Category: Tour-TLC Book Tours-2009

PUB DATE: July 29,2008 (Hardcover)

Paperback Date: August 18,2009

I have to send a huge thank you to Trish and TLC Book Tours for allowing me to be on this tour.

I had this book on my TBR pile since late last summer and I never got to read it so this was a perfect time to take it down of the shelf and read it.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
In the tradition of The Thirteenth Tale, Brunonia Barry’s bewitching gothic novel, The Lace Reader, is a phenomenon. Called “[a] richly imagined saga of passion, suspense, and magic” by Time Magazine, it is a haunting and remarkable tale told by an unforgettable, if strangely unreliable narrator—a woman from an enigmatic Salem family who can foretell the future in patterns of lace. The Lace Reader was a runaway New York Times bestseller—hitting the top lists in major cities across the country, from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles—and has immediately established debut author Brunonia Barry as a major force in contemporary American fiction.

Book Description
Every gift has a price . . .
Every piece of lace has a secret . . .
My name is Towner Whitney. No, that’s not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time. . . .

Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator of The Lace Reader, hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations, but the disappearance of two women brings Towner home to Salem and the truth about the death of her twin sister to light.

The Lace Reader is a mesmerizing tale that spirals into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths in which the reader quickly finds it’s nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction, but as Towner Whitney points out early on in the novel, “There are no accidents.”

MY THOUGHTS:
I have to admit I didn’t know what to expect when I started to read the book. With an opening line like this:

My name is Towner Whitney. No, that’s not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time.

It was that line that hooked me into the book. I had a hard time to put the book down and ended up devouring the book in a two day span and that was only because I read this while I was on vacation other wise I am sure I would have read it in a day.

The book takes place in Salem, Massachusetts.

The main character Towner has flown in from California when her brother calls to let her know that Aunt Eva is missing. Towner hasn’t been back to Salem for over a decade and is very reluctant to be back. Towner is staying at her Great Aunt Eva’s house. Towner begins to have visions of past happenings and she also gets visits from Eva’s ghost. At first she thinks they are real until they find her aunts body and she knows differently now.

We begin to see Towner struggling with second-guessing herself because she isn’t sure whether she is going crazy again or if she is really experiencing the events. We discover that Towner was hospitalized after having suffered from depression and hallucinations at the age of 17. Her twin sister had committed suicide just before Towner was hospitalized. She has memory gaps that were caused from the shock-therapy she’d received as part of treatment.

Even though the book is mainly told my Towner, there is also another person who tells some of the story and that is Rafferty (a police officer) and he is involved because he is investing the disappearance of Eva who has turned into a friend to Rafferty.

What really happens? How much is believable and how much is a lie?

This was a great read with a little bit of mystery and love. I love that each chapter began with The Lace Readers Guide. Another thing I enjoyed was the cliches that were said that Aunt Eva use to say, such as “He’s crazy as a loon.”, “Two bricks shy of a load.” and “Not the sharpest tool in the shed.” and many more.

This is Brunonia Barry’s debut novel.

You can see the trailer for the book and other stuff here: The Lace Reader

Soon, LaceReader.com will also have a downloadable t-shirt iron-on design and printable signage for booksellers.

In the September issue of Book Page Contest, there will be a sweepstakes in which the grand prize is a trip for two to Salem, two nights at The Hawthorne Hotel, and a guided Lace Reader tour of Salem with Brunonia. (US only)

Brunonia Barry is going on tour again, and here’s her schedule:
9/8 – Bellingham, WA – Village Books – Reading and Signing
9/10 – Oakland – A Great Good Place for Books – Reading and Signing
9/12 – San Mateo – M is for Mystery…and More – Reading and Signing
9/14 – Los Angeles – Vroman’s Bookstore – Reading and Signing
9/15—Edwards, CO – VIP Customer Book Club Event
9/20—Andover, MA – Meet the Author Benefit for PATHS
10/12 Mequon, WI Next Chapter Bookshop
10/13 Dallas, TX Legacy Books10/20 – Lexington, MA Library
10/22- Swampscott, MA Library10/27- Destination Salem Lunch, Hampton Falls Library
11/18th 10 AM, Exeter Library, Exeter, NH.

Here are some upcoming virtual blog tours of The Lace Reader:
-Sept 3/09 http://www.eclecticbooklover.com/
-Sept 4/09 http://shhhimreading.blogspot.com/
-Sept 7/09 http://literatehousewife.com/
-Sept 9/09 http://bookopolis.blogspot.com/

PUB DATE: June 2009

I have to say Thank You to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for allowing me to be a part of the tour for Two Years, No Rain.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

An earnest journey from heartache to heartthrob and all the emotions along the way; at once an old-fashioned love story and a cautionary tale of self-reinvention.

In San Diego County, it hasn’t rained in 580 days. But for weatherman Andy Dunne, everything else is changing fast…Only a few weeks ago, he was a newly divorced, slightly overweight meteorologist for an obscure satellite radio station, hiding his secret love for a colleague, the beautiful—and very much married—Hillary Hsing. But nearly overnight, Andy has landed a new gig, flying a magic carpet in a bizarre live-action children’s TV show. So what is affable, basically decent Andy Dunne going to do now that he can do practically anything he wants? With a parade of hot moms begging for his autograph and a family that needs his help more than ever, Andy has a lot of choices. First, though, there’s this thing with Hillary, their heated text messages, a long-awaited forecast for rain – and a few other surprises he never saw coming.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have to admit I was gushing when I opened Two Years, No Rain to read for two reasons, one this book sounded really good when I heard about it and the second was that it was a signed copy. I always get excited when I discover a book that is sent is a signed copy.

Shawn is a new to me author. He wrote Jessica Z last year. After reading Two Years, No Rain I am really excited to pick you Jessica Z to read. Perhaps in the very near future a review of it will appear on this blog.

I really enjoyed reading Two Years, No Rain and right now I would be willing to send them all the rain we have been having.

Andy is a 30 something guy, newly divorced (living in a house with not furniture) and works at a satellite radio station reporting the weather. Although right now with two years of no rain and nothing in site Andy is having a hard time to report the weather Southern California.

When is love interest Hillary (they have been friends) tells him about a voice audition that is happening he is reluctant at first but with her persuasion he agrees to make a demo and go to the audition. Before Andy realizes it he is hired as the host of the children’s show. Which is perfect because at the satellite radio station there is cutbacks and he looses his job.

Andy is trying to deal with his failed marriage and his ex-wife’s affair that ended the marriage. Andy is also a family man who cares about his family as he tries to help his sister and her family because her husband is a chaplain who is in the war. He takes Hannah, his niece under his wing because Hannah and her mother are constantly fighting and everyone agrees that being able to have another place to crash whenever Hannah needs it is a good thing. He is also still grieving the loss of his twin brother.

As the book progresses we see that Andy and Hillary (who’s unfortunately married) relationship begin to form. Its all just casual flirting by text and phone calls until her husband discovers this and tells Andy to back off. Which they do but then a chance at going to Hong Kong arises, will Andy take Hillary with him? Will this relationship have a chance to blossom like the rosebush Hannah planted in her uncles yard?

I loved Andy he was just your typical guy next door that you would fall in love with. You couldn’t help but root for him throughout the book and hoped that he would come out on top in the end.

Another thing I loved about the book was “When the world ends, the readers will be spared. You and I will be spared, together, just because we cherish books.” Isn’t that a great quote?

Here are some other bloggers who are taking part in this tour:

July 30th (Thursday) Raging Bibliomania
August 3rd (Monday) Chic Book Chick
August 4th (Tuesday) Planet Books
August 10th (Monday) Book Worm with a View
August 12th (Wednesday) Starting Fresh
August 13th (Thursday) Alea Pop Culture
August 18th (Tuesday) Books on the Brain
August 20th (Thursday) Book-a-rama

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After growing up in the midwest, Shawn Klomparens moved to the Northern Rockies in 1994 for what he thought would be a one-year break from graduate studies. Grad school was quickly forgotten for the mountains, though, and in the fifteen years since he’s worked as a bicycle mechanic, line cook, computer geek, and writer. He continues to live and write in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with his wife and two children.
His debut novel, Jessica Z, came out in 2008. Two Years, No Rain is his second book.

You can check out Shawn’s site here.