WordPress is trying to tell me something…

I just wrote a fairly lengthy post about why I went on my blogging break and why I’m back however while trying to add a photo, WordPress helpfully wiped everything I’d written. Grrr….!

So the long and the short of it is that you’ve been spared the text-heavy waffle post, and instead you’ll get a nice photo update in the next few days.

Until then… Hello everyone it’s nice to be back!

Hello Again

My Life In Books

This weekend I have been away with my Mum and Nan in beautiful Bath of Jane Austen and thermal spa fame, so I’m a little late in posting this. Before catching some shut-eye I wanted to share that today I’m featured on Simon’s fab Stuck in a Book blog talking about some of my favourite books and reading rites of passage.

Also in the spotlight is Gav of Gav Reads. We were both asked to speculate on what each of our choices said about the other person whose identity was kept a secret. Head over to see what we thought (hint – I completely guessed wrong!) and read other blogger’s choices.

The Silent Girl, by Tess Gerritson

4.5/5

I have been a fan of Tess Gerritson’s Rizzoli and Isles books since my boyfriend bought me a copy of The Surgeon a good few years ago.

Bantam Press, 2011 hardback edition, 336 pages - gift

It had me hooked from the first page to the last. I enjoyed it so much that I practically forced Savidge Reads to read it although it was possibly in bad taste that I bought it for him just before a stay in hospital!

Perhaps it really is true that what goes around, comes around though, because last week this rather splendid copy dropped through my letterbox – a gift from said friend and fellow Gerritson fan.

And look! He even got it signed by the author herself when he met her recently!

With life being a little bit hectic as of late, I fancied reading something that would really keep me gripped and The Silent Girl was just the ticket.

The story begins with the discovery of a woman, found brutally murdered in Boston’s Chinatown with her hand sliced clean-off. Detectives Rizzoli and Frost become suspicious that an old case, previously concluded to be a mass-murder suicide is not what it seems and re-open it, but seem to find only more questions they can’t answer easily. Even more intriguing is the character of Iris Fang, a Wushu martial arts teacher who lost her husband in the massacre and then suffered a double tragedy when her daughter was abducted. Could she be connected to the murder somehow?

I raced through The Silent Girl. Although I was hooked from the beginning, what I really liked was the way that the story evolved, becoming ever more complex without actually confusing me. I felt as if I started in one place and ended up somewhere quite different.

I love the way that Gerritson has woven Chinese folklore into the plot. It adds a deeper layer of mystery and suspense. In her author’s note, Gerritson says that this is one of the most personal novels that she has written because of her Chinese-American background and I can really tell that she enjoyed developing the mythical elements of the story.

Gerritson’s tightly plotted crime novel, laced with Chinese folklore has reminded me that I want to:

1. Read all the Rizzoli and Isles thrillers
2. Find out when the American TV series is coming over to the UK
3. Dig out my set of Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West / Monkey and read them for myself

Has anyone seen the TV adaptation of the Rizzoli & Isles series? Has anyone read Journey to the West or can recommend other Chinese legends?

The Passage Blog Tour Kick-off & Limited Edition Giveaway!

See this rather nice copy of The Passage, by Justin Cronin? This exclusive limited-run edition is only available from Waterstones, but it could be yours if you participate in my little competition which I’m running with help from a certain Savidge Reads!

If you didn’t catch all the hoo-hah last year, The Passage is a gripping and epic story about a little girl named Amy who is, unknown to her, integral to the survival of a world about to be wracked by a deadly virus that turns humans into monsters. It had lots of glowing reviews last year including acclaim from Stephen King who who’s comment I have to agree with: “…read this book and the ordinary world disappears”. It is a thoroughly good read and recommended – read my review to find out what I thought.

To enter the competition:

1. You’ll need to pop over to Savidge Reads‘ blog who has posted the competition question you’ll need to answer
2. Come back and watch the video below – No.1 in a series of the author talking about his journey in writing the novel
3. Send your answer to me at: novelinsights@googlemail.com

I’ll be drawing the competition and announcing the result on May 22nd when I return from my holiday in a couple of weeks. To follow the blog tour for The Passage look out for the next stop;

May 10 – DAY 2
The Book Smugglers
http://thebooksmugglers.com/
Video: Justin Cronin on location in the California desert, discussing
the vampires in his book.