#BookTwins If You Like Call Of The Canyon, you might like Trusting The Currents by Lynnda Pollio

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature, in which my team and I make reading suggestions based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on.

If You Liked ….Call Of The Canyon by Zane Grey…. you might like Trusting The Currents by Lynnda Pollio

Call Of The Canyon is set in the Sedona area of Arizona. Much of this area is said to be filled with strong cosmic forces conducive to healing and spiritual experiences. Although Call of the Canyon may be seen primarily as a western romance, the magical properties of the land play a part in the story.

While Call of the Canyon is set in the 1920s, Trusting The Currents is set in the 1930s Georgia and is told in a form of conscious story-telling. It is the story of two women: Lynnda Pollio who reached a point in her life when she was ready for a spiritual journey, and Addie Mae, a Southern African-American woman who chose to speak about her own teenage life through Lynnda.

There are two links between the books: Addie Mae’s self-discovery and her strength to break away from the small town expectations, and Call Of The Canyon being on Addie Mae’s own reading list.

Trusting The Currents is a multi-layered book; the poetic writing creates beautiful pictures of 1930s Southern America, and Addie Mae’s rich Southern dialect drops you right into the era. I believe it will appeal to many readers on several different levels.

AmazonUk | AmazonUS

Sunday Connection – What Has Been Happening This week? #Blogging #SundayBlogShare

Here’s a chance to catch up with books we’ve been reviewing this week.

Monday: I reviewed cold war drama The Leipzig affair by Fiona Rintoul

Tuesday: Noelle reviewed historical mystery A Tincture Of Secrets And Lies by William Savage

Wednesday: Judith reviewed thriller novella My sweet Friend by H.A Leuschel

Thursday: I reviewed romance Resolutions by Carol Warham

Friday: Teri reviewed horror Ghosts Of Manor House by Matt Powers

Saturday: Brittany reviewed children’s fiction Muffy & Valor by Karl Beckstrand

Discussion post: What must it be like for the family of a monster killer? The Obsession by Nora Roberts

Book Twins Post: If You Liked The Wizard Of Oz, You Might Like Ruby Slips And Poker Chips By Heather Kindt

Plus links to interesting posts from the blogosphere

Lucy has tips on how you can support book bloggers

http://queenofcontemporary.com/2018/01/how-to-support-your-favourite-blogs-in-2018.html

Laura asks, What makes a good villain?

http://boatsagainstthecurrent.net/what-makes-a-good-villain/

Do you want more visibility for your blog? Susie has some great tips.

https://susielindau.com/2018/01/11/how-to-be-discovered-on-wordpress/

5 Ways That Playing with Pricing Can Sell More Books

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2018/01/5-ways-that-playing-with-pricing-can-sell-more-books/

Shruti wrote an entertaining satirical piece on the problems some authors have writing about the opposite sex.

https://thisislitblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/15/struggling-male-author-just-cannot-write-female-characters/

Chris has tips For Giveaways On Goodreads

https://chrismcmullen.com/2018/01/17/tips-for-the-new-goodreads-giveaways/

Do you enjoy books that feature book shops?

http://www.bookword.co.uk/bookshops-in-books/

 

#BookTwins If You Liked The Wizard Of Oz, You Might Like Ruby Slips And Poker Chips By Heather Kindt

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature, in which my team and I make reading suggestions based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on.

If You Liked ….The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L Frank Baum,  You Might Like…. Ruby Slips And Poker Chips by Heather Kindt

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classic children’s book, film and musical. Most readers will know something about the tale and the characters.

Heather Kindt has put together a romantic comedy and modern-day version of the story. The main character is still called Dorothy Gale, but is now often known as Dottie. The delight, for me, when reading this book, was spotting all the obvious, and sometimes almost hidden, parallel teasers.

Our modern Dottie is a teacher in a small town in Kansas, she might not own a dog, but her favourite band it Toto! While driving to a teacher’s conference, Dottie is asked to pick up a couple of other teachers; Mr Fields and Mr Lyons but what about a Tin Man?

If you want a little fun in your reading then check out Dottie and see just what happened when a tornado blew through the small town of Quandary, Kansas

Goodreads | AmazonUK | AmazonUS

#BookTwins If You Like New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, You Might Like Blue Waters by @TheIndiaRAdams

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature, in which my team and I make reading suggestions based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on.

If You Liked New Moon By Stephenie Meyer…. You Might Like Blue Waters by India R Adams

New Moon is book two of the Twilight series. Bella Swan is heart-broken and her depths of despair and longing make for a very emotional read.  Her torment came to mind as I read Blue Waters.

“There was a beauty in dying that day…” a line from Blue Waters which could easily have come from Bella Swan’s thoughts.

Blue Waters is a novella. Whit is a wayward teenager and one half of a friendship duo; Link and Whit get into plenty of scrapes, but are loyal friends. Whit is fun and hugely entertaining; her conversation on the fly is terrific and her friends all know her so well that they fall in line wherever her train of mad thoughts goes.

Whit’s story becomes similar to Bella’s when she meets a boy. Crash is drawn to Whit; their friendship thrives because they are both hiding from their families and from the past, one that has too many dangers, with the couple forced to break-up. Just like Bella’s Edward in New Moon, Crash withdraws to keep Whit safe, but the pain of the break-up might just kill her anyway.

If you like the Twilight series, I’m sure you will love Blue Waters, too.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

 

#BookTwins If You Liked Flora Banks, You Might Like Biddy Weir #AntiBullyingWeek @Lesley_Allen_ ‏

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature, in which my team and I make reading suggestions based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on.

If you liked The One Memory Of Flora Banks by Emily Barr, you might like The Lonely Life If Biddy Weir by Lesley Allen

 

Flora Banks is a YA book by internationally acclaimed author Emily Barr, about a girl with no short-term memory, while Biddy Weir is by the perhaps less well-know Lesley Weir, on the theme of bullying, but my reading mind connected them because Flora Banks and Biddy Weir are both isolated from society due through no fault of their own.

Although Flora has no memory, she one day remembers a single incident and she grasps at this one shred of hope.  Biddy Weir suffers from a seven year bullying campaign which almost destroys her. Circumstances of her upbringing kept the usual teenage opportunities closed to Biddy. She fell through a network of support systems and, sadly, people chose to gloss over her problems rather than offering help.

Biddy’s journey reminded me so much of Flora’s, although one is from rock bottom and despair, the other of hope. I found Biddy’s story heart-wrenching; the level of bullying was shocking. The book is split between Biddy’s teenage life and her still troubled adulthood, which provides plenty of opportunity for the book to appeal to a wide reading audience.

AmazonUk | AmazonUS

What is it about isolated individuals that makes an appealing read?

#BookTwins If You Liked..The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold..You Might Like Silhouettes by @ELTenenbaum

Book Twins

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature, in which my team and I make reading suggestions based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on.

This week’s choice is from team member Olga:

If you like…The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, then you might like Silhouettes by E.L. Tenenbaum.

The Lovely Bones is a novel that follows the experiences of a 14-year-old girl who was murdered and from heaven checks on her family and tries to keep in touch with them. There are thriller elements, as she also follows the investigation into her murder, but what readers remember most are the reflections about memory, family, and what life is all about.

In Silhouettes, Brooke, an 18-year-old girl, dies in a car crash and discovers that she is not quite gone. She is hanging around on Earth, but her friends and family cannot see her, only others like her. She was a popular girl, a great dancer, a good student, and came from a happy family. She meets Tyler, a boy from her school that she’d never noticed but who is in the same situation and they both try to make sense together of why they are still here, whatever ‘here’ is. He was neither popular, nor well-off, and his family situation was far from happy, but they discover they have more in common than they ever realised when they were alive.

The story, written in the first person, from Brooke’s perspective, is beautifully reflective, as she comes to understand that people might appear happy on the surface but most have experience hurt and loss, and she gains insight into what are the really important things in life. There are secrets we discover as we read and, despite the subject, the message is positive and hopeful. The novel is classified as Young Adult and it is a clean read, with no swearing or sex scenes, but I would recommend it to anybody looking for an inspiring and spiritual read that goes beyond specific religious beliefs. I would especially recommend it to readers who loved The Lovely Bones but were concerned about the most gruesome aspects of the plot.

AmazonUk | AmazonUS

Have you read The Lovely Bones?  Would you try Silhouettes?

#BookTwins If You Liked The Dry by Jane Harper, you might like The Silent Kookaburra by @LizaPerrat

Book Twins

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature, in which my team and I make reading suggestions based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on.

This week’s choice is from team member Cathy:

If you liked The Dry by Jane Harper, then you might like The Silent Kookaburra by Liza Perrat

 

The Dry is set in small town Australia as is The Silent Kookaburra. They both benefit from strong characterisations, an atmospheric setting and sense of place. Both deal with family secrets and multiple issues.

The Silent Kookaburra opens with Tanya packing up her parents’ home after their deaths. An old newspaper cutting her grandmother saved brings memories rushing back and, despite her uneasiness and resistance, pulls Tanya back to the sweltering summer of 1973 and her eleven year old self. The story is narrated from Tanya’s perspective in the third person. She is overjoyed at the birth of her baby sister, after multiple miscarriages suffered by her mother. The family, along with Nanna Purvis, live in Gumtree Cottage, Wollongong, a small town in New South Wales.

Written extremely well with wonderful, distinct characterisations and incredible imagery, this is a poignant story driven by cause and effect, the characters’ reactions completely convincing. Dealing with sensitive subjects, abuse, post-natal depression and grooming amongst others, it’s sometimes difficult to see things through Tanya’s eyes. There’s so much she doesn’t yet understand or isn’t able to express but the reader can see where certain situations are heading, sharpening the suspense and the sense of danger, while dread of the likely end result builds.

It wasn’t hard to become immersed in the story, the sense of time and place is intense and the mindset and attitudes along with dialogue are completely believable. I love Nanna Purvis’ hilarious misuse of words and strongly held opinions. One unanswered question has haunted Tanya ever since that summer. The narrative ends where it began, with Tanya at her parents’ house as the story comes to a completely unexpected and shattering conclusion. Liza Perrat’s descriptive, assured prose and story-telling skills make this a compelling and evocative read.

AmazonUk | AmazonUS

What psychological suspense novels have you read, that these remind you of?

#BookTwins If You Like Game Of Thrones Then You Might Like Jasper By @tonyriches #wwwblogs

Book Twins

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature, in which my team and I make reading suggestions based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on.

This week’s choice is from team member Terry:

If you liked A Game of Thrones by GRR Martin, you might like:

 

Jasper by Tony Riches

Jasper is the second book in Tony Riches’ Tudor Trilogy ~ you might think this historical fiction based on fact is a strange choice to pair with fantasy epic A Game of Thrones, from the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but all the time I was reading it, I was struck by the similarity.

Jasper Tudor, uncle of Henry VII and great-uncle of Henry VIII, is a fascinating character, and Riches portrays him as the charismatic, adventurous yet flawed hero I imagined—not unlike, say, Jamie Lannister or Robb Stark!  The story takes place during the later years of the Wars of the Roses, flies around England, Wales and France (rather than Westeros), and involves the switching allegiances of dukes and lords, a large cast of characters including a mercenary or two, double dealing, defeat, danger, love and revenge.

It’s every bit as magical, thrilling and exhausting as A Game of Thrones, or any of the others in the series, with one difference – it really happened.  A terrific book!

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Have you read Jasper? Would you agree with Terry?

 

#BookTwins: If you like The Beach then you might like Feel Me Fall by @JMorrisWriter #wwwblogs

Book Twins

“If you read … you’ll like …”

When you’ve read a book, do you sometimes find yourself thinking “oh, that really reminds me of *insert name of another book*”?

Welcome to a new feature on Rosie Amber, in which my team and I will make reading suggestion for you, based on your favourites, be they classics, or newer best sellers.  Our recommendations consider not just genre, but writing style, plot—and that ‘feel’ you can’t quite put your finger on!

First of all I’d like to tell you about a book I’ve read recently, which gave me the idea for this feature.

If you liked Lord of The Flies by William Golding, Animal Farm by George Orwell or The Beach by Alex Garland, you might like:

Feel Me Fall by James Morris.

A plane crash strands six students in the Amazon jungle, and the beliefs, friendship and trust between them is challenged. One character takes on a leadership and survival role, another is the voice of human reason and compassion.  All six discover aspects of their personalities that they had not known existed until placed in this survival situation; it brought both the best and worst of their natures to the fore.

How do you think you might react if pushed to make decisions for the greater good?  Would you base your decisions on survival of the fittest?

When I read Feel Me Fall, my immediate reaction was that it reminded me of Lord of the Flies, and I noticed that other readers had made similar comparisons.  As for Animal Farm ~ the well-known phrase ‘all animals are equal but some are more equal than others’ flitted through my head all the time I was reading it!  The Beach was itself compared with Lord of the Flies when it first came out.

 

If you would like to take a look at Feel Me Fall, you can find it on

Goodreads | AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Goodreads

How would you survive in the Amazon?