As reported by the Herald-Mail, Nora Roberts and her husband, Bruce Wilder, were planning to renovate a historic hotel in their home of Boonsboro, Maryland and turn it into a B&B having rooms with themes from books. Unfortunately, during the renovation construction workers knocked over a propane tank starting a 4-alarm fire that gutted the hotel and severely damaged 3 other building.
Archive for February, 2008
Nora Roberts hotel plans scorched
February 29, 2008The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
February 27, 2008
My favorite Southern author, Joshilyn Jackson, recently released her third book: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (Grand Central Publishing, hardcover, $23.99. Laurel and Thalia are as different as sisters can be: Laurel has built a tidy life in the suburbs with her husband, David, and daughter, Shelby; Thalia is an unconventional actress. But when Shelby’s best friend is found dead in Laurel’s swimming pool, Laurel must put past differences behind her and enlist Thalia’s help to protect Shelby and discover what really happened to the girl who stopped swimming. If you’ve not read Joshilyn Jackson before, she writes wonderful Southern stories with a hint of mystery that should appeal to fans of Fannie Flagg and Mary Kay Andrews.
Check availability of Joshilyn Jackson books at Fiction Addiction.
SC Book Festival
February 25, 2008I attended the SC Book Festival in Columbia, SC for the first time on Sunday. The festival was free to attend and included seminars, author signings, and an antiquarian book fair. The keynote speaker was thriller author Harlan Coben. This was also the first time I’d met Harlan and I found him to be a dynamic and amusing speaker. The antiquarian book fair contained diverse offerings from modern first editions to historic South Carolina documents. I highly recommend the event to all booklovers and will try to give a heads up about it for new year.
City of Fire
February 23, 2008
I found City of Fire by Robert Ellis to be a fast-paced, well-written police procedural with a likeable female lead in Lena Gamble. Lena, 29, is all alone in this world since her brother’s murder 5 years ago. Newly transfered to LA’s elite Homicide Division, Lena’s first case as lead detective seems a gory but straightforward murder of a wife by her abusive husband. But a nagging sense leads Lena to a clue that convinces her and her partner that the crime is the work of a serial killer. The killer has an unfortunate head start and several more murders are committed before the police close in. I didn’t see the ending coming, which I liked, but also made me feel like it was a bit contrived. Even so, I liked Lena as a character and hope this is the first of a series. I recommend this book to fans of John Sandford, Harlan Coben, and Michael Connelly.
Check availability of Robert Ellis books at Fiction Addiction.
Where the Heart Leads
February 21, 2008
Two minor characters from earlier books, Penelope Ashford and Barnaby Adair, take center stage in Where the Heart Leads by Stephanie Laurens (William Morrow, hardcover, $24.95). Like her previous books, Where the Heart Leads is a Regency-era romance featuring a strong-willed heroine and a masterful alpha male who soons gets over his shock at falling in love and sets out to win his bride through whatever means necessary — even if that means letting her propose to him! Along the way, there are kidnapped orphans to rescue, Inspectors to befriend, and villains to unmask.
Australian author, Stephanie Laurens is one of my favorite Regency-era romance writers and Where the Heart Leads is another fine entry in her multi-volume Cynster series.
Check availability of Stephanie Laurens books at Fiction Addiction.
Jumper
February 16, 2008
The film Jumper starring Hayden Christensen opened in theatres on Valentine’s Day. The movie is based on the book by Steven Gould, which I highly recommend. It’s appropriate for adults and teens. There are also two sequels to the book: Reflex (this is unfortunately out of print) and Jumper: Griffin’s Story.
I’m fond of all of Steven Gould’s novels, but my other favorite besides Jumper is Wildside. Wildside is the story of some teens who discover a portal to an alternate Earth unmarred by a human presence and home to many extinct species, like the passenger pigeon. Wildside has a similar feel to Heinlein’s juveniles.
Check availability of Steven Gould books at Fiction Addiction.
Romantic Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels
February 14, 2008In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve composed a list of some of my favorite romantic science fiction and fantasy novels. I’ve limited myself to one title per author and they are listed alphabetically by author:
-
Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro
-
The Last Dragonlord by Joanne Bertin
-
Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
-
Miles in Love by Lois McMaster Bujold
-
The Thread That Binds the Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
-
The Fire’s Stone by Tanya Huff (collected in Of Darkness, Light, and Fire)
-
Commencement by Roby James
-
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
-
Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
-
Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
-
Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey
-
Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee
-
Timeshadow Rider by Ann Maxwell
-
The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
-
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
-
Local Custom by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
-
Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn
-
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
-
Shapechanger’s Song by Jennifer Roberson
-
Archangel by Sharon Shinn
-
Alien Taste by Wen Spencer
-
Nameless Magery by Delia Marshall Turner
-
Stardoc by S.L. Viehl
-
Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson
I’ve probably forgotten several other wonderful books, so if you think of any others please leave a comment!
Soby’s Book Signing Redux
February 12, 2008
The signing for Soby’s New South Cuisine on Friday went well, but I’m afraid I completely forgot to take any pictures. So you’ll just have to envision Chef Rodney cooking up a batch of Lowcountry Shrimp (p.103) complete with country ham and kiwifruit. It was absolutely delicious!
If you need a last-minute Valentine’s Day present, we still have copies left that have been signed by both Chef Rodney and the photographer, Stephen Stinson. Just stop on by or email us to hold you a copy!
The Wedding Machine
February 10, 2008
The Wedding Machine by SC author Beth Webb Hart is an ode to female friendship and a small-town Southern way of life that is in danger of dying out. In Jasper, SC, four best friends — Ray, Hilda, Sis, and Kitty B. — are the ruling matriarchs who guide Jasper’s ladies in all facets of Southern etiquette and entertaining. Their well-oiled machine is at its peak when planning weddings, but the summer of their own daughters’ weddings, tempers flare, old secrets leak out, and love blooms in the unlikeliest places.
This is the first book in Nelson’s Women of Faith fiction line that I’ve read and I thought Hart did a subtle and natural job of integrating her Christian faith with the Southern storyline. Readers of Southern fiction, Christian fiction, and anyone planning a Southern wedding should enjoy this novel.
Author Beth Webb Hart will be signing The Wedding Machine and her previous book Adelaide Piper at Fiction Addiction on Tuesday, March 25th from 12-2pm.
Check availability of Beth Webb Hart books at Fiction Addiction.
Reminder: Soby’s Book Signing Today 3-5pm
February 8, 2008Join us today from 3-5 pm for a taste of Soby’s and your chance to get a gorgeous copy of Soby’s New South Cuisine personalized by co-authors Richard Peck and Chef Rodney Freidank. If you can’t make the signing, give us a call at 609-9394 and we’ll be happy to reserve a copy for you!
