book while they were reading theirs but actually enjoying it.
2) Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. It’s the rare female writer who doesn’t have Jo March to blame for her ambitions.
3) A Separate Peace, John Knowles. I can’t even count the number of times I read that book from age 12 onward and cried every time. It persuaded me that no matter how much you might want an outcome to be different, some things can never be changed.
4) Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It convinced me that it’s possible to be in love forever, through time and space. It’s also my favorite novel by a living author.
5) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. It’s still changing me.
Thank you, Lauren! You’ve named some fantastic books!
Be sure to check out Lauren and her web site! Following are a few other blogs participating in Lauren’s “One Question” blog tour!
June 25: Jane Taylor: What made you switch up genres from Chick-Lit to Mid grade/YA? Which genre do you prefer? Why? http://jetaylor75.blogspot.com/
June 29: Kari: If you could be transformed into any one person for a day, what would be your pick? http://agoodaddiction.blogspot.com/
So, let’s keep up the discussion! What are some books that have forever changed your world?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
Descent into Dust by Jacqueline Lepore (gothic tale of a vampire hunter!)
The Hard Way: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher Novels)
The Truth About Delilah Blue
So Cold the River
Bad Luck and Trouble: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher Novels)
Guess what!? Other than my current reads, I have nothing else have to read this week. I did it on purpose, wanting to have a nice, light week. It’s a good thing, too! I’m trying to recover from a kidney infection, my oldest son’s getting ready to head to Cub Scout camp. It’s going to be a busy week! I do have a few options, including:
Infinite Days
Never Wave Goodbye
Ok! That’s my reading week in a nutshell! What are you reading this week?
Delilah Blue is a twenty-year old budding artist, so desperate to enter art school that she begins to model nude for art students in an attempt to raise money. She lives with her father, Victor, in a quaint little cabin outside of Los Angeles. They moved to LA when Delilah was eight. Since Delilah, now called Lila, could remember, they lived a pretty secluded life. Her father wouldn’t let her play with other children growing up, and when she got old enough to enter college, refused to let her apply for financial aid. Victor always claimed he was just protecting Lila but it did get to be a bit extreme.
Victor begins to experience moments of memory loss, confusion, and eventually anger. Lila insists that he go to the doctor, but he keeps putting it off. Around the same time a ghost from Lila’s past makes a reappearance: her mother, who allegedly abandoned her when she was younger. Lila must come to terms with her past, including her feelings of abandonment, while dealing with her father’s illness and her future as an artist.
I’ve been a fan of Cohen’s writing since I reviewed her book Inside Out Girl (click to read my review. I must warn you it was VERY early in my blogging career and is quite pathetic!) In The Truth About Delilah Blue
To have a mother like Elizabeth, and then lose her-not because she was struck by a car or swept out to sea by a dangerous current, but because she wasn’t sufficiently enamored by you to hang around-it left a hole in who you were. You became one of those people who radiated worthlessness. You became a living, breathing, walking–and in Lila’s case, drawing, painting, getting naked–tragedy.
You can’t help but feel for Lila and all the pain she is forced to endure. Cohen’s skillful writing paints the scene right before your eyes. The scene becomes multi-dimensional, you not only picture the setting and the characters but you can genuinely feel the emotion flowing from the pages.
Writing of Lila’s reuniting with her mother:
When a child spends a lifetime, or close to it, waiting for one specific moment, something magical and faraway with the power to set her entire world straight, she imagines that someday from up, down, and sideways…But there’s a fact about someday that you can’t possibly understand until it has settled upon you. Someday you’ve doomed the moment you wished it into existence. You’ve already ruined it. By imagining it even once, you’ve created an expectation someday can’t possibly live up to.
It was hard not to like Lila’s character. She was extremely strong-willed and did her best to keep control over the havoc that was attempting to take over her life. The characters of her father and mother were a bit more difficult to like. Her father seemed stubborn and unreliable while her mother was extremely flighty and self-absorbed. My favorite character, other than Lila would have to be Kieran, Lila’s young half-sister. I truly felt for her; she was a child but refused or was unable to behave as one.
I highly recommend reading The Truth About Delilah Blue. For me, it helped me appreciate what I had growing up, the relationship I had with my parents, and my childhood overall. It’s the perfect book club read. In the back of the book, readers can learn more about the author, including a short interview and a list of the author’s favorite female characters in literature.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Check out some of the other upcoming stops on this tour:
Monday, June 28th: Take Me Away
Tuesday, June 29th: Galleysmith
Wednesday, June 30th: Write Meg
Thursday, July 1st: 1330v
For today’s post, we’re asked to complete the following meme. If you are participating, be sure to visit Jen at Devourer of Books and add your link to Mr. Linky. You’ll be entered to win one of dozens of great audio books!
Audiobook are you currently reading/you read most recently: Bad Luck and Trouble: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher Novels)
Impressions?: LOVE it. I’ve loved all of the Reacher audio books thus far!
How long you’ve been listening to audiobooks: Three years
First audiobook you ever listened to: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, Deathly Hallows was about to come out and I wanted to do a quick reread of the Half Blood Prince. I didn’t have time to read the print copy, but I did have time to listen to the audio.
Favorite audiobook title: There’s no way I can name just one title. I love the Reacher series and the Harry Potter series. The narrator in each do stellar jobs.
Favorite narrator: Jim Dale and Dick Hill are my favorites. Both have voices that suite the books they are narrating. Dick Hill is the perfect Reacher and Jim Dale excelled at portraying the voices of the characters within the Harry Potter books.
How do you choose what to listen to versus read? I found I tend to catch up with series via audio. It’s not very often that I listen to a stand-alone, unless someone has recommended it specifically. I do plan on listening to the audio of Matterhorn since I’ve heard so many good things about it.
Today’s discussion post from Jen at Devourer of Books asks us to discuss how to write audio book reviews. Personally, I’ve only reviewed one series of audio books, Lee Child’s Reacher series. The main format of the review is the same. I give a summary of the book followed by my review or evaluation. When it comes to reviewing an audio, I do discuss the narrator, whether his/her voice added or took anything away from the book. Narrator’s play a very key role; they can make or break the listening experience.
One example: I listened to A Long Stone’s Throw
On the other side of the coin, I think Dick Hill is the perfect narrator for the Reacher books. His voice IS Reacher. It’s strong, a bit scratchy, and exactly what I envision Reacher sounds like. It really makes the listening experience positive for me.
So what do you think? Should audio books be reviewed in the same manner as print books? Be sure to link your post to Jen’s blog and you’ll be entered to win one of several fantastic audio books!
I was contacted by Becky from Reader with a Capital R about this phenomenal project she is working on, A Dry Read: New Books For Nashville. When Nashville was flooded in early May, residents lost everything, including their cherished books. Becky is working hard to collect books to replace those that were lost. What an admirable project! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to promote this effort, very deserving of publicity and attention!
Becky has decided to donate all books received from A Dry Read to the Pencil Foundation, an organization that provides a lot of materials to the educational community in Nashville. The Foundation lost over 2,000 books in the flood. That sort of loss just breaks my heart! The Foundation is planning on holding a book fair in October for the teachers of Nashville. At last year’s book fair, they gave away more than 6,000 books in one day. Each teacher was allowed to take 30 books; more than 200 teachers showed up on their day off to carefully choose books their very needy students would love.
How can you help? Following is a list of items needed for the 2010 book fair:
1) Books: children’s books: board books, pre-school books, flap books, activity (coloring, sticker) books, picture books, young readers, beginning readers, children’s and young adult chapter books, and high school materials. Their most pressing needs are for books struggling readers at the elementary and middle school level can enjoy. High interest non-fiction books are as welcome as fiction. Many students are reading below grade level or are English Language Learners. Books in Spanish would also be greatly welcome. New or used books are great.
2) Plastic storage bins and shelving. Again, one reason they lost so much was that their books were stored in cardboard boxes on the floor. Waterproofing their storage would have helped a lot.
3) Volunteers. As books come in and when the book fair itself approaches, Pencil Foundation will need man power to carry, sort, display, and distribute books. Anyone who wants to go ahead and volunteer can go to the Pencil website section on volunteering.
Your donation is the media mail rate of the postage to send in your books. Please send them to:
LP PENCIL Box at McCann ALC
1300 56th Ave North
Nashville, TN 37209
I know exactly what I’m doing with all my excess books from now on!
by Jacqueline Lepore: