Royalty statement from my publisher, on sales of my novella, The Future God of Love. In some countries this would make the best seller list, but I guess being global internet sales doesn't put me in the sight of any list 😁
But hey, at least people are buying and reading the book! You too can get a copy. It's a fantasy (almost a romance) set in an African world where stories are essential for survival.
On July 16 18 something something, Mr. George Knightley proposes to one #Emma Woodhouse. In spirit of their engagement, I break down the realities of courtship and marriage in Regency England.
I like to consider myself open-minded, rejecting the parochial and artificial boundaries between genres like 'scifi' and 'litfic', but I gotta say, if a book spends over 400 pages telling us about a space mission to make first contact with mysterious aliens that might possibly be doing a time travel, only for the mission to whimper out in the depths of space, the astronauts having learned nothing beyond coming to terms with their own interiority, it's defo a litfic.
There is still a lot to of virtual #JaneAusten and #Bronte virtual events to attend to keep cool this summer! The events are free or low cost. Check the websites for more details and to register.
This is how I'm celebrating the holiday: making a stop at The Lahaska Bookshop in Lahaska, PA to sign their stock of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters. Of course, I bought a bunch of new books too. Because whomever dies with the biggest TBR list wins.
Anyway, if you want a signed copy of AMOLM (with swag tucked inside!), you know where to find one!
Sad to say I was very disappointed in "Most Ardently: a Pride and Prejudice Remix." I'm not sure if it's the fault of the author or if it was the requirements of the series publisher that spoiled it, but the excellent premise ("Elizabeth Bennet" is actually a trans boy) was not given the care it deserved. The language is all over the place, and teenage heartthrob Mr. Darcy is just too weird.
In this month's #PrideAndPossibilities, Sophie Spruce, editor, writes about the truth behind chick-lit by looking at the realism in Austen's romances were more than romance.
Hie thee to the Romancing the Vote auction when it opens tomorrow--proceeds benefit voting organizations, so I hope you'll make a bid, either on the special A Misfortune of Lake Monsters package that I donated (because I, too, like democracy and voting rights) or on some other item!
Half time - and I'm at 26 books! (It's a big thing for me, I haven't been able to read much in the recent years.)
Some first statistics: books from 9 countries + one collection from Scandinavia in general; 11 books by women, 12 books by men, 2 books by f+m pairs, one mix anthology; 10 books in German, 16 in English; 9 books rated 4.5 or 5 out of 5, 14 books marked as recommendations; 6x non-fiction, 1x book outside of such categorization (free verse poetry as topical biography?).
@vicgrinberg great job! I'm only at 18. I'll have to do more analysis later but the main takeaway this year is the paucity of great reads. I've struggled. Only one 5 ⭐️ book (Prequel by Maddow). 7 nonfiction, 11 fiction. 8 by women, 10 by men. Wish I knew another language but at least one was translated. 9 audiobooks, 9 dead tree books.
#BookReview Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers
Read on audio
Narrator: Stephen Jack for RNIB
Pub. 1932, 499pp
Victor Gollancz
I picked up this novel for the continuation of the relationship between private detective Lord Peter and novelist Harriet Vane that started in Strong Poison, and I’m looking forward to going on to her famous novel Gaudy Night after this one as they appear together again there.
This novel has a grisly murder (or was it suicide?) centred around a seaside town that Harriet’s visiting. She discovers the body on the beach and Lord Peter hot foots it down to help her try to figure out the details and ensure she’s not considered a suspect. Throughout the mystery Lord Peter and Harriet seem to have more creative ideas than the local police and Harriet even moves into the victim’s old lodgings!
The victim, Alexis, was a dancer at a large hotel and had been engaged to be married to one of the wealthy guests, and the mystery concerns the question of why would he have contemplated suicide when he had a secure life ahead of him?
There are so many quirky little moments to lighten the mood as things progress, such as this description of a policeman taking notes during an interview:
“The pencil happened to be an indelible one and had left an unpleasant taste in the mouth.he passed a pink tongue along his purple stained lips, looking to Mr Perkins’s goblin-haunted imagination like a very large dog savouring a juicy bone .”
Lord Peter continues to try to romance Harriet and she is still not having any of it, resulting in some amusing exchanges between them and this book is strongest when they’re interacting.
I also enjoyed the description of Harriet reading through the books on the victim’s shelves as she tried to jog her subconscious for her detective novel, then turning to crosswords to try to get her writing going again.
The eventual solution was rather long winded with an overlong description of solving a cipher (which was tedious on audio), but otherwise entertaining. It took me a long time to read and the ending was rather abrupt, with Lord Peter and Harriet solving the mystery then speeding off to London to go out to lunch! A good read but not my favourite of hers so far. #bookstodon#audiobook#AmReading@bookstodon
If you’re a fan of podcasts, there are over dozen of them dedicated to #JaneAusten and the Brontes! If I’m missing any, let me know so I can update the list!
8 days til pub day, the AMOLM virtual tour has begun, & I'm starting to organize all the book swag in my house for the onslaught of upcoming in-person events. If you're interested in a deleted scene from AMOLM and a BOOK GIVEAWAY, head over here: http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/2024/06/blog-tour-misfortune-of-lake-monsters.html