From Inside My Book Fort - - - Tom Robbins' "Tibetan Peach Pie"

Welcome to the Book Fort!

Today Annabelle and I are reading an excerpt from a book written by another of our literary heroes.

Tom Robbins

LordAMercy, but I do adore Tom Robbins' work

And him - what a cutie!

I got to meet him, ever so briefly, and I can tell you his personality is huge and lovely and fills a room.

http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/2014/09/an-evening-with-tom-robbins.html

Here's a bit from his "Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life."

From amazon.com:  Internationally bestselling novelist and American icon Tom Robbins delivers the long awaited tale of his wild life and times, both at home and around the globe.

Tom Robbins’ warm, wise, and wonderfully weird novels—including Still Life With Woodpecker, Jitterbug Perfume, and Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates—provide an entryway into the frontier of his singular imagination. Madcap but sincere, pulsating with strong social and philosophical undercurrents, his irreverent classics have introduced countless readers to natural born hitchhiking cowgirls, born-again monkeys, a philosophizing can of beans, exiled royalty, and problematic redheads.

In Tibetan Peach Pie, Robbins turns that unparalleled literary sensibility inward, stitching together stories of his unconventional life, from his Appalachian childhood to his globetrotting adventures —told in his unique voice that combines the sweet and sly, the spiritual and earthy. The grandchild of Baptist preachers, Robbins would become over the course of half a century a poet-interruptus, an air force weatherman, a radio dj, an art-critic-turned-psychedelic-journeyman, a world-famous novelist, and a counter-culture hero, leading a life as unlikely, magical, and bizarre as those of his quixotic characters.

Robbins offers intimate snapshots of Appalachia during the Great Depression, the West Coast during the Sixties psychedelic revolution, international roving before homeland security monitored our travels, and New York publishing when it still relied on trees. Written with the big-hearted comedy and mesmerizing linguistic invention for which he is known, Tibetan Peach Pie is an invitation into the private world of a literary legend.

“Robbins continues to embody Zen coolness and bohemian charm.” (Booklist (starred review)"

“Memoir or not, the form suits Robbins’s digressive style, philosophical musings, and self-deprecating humor. Each piece stands on its own, but when read side by side they develop into a powerful argument about magic and the necessity of imaginative, interior worlds.” (Library Journal (starred review))

“Tibetan Peach Pie is a late, welcome gift from a philosopher-novelist who continues to believe in the transformative qualities of ‘novelty, beauty, mischief and mirth’ - qualities apparent on every page of this lively, large-hearted book.” (Washington Post)

“Tibetan Peach Pie is a gift to his fans, the story of a man who had the sense to follow where his imagination led… How lucky for his readers that we got to tag along for the ride.” (Seattle Times)

Enjoy!

From Inside My Book Fort - "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Welcome to the book fort!

Today we're reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "The Shadow of the Wind."

https://www.carlosruizzafon.co.uk/the-cemetery-of-forgotten-books/the-shadow-of-the-wind/

The first in his Cemetery of Forgotten Books series.

The fourth, and final, book, The Labyrinth of Spirits, will be released in September.

"Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ‘cemetery of lost books’, a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print."
"Wonderous... masterful... The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero." --Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice)

"One gorgeous read." --Stephen King

From Inside My Book Fort - - - Anne Rivers Siddons' "Colony"

Welcome to the book fort!

Annabelle and I welcome you to another day in the book fort.

We're reading another excerpt from another of our favorite books by another one of our all-time favorite authors.


Anne Rivers Siddons.


I'm not sure we'll ever see any more books from Ms. Siddons; probably not.


But those that she's written will stand the test of time and will remain modern southern classics.


Colony

"An unforgettable story of love, acceptance, and tradition.

When Maude Chambliss first arrives at Retreat, the seasonal home of her husband's aristocratic family, she is a nineteen-year-old bride fresh from South Carolina's Low Country. Among the patrician men and women who reside in the summer colony on the coast of Maine, her gypsy-like beauty and impulsive behavior immediately brand her an outsider. She, as well as everyone else, is certain she will never fit in. And of course, she doesn't...at first.

But over the many summers she spends there, Maude comes to cherish life in the colony, as she does the people who share it with her. There is her husband Peter, consumed with a darkness of spirit; her adored but dangerously fragile children; her domineering mother-in-law, who teaches her that it is the women who posses the strength to keep the colony intact; and Maine native Micah Willis, who is ultimately Maude's truest friend.

This brilliant novel, rich with emotion, is filled with appealing, intense, and indomitable characters. Anne Rivers Siddons paints a portrait of a woman determined to preserve the spirit of past generations--and the future of a place where she became who she is...a place called Colony."

"An outstanding multigenerational novel...We are hooked from the moment we meet Maude."
The New York Times

From Inside My Book Fort - - - "Glass Houses" by Louise Penny

Welcome to the book fort!

Annabelle and I are reading a novel by one of our favorite people who just happens to be one of our favorite writers.

The incomparable Louise Penny.

It's no surprise to me when Louise Penny's newest novels win a multitude of awards.  

The accolades keep coming, and deservedly so.

You can see reviews and awards for Glass Houses at Ms. Penny's webpage.  It's a pretty impressive list!

"Glass Houses"

When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. And finally, watching the unmoving figure, a pall settles over the pretty Québec village.

Months later, on a steamy July day as the trial for the accused begins in Montreal, Chief Superintendent Gamache continues to struggle with actions he set in motion that bitter November, from which there is no going back. More than the accused is on trial. Gamache's own conscience is standing in judgement.

Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post
"….No other writer…writes like Penny….Her characters are distilled to their essences. The stylistic result is that a Gamache mystery reads a bit like an incantatory epic poem....It takes nerve and skill - as well as heart - to write mysteries like this."

Richmond Times-Dispatch
"With grace and insight…Penny has pushed the boundaries of the genre with each novel, and 'Glass Houses' takes them still further….And she does so with compassion, decency and love as she depicts evil, exalts courage and neither flinches nor preaches as she confronts moral ambiguities-and the health and sickness within each soul."

Listen.

and enjoy . . . 

From Inside My Book Fort - - - "Downtown" by Anne Rivers Siddons

WELCOME TO THE BOOK FORT!

Today Annabelle and I are reading another old fave.

"Downtown" by the incomparable Anne Rivers Siddons.


I'm a fan of a lot of southern writers, but as far as I'm concerned, they all follow in Mr. Siddons' footsteps, and she set that bar high.


I moved to Atlanta during the time "Downtown" takes place.  Reading it today, all these years later, I can say to you that "Yes.  This is how it was."


The good and the bad - Anne Rivers Siddons gets it just right.


"The year is 1966, a time of innocence, possibility,and freedom. And for Atlanta, the country, and one woman making her way in a changing world, nothing will be the same . . ."

From Inside My Book Fort - - - Sarah Addison Allen's "The Sugar Queen"

Welcome to the book fort!

Today we'll be reading from Sarah Addison Allen's "The Sugar Queen."


"Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night. . . . Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother."

"Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love—and the enchanting possibilities of every new day."


I adore Sarah Addison Allen's work.  When I read more than one person's review of my "Whimsey" comparing it to work done by Ms. Allen, it was the greatest compliment I could ever have hoped to receive.


Take a listen to this excerpt, and enjoy!

From Inside My Book Fort - - - Christine Mangan's "Tangerine"

Welcome to the book fort!

Today's reading is from "Tangerine" by Christine Mangan.

A tightly wound debut that will leave you breathless * Evening Standard * A satisfying, juicy thriller . . . knows all the notes to hit to create lush, sinister atmosphere and to prolong suspense * New York Times * The plot unfolds as a cross between The Talented Mr Ripley and The Girl on the Train * Telegraph * Atmospheric . . . echoes of other writers, most notably Patricia Highsmith, are ever present * Sunday Times * A helluva tense read . . . Tangerine by Christine Mangan doesn't disappoint * Sunday Telegraph * An assured and atmospheric debut * Guardian * It is an accomplished, ominous, evocative tale of spiralling obsession, skilfully pulled off -- Alison Flood * Observer * A taut, brilliant thriller set in 50s Morocco; perfect escapism * Emerald Street * Like Highsmith, Tartt and Flynn, the author excels in portraying the troubled boundaries between selves through themes of obsession, stalking and otherwise crossing the line in close relationships . . . engages the reader to the bitter end -- Anita Sethi * Independent i * Assured and atmospheric * Guardian * A plot as twisty as the streets of its dazzling Tangier setting * Daily Mail * Riveting . . . unputdownable -- Melissa Katsoulis * The Times * The shade of Patricia Highsmith hangs over this sinister and serpentine thriller that really got me by the throat . . . a riveting tale of obsessive love -- Fanny Blake * Woman & Home * Atomospheric . . . If The Talented Mr Ripley was recast with female leads and transplanted to Tangier, it might read a lot like Tangerine * Vogue * As if Donna Tartt, Gillian Flynn and Patricia Highsmith had collaborated in a screenplay to be filmed by Hitchcock - suspenseful and atmospheric -- Joyce Carol Oates

Enjoy!

From Inside My Book Fort - "A Snicker of Magic" by Natalie Lloyd

Welcome to the Book Fort!

Annabelle and I have been spending a lot of time in the book fort lately due to all the rain.

A good book is the perfect antidote for gloomy weather, and a book filled with magic tops the list.

Today we're reading from another of our all-time favorites, Natalie Lloyd's "A Snicker of Magic."

Do you love words?

Me, too!

And so does Felicity Pickle.



Do you sometimes find yourself jotting down words that you love?

Me, too!

And so does Felicity Pickle.


Felicity is also known to make up a word if there's not one that meets her requirements and  expectations.  Like "Spindiddly."  And some more just as brilliant.

And this is a spindiddly book - give it a try!

"Whimsical and bewitching ... hang on for the ride!" - New York Times Book Review

"From every angle, Lloyd's first novel sparkles and radiates warmth ... a reassuring, homespun story about self-expression and the magic that resides in one's mind and heart." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A delightful and inspiring debut ... As Felicity loves to say, 'Yes ... yes ... yes!'" - School Library Journal, starred review

From Amazon: "Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.

But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. A "word collector," Felicity sees words everywhere---shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears---but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home." And then there's Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity's never seen before, words that make Felicity's heart beat a little faster. "

ENJOY!

From Inside My Book Fort - - - "THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Welcome back to the book fort!

Today I'm sharing a snippet from one of the best books ever.

I wrote this about it here in Meanderings and Muses awhile back - http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/search?q=THE+GUERNSEY+LITERARY+AND+POTATO+PEEL+PIE+SOCIETY%22


And,

Here's what some others had to say about "THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY"  by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - - - 






The zany title of Mary Ann Shaffer's first and, alas, last novel derives from an invented book club on the island of Guernsey in the second world war. The club is invented by the resourceful character Elizabeth McKenna, who, bumping into a German patrol after curfew with a crowd of revellers, makes the society up on the spot. In reality, the tipsy party had been consuming forbidden roast pig at Amelia Maugery's. This is less a historical novel than a bibliophilic jeu d'esprit by an ex-librarian and bookseller, posthumously published, and completed by her niece Annie Barrows . . .   More here:  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/aug/09/fiction4


“Delightful . . . One of those joyful books that celebrates how reading brings people together.”—New Orleans Times-Picayune


“Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows have written a wondrous, delightful, poignant book— part Jane Austen, part history lesson. The letters aren't addressed to you, but they are meant for you. It's a book everyone should read. An absolute treasure.”—Sarah Addison Allen, author of Garden Spells

Enjoy!

From Inside My Book Fort - Lesa Holsltine Reads Robert James Waller's "The Bridges of Madison County"

Welcome Back!

Annabelle and I are happy to have Lesa back in the book fort for a visit.

Today she's reading an excerpt from Robert James Waller's "The Bridges of Madison County."






And - a little added bonus for your listening pleasure -





Thanks, Lesa!  Come back again soon!

From Inside My Book Fort - - "Lullaby Road" by James Anderson

Welcome to the Book Fort!

Today I'm reading from James Anderson's "Lullaby Road."

If you're a Meanderings and Muses regular, you already know this is one of my favorite authors.

I discovered his work quite by accident when I received a copy of his first Ben Jones novel, "The Never-Open Desert Diner," through NetGalley.com.

I think I requested it because of the title, but it took me all of maybe a paragraph or two to realize I had happened onto something quite special.

"Lullaby Road" is Mr. Anderson's second Ben Jones novel, and it too is pretty darn special.


Enjoy!

(note:  for some reason, the final two minutes ended up in a separate little video, all it's own - why?    NO idea . . .)

This is the link to an interview with James Anderson at Poisoned Pen Books -
https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/8028223


And -
Here's the trailer for Lullaby Road.  

It is simply and elegantly beautiful.   

Once you watch, you're never going to be able to resist reading the book -

From Inside My Book Fort - - - "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Hi!

Welcome to the book fort.

Today we're reading a passage from Gabrielle Zevin's delightful novel, "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry."

Another of my favorite books.

If you're a lover of books, then you're also a lover of bookstores.  I think you'll want to give this one a try if you haven't already.

A.J. Fikry is a lover of books and the grumpy owner of a bookstore on Alice Island.

If you've already read it and love it as much as I do, I hope you'll enjoy the passage I've chosen.


From the book jacket, "As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love."

Dru Ann Love reads J.D. Robb's "Naked in Death"

I am so pleased to have another of my very favorite people here visiting today.

Having your very own book fort is huge fun!  I get to visit with people I just don't get an opportunity to see nearly often enough.

And Annabelle is very happy to see her Auntie Dru!

The reclusive figure of Dru Ann Love reportedly spends her working hours at the mysterious daytime situation doing “research.”

Her non-working hours are spent less reclusively on her blog, dru’s book musings.

She is an avid reader and is happy to be in “her element” within the mystery community.

In 2017, Dru Ann attended a record 5 mystery conferences: Left Coast Crime, Malice Domestic, Deadly Ink, Bouchercon, New England Crime Bake.

Dru Ann was a panelist at the MWA New York Chapter/Fiction Writer’s Conference, held in Stamford, Connecticut, 2017.

Dru Ann is a 2017 MWA Raven Award recipient and was nominated for a 2015 Anthony Award for her website, dru’s book musings. Website: https://drusbookmusing.com/

Dru is another friend who is known by everyone in the mystery community, and helps it be the special group that it is.

Enjoy Dru Ann's reading of a passage from J.D. Robb's first Eve Dallas & Roarke novel - Naked in Death, which is so very fitting seeing as how she's Eve & Roarke's #1 fan.

Dru Ann is one of the people responsible for having me hooked on J.D. Robb.  When I finally paid attention and picked up Naked in Death, I was immediately hooked and started grabbing and gobbling each of the books in order until I'm now caught up and waiting for the next in the series.

So, thank you Dru Ann, for introducing me to one of the best series being written today.  There are enough J.D. Robb fans to prove this to be a true statement.

"I remember the first time I met Kaye - all I saw was those red boots - and that, my friend Kaye, is always adventurous."

Bouchercon Raleigh 2015

From Inside My Book Fort - - - "Folly" by Laurie R. King

Welcome to my book fort.

Today Annabelle and I are reading "Folly" by Laurie R. King

Folly is one of my favorite books ever.


 I think it's an important beautifully written story about survival.  Hope.  Strength.

Protagonist Rae Newborn is a woman I will long remember.  She "has come to Folly Island, far out in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, to rebuild her life by building a house."


I hope you enjoy this passage

me, Val McDermid and Laurie King
Baltimore Bouchercon 2008

From Inside My Book Fort - David Magayna

I am tickled pink to have my good friend David Magayna here visiting the book fort today.


Annabelle wants to know, "Where's Marcie?!"





David has been hanging around the mystery community for a while now. He wrote “The Sounds of Mystery” audio book review column for Mystery News and for several years reviewed for Deadly Pleasures.

David served on the Bouchercon Board for over six years, spending two terms as Chair. He’s been around so long his hair has turned grey while we weren’t paying attention. He continues to volunteer for Bouchercon.

David has hosted authors at library events, has lead a mystery discussion group, and enjoys being an advocate for the mystery genre and its purveyors of thrilling crime fiction.

He’s recently joined the board of the Annapolis Shakespeare Company. In today’s entry, David combines his love for crime fiction and theater (especially Shakespeare). He hopes you enjoy The Macbeth Murder Mystery by James Thurber.

Bouchercon 2016 - New Orleans

From Inside My Book Fort - - - "Still Life" by Louise Penny

It's another snowy day here in Meat Camp.  

Perfect for spending some time inside my book fort reading.

Today Annabelle and I will be reading from Louise Penny's first novel, "Still Life."

Enjoy!

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The residents of a tiny Canadian village called Three Pines are shocked when the body of Miss Jane Neal is found in the woods. Miss Neal, the village's retired schoolteacher and a talented amateur artist, has been a good friend to most of the townsfolk, so her loss is keenly felt. At first, her death appears to be a tragic accident--it's deer-hunting season, and it looks a stray hunter's arrow killed her. But some folks are suspicious, and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Montreal Surete is called in to investigate. Accompanying Gamache are his loyal assistant Beauvoir and Yvette Nichol, a new addition to Gamache's team. The trio soon finds that the seemingly peaceful, friendly village hides dark secrets. The truth is both bizarre and shocking, even to the jaded Gamache and his team. This is a real gem of a book that slowly draws the reader into a beautifully told, lyrically written story of love, life, friendship, and tragedy.

2009

From Inside My Book Fort - - - Lesa Holstine

I am so pleased to have one of my very favorite people here visiting me in my book fort today.

And Annabelle is very happy to see her Auntie Lesa!

Is there anyone in the book world who does not know my friend, Lesa Holstine?

She's well-known, loved and respected in the mystery community, but also in wider literary circles.

Lesa can be found on Twitter every Thursday from 12-1 PM ET, participating in #AskaLibrarian, as librarians suggest books for eager readers. 

She's the author of the "Mystery Fiction" chapter in Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interest (7th ed).

She is the long time Mistress of Lesa's Book Critiques. 

She's also the blogger for The Poisoned Pen bookstore, www.poisonedpen.com. 

In her "spare" time, Lesa reads and reviews mysteries for Library Journal's monthly "Mystery & Suspense" column.

AND, the woman loves to travel.

(She's a delightful roomie.  We've shared rooms at the Bouchercon hotels in Raleigh and New Orleans, and in an apartment in Paris - who knows where next?!).

Now - ta da . . .

Here's Lesa (and Jinx) reading one of her favorite passages -  Enjoy!