Orange Prize for Fiction 2012...

The Orange Prize Winner 2012 is Announced

Madeline Miller


with


The Song of Achilles

The Orange prize for Fiction is a prestigious award granted to a female author writing in English.

The Song of Achilles is Madeline Miller's debut novel, she was was delighted to be given this award and £300,000 prize money at a glittering reception on 30 May 2012, in London's Royal Festival Hall. 

Synopsis from Goodreads

Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing. As they grow into young men their bond blossoms into something far deeper — despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned. 

Wishlist Wednesday..

I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

 

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

My Wishlist Wednesday book this week is the eagerly anticipated second book in the Frieda Klein series by Nicci French

Tuesday's Gone

by 

Nicci French

Michael Joseph (19 July 2012)

Synopsis

Sometimes the mind is a dangerous place to hide.

The rotting, naked corpse of a man is found amidst swarms of flies in the living room of a confused woman. Who is he? Why is Michelle Doyce trying to serve him afternoon tea? And how did the dead body find its way into her flat?

DCI Karlsson needs an expert to delve inside Michelle's mind for answers and turns to former colleague, psychiatrist Frieda Klein. Eventually Michelle's ramblings lead to a vital clue that in turn leads to a possible identity. Robert Poole. Jack of all trades and master conman.

The deeper Frieda and Karlsson dig, the more of Poole's victims they encounter ... and the more motives they uncover for his murder. But is anyone telling them the truth except for poor, confused Michelle?

And when the past returns to haunt Frieda's present, she finds herself in danger. Whoever set out to destroy Poole also seems determined to destroy Frieda Klein.

A gritty heroine, a gruesome crime and a terrifying hunt for a psychotic killer, Tuesday's Gone is not to be missed by fans of psychological thrillers.

Nicci French is the husband and wife partnership of Nicci Gerard and Sean French, they are collectively the authors of several crime thrillers.

Frieda Klein series  #1 Blue Monday (2011) 

Review - The Love Book by Fiona O'Brien

Three Women

Three wishes

One Life Changing Book

The Love Book

by

Fiona O'Brien

Hodder (16 Feb 2012)

My Review 5*****

Vronnie, Diana and Abby meet as twelve year olds at a boarding school in County Wicklow. Their friendship blossoms, they share their hopes and fears for the future, even to recording their love petitions in St Valentine's love book. They agree to always keep in touch with each other, and arrange to meet up whenever they can on, or around St Valentine's Day.

But change comes with adulthood, and Vronnie leaves her friends and family in order to find her own way, whilst Diana and Abby stay behind in Ireland, and become consumed in motherhood,  family and business.

Years later, the three women meet again, their lives have altered course several times, but underneath it all the spirit of their friendship shines through.

Diana, the most brittle of the three is facing some hard decisions about her life. 

Abby , the home-maker realises that she is in danger of losing all she holds dear.

And Vronnie, the most vulnerable of the three women needs to confront her hidden demons before she can make peace with her soul.

All three women need to have some semblance of balance in their lives, and as they meet again, what shines through is their love and support for each other.

This is a lovely heart warming story about the power of female friendship and the overwhelming need we all have for love, acceptance and peace of mind.

Written in the style of Cathy Kelly, Patricia Scanlon and Sheila O'Flanagan, this is a story to warm your heart. 

This is the first book I have read by Fiona O' Brien - I am already looking to read her previous books.

• Charity
• Sold
• None of My Affair
• No Reservations
• Without Him

Review -Stay Close by Harlan Coben

My Thanks to Real Readers for a copy of this book to read and review

Stay Close 

by

Harlan Coben

March 29th 2012 by Orion

My Review 5*****

Promise me you'll stay close © Harlan Coben


Megan is a suburban mother with a secret, Ray is a talented photographer down on his luck, and Jack is a detective who can’t shake off the events of the past. These three characters and their intertwined story form the basis of this cleverly constructed psychological thriller. A local man disappeared seventeen years ago, and when something very similar happens again, it unleashes a whole series of events which would have been better left undisturbed.

This is the first Harlan Coben book I have read, so I can’t compare it to any of his other work, but for me this book worked on several levels. The story gets off to a cracking good start; I wanted to keep turning the pages to find out just a little bit more. There is great attention to detail,  all the characters are finely drawn and believable, and the added inclusion of some psychologically damaged and terrifying individuals adds an interesting touch of menace to a compelling storyline. There is inferred violence which is integral to the success of the plot, but the brutality is never overly graphic, or gratuitous.

Harlan Coben is a master story teller, his writing skill is apparent in the way he carefully choreographs the action, the tension builds slowly, and the ending when it comes is entirely unexpected.

Stay Close is a great stand alone read, and a perfect introduction to the work of this talented author.

Through my Letterbox today..

I am delighted that a copy of this book popped through my letterbox today.

The Forrests

 by

 Emily Perkins

 My thanks to sneekpeek at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of the book.

Synopsis from Bloomsbury

Dorothy Forrest is immersed in the sensory world around her; she lives in the flickering moment. From the age of seven, when her odd, disenfranchised family moves from New York City to the wide skies of Auckland, to the very end of her life, this is her great gift and possible misfortune.

Through the wilderness of a commune, to falling in love, to early marriage and motherhood, from the glorious anguish of parenting to the loss of everything worked for and the unexpected return of love, Dorothy is swept along by time. Her family looms and recedes; revelations come to light; death changes everything, but somehow life remains as potent as it ever was, and the joy in just being won't let her go.

In a narrative that shifts and moves, growing as wild as the characters, The Forrests is an extraordinary literary achievement. A novel that sings with colour and memory, it speaks of family and time, dysfunction, ageing and loneliness, about heat, youth, and how life can change if 'you're lucky enough to be around for it'.

Will add my own  review soon.

Beautiful Blogger Award...

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to receive a Beautiful Blogger Award 

Every so often when you are trawling through your email inbox collection of offers, sales and spam, you come across something wonderful.


This week I found out that I have been nominated for a Beautiful Blogger Award by

Lindsay at The Little Reader Library.


Thank you so much Lindsay. Jaffa and I are delighted to be nominated, we are so pleased that people enjoy reading our blog !


When you're nominated:

· You write seven facts about yourself

· You link to the blog of the person who nominated you

· You link to seven bloggers whom you think deserve the award

· You let those bloggers know they have been nominated


Here are my seven facts:


1. I love Cats

2. I love donkeys

3. I love my garden

4. I enjoy knitting quirky bags and blankies

5. I love walks in the countryside

6. I would love to own a book store

7. I would like to read faster, then I could get through my tbr shelves !



Here are seven more bloggers I am passing the award on to:

1. Booketta’s Book Blog - always so supportive and has great Guest Blogger of the Month interview..

2. Random things through my Letter box - One of my risi buddies, she has some great book reviews..

3. Pen to Paper - The host of the Wishlist Wednesday and Friday Recommended memes..

4. Sarah’s book reviews - A great place to find interesting books to read..

5. Chocolate Chunky Monkey - A great place for book reviews and giveaways..

6. Dizzy C's Little Book Blog - A place for great book reviews and competitions..

7. Beadyjan’s Bookshelf - A place for great book reviews..

Friday Recommends...

Friday again, and it's time for my choice of book for Friday recommends...

This is an exciting book blog hop that book bloggers can take part in once a week to share with their followers, the books that they most recommend reading!

The rules for Friday Recommends are:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book that you've read, and have enjoyed enough to recommend to other readers. It can be a book you've read recently, or a book you read years ago - it's up to you - but make sure you tell us why you love the book (like a mini review). You make the post as long or as short as you like.

Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for a pre-publication galley edition.

I am delighted to highlight the latest book of one of my favourite authors

Dead Scared

by 

S J Bolton

Published St Martin's Press - 5 June 2012

My Review 5 *****

The suicide rate amongst young women students at Cambridge University is alarmingly high, and when DC Lacey Flint is sent undercover to break through the silence, she unleashes more terror than she could have imagined, and puts herself in grave danger.

This is the second psychological thriller in the DC Lacey Flint/DI Mark Joesbury series and is every bit as good, if not better, than the first book. There is the same fine attention to detail that S J Bolton does so well. The narrative is finely drawn, which combined with the author’s ability to build the tension, leads the reader to experience a myriad of emotions. There is high drama, there is terror on a grand scale, and there are enough twists and turns in the plot, to keep the reader guessing until the very last page. The ending when it comes, leaves the reader wanting more.....and more ...and more...

There’s always a risk with developing a new series of crime novels that the characters won’t endear themselves to the reading audience, but what has happened with the Flint/Joesbury combination is that the readers do care about them, and the underlying intrigue which surrounds their relationship is enough to sustain this interest through several more books.

S J Bolton is an undeniable talent; she has captured this niche in the crime market to perfection, I hope she will continue to enthral her readers for a very long time.

 This is the UK edition - Transworld 12 May 2012