Mini Bloggiesta January 25th - 26th

After seeing a number of my fellow bloggers talking about and participating in Bloggiesta over the past few years, I've decided to take the plunge and start participating myself.  Yay!  

My goals are as follows:

• Update my review index page as it hasn't been updated in a year or two;

• Start to prepare my reviews posts for upcoming scheduled reviews.  My goal is to have posts ready with book jacket image, synopsis, author info (if applicable), giveaway information (if applicable), and formatted so that when the time comes for me to write a review all the admin associated with my review posts will already be taken care of.    

My goals are modest to start, but I'm looking forward to participating and learning about other blogger's goals.  Hopefully I'll pick up a few tips on how to be a better blogger in the process. 

Giveaway Winner: Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb

I'm pleased to announce that the winner, selected using Random.org, of my recent giveaway for Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb is:

Marie

Congratulations Marie!  I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.  The winner has been contacted by email. 

Thanks to everyone who entered and to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to host the giveaway.

A Few Thoughts on The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd

Synopsis:

Tahiti 1769. English sailors arrive on the shores of the Polynesian paradise— a place of staggering beauty where magic and ancient myths still hold sway. But they soon devastate the island with disease, war, and death, planting deadly seeds that will be carried back to England forty years later.

London 1812. On a gray June morning, the Solander docks, her hold containing hundreds of exotic plants from Tahiti for the King’s Gardens at Kew. The apparently successful expedition soon takes a horrifying— and inexplicable—turn: The crew of the Solander starts dying one by one. Thames River Police Chief Charles Horton can find no signs of murder or suicide to explain the deaths, and the ship’s surviving crew seems intent on hampering his investigation. When one of the plants begins to show frightening changes, it is up to Charles Horton to determine how it might be stopped.

Atria Books | January 14, 2014 | ISBN: 9781476712871

My Thoughts

• Lloyd Shepherd's The Poisoned Island takes place primarily in London in the early 19th century, although parts of the narrative are also set in Tahiti.   The story concerns the return from Tahiti of the Solander, a ship sent to the island to transport native plants back to London, and her crew.  Almost immediately upon the ship's return, however, crew members start to turn up dead.  While their deaths don't appear to be related to foul play, police officer Charles Horton investigates them nonetheless.   Horton soon discovers that there is much more to the deaths than meets the eye, including linkages to a mysterious Tahitian plant. 

• The mystery in this novel unfolds slowly and from various character's perspectives.  While some readers might find these changes in perspective jarring, I think it worked very well for this particular novel as it heightens the sense of intrigue and leaves the reader guessing as to the possible explanation for the deaths right until the final pages. 

• Aside from being an intriguing mystery, one of the greatest strengths of The Poisoned Island is how vividly the settings are described.  As a result, both 19th century London and Tahiti come to life for the reader.

• Another strength of the novel is its skillfully drawn characters, whose narratives readers should find interesting.  Charles Horton, the novel's protagonist, is particularly engaging and I enjoyed how he applied newly developed detective/ investigative techniques to his work. 

• Several of the characters in the book, including Charles Horton, were first introduced in The English Monster, a mystery dealing with England's infamous Ratcliffe Highway murders.  I wasn't aware prior to reading The Poisoned Island that it was a follow-up to an earlier book.  While The Poisoned Island can be read as a stand alone novel, it does include a number of references to events in The English Monster and it is apparent that Charles Horton was much affected by them.  The inclusion of these references didn't diminish my enjoyment of the mystery found in The Poisoned Island, but I did sometimes feel as if I was missing important background information.  

• Overall an entertaining and well-written novel, The Poisoned Island is recommended to fans of historical mysteries.   I'm looking forward to reading more from Lloyd Shepherd, including  The English Monster. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Source: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Waiting on Wednesdsay: Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James

It's once again time for Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights books we are eagerly anticipating the release of.

My pick this week is:

 

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James

NAL Trade

Release Date: April 1, 2014

Synopsis (From Penguin.com)

Portis House emerged from the fog as we approached, showing itself slowly as a long, low shadow...."

In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful, and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the shame of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House—its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It's known that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patients all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it?

Kitty finds a dangerous ally in Jack Yates, an inmate who may be a war hero, a madman or maybe both. But even as Kitty and Jack create a secret, intimate alliance to uncover the truth, disturbing revelations suggest the presence of powerful spectral forces. And when a medical catastrophe leaves them even more isolated, they must battle the menace on their own, caught in the heart of a mystery that could destroy them both.

What book are you waiting for this week?

Book Review and Giveaway: Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb

Synopsis:

Rose Tascher sails from her Martinique plantation to Paris to trade her Creole black magic culture for love and adventure. She arrives exultant to follow her dreams of attending Court with Alexandre, her elegant aristocrat and soldier husband. But Alexandre dashes her hopes and abandons her amid the tumult of the French Revolution.

Through her savoir faire, Rose secures her footing in high society, reveling in handsome men and glitzy balls—until the heads of her friends begin to roll.

After narrowly escaping death in the blood-drenched cells of Les Carmes prison, she reinvents herself as Josephine, a socialite of status and power. Yet her youth is fading, and Josephine must choose between a precarious independence and the love of an awkward suitor. Little does she know, he would become the most powerful man of his century-Napoleon Bonaparte.

BECOMING JOSEPHINE is a novel of one woman’s journey to find eternal love and stability, and ultimately to find herself.

Plume Books/Penguin | December 31, 2013 | 320 pages | ISBN-10: 0142180653

My Review

The name Josephine Bonaparte is undoubtedly familiar to readers with an interest in Revolutionary and Napoleonic-era France. While Josephine is a relatively popular figure, there are surprisingly few historical novels that feature her as a central character.  As such, Becoming Josephine, Heather Webb's debut novel chronicling Josephine's life, is a welcome addition to the historical fiction genre. 

Born Rose Tascher on the French island of Martinique, the woman who would become wife to French Emperor Napoleon lived the type of life well suited for a novel.  Josephine endured a loveless first marriage to French aristocrat Alexandre de Beauharnais, but through this marriage was able to befriend some of France's most prominent citizens.  Although she survived the horrors of the French Revolution and Robespierre's Terror, not everyone she knew was as fortunate.  Once she caught the eye of Napoleon, Josephine's life again takes a dramatic turn, one that ultimately led to her becoming Empress of the French.  Each of these episodes and aspects of Josephine's life is featured in Becoming Josephine, a novel that is sure to please readers hoping to learn more about this fascinating woman. 

Having previously read a few novels about Josephine I was already familiar with her life prior to reading Becoming Josephine. Despite this familiarly, I enjoyed the fresh perspective brought to her life by Heather Webb, who presents Josephine as charming, kind, compassionate and caring.  Josephine experienced a few rough periods in her life, but she never let her own disappointments or hardships stop her from trying to help others. This is most evident during the French Revolution. Webb's characterization of Josephine is one of the novel's greatest assets, as readers will undoubtedly come to care about Josephine as much as the author does. Becoming Josephine is further enhanced by Webb's attention to detail, which comes through most prominently in her often vivid and eloquent descriptions of people and settings. Given this novel is a work of biographical fiction, it necessarily includes the historical figures with whom Josephine interacted and the major events she lived through.  Of the secondary figures featured in the book, I enjoyed getting to know Napoleon best, and think Webb does a great job showing the development of his relationship with Josephine. 

While Becoming Josephine covers a significant period of time and a number of important events, it is nevertheless a quick read.  There are a few instances in the novel where I wish certain aspects of Josephine's life had been explored in more depth, most particularly the early years of her marriage to Alexandre and her life while French Empress, which I think were passed over a little too quickly.  Overall, however, Webb does a good job of conveying just the right amount of information to ensure readers garner an appreciation for Josephine and her story while not bogging them down with too much detail. 

Recommended to all fans of historical fiction, especially those interested in the French Revolution and Napoleonic eras of French history. 

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Source: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review

Becoming Josephine is currently on tour!  Click here to check out the tour schedule.  You'll find links to other reviews, giveaway opportunities and author interviews. 

About the Author

Heather Webb grew up a military brat and naturally became obsessed with travel, culture, and languages. She put her degrees to good use teaching high school French for nearly a decade before turning to full time novel writing and freelance editing.

When not writing, Heather flexes her foodie skills or looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world.

For more information please visit Heather’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

GIVEAWAY

I'm pleased to host a giveaway for one copy of Becoming Josephine.  Giveaway details are as follows:

- To enter, simply leave a comment below with your email address.
- The giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the United States only;
- Only one entry per person;
- The giveaway is open until midnight (EST) on January 15th.
- The winner will be selected using random.org

Good Luck!

2014 Reading and Blogging Resolutions and Goals

Happy 2014!  I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are now settling nicely into this new year.

Every year around this time I reflect upon what I'd like to accomplish over the next twelve months from both a reading and blogging perspective.  I had a busy reading and blogging year in 2013.  I hit the 100 books read milestone for the first time ever, and managed to write a record 142 blog posts (I only posted 102 in 2012).  My resolutions and goals for 2014 have been shaped in large part by my experiences in 2013. 

Focus on Quality Not Quantity.  I admit, I'm really proud of the fact that I managed to read 100 books in a single year during 2013, but when I thought about the goal to set for myself this year I decided that the number of books I read in a given year shouldn't really matter.  I deliberately choose not to read some of the longer novels I have sitting on my shelves last year because reading them required a significant time investment, one that could impact on the overall number of books I read.  I put off some great books because of this choice.  I won't be doing that in 2014.  Bring on The Luminaries, A Place of Greater Safety and Fall of Giants!  My goal for 2014, therefore, is simply to read good books no matter the number. 

Focus on my TBR pile.  I agreed to review a lot of books last year.  As a result, I often looked at my enormous TBR pile and wondered when I would ever get back to my own books.  While I'm definitely appreciative of review opportunities, I have decided to significantly limit the number of books I agree to review in 2014, including cutting way back on the number of books I request for review via Netgalley.  This year my focus will be on reducing the size of my own TBR pile. 

No Challenges.  Since starting this blog in late 2010, I've taken part in annual reading challenges.   But I've deemed 2014 as the year of no challenges.  I'm going to let my reading moods determine where to take me in my reading selections this year, rather than be guided by challenge requirements. 

Blog More.  Ideally, I would like to blog more in 2014, whether in the form of review posts, general bookish discussion posts, meme participation, or commenting on other blogs.  I'm not, however, going to put any pressure on myself when it comes to posting.  If I go a week or two (or more) without any new posts I'm okay with that.  Blogging is an activity I undertake because I love to discuss books and book-related topics with fellow readers. 

What about you?  Do you have any reading or blogging resolutions or goals for 2014?  I'd love to hear about them if you do. 

First Book of the Year 2014

 

Sheila over at Book Journey is currently hosting the "First Book of the Year 2014" event (Click on the event title to learn more).   My first book of 2014 is:

Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb

 

About the Book (Synopsis from Amazon.com):

A sweeping historical debut about the Creole socialite who transformed herself into an empress

Readers are fascinated with the wives of famous men. In Becoming Josephine, debut novelist Heather Webb follows Rose Tascher as she sails from her Martinique plantation to Paris, eager to enjoy an elegant life at the royal court. Once there, however, Rose’s aristocratic soldier-husband dashes her dreams by abandoning her amid the tumult of the French Revolution. After narrowly escaping death, Rose reinvents herself as Josephine, a beautiful socialite wooed by an awkward suitor—Napoleon Bonaparte.

Plume | December 31, 2013 | 320 pages

What is your first book of 2014?