Review: Autobiography of Us by Aria Beth Sloss

Christine Choe over at Henry Holt and Company was kind enough to send me an ARC of Autobiography of Us, a debut novel by Aria Beth Sloss. Sloss catches the reader from the first line, "She died before her time" and holds their attention with her smooth prose and warmly developed main character, Rebecca.  Sloss, through Rebecca's re-telling of her childhood, includes the reader in her story, "You know how girls are at that age. We found each other like two animals recognizing a similar species: noses raised, sniffing, alert" allowing them to feel like a partner in crime.

In upper class 1960's Pasadena both Rebecca and Alexandra are successful young women in their own rights. They excel in the womanly arts; sewing, cooking, dancing and etiquette. But underneath the carefully constructed exterior both young ladies are struggling to become socially acceptable on their own terms. One falls in love with flashy red lipstick, short shorts and the theatre while the other sneaks in and out of the medical building, refusing to admit her true love is medical science and not the sweet redheaded boy down the street.

"She nodded. 'You're like me - you'd take a rat over a jellyfish any day. They're all rats or jellyfish. The trick is finding one who's just rat enough.'" 

"We ended up in a part of the city I'd never seen before, somewhere not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. The air when we climbed out of Lana's car was damp and heavy with salt; the breeze was surprisingly strong. I was glad to see the bridge through the fog, it's shape distinct even in the dark. But then I have always loved the sight of bridges - they seem to me to be one of the great miracles of human ingenuity, testament to the kind of vision I attribute to nothing less that true genius. I remember reading once that the architect for the Brooklyn Bridge became paralyzed just before construction began, that he was forced to observe the goings-on from his home in Brooklyn Heights: It seemed exactly right. You would have to be trapped in order to pull something off as magnificent as that, to believe so deeply, with such absolute conviction, in the possibility of such freedom."

One fateful night in the dark changes everything for Rebecca and Alex, and by the end of our story (for Sloss indeed makes it feel like our story too) everything you know of the two of them is turned upside down.
 

You can get a copy here. And you should.

Seven Tips From Ernest Hemingway.  Oh Papa...

I wonder how many 6 toed house beasts trampled over his manuscripts?

Emergency Exit

Here is a great spoken word performance by one of my favorites, Catalina Ferro.

I hate that god damned row.

Review- The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
by Kelly O'Connor McNees
Amy Einhorn Books
339 pages

When Trish over at TLC Book Tours put the word out that she was looking for people to host a book tour for The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, I couldn't respond fast enough. I think Twitter even yelled at me I was trying to DM her so quickly. I am glad that I beat Twitter at his own game, because I got on the book tour. And I got the book. Oh yes. Take THAT Twitter.

It took me a few weeks before I could start it. But when I did, I devoured it. Three days it took me to read it. I was reading during my lunch break one day, walking around the outside of the building, and I walked straight into one of the fabulous plastic chairs outside the warehouse break area! That was awesome.

You all know how I feel about quotes, so here goes it- (please note, these are from an ARC and are liable to have changed by final printing)

"Conventionality is not morality.' Charlotte Bronte wrote that, and it is as true for me as it was for her. To do things just because others do is cowardly."

"She thought of all the sorts of faces that existed in the world- fat, thin or long, round, dark, white or freckled - and guessed that heartbreak looked the same on every one of them. One could spot it from a mile away."

The premise of the book is this- how is it that Louisa May Alcott, never married, could write such a love affair as Jo and Laurie's? Literary critics are constantly arguing about whether she did or did not ever fall in love with her own Laurie. So, Kelly O'Connor McNees created a Laurie for her. And thank goodness she did.

You can read more about it here. And you should.

xoxo,
J.Danger

On the dark side of the moon....

Hello? Hello? Is anybody out there?

I guess the proper question is, am I out here? Where the hell have I been?!

It doesn't matter! But I have a review coming up! It is a delightful novel titled THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT by Kelly O'Connor McNess (wonder where HER family comes from?! RIGHT?!). I will have a bunch of fun stuff up here for you on the 9th.

A lot of you have been emailing me to ask about the littlest one and his health. We appreciate it! He is just as cute as can be and moving along at his own little pace!

Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long....I know that you have nothing to occupy yourselves with when I don't blog. It must be rough.

xoxo.
J.Danger

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

You knew it was coming!

First, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Then, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Now...

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls.

Ta-dah!

Here is a tantalizing excerpt from the website-

"In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth-century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Written by acclaimed novelist (and Edgar Award nominee) Steve Hockensmith, PPZII invites Austen fans to step back into Regency England, Land of the Undead!"

Today, March 3rd, is THE day of reckoning for all zombies and undeads! Quirk Classics is hosting a fabulous monster Mash up day to celebrate the coming of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls!

There are so many things to do!

First, please visit Dawn of the Dreadfuls book page on Quirkclassics.com

Then, make sure you go to the Message board - this prompts you to mention my blog. Then, you are automatically entered to win one of the 50 Quirk Classics Prize Pack!

What is in this Prize Pack you ask...

Well let me tell you!

• An advance copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• Audio Books of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
• A password redeemable online for sample audio chapters of Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• An awesome Dawn of the Dreadfuls Poster
• A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal
• A box set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Postcards

Pretty exciting, no?!

Get to it!

xoxo,
J.Danger

Giveaway! War of Words by Simon Read

Several months back I won War of Words, by Simon Read on a Twitter giveaway with the fabulous Union Square Press. From the website-

"War of Words tells the shocking story of the birth of the San Francisco Chronicle, a paper founded in a time when the news business was literally a matter of life and death.

In San Francisco of the Old West, bad news was considered the best news and the term “circulation war” was literal. In this midst, Charles de Young—co founder of the San Francisco Chronicle—launched his fledgling paper in 1865. With a nose for news and an ear for gossip, he promoted politicians he favored and lambasted those he scorned. His weapon of choice for ridding San Francisco of corruption was not sword or pistol, but pen.

De Young’s verbal venom targeted Isaac Kalloch, a golden-tongued preacher with a tainted past. Kalloch’s run for mayor infuriated de Young. Insults volleyed back and forth until the verbal blows erupted into explosive violence on the streets of San Francisco.

Using newspaper accounts, diaries, and letters, Simon Read reaches back in time to reconstruct a news story that captivated the nation, granting modern newshounds in-the-moment access to the shocking events that led to the start of one of America’s greatest newspapers."

You all know that I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and this one was an excellent read! At times it was heavy on the historical narration, but then it would swing right back to reading like a dramatic modern day soap opera. Anyone interested in history of journalism, San Fransisco, or just stories about crazy ole' times will surely enjoy this book!

Rather than host a giveaway, I am trying something new. FIRST PERSON TO TELL ME THEY WANT IT, GETS IT. Just leave me a comment below, and it's all yours.

XOXO,
J.Danger