Click on the link below for The New Voices in Fiction Sampler: Summer Selection compendium that you can download for free onto an e-reader or Windows or Mac computer, courtesy of HarperCollins:
http://harpercollins.com/books/New-Voices-Fiction-Sampler/
Joseph Arellano
Filed under Uncategorized
This article is used with the author’s permission.
Dear Reader,
I was feeling like a loser for a few days. Couldn’t seem to shake the feeling and I couldn’t figure out what was at the root of my distress. It wasn’t a new feeling for me. There are things that haunt a person periodically — feeling like a loser is one of mine. Loser: out of my league, losing my edge, feeling like a failure, these are my personalized definitions.
Whenever loser becomes part of my identity I work hard to hide it — even from my husband. Because if I tell my husband, he tries to cheer me up — that part would be okay — but when I’m feeling bad, then my husband feels bad, too. He worries about me. I figure why have two of us feeling miserable. “This too shall pass.” So instead, I walk hand-in-hand, alone with Suzanne, trying not to let anyone else know.
“I feel like a loser.” It’s definitely not an opening line that leaves a very good impression. Looking back, I can’t think of one single time when it would have been in my best interest to have extended my hand and said, “Hello, I’m Suzanne Beecher, nice to meet you. I feel like a loser today.”
On the other hand, I recently watched a movie and in one of the scenes there was an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, and it got me to thinking that maybe hiding something makes a person feel worse. If you’re not familiar with the AA meeting format, whenever anyone stands up to speak, the first line they deliver is, “Hello, I’m (Joe, Jane, or Julie, whatever their name) and I’m an alcoholic.” I’m not sure why that protocol is followed in the meetings, but it felt inviting. So when I got up this morning and looked in the mirror, the first thing I said to myself was, “Hello, I’m Suzanne Beecher and I feel like a loser.”
Hearing the words, suddenly my “loser” line wasn’t as powerful as when I’d kept it hidden away. Saying the words out loud took the sting out of them, and surprisingly my self-proclamation didn’t set a negative tone for the day. Instead it made my day easier. In fact, by the time I went to bed, the reflection in the mirror felt different and I was so relieved.
“Hello, I’m Suzanne Beecher and I don’t feel like a loser anymore.”
Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Read-It-First@EmailBookClub.com
Read-It-First is a service that provides excerpts from new and upcoming book releases via e-mail. (It’s like an e-mail book club.) You can sign up at:
Filed under Uncategorized
We release Santa’s list of books that are perfect for gift giving!
Filed under Uncategorized
In December of 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued rules requiring that blogger product review sites disclose whether they receive products for free or receive monetary compensation for such reviews. The books received by Joseph’s Reviews are generally Advance Review Copies (ARCs) sent to us by publishers – a common practice in the industry. Payment is never accepted in exchange for a book review (favorable or otherwise), book preview or the mentioning of a book.
The receipt of ARCs, or finished books, in no way influences or has an impact on, the opinions expressed in the book reviews and other features posted on this site. All of the reviews posted on Joseph’s Reviews reflect the honest, personal opinion of the individual reviewer.
Joseph Arellano
This disclaimer will be posted periodically. Pictured: Have Mother, Will Travel: A Mother and Daughter Discover Themselves, Each Other and the World. This memoir by Claire and Mia Fontaine, a follow-up to Come Back, will be released by William Morrow on July 17, 2012.
Filed under Uncategorized
Robert Goolrick authored one of the best selling books of 2009-2010, the novel A Reliable Wife. You can read Laura Gerold’s review of A Reliable Wife here:
https://josephsreviews.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/love-and-marriage/
Robert Goolrick’s new book, Heading Out to Wonderful: A Novel will not be released by Algonquin Books until June 12, 2012. But you can read the first 21 pages here, in addition to the openings of three other novels that will be released in the coming months:
http://www.algonquinbooksblog.com/wi7/
Joseph Arellano
Filed under Uncategorized
Here’s a sampling of new and upcoming books that might well wind up on the to-be-read stack.
The Bungalow: A Novel by Sarah Jio (Plume; December 27, 2011)
We loved The Violets of March by Sarah Jio and thought it was one of the best debut novels of 2011. Now Jio returns with a quite different type of story set in Bora Bora during World War II. Wrote reader Laura Bolin on Amazon: “The Bungalow was an old black and white movie straight out of my grandparent’s generation. I was swept away by Jio’s vivid descriptions and I loved every minute of it.”
Tuesday Night Miracles: A Novel by Kris Radish (Bantam Dell; January 3, 2012)
An entertaining story about an almost-retired counselor who tries to help a group of four women – all of whom have serious pending matters with the legal system – manage their anger issues in court-ordered group counseling sessions. The women will have to graduate from the group in order to return to their normal lives. Oh, and they don’t like each other at all – which means that the counselor is going to have to take some drastic (and perhaps even professionally unethical) actions in order to get them to a kinder and gentler place.
Gun Games: A Novel by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow; January 3, 2012)
Faye Kellerman once again showcases Peter Decker of the Los Angeles Police Department and Rina Lazarus, likely the most popular husband and wife team in modern crime fiction. A series of shocking adolescent suicides at an elite L. A. private school is at the heart of this thriller. As if this isn’t enough, there’s also the fact that Decker and Lazarus have brought a very troubled teenager into their home: Gabriel Whitman, the son of a psychopath.
The Confession: A Novel by Charles Todd (Wm. Morrow; January 12, 2012)
An historical crime novel, continuing Charles Todd’s World War I veteran, and yet still highly effective Scotland Yard Inspector, Ian Rutledge. Rutledge struggles with a startling and dangerous case that reaches far back into the past when a false confession by a man who was not who he claimed to be resulted in a brutal murder.
Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber (Simon & Schuster; February 7, 2012)
Not to be confused with Anne Lamott’s novel Imperfect Birds, this is a moving memoir about a boy born with a defective heart – located on the right side of his chest – who weathers major heart surgeries before being hit with a highly unique, perhaps untreatable disease. Those who years ago read Death Be Not Proud may be drawn to this account.
Spin: A Novel by Catherine McKenzie (Wm. Morrow; February 7, 2012)
Kate’s an ambitious – if self-damaging – reporter who goes undercover. She enters a drug and alcohol rehab clinic to find out what’s happening with the popular and troubled young actress Amber Shepard. “Imagine if Bridget Jones fell into a million little pieces, flew over the cuckoo’s nest, and befriended Lindsay Lohan along the way…”
The Lola Quartet: A Novel by Emily St. John Mandel (Unbridled Books; May 15, 2012)
We gave a highly recommended rating to Mandel’s 2010 novel The Singer’s Gun, which was as gutsy as it was unique and engaging. Her third novel examines “questions of identity, the deep pull of family, the difficulties of being the person one wants to be, the un-reliability of memory, and the unforeseen ways a small and innocent action can have disastrous consequences.” It’s bound to be worth the price of admission.
Joseph Arellano
Filed under Uncategorized
This is a quick look at recently released books, and soon-to-be-released books that I’m looking forward to reading.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (Simon and Schuster; 10/24/11)
This is already the best-selling book in the country, based on pre-release orders at Amazon. Isaacson earlier wrote the mega-selling Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and the recent, tragic death of Steve Jobs will only heighten the interest in this almost 700 page biography. This is an authorized bio, as (according to Reuters) Jobs knew that his death was imminent and wanted his kids to know him through this expected-to-be definitive work. Jobs had made clear to his friends and co-workers that nothing in his personal or professional life was off-limits.
Steve Jobs will also be available as an audiobook; unfortunately, an abridged one.
Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen (Picador; 09/27/11)
If you’re like me, one of the two dozen or so individuals who did not read this book when it was originally released, you now have a chance to pick it up as a Picador trade paperback for just $16.00. USA Today called Franzen’s novel about a troubled marriage, “Smart, witty and ultimately moving.”
Blueprints for Building Better Girls: Fiction by Elissa Schappell (Simon and Schuster; 09/06/11)
This is a hybrid between a short story collection and a novel, as Schappell has penned eight interlinked tales (“Spanning the late 1970s to the current day…”) about the experiences that turn girls into women. Tom Perrota, author of The Leftovers and Little Children, says of Blueprints for Building Better Girls: “Elizabeth Schappell’s characters live in that zone where toughness and vulnerability overlap. In this remarkable, deeply engaging collection of stories, Schappell introduces us to a wide variety of female characters, from reckless teenagers to rueful middle-aged moms, and asks us to ponder how those girls became these women.”
The Marriage Plot: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 10/11/11)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides returns with a story about a not-so-calm year in the lives of three college seniors (one female and two males) attending Brown University in the early 1980s. It’s about love lost and found, and the mental preparations that young people must make before entering the stolid world of adults.
The Drop: A Harry Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company; 11/28/11)
From the author of The Lincoln Lawyer and The Reversal, comes the latest thriller involving LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. A bored Bosch is getting ready for retirement when two huge criminal cases with political and other implications land on his desk. Both cases need to be solved immediately and, as usual, Bosch must break some major investigative rules in order to do so.
“Connelly may be our most versatile crime writer.” Booklist
Joseph Arellano
Filed under Uncategorized
A look at 5 books that you might want to put on your to-be-read (TBR) list.
Filed under Uncategorized
Back on June 13th, we posted a list of 10 books comprising part of our summer reading list. Now, here’s a listing of 11 additional books that you might put in your Summer beach bag or your Winter vacation suitcase!
Northwest Corner: A Novel by John Burnham Schwartz
The new “great American novel” (Abraham Verghese) from the author of Reservation Road and The Commoner. (Random House, July)
The Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
The amazing true and suspenseful story behind the assassination of President James A. Garfield, and the attempts of a genius inventor (Alexander Graham Bell) to save his life. (Doubleday, September)
Pinch Me: A Novel by Adena Halpern
A young woman whose family has always warned her to stay away from perfectly handsome men receives a proposal of marriage from a man who is sadly “perfect.” (Touchstone Books, July)
The Vault: A Novel by Boyd Morrison
The author who proved that self-published writers could sell books like his novel The Ark is back with a thriller. In The Vault, a group of terrorists are determined to use the secrets of King Midas for their destructive purposes. (Touchstone Books, July)
Requiem for a Gypsy by Michael Genelin
This is the latest Jana Matinova Investigation from Michael Genelin, who has been called “the Tom Clancy of International Intrigue.” The Pittsburg Post-Gazette noted that this former prosecutor, “seems incapable of writing a dull page.” (Soho Crime, July)
The Grief of Others: A Novel by Leah Hagen Cohen
This novel is about a couple that strives to return to normalcy after their baby dies just a day and a half after his birth. Can the Ryries and their two children rebuild their formerly happy and peaceful existence? (Riverhead Hardcover, September)
No Rest for the Dead: A Novel by 26 writers
A murder mystery is written in 26 chapters by 26 different, prominent authors. It’s an almost irresistable concept and, even better, it is set in San Francisco. (Touchstone, July)
The Train of Small Mercies by David Rowell
A novel set aboard the funeral train that carried Robert F. Kennedy to Arlington Cemetery. (Putnam Books, October)
Mercy Come Morning by Lisa T. Berger
A female history professor travels to Taos, New Mexico to be with her mother who is dying of heart failure. (Waterbrook Press, August)
The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache
Four women come to re-evaluate their lives in light of the knowledge that the most popular woman in the neighborhood is dying of cancer. “…a glimpse into the lives of (an) intertwined group of women and their everlasting, complicated friendships.” New York Journal of Books (William Morrow, June)
Love Lies Bleeding by Jess Mcconkey
A golden girl has a perfect life until a random act of violence seems to change everything. Is she going insane or has the world suddenly become hostile? (William Morrow, July)
Joseph Arellano
Filed under Uncategorized
Our local fish wrapper challenged its avid readers to come up with their own list of books to read this summer. Here’s my list of ten (10):
Shut Your Eyes Tight: A Novel by John Verdon (July)
The second retired NYPD Detective Dave Gurney novel from the author of the mind-blowing Think of a Number.
Very Bad Men: A Novel by Harry Dolan (July)
Not quite as good as Think of a Number, but a close and exciting runner-up.
Fault Lines: A Novel by Anne Rivers Siddons (January)
From the author of Off Season, it’s set in the redwood country near Santa Cruz, with stops in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Hollywood-Los Angeles.
Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger (June)
The true story of the monumental love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. “Reads like a Shakespearean drama.” USA Today
Skipping a Beat: A Novel by Sarah Pekkanen (February)
Her debut novel, The Opposite of Me, was endorsed by Judith Weiner. Enough said.
Guilt by Association: A Novel by Marcia Clark (April)
I’ve read it, but it was so much fun that I look forward to reading it again!
The American Heiress: A Novel by Daisy Goodwin (June)
What happens after a storybook wedding?
The Astral: A Novel by Kate Christensen (June)
This story has as many weaknesses as it has strengths, but it is highly engaging in an inexplicable way.
Robert Redford: The Biography by Michael Feeney Callan (May)
Biographies of famous but secluded figures tend to be either brilliant or full and complete disasters. I’m interested in seeing which category this one falls into.
Before Ever After: A Novel by Samantha Sotto (August)
A debut novel about a woman who finds out that her dead husband (going on three years) may very well be alive.
Joseph Arellano
Filed under Uncategorized
Joseph's Reviews 