Layered Pages Book Blog
Dare to be Knowledgeable
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Thursday, March 2, 2017
One Reader's Voice Out Loud
Writers need the mindset of writing
to tell stories first and foremost. Not go into it with the attitude of a money
making venture but for the pure pleasure of story-telling. That is the best
gift they can give to their readers. Please keep this in mind when promoting
your books via social media. The in your face "buy my book" doesn't
appeal to most readers. There are more creative ways in reaching your
readership.
Stephanie M. Hopkins
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker
Hardcover, 464 pages
Expected publication: May 9th 2017 by Grand Central
Publishing
A gorgeous, deft literary retelling of Charlotte Bronte's
beloved Jane Eyre--through the eyes of the dashing, mysterious Mr. Rochester
himself.
**********
FINALLY! It’s about time someone wrote a story about Mr. Rochester's side of the story. Sarah Shoemaker has my deepest gratitude for
writing this story. I am delighted to have a eARC (Advance Readers Copy) of this book and I will be sinking my teeth into it shortly. Stay tuned for my commentary of this much anticipated story.
Stephanie M. Hopkins
Friday, January 6, 2017
One Reader's Voice Out Loud
I strongly believe in the importance of listening to what readers have to say and to take in any considerations, concerns or their attitudes toward stories. There are many different elements that make or break a story. Often times it depends on what the reader comes away with it and express.
As a reader I often ponder about what is really important to
me in a story. In the beginning of the year I had a chance to answer that
question to a stranger in a store-while browsing books-when she asked me what I
thought was the most important aspect of a book. I told her, “Strongly drawn
characters and how they deal with their challenges is important to the plot and
overall themes of the story. If the characters don't draw me in, it’s a
bust." Ever since this has been on my mind and yesterday an
interesting conversation about what readers want more of or less of came about
on Facebook. It was quite enlightening and a big eye opener. I’m not sure it enlightening for some authors involved in the conversations as much as it was for the
readers who expressed their wishes or concerns. Most readers want a variety of
things and often times are frustrated when those elements are not meant. On occasion
we express ourselves via social media and what we desire. It doesn’t always
work out for us to do that. That is wrong and a reader’s voice should be heard regardless what the main-stream market says we want or should want...
Having said that, there are times when an author’s hands are
tied by their agents or publishers in what they write about. I have talked to
many authors about what they wanted to write and from what they told me, I was
very interested. Too bad their agents and pubs didn’t see it that way. On this
same score, many of my fellow readers’/book bloggers and I would love publishers
to accept their female author’s pitches on writing more about male characters. A
good friend said and I hope she doesn’t mind me quoting her, “We've stripped
men of intrigue and depth in an effort to paint women as dynamic, strong,
multifaceted individuals.” And, “The
powers that be are convinced that because most readers are women, authors
should write books about women and women's issues. Male characters must be
sacrificed on the altar of sexist marketing to achieve this aim...” I tend to
agree with her and she brings up a valid point. Anyhow, that is for another discussion.
To further add insight of a readers’ voice…As for my fellow
book reviewers’/book bloggers, we are a different breed of readers. Many of us
are professional readers for companies like, NetGalley. We also have the chance
to talk with authors behind the scenes about their writing, interview them and
we know the market and how to promote. We are not what you call the “average
reader”. We tend to look more at how the story is structured overall and how
the characters are portrayed. We are writers’ in our own right and many of us
are working on novels as well and dreaming of one day being published. I myself
who works in the book industry-not as a author yet- and who has also talked to hundreds of authors
and readers know that readers do have something of value to bring to the table.
Our opinions and what we want to see more of or less of in stories should not
be dismissed or undermined. The value of a reader’s voice is important and one
that should be listened to with respect and consideration.
Stephanie M. Hopkins.
Layered Pages
Disclaimer: All book reviews, interviews, guest posts and
promotions are originals. In order to use any text or pictures from Layered
Pages, please ask for permission from Stephanie. M. Hopkins/Owner of Layered
Pages
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Non-Fiction: American History
American Sphinx: The
Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis
Book Description: Following his subject from the drafting of
the Declaration of Independence to his retirement in Monticello, Joseph Ellis
unravels the contradictions of the Jeffersonian character. A marvel of
scholarship, a delight to read, and an essential gloss on the Jeffersonian
legacy.
Noted: I’ve read a
lot about Jefferson but I haven’t’ read this book so I thought I would grab a
copy. I am looking forward to seeing how he is portrayed.
**********
This Republic of
Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust
Book Description: An illuminating study of the American
struggle to comprehend the meaning and practicalities of death in the face of
the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War. During the war, approximately
620,000 soldiers lost their lives. An equivalent proportion of today's
population would be six million. This Republic of Suffering explores the impact
of this enormous death toll from every angle: material, political,
intellectual, and spiritual. The eminent historian Drew Gilpin Faust delineates
the ways death changed not only individual lives but the life of the nation and
its understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. She
describes how survivors mourned and how a deeply religious culture struggled to
reconcile the slaughter with its belief in a benevolent God, pondered who
should die and under what circumstances, and reconceived its understanding of
life after death. Faust details the logistical challenges involved when
thousands were left dead, many with their identities unknown, on the fields of
places like Bull Run, Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. She chronicles the
efforts to identify, reclaim, preserve, and bury battlefield dead, the
resulting rise of undertaking as a profession, the first widespread use of
embalming, the gradual emergence of military graves registration procedures,
the development of a federal system of national cemeteries for Union dead, and
the creation of private cemeteries in the South that contributed to the cult of
the Lost Cause. She shows, too, how the war victimized civilians through
violence that extended beyond battlefields-from disease, displacement,
hardships, shortages, emotional wounds, and conflicts connected to the
disintegration of slavery.
Noted: I’m currently deepening
my research in what some call the American Civil War and I stumbled on this
book on social media. Not sure where but I am hoping this book is worth reading
and gives me some more insight of the war.
***********
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West by James Donovan
In June of 1876, on a desolate hill above a winding river
called "the Little Bighorn," George Armstrong Custer and all 210 men
under his direct command were annihilated by almost 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne. The
news of this devastating loss caused a public uproar, and those in positions of
power promptly began to point fingers in order to avoid responsibility. Custer,
who was conveniently dead, took the brunt of the blame.
The truth, however, was far more complex. A TERRIBLE GLORY
is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating
battle, and the first to call upon all the significant research and findings of
the past twenty-five years--which have changed significantly how this controversial
event is perceived. Furthermore, it is the first book to bring to light the
details of the U.S. Army cover-up--and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in
U.S. military history.
Scrupulously researched, A TERRIBLE GLORY will stand as ta
landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of
characters--from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer
himself--this is history with the sweep of a great novel.
Noted: What
frustrates me the most about stories of Custer is from what I’ve read, the
history has been twisted and there is a lot of myth to it…I do have strong
opinions about how the Native Americans were treated by the Federal (Unionist) Government.
Shameful doesn’t even begin to describe my emotions…
Though I hear this
book portrays Custer as likable civil war hero of the unionist. That said, I
am still willing to give this book a try.
Stephanie M. Hopkins
**********
Be sure to take a look at my latest fiction book review at
my WordPress HERE.
Thank you for visiting Layered Pages II today!
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Two New eARC: So many books...
I am delighted to receive these new eARC (Advance Reader
Copies) from the publishers through NetGalley. They both have great covers too. Check them out!
The Den of Iniquity- Pub Date 11 Jan 2017
Welcome to the most notorious address in London…
Beneath the airs and graces of the Ton lies The Underworld –
London’s most scandalous gambling hall.
The only thing darker and more debauched that the hall itself?
The proprietor, Max Sinclair. As mysterious as the corners of the city he
stalks, Max has vowed to take revenge against the men who murdered his mother.
And The Underworld attracts London’s darkest characters – the perfect partners
in crime.
But when Lady Vivienne Beaumont enters The Underworld, Max’s
life becomes more dangerous than he ever thought possible.
Enter a world of lust, lawlessness and obsession with The
Den of Iniquity, the first in Anabelle Bryant’s Bastards of London series.
The Shadow Land- Pub Date 11 Apr 2017
From the #1 bestselling author of The Historian comes an
engrossing novel that spans the past and the present—and unearths the dark
secrets of Bulgaria, a beautiful and haunted country.
A young American
woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad
will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after
arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly
couple into a taxi—and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of
their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a
name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding
an urn filled with human ashes
.
As Alexandra sets out
to locate the family and return this precious item, she will first have to
uncover the secrets of a talented musician who was shattered by oppression—and
she will find out all too quickly that this knowledge is fraught with its own danger.
Kostova’s new novel is a tale of immense scope that delves
into the horrors of a century and traverses the culture and landscape of this
mysterious country. Suspenseful and beautifully written, it explores the power
of stories, the pull of the past, and the hope and meaning that can sometimes
be found in the aftermath of loss.
Be sure to check out my WeekendShenanigans & Manic Monday and LayeredPages Top Reads: 2016 at my WordPress!
Stephanie M. Hopkins
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Layered Pages Current Reads
Today I finished
reading, A Twist in Time by Julie McElain and my review will be coming soon at
my WordPress. So be sure to be on the
lookout for that. I have lots of interesting things to say about the story.
I’m currently
reading two books!
Roma Amor
(Won in a book giveaway)
Riding
home from the Danube frontier, Marcus Carinna hears a voice whisper, “Your
turn,” as he passes his family tomb. An unseen presence also startles the
Germanic priestess Aurima, whom he is bringing to Rome. But hardheaded Romans
scoff at ghosts, and Marcus can’t believe it’s a warning from his brother, who
killed himself three years earlier.
37 AD: To great acclaim, 25-year-old Caligula Caesar has become Rome’s new master. No one is more pleased than Senator Titus Carinna, who helped him succeed to the throne. It’s a shame the Senator’s older son—Caligula’s closest friend—committed suicide after being charged with treason. But that still leaves Marcus, his second son.
Headstrong and hot-tempered, Marcus would rather prove his courage by fighting Rome's enemies than take his brother’s place. Yet when his father calls him home to befriend and steady the erratic Caligula, he has no choice.
Swept into a labyrinth of deceit, conspiracy, and betrayal reaching from Palatine mansions to the city’s grimy, teeming streets, Marcus will uncover a secret that threatens his family, the woman he desires, even his life… and may bring chaos to the young Roman Empire.
37 AD: To great acclaim, 25-year-old Caligula Caesar has become Rome’s new master. No one is more pleased than Senator Titus Carinna, who helped him succeed to the throne. It’s a shame the Senator’s older son—Caligula’s closest friend—committed suicide after being charged with treason. But that still leaves Marcus, his second son.
Headstrong and hot-tempered, Marcus would rather prove his courage by fighting Rome's enemies than take his brother’s place. Yet when his father calls him home to befriend and steady the erratic Caligula, he has no choice.
Swept into a labyrinth of deceit, conspiracy, and betrayal reaching from Palatine mansions to the city’s grimy, teeming streets, Marcus will uncover a secret that threatens his family, the woman he desires, even his life… and may bring chaos to the young Roman Empire.
Berlin
Calling (ARC for review) - Pub Date 14 Feb 2017
Germany
1938. While young and old are captivated by the country’s rapid ascent under
the leadership of Adolf Hitler, naive Maggie O’Dea, an American studying
abroad, finds her own fortunes turning after falling in love with a handsome
soldier and landing a job with the Propaganda Ministry. Embodying the
infectious spirit of nationalism sweeping the country, her powerful dispatches
launch her broadcasting career as a champion of the Fatherland.
But as
Germany invades one peaceful neighbor after another and the wheels of World War
II are set in motion, Maggie starts opening her eyes to the grim reality of
Hitler’s intentions. Torn between her successful career rooted in the
allegiance to her adopted land and a growing dread over her role in a tyrant’s
ruthless reign, Maggie—supported by a new love—must fight her own war of
conscience. Will she survive a conflict threatening the world…and her own life?
************
Be sure to
check out my Cover Crush this week over at my WordPress HERE
and my Wish-List 5: Random Bits of Bookish Delights HERE.
Thank you
for visiting Layered Pages II today!
Stephanie M.
Hopkins
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