Showing posts with label Waiting on Wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Waiting on Wednesday. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: MY CROSS TO BEAR by Gregg Allman


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-- book cover not yet released --

by Gregg Allman

Publisher:  HarperCollins
Imprint: William Morrow
On Sale:  5/1/2012
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Ages: 18 & up
ISBN:  9780062112033

Description (from the publisher):
One of the most entertaining live bands ever to take the stage, the Allman Brothers Band defined the meaning of live rock and roll. But despite nearly a half-century of massive success, no one has ever told the inside story of the band and the brothers behind it.

For the first time, rock icon Gregg Allman tells the full, unflinching tale of his life on stage and off, from becoming rock royalty, to his string of failed marriages including his marriage to Cher, to his decades-long struggle with drugs and alcohol. In his unforgettable voice, Allman offers a vivid portrait of growing up with his brother, Duane, in the 1960s South, a place of uneasy racial and cultural transformation, where a new sound emerged—the sound of slide guitar comingling with keyboards and wailing vocals. The sound of the Allman Brothers.

Yet with success came tragedy, including Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley’s deaths, a year apart, in motorcycle accidents. For decades substance abuse plagued Gregg, and though he eventually overcame his demons, in 2010 he required a life-saving liver transplant. Gregg Allman opens up about these struggles and more, detailing the hardships, the personality clashes, and ultimately the joy that went into making some of the most electrifying rock and roll ever recorded. Documenting an era in which Southern music came alive, he holds nothing back in this essential volume eagerly awaited by every fan of good, old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.




Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THAT WOMAN - The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba


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Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Biography 
Publication date: 3/13/2012
ISBN-13: 9781250002969
Pages: 352

Description (from the publisher):
The first full scale biography of Wallis Simpson to be written by a woman, exploring the mind of one of the most glamorous and reviled figures of the Twentieth Century, a character who played prominently in the blockbuster film The King’s Speech.

This is the story of the American divorcee notorious for allegedly seducing a British king off his throne.  “That woman,” so called by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896 in Baltimore.  Neither beautiful nor brilliant, she endured an impoverished childhood, which fostered in her a burning desire to rise above her circumstances.

Acclaimed biographer Anne Sebba offers an eye-opening account of one of the most talked about women of her generation.  It explores the obsessive nature of Simpson’s relationship with Prince Edward, the suggestion that she may have had a Disorder of Sexual Development, and new evidence showing she may never have wanted to marry Edward at all.

Since her death, Simpson has become a symbol of female empowerment as well as a style icon.  But her psychology remains an enigma.  Drawing from interviews and newly discovered letters, That Woman shines a light on this captivating and complex woman, an object of fascination that has only grown with the years.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY by P.D. James


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Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date: 12/6/2011
ISBN-13: 9780307959850
Pages: 304

Description (from the publisher):
A rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem.

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of
Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it.

Click here to read an excerpt.


 

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THE WHITE PEARL by Kate Furnivall


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Pub. Date: March 2012
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Format: Paperback , 496pp
ISBN-13: 9780425241004
ISBN: 0425241009

Description (from the publisher):
National bestselling author of The Russian Concubine, Kate Furnivall spins a tale of war, desperation, and the discovery of love off the coast of Malaya.

Malaya, 1941. Connie Thornton plays her role as a dutiful wife and mother without complaint. She is among the fortunate after all-the British rubber plantation owners reaping the benefits of the colonial life. But Connie feels as though she is oppressed, crippled by boredom, sweltering heat, a loveless marriage. . .

Then, in December, the Japanese invade. Connie and her family flee, sailing south on their yacht toward Singapore, where the British are certain to stand firm against the Japanese. En route, in the company of friends, they learn that Singapore is already under siege. Tensions mount, tempers flare, and the yacht's inhabitants are driven by fear.

Increasingly desperate and short of food, they are taken over by a pirate craft and its Malayan crew making their perilous way from island to island. When a fighter plane crashes into the sea, they rescue its Japanese pilot. For Connie, that's when everything changes. In the suffocating confines of the boat with her life upended, Connie discovers a new kind of freedom and a new, dangerous, exhilarating love.

About the author (from the publisher):
Kate Furnivall was born in Wales and currently lives in Devon, England. Married and the mother of two sons, she has working in publishing and television advertising. She drew inspiration for The Russian Concubine from her mother’s experiences as a White Russian refugee in China.

 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: 3 British Mysteries from Harper Collins: THE CONFESSION by Charles Todd; NO MARK UPON HER by Deborah Crombie; BEFORE THE POISON by Peter Robinson


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There's no way I could choose just one.
Oh, will next year never come?!


Pub. Date: January 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardcover , 352pp
Series: Inspector Ian Rutledge Series
ISBN-13: 9780062015662
ISBN: 0062015664

Description (from the publisher):
The Confession is historical crime fiction at its finest, continuing Charles Todd’s New York Times bestselling mystery series featuring severely damaged British World War I veteran, and yet still astonishingly efficient Scotland Yard inspector, Ian Rutledge. Todd’s troubled investigator wrestles with a startling and dangerous case that reaches far into the past when a false confession from a man who is not who he claims to be leads to a brutal murder. The Confession is a must-read for every fan of Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, and Jacqueline Winspear, as post-war London’s best detective finds himself ensnared in a dark and deadly investigation that unearths shocking small town secrets dating back more than a century.


Pub. Date: February 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardcover , 384pp
Series: Duncan Kinkaid/Gemma James
ISBN-13: 9780061990618
ISBN: 0061990612

Description (from the publisher):
Metropolitan Police officer and Olympic rowing hopeful DCI Rebecca Meredith goes out alone to train on the river in beautiful, historic Henley on a dark afternoon in late October - and doesn't return. When a desperate search by the police and a K9 team reveals the possibility of foul play, Scotland Yard calls in Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid.

Then, when a search-and-rescue team member's life is threatened, Kincaid realizes the case may be even more complex and dangerous than he believed. But it is only when he enlists the aid of his partner, Detective Inspector Gemma James, that they find the answers lie closer to home than they could have imagined - and are infinitely more deadly.


Pub. Date: February 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardcover , 368pp
ISBN-13: 9780062004796
ISBN: 0062004794

Description (from the publisher):
Through years of success in Hollywood composing music for Oscar-winning films, Chris Lowndes always imagined he would come full circle, home to Yorkshire with his beloved wife Laura.

Now he's back in the Yorkshire Dales, but Laura is dead, and Chris needs to make a new life for himself. The isolated house he buys sight unseen should give him the space to come to terms with his grief and the quiet to allow him to work.

Kilnsgate House turns out to be rather more than he expected, however. A man died there, sixty years ago. His wife was convicted of murder. And something is pulling Chris deeper and deeper into the story of Grace Elizabeth Fox, who was hanged by the neck until she was dead . . .

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: ALL THAT I AM by Anna Funder


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Pub. Date: February 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardcover , 384pp
ISBN-13: 9780062077561
ISBN: 0062077562

Description (from the pubisher):
One September morning, elderly Ruth Wesemann wakes to the sound of a parcel being delivered to her door. Inside she finds a tattered little notebook. Opening its delicate pages she meets with a flood of memories...

It's 1933 and she is back in her light-filled flat in Berlin. Hans is making caipirinhas, snow falls outside the kitchen window, and Hitler is making his first speech as Chancellor of Germany. Her life and those of her tight-knit group of friends are about to change beyond all recognition. Having dedicated themselves to resisting the Nazi's rise, they have become hunted outlaws overnight. Fleeing the country, Ruth and Hans find refuge in a basement flat in Bloomsbury, but inspired by Ruth's fearless cousin Dora, they defy the conditions of their visas and risk being sent back to Germany in order continue their dangerous resistance work. But with each breathtaking act of courage and every person that they trust, they cannot help but risk betrayal and deceit. And then, one day, they face the chilling realisation that Hitler's reach extends much further than they had thought, even to London itself.

Inspiring, tragic and based on real events, All That I Am is a masterful and devastating novel of bravery and betrayal, of the risks and sacrifices that people endure to protect their beliefs and of discovering remarkable heroism hidden in the most unexpected of places.

Click here to read an excerpt.


About the author (from the publisher):
Anna Funder is an Australian writer who grew up in Melbourne and worked as an international lawyer and in public relations for a German overseas television service in Berlin. Her first book, Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, won of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious prize for nonfiction, the Samuel Johnson Prize. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and children.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THE PRINTMAKER'S DAUGHTER by Katherine Govier


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Pub. Date: November 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback , 512pp  
ISBN-13: 9780062000361
ISBN: 0062000365

Description (from the publisher):
The legendary printmaker Hokusai created Japan’s best-known image, "The Great Wave"—but the story of his daughter Oei comes to life for the first time in this vivid historical novel, combining scholarly detective work and a daring narrative that shines fresh light on issues of authorship, duty, and the tender and inscrutable bond between a father and daughter.

Recounting the story of her life, Oei plunges us into the colorful world of 19th-century Edo, in which courtesans rub shoulders with poets, artists consort with warriors, and the arts flourish in an unprecedented moment of creative foment—all despite a repressive political regime. Oei and Hokusai live amongst actors, novelists, tattoo artists, and prostitutes, evading the Shogunate's spies. Her father journeys to gather visual references for his evolving masterpiece, "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji." Wielding her brush, Oei rejects the typical pursuit of domesticity in favor of dedication to the arts. She defies all expectations of womanhood. All but one—a dutiful daughter to the last, she will obey the will of her eccentric father, the man who created her and who, ultimately, will rob her of her future.

"Lavishly researched and brilliant. . . . Govier astonishes throughout in her ability to write epic themes intimately, particularly in the lyrical, absorbing, and intense final hundred pages.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Katherine Mary Govier (born July 4, 1948) is a Canadian novelist. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, she was educated at the University of Alberta and York University. In 1997, she was awarded the Marian Engel Award for a woman writer in mid-career. Prior to that she was shortlisted for the Trillium Award in 1994, and won the City of Toronto Book Award in 1992. She has been made a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Alberta and is one of York University's "Famous Fifty" graduates. She has been Chair of the Writers' Trust of Canada and President of PEN Canada. Her novel CREATION was a New York Times Notable Book of 2003. Govier lives in Toronto, Ontario with her partner Nicholas Rundall. She has two children, Robin and Emily Honderich.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: CIRCUS GALACTICUS by Deva Fagan


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some circus magic for the younger set . . .


Pub. Date: November 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format: Hardcover , 304pp  
Age Range: 12 and up
 ISBN-13: 9780547581361
ISBN: 054758136X

Description (from the publisher):
Rebel. Champion gymnast. Intergalactic traveler?

Trix can deal with being an orphan charity case at a snotty boarding school. She can hold her own when everyone else tells her not to dream big dreams. She can even fight back against the mysterious stranger in a silver mask who tries to steal the meteorite her parents trusted her to protect.

But her life is about to change forever. The Circus Galacticus has come to town, bringing acts to amaze, delight, and terrify. And now the dazzling but enigmatic young Ringmaster has offered Trix the chance to be a part of it.

Soon Trix discovers an entire universe full of deadly enemies and potential friends, not to mention space leeches, ancient alien artifacts, and exploding chocolate desserts. And she just might unravel the secrets of her own past—if she can survive long enough.

Click here to read Chapter One.

You can enter the Goodreads Giveaway for CIRCUS GALACTICUS until October 15th.



Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Deva Fagan is the author of Fortune’s Folly and The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle. She lives in Maine with her husband and her dog. She is not (to her knowledge) a space-faring mutant, though she has been known to dye her hair bright colors and is easily distracted by a particularly fine starry night sky. Visit her website at www.devafagan.com.

THE MAGICAL MISADVENTURES
OF PRUNELLA BOGTHISTLE

Click here to read an excerpt.








Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THE MAN IN THE MOON by William Joyce


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Pub. Date: September 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Format: Hardcover , 56pp
Age Range: 4 to 8
ISBN-13: 9781442430419
ISBN: 1442430419

Description (from the publisher):

Up there in the sky.
Don't you see him?
No, not the moon.
The Man in the Moon.

He wasn't always a man.
Nor was he always on the moon.

He was once a child.
Like you.

Until a battle,
a shooting star,
and a lost balloon
sent him on a quest.

Meet the very first guardian of childhood.
MiM, the Man in the Moon.




About the author (from the publisher):
William Joyce has put his personal stamp on all types of children’s media. His picture books include George Shrinks, Dinosaur Bob, and Santa Calls. He’s won three Emmy awards for his Rolie Polie Olie animated series, developed character concepts for Toy Story and A Bug’s Life, and made films including Robots and Meet the Robinsons. He’s currently co-directing the DreamWorks Animation release of Rise of the Guardians (Fall 2012) inspired by his new series. He’s also producing a movie based on his book The Leaf Men.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THE WINTER PALACE by Eva Stachniak


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Pub. Date: January 2012
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Format: Hardcover, 464pp
ISBN-13: 9780553808124
ISBN: 0553808125

Description (from the publisher):
From award-winning author Eva Stachniak comes this passionate novel that illuminates, as only fiction can, the early life of one of history’s boldest women. The Winter Palace tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power—as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne.
 
Her name is Barbara—in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen—and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears.
 
What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie’s confidante—and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.
 
With dazzling details and intense drama, Eva Stachniak depicts Varvara’s secret alliance with Catherine as the princess grows into a legend—through an enforced marriage, illicit seductions, and, at last, the shocking coup to assume the throne of all of Russia.
 
Impeccably researched and magnificently written, The Winter Palace is an irresistible peek through the keyhole of one of history’s grandest tales.

About the Author (from the publisher):
Eva Stachniak was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She moved to Canada in 1981 and has worked for Radio Canada International and Sheridan College, where she taught English and humanities. Her first short story, “Marble Heroes,” was published by The Antigonish Review in 1994, and her debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award in 2000. She is also the author of Garden of Venus, which has been translated into seven languages. She lives in Toronto.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: GHOST ON BLACK MOUNTAIN by Ann Hite


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Pub. Date: September 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Format: Paperback , 352pp
ISBN-13: 9781451606423
ISBN: 1451606427
Edition Description: Simon & Schuster

Description (from the publisher):
Once a person leaves the mountain, they never come back, not really. They're lost forever.
 
Nellie Clay married Hobbs Pritchard without even noticing he was a spell conjured into a man, a walking, talking ghost story. But her mama knew. She saw it in her tea leaves: death. Folks told Nellie to get off the mountain while she could, to go back home before it was too late. Hobbs wasn’t nothing but trouble. He’d even killed a man. No telling what else. That mountain was haunted, and soon enough, Nellie would feel it too. One way or another, Hobbs would get what was coming to him. The ghosts would see to that. . . .
 
Told in the stunning voices of five women whose lives are inextricably bound when a murder takes place in rural Depression-era North Carolina, Ann Hite’s unforgettable debut spans generations and conjures the best of Southern folk-lore—mystery, spirits, hoodoo, and the incomparable beauty of the Appalachian landscape.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: LIONHEART by Sharon Kay Penman


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Pub. Date: October 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Format: Hardcover , 608pp
ISBN-13: 9780399157851
ISBN: 0399157859

Description (from the publisher):
From the New York Times-bestselling novelist, a stunning story of a great medieval warrior-king, the accomplished and controversial son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Richard, Coeur de Lion.
 
They were called "The Devil's Brood," though never to their faces. They were the four surviving sons of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine. With two such extraordinary parents, much was expected of them.
 
But the eldest-charming yet mercurial-would turn on his father and, like his brother Geoffrey, meet an early death. When Henry died, Richard would take the throne and, almost immediately, set off for the Holy Land. This was the Third Crusade, and it would be characterized by internecine warfare among the Christians and extraordinary campaigns against the Saracens. And, back in England, by the conniving of Richard's youngest brother, John, to steal his crown.
 
In Lionheart, Sharon Kay Penman displays her remarkable mastery of historical detail and her acute understanding of human foibles. The result is a powerful story of intrigue, war, and- surprisingly-effective diplomacy, played out against the roiling conflicts of love and loyalty, passion and treachery, all set against the rich textures of the Holy Land.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: WITCHLANDERS by Lena Coakley


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Pub. Date: August 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Format: Hardcover , 416pp
Age Range: Young Adult
ISBN-13: 9781442420045
ISBN: 1442420049

Description (from the publisher):
High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.

It’s all a fake.
 
At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?
 
But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—
 
Are about him.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THE BALLAD OF TOM DOOLEY by Sharyn McCrumb


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Pub. Date: August 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Hardcover , 336pp
ISBN-13: 9780312558178
ISBN: 0312558171


Description (from the publisher):
A literary triumph—what began as a fictional re-telling of the historical account of one of the most famous mountain ballads of all time became an astonishing revelation of the real culprit responsible for the murder of Laura Foster.
  Hang down your head, Tom Dooley…The folk song, made famous by the Kingston Trio, recounts a tragedy in the North Carolina mountains after the Civil War. Laura Foster, a simple country girl, was murdered and her lover Tom Dula was hanged for the crime. The sensational elements in the case attracted national attention: a man and his beautiful, married lover accused of murdering the other-woman; the former governor of North Carolina spearheading the defense; and a noble gesture from the prisoner on the eve of his execution, saving the woman he really loved. 

With the help of historians, lawyers, and researchers, Sharyn McCrumb visited the actual sites, studied the legal evidence, and uncovered a missing piece of the story that will shock those who think they already know what happened—and may also bring belated justice to an innocent man. What seemed at first to be a sordid tale of adultery and betrayal was transformed by the new discoveries into an Appalachian Wuthering Heights. Tom Dula and Ann Melton had a profound romance spoiled by the machinations of their servant, Pauline Foster.
 
Bringing to life the star-crossed lovers of this mountain tragedy, Sharyn McCrumb gifts understanding and compassion to her compelling tales of Appalachia, and solidifies her status as one of today's great Southern writers.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THE ANGEL OF BLYTHE HALL by Darci Hannah


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Pub. Date: July 2011
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Format: Paperback , 512pp
ISBN-13: 9780345520562

Description (from the publisher):
In a tumultuous battle, a beautiful and determined noblewoman claims her birthright while awakening great danger, exquisite passion, and the mystical realm in this enchanting novel of suspense and adventure.

Prepared to lay claim to her family’s magnificent ancestral fortress in the Scottish border country, Lady Isabeau Blythe is determined to restore her noble family’s good name and reclaim these stunning, strife-torn lands. But even the headstrong Isabeau’s firm sense of reality is shaken by the inexplicable allure of Blythe Hall, an entrancing castle haunted by dark secrets—and otherworldly creatures of light and desire.

Isabeau’s arrival sets in motion an epic power struggle: a ferocious fight for Scotland, her family, and her heart. Taunted and tempted by a sinister rogue knight, Sir George, who covets her land and her love, and trapped in the madness of her charismatic brother, Julius, who seeks power of unearthly origin, Isabeau can only surrender to the wild visions of the remarkable man she inexplicably longs for. With a bloodthirsty army amassing outside her gates, Isabeau summons help from Gabriel, the elusive man of her dreams. But does this alluring man possess the secrets of the castle and her destiny?

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: THE GIRL IN THE BLUE BERET by Bobbie Ann Mason


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Pub. Date: June 28, 2011
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Format: Hardcover , 368pp
ISBN-13: 9781400067183
ISBN: 1400067189

Description (from the publisher):
Inspired by the wartime experiences of her late father-in-law, award-winning author Bobbie Ann Mason has written an unforgettable novel about an American World War II pilot shot down in Occupied Europe.

When Marshall Stone returns to his crash site decades later, he finds himself drawn back in time to the brave people who helped him escape from the Nazis. He especially recalls one intrepid girl guide who risked her life to help him—the girl in the blue beret.

At twenty-three, Marshall Stone was a U.S. flyboy stationed in England. Headstrong and cocksure, he had nine exhilarating bombing raids under his belt when enemy fighters forced his B-17 to crash-land in a Belgian field near the border of France. The memories of what happened next—the frantic moments right after the fiery crash, the guilt of leaving his wounded crewmates and fleeing into the woods to escape German troops, the terror of being alone in a foreign country—all come rushing back when Marshall sets foot on that Belgian field again.

Marshall was saved only by the kindness of ordinary citizens who, as part of the Resistance, moved downed Allied airmen through clandestine, often outrageous routes (over the Pyrenees to Spain) to get them back to their bases in England. Even though Marshall shared a close bond with several of the Resistance members who risked their lives for him, after the war he did not look back. But now he wants to find them again—to thank them and renew their ties. Most of all, Marshall wants to find the courageous woman who guided him through Paris. She was a mere teenager at the time, one link in the underground line to freedom.

Marshall’s search becomes a wrenching odyssey of discovery that threatens to break his heart—and also sets him on a new course for the rest of his life. In his journey, he finds astonishing revelations about the people he knew during the war—none more electrifying and inspiring than the story of the girl in the blue beret.

Intimate and haunting, The Girl in the Blue Beret is a beautiful and affecting story of love and courage, war and redemption, and the startling promise of second chances.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Bobbie Ann Mason is the author of In Country, Clear Springs, Shiloh & Other Stories, and An Atomic Romance. She is the winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. She is writer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky, and lives with her husband, Roger Rawlings.