So this was a My Book Box selection.  I can't remember what month because I am behind.  But it was cool because this book was on my list, and My Book Box delivered again.  The non-fiction selections are usually pretty darn good.  (The Mystery ones are a little more hit or miss, but more often than not a hit).

 

So this book is about the women who invented and contributed to the horror and gothic genres.  Therefore the book starts with writers other than Mary Shelley.  The choices are basically English and American authors, and while the famous names are dropped (ie Anne Rice, Jackson, Shelley), there are enough lesser known writers mentioned.  The book will also add several other books to your tbr pile.

 

While the main writers mentioned are English and American (majority white), there are several women of color and international writers mentioned as further reading  as well as the last few sections of the book that are less profile based.  Butler is mentioned more than once as is Due among others.

 

There are some strange bits though.  While Anne Rice gets a profile, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is only mentioned in passing, which is a bit strange considering that the Count Germain series is the longest lasting vampire series.  While Tananarive Due is recommend more than once (at least three times I believe), she really should have had her own profile (and Joplin's Ghost should have been mentioned).  It was also strange that Datlow and Windling's collections were not mentioned in any of the further read bits.

 

Still it was enjoyable.

A Time For Murder, #50 in the Murder She Wrote series, will be released on 11.26.19 and is available for preorder. Congratulations to everyone that made the series be a success.

 

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

 

MY REVIEW

 

Wow, #50 in the Murder She Wrote series and I have enjoyed reading the books and watching the TV reruns. How about you?

 

We are going back in time to Jessica Fletcher’s first murder investigation, her publisher.

It was the inspiration for Jessica Fletcher becoming a mystery writer, but, more than that, bodies are falling and they all lead back to the high school she used to teach at and the murder of her publisher.

 

Back and forth we go,

 

I was led down false paths, following one red herring after another. We have plenty of bodies and suspects making it difficult to find out the why and who and how they are all connected.

 

I love that I am at 91% and still guessing. Great job Jon!

 

Well…that was one wild ride to the end. It’s hard to imagine the books still going strong at #50, but Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land keep on giving.

 

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Time For Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Jon Land.

With its eye-catching cover and compellingly strange sketches and drawings, Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction attracts attention from its opening pages. From there, the authors Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson proceed to thoroughly entertain and inform those curious enough continue reading about this underexplored topic. Providing historical context, fascinating biographical background and a plethora of reader's advisory information, Monster She Wrote is mandatory for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of these genres that are typically assumed as dominated by their male authors. Kröger and Anderson's chronology starts with Margaret Cavendish in the 17th century and the advent of speculative fiction and gothic tales, culminating with recent releases—many of which that have sought to revive, expand and modernize some recurring feminist themes over the centuries. The book is divided into eight sections, each with an introduction to a time period or emerging trend accompanied by defining characteristics; a quick bio of its most relevant female writers with recommended reading lists; and suggested supplemental materials related to each. Also sprinkled within are quotes and asides that discuss how women's voices, changing roles and male counterparts contributed to each moment in the genre's history. With their witty and colloquial tone, it is obvious that the authors are both well-informed and passionate about the subject matter. Monster, She Wrote can be enjoyed sequentially or browsed in any order for those seeking to explore the origins of some exceptional horror/speculative fiction or add substantially to their TBR list.

Thanks to the authors, Quirk Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

We found out we are moving back to the US sometime mid-summer. So now we are just waiting for our orders (telling us where we are moving to) to start the out-processing/clearance process. I am re-adjusting my summer reading plans and delaying grad school. I am really happy to be going "home" but I will miss some parts of living in England. 

 

To deal with my anxiety and stress (you would think I had a better handle on military moves considering this is my fourth move, but nope), I have been stuffing my eReaders with as much content as possible. One reason is that when we get close to leaving, my eReaders and laptop will be my only entertainment for weeks, since we will be staying in hotel rooms or temporary lodgings once back in the states. Second, my print collection will be on a boat with my other household goods, and that can take up to two months for it to arrive at our new house. So I am very dependent on easily portable reading material and puzzle books.

 

Added to the NOOK:

1. The Women Who Wrote the War by Nancy Caldwell Sorel

2. Undeniable: Book One in the Oregon Trail Series by Laura Stapleton

3. Lost Fortune (Unbridled #1) by Sandra E. Sinclair

4. Sacrificed to the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons #1) by Jessie Donovan

5. Train to Nowhere by Anita Leslie

6. Mad About Matt (Red Maple Falls #1) by Theresa Paolo

7. Restless Hearts (Gold Rush Romance #1) by Mona Ingram

8. Giovanna: The Cowboy's Calabrese Mail Order Bride (Sweet Land of Liberty #1) by Lorena Dove

9. A Mail Order Heart (Miners to Millionaires #1) by Janelle Daniels

10. The Wren (Wings of the West #1) by Kristy McCaffrey

11. The Christmas Mail Order Bride (Holiday Brides #1) by Kit Morgan

12. Romance Down Under: A New Zealander Romance Starter Set by Tracey Alvarez

13. Cliffhanger by Amy Saunders

14. McKenna (Nevada Brides #1) by Clara Kincaid

 

Added to the Kindle:

15. Wild Montana Skies (Montana Rescue #1) by Susan May Warren

16. After a Fashion (A Class of Their Own) by Jen Turano

17. The Bounty (The Malloy Family #1) by Beth Williamson

18. Then Came You (Bradford Sisters #0.5) by Becky Wade

19. True to You (Bradford Sisters #1) by Becky Wade

20. Destiny's Embrace (Destiny #1) by Beverly Jenkins

21. Destiny's Surrender (Destiny #2) by Beverly Jenkins

22. Destiny's Captive (Destiny #3) by Beverly Jenkins

23. A Dangerous Legacy (Empire #1) by Elizabeth Camden

24. Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

25. Dawn's Prelude (Song of Alaska #1) by Tracie Peterson

26. Gentleman of Her Dreams (Ladies of Distinction #0.5) by Jen Turano

27. Spice and Smoke (Bollywood Confidential #1) by Suleikha Snyder

28. Spice and Secrets (Bollywood Confidential #2) by Suleikha Snyder

29. Bollywood and the Beast (Bollywood Confidential #3) by Suleikha Snyder

 

 

 

 

I Wrote This Book Because I Love You: Es... https://msarki.tumblr.com/post/169340335638/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-love-you-essays-by

Any serious self-examiner who may consider him or herself a discerning reader, will completely miss out on an uplifting and enjoyable reading experience if caught up in ignoring this book because of its title. Obviously, Mr. Kreider, on surface, could have come up with a better choice. But the hype surrounding it, and all the publisher’s included blurbs, at first made me excited enough to read this book regardless of the corny title. My rather lukewarm reception and relative non-engagement with the very first essay severely disappointed me however. But, in fairness, his second essay, titled Kind of Love, happened and all was forgiven. In it the ex-cartoonist, Kreider, is reversely propositioned by a performance artist doubling as a successful prostitute, and the book definitely becomes for me a potentially interesting read. Her offer of a no-strings-attached appreciation-blow job followed by the fortuitous opportunity of his spending an entire week with her at his secluded cabin seemed to me to be an extraordinary proposition. They spend hours discussing questions of existence and relationships, not to mention a few other experimental behaviors.

…We both suffered from bouts of abysmal self-doubt, and each sometimes lay awake at night wondering O what is to become of me?…

This second essay offered many reasons for self-reflection, and even as I continued on reading Kreider’s further essays, I was astounded by the quality and interest still generated by that amazing second one.

…I’ve often thought that if I’d been impressed into an arranged marriage with one of my old girlfriends I’d’ve been perfectly happy—or at least no unhappier than I am now…

Kreider is so refreshingly honest on the page, and though he makes no excuses nor apologies for his being so forthright, he realizes his flaws and humbly submits them to a meaner reader’s criticism. David Foster Wallace publicly declared, “Kreider Rules”. And the more I read of him I too get what Wallace was saying.

…I suspect the more unsettling truth is that there are quite a lot of people out there you could fall in love and spend your life with, if you let yourself…The romantic ideal whereby the person you love, the person you have sex with, and the person you own property and have children with should all be the same person is a more recent invention than the telescope.

The essays keep getting better and better. Even if a reader believes he or she is involved in what could be considered a healthy relationship, Kreider provides ideas and anecdotes that further the discussion and examination of one’s self. An amazingly intelligent and interesting read. Not myself a cat lover, Kreider even suggests that feline romance might be looked into as well as he goes into great detail regarding his own nineteen-year relationship with a once-stray cat.

…having been given up at birth…It wasn’t until I found myself still single in my forties, long after all my friends—even the most obvious misfits, womanizers, sots and misogynists—had successfully mated and reproduced, that I started to wonder whether it hadn’t had some more significant effect.

Kreider’s adoptive mother volunteered him at John Hopkins University for a psychological study as an infant. His brilliant and charming essay, The Strange Situation, goes into great detail over his search for answers over why he is the way he is and his investigative research into a study that had been previously kept secretly protected.

…“Whereas if I was securely attached as an infant”, I told Margot, “it would mean that I’m not a victim of some primal loss or trauma but just another dickhead.”
“My point exactly,” she said. “Even if you were traumatized, and even if you had some scientifically documented evidence for this, you are still ultimately responsible for any dickhead behavior.”…

Refreshing today to actually hear somebody state existentially that we are responsible for our own behavior, and our lives. So much blame on our mothers these days. Not to mention the trashing of our dads. A reminder that without these flawed characters reproducing we wouldn’t have had the opportunity of a lifetime. I am forever grateful my parents had me. Of course, things could have been better, but here I am working out my own existence, attempting to evolve, and struggling through my nagging frustrations.

…Church was boring, make no mistake—the drawings I did in bulletins could fill a multivolume set of notebooks—but at least it wasted far fewer hours of my life than school…Ceasing to believe what your parents and all the other nicest grown-ups you know have always taught you, and still believe themselves, is initially liberating, but it’s also alienating. It makes you feel secretly snobby, and sorry, and alone.

Kreider especially touches a nerve in this second-to-last essay in the book. There are so many relative points he makes in his always entertaining and enlightening prose. He is funny even when deathly serious. It also becomes obvious throughout that Kreider is simply a pretty good man, still single, but who maintains a growing number of close friends. Relationships that might be rightfully construed as long accomplishments similar to a good marriage.

…Although Lauren doesn’t love the idea of dying any more than the next person, it doesn’t especially upset her to believe that life is meaningless or the universe indifferent. She thinks people like me, taught as children that a just and loving God is watching over the sparrows, feel bereft, cheated of something promised. Which is why we’re the ones who suffer these chronic cases of existential despair.