Fifteen top literary works on lust

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Kathryn Williams came up with a list of fifteen notable works on lust. One book she tagged:

Little Children, by Tom Perrotta

The bored housewife has found her way from the countryside to the suburban poolside, but she’s still looking for meaning—or at least diversion—in illicit “play” dates.

Read about another entry on the list. 

Little Children is among Rebecca Jane Stokes's eight fictional women who stood by their men and Sonja Lyubomirsky's six top books that examine the idea of happiness.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Drew Perry's "Kids These Days"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: Kids These Days by Drew Perry.

About the book, from the publisher:

Walter and Alice are expecting their first baby, but their timing is a bit off: Walter, once a successful loan officer, has been unexpectedly downsized.They’ve had to relocate to Florida so that they can live rent-free—in Alice’s deceased aunt’s condo. When Alice’s brother-in-law Mid offers Walter a job, he literally can’t refuse. But what he doesn’t know—about the nature of the job, about the depth of Mid’s shady dealings, about what he’s really supposed to be doing—far outweighs what he does know. And soon enough, things escalate so out of control that Walter is riding shotgun with Mid in a bright yellow Camaro—chased by the police.

Drew Perry paints a landscape of weird and beautiful Florida and its inhabitants—all wholly original and hilarious, and utterly believable. And at the center is a portrait of a father-to-be who is paralyzed by the idea of taking responsibility for another human life when he can’t seem to manage his own. Kids These Days takes perfect aim at the two sides of impending fatherhood—abject terror and unconditional love.

Visit Drew Perry's website and Facebook page.

The Page 69 Test: Kids These Days.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five of the best maritime novels

Horatio Clare (1973 - ) is a writer, radio producer and journalist. His latest book is Down to the Sea in Ships.

One of his five favorite maritime novels, as shared with the Telegraph:

Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick (1851) is wonderfully strange, rich and transporting, and both a comfort and a warning to all who write for a living. On publication the reviewers said it was so bad Melville should have been ashamed of the waste of paper.

Read about another book on the list.

Moby-Dick also appears among the Telegraph's ten great meals in literature, Brenda Wineapple's six favorite books, Scott Greenstone's top seven allegorical novels, Paul Wilson's top ten books about disability, Lynn Shepherd's ten top fictional drownings, Peter Murphy's top ten literary preachers, Penn Jillette's six favorite books, Peter F. Stevens's top ten nautical books, Katharine Quarmby's top ten disability stories, Jonathan Evison's six favorite books, Bella Bathurst's top 10 books on the sea, John Mullan's lists of ten of the best nightmares in literature and ten of the best tattoos in literature, Susan Cheever's five best books about obsession, Christopher Buckley's best books, Jane Yolen's five most important books, Chris Dodd's best books, Augusten Burroughs' five most important books, Norman Mailer's top ten works of literature, David Wroblewski's five most important books, Russell Banks' five most important books, and Philip Hoare's top ten books about whales.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Phillip M. Margolin reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Phillip M. Margolin, author of Worthy Brown's Daughter.

His entry begins:

I am addicted to reading and I usually read one to three books a week. I also read books of all types. Not long ago I read Master of the Senate, book three of Robert Caro’s Lyndon Johnson biography. All three books are riveting and...[read on]

About Worthy Brown's Daughter, from the publisher:

Inspired by a true story, New York Times bestselling author Phillip Margolin turns his hand to historical fiction in this masterful saga about justice in the American West.

Like thousands of other Americans in the nineteenth century, Matthew Penny, a young lawyer, believes that he and his wife, Rachel, can forge a better future out West. But after she drowns on the Oregon Trail, Matthew arrives on the frontier with nothing but shattered dreams. Unable to face the memories that await back home, he joins the handful of lawyers practicing in Portland, Oregon—which in 1860 is just a riverfront town in a state less than a year old.

Worthy Brown, a slave from Georgia, journeys west with his master, Caleb Barbour, who promises to reward Worthy and his daughter, Roxanne, with their freedom if they help him establish a homestead in Oregon. When Barbour reneges on his pledge, Worthy’s hope for a fresh start with his child is destroyed.

In the hands of critically acclaimed thriller writer Phillip Margolin, the fates of these desperate men intertwine in a breathtaking narrative about the extent of evil and the high price of true justice. Matthew and Worthy decide to challenge Barbour in court, but events rapidly spiral out of their control and the stakes become higher than either of them could ever have imagined. And when Matthew, struggling to survive in the cutthroat, corrupt world of frontier law, crosses paths with Heather Gillette, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy Portland businessman, his grief-stricken existence is turned upside down, and suddenly he has everything to fight for.

Over two decades in the writing, Worthy Brown’s Daughter is a compelling white-knuckle drama about two broken men risking everything for what they believe in. Powerfully evocative of time and place, woven through with rich historical detail, it charts new territory for Margolin—but its epic, deeply human scope is still defined by the suspense and energy his fans have come to expect from his books.

Visit Phillip Margolin's website and Facebook page.

Read: "You might enjoy Phillip Margolin's new novel if...".

Writers Read: Phillip M. Margolin.

--Marshal Zeringue

Alison McQueen's "Under The Jewelled Sky," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: Under The Jewelled Sky by Alison McQueen.

The entry begins:

Under The Jewelled Sky is a tragic tale of love and loss set in the dying embers of the British Raj. The story unravels the fragile construct of a severely dysfunctional British family and watches its slow disintegration in the wake of World War II and the subsequent partition of India.

There are some great characters in the novel – juicy roles an actor can really get their teeth into. I would be tempted to cast Jude Law as the palace physician Dr Schofield – he’s old enough now to take on the part and I think it would suit him well. For his vexatious wife, I’m thinking Helena Bonham Carter. Richard E. Grant would make the perfect Mr Ripperton, aide to the Maharaja, and the role of his eccentric wife, Fiona Ripperton, would go to...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Alison McQueen's website.

My Book, The Movie: Under The Jewelled Sky.

--Marshal Zeringue

Six notable marriage proposals in literature

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Jill Boyd tagged six memorable marriage proposals in literature. One entry on the list:

THE CAVEAT

Florentino’s proposal to Fermina (Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

This ranks as memorable not because of the content of the proposal—we are not actually told exactly what Florentino writes in the letter to Fermina asking her to marry him—but rather because of Fermina’s response to it. Months after receiving the correspondence, she finally writes back: “Very well, I will marry you if you promise not to make me eat eggplant.” A proposal predicated upon such a condition may not scream romance, but I applaud her practicality. In fact, re-reading this chapter has made me regret not attaching my own marriage caveat, a la “I will marry you…if you promise not to make me eat anything I cook.”

Read about another entry on the list. 

Love in the Time of Cholera also made the Christian Science Monitor's list of six novels about grand passions, Ann Brashares' six favorite books list, and Marie Arana's list of the best books about love; it is one of Hugh Thomson’s top ten books on South American journeys.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: April Smith's "A Star for Mrs. Blake"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: A Star for Mrs. Blake by April Smith.

About the book, from the publisher:

The United States Congress in 1929 passed legislation to fund travel for mothers of the fallen soldiers of World War I to visit their sons’ graves in France. Over the next three years, 6,693 Gold Star Mothers made the trip. In this emotionally charged, brilliantly realized novel, April Smith breathes life into a unique moment in American history, imagining the experience of five of these women.

They are strangers at the start, but their lives will become inextricably intertwined, altered in indelible ways. These very different Gold Star Mothers travel to the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery to say final good-byes to their sons and come together along the way to face the unexpected: a death, a scandal, and a secret revealed.

None of these pilgrims will be as affected as Cora Blake, who has lived almost her entire life in a small fishing village off the coast of Maine, caring for her late sister’s three daughters, hoping to fill the void left by the death of her son, Sammy, who was killed on a scouting mission during the final days of the war. Cora believes she is managing as well as can be expected in the midst of the Depression, but nothing has prepared her for what lies ahead on this unpredictable journey, including an extraordinary encounter with an expatriate American journalist, Griffin Reed, who was wounded in the trenches and hides behind a metal mask, one of hundreds of “tin noses” who became symbols of the war.

With expert storytelling, memorable characters, and beautiful prose, April Smith gives us a timeless story, by turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, set against a footnote of history––little known, yet unforgettable.

Visit April Smith's website.

My Book, The Movie: A Star for Mrs. Blake.

Writers Read: April Smith.

The Page 69 Test: A Star for Mrs. Blake.

--Marshal Zeringue

Coffee with a canine: Kristin Bailey & Jake

Featured at Coffee with a Canine: Kristin Bailey & Jake.

The author, on how Jake came into her life:

I had a dream one night that I went to the animal shelter and adopted three animals. The first was a wildebeest named Mocha, then there was a wallaby, but I can't remember what his name was. It was something distinguished though, like Thornsby, and then there was a beautiful black dog with a small white spot on his chest. His name was Jake.

The following Saturday, my husband and I were driving past a pet shop. He asked me if I needed anything, thinking we might need cat food. I said, "Yes!" so he turned. Then he asked me what we needed, and I said, "A puppy!"

He humored me and as it happened the pet shop was doing a shelter adoption event that day, I walked in and saw a little black ball of fluff with a small white spot on his chest and I knew. I shouted...[read on]

About Kristin Bailey's new novel, Rise of the Arcane Fire, from the publisher:

Mysteries of Meg’s past and threats to her future are revealed in the second book in The Secret Order trilogy, set in steampunk Victorian London.

After her parents died in a fire and her grandfather disappeared, Meg Whitlock thought her life had come to a standstill. But when she learned that the pocket watch her grandfather left her was really an intricate key, Meg, with the help of a stable hand named Will, uncovered the Amusementists: members of an elite secret society dedicated to discovery and shrouded in mystery.

Now the Amusementists are convening in London, and Meg is determined to join their ranks. But being the first girl in the Order has its difficulties, and with Will away in Scotland, Meg fears she can’t trust anyone but herself. Her worries are only supported by the sabotage happening at the academy, with each altered invention being more harmful than the last.

With threats lurking around every corner, and while trying to prove her worth as the first female Amusementist, Meg must uncover the identity of the academy’s saboteur before the botched devices become deadly. And after she finds evidence of a sinister and forbidden invention, Meg must stop it—or risk the entire future of the Amusementists.

Visit Kristin Bailey's website and Facebook page.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Kristin Bailey & Jake.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Martin Breaugh's "The Plebeian Experience"

Featured at the Page 99 Test: The Plebeian Experience: A Discontinuous History of Political Freedom by Martin Breaugh.

About the book, from the publisher:

How do people excluded from political life achieve political agency? Through a series of historical events that have been mostly overlooked by political theorists, Martin Breaugh identifies fleeting yet decisive instances of emancipation in which people took it upon themselves to become political subjects. Emerging during the Roman plebs’s first secession in 494 BCE, the plebeian experience consists of an underground or unexplored configuration of political strategies to obtain political freedom. The people reject domination through political praxis and concerted action, therefore establishing an alternative form of power.

Breaugh’s study concludes in the nineteenth century and integrates ideas from sociology, philosophy, history, and political science. Organized around diverse case studies, his work undertakes exercises in political theory to show how concepts provide a different understanding of the meaning of historical events and our political present. The Plebeian Experience describes a recurring phenomenon that clarifies struggles for emancipation throughout history, expanding research into the political agency of the many and shedding light on the richness of radical democratic struggles from ancient Rome to Occupy Wall Street and beyond.

Learn more about The Plebeian Experience at the Columbia University Press website.

The Page 99 Test: The Plebeian Experience.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten top locked-room mysteries

Adrian McKinty's novels include Dead I Well May Be, Fifty Grand, Falling Glass, and the Detective Sean Duffy novels:The Cold Cold Ground, I Hear the Sirens in the Street), and the newly released In the Morning I'll Be Gone. Born and raised in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, McKinty was called "the best of the new generation of Irish crime novelists" in the Glasgow Herald.

He named his top ten locked-room mysteries for the Guardian, including:

The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr (1935)

Someone breaks into Professor Grimaud's study, kills him and leaves, with the only door to the room locked from the inside, and with people present in the hall outside the room. The ground below the window is covered with unbroken snow. All the elements are balanced just right in this, the best of Dickson Carr's many locked-room problems.

Read about another entry on the list.

Visit Adrian McKinty's blog.

See McKinty's list of the 10 best lady detectives.

The Page 69 Test: Fifty Grand.

--Marshal Zeringue

Lucille Lang Day’s "Married at Fourteen," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: Married at Fourteen by Lucille Lang Day.

The entry begins:

I was a juvenile delinquent, adolescent bride, and teen mother in the 1960s. Married at Fourteen tells about running away at 13, marrying at 14, having my first child at 15, divorcing my husband at 16, marrying him again at 17, and leaving him again at 18 because he didn’t want me to go back to school. After we separated the second time, I finished high school in three semesters and two summer sessions and was admitted to the University of California, Berkeley, when I was 19.

My thoughts about the movie:

Director: My choice would be  Stephen Frears, who did a wonderful job with Philomena, another movie about a woman who gave birth as a teenager. Philomena deals compassionately with Philomena in both her youth and her old age. Frears understood that a teenager can love her child as deeply as any other mother does. Moreover, he saw humor as well as tragedy in telling Philomena’s story. In my own story, there was humor in my awful relationship with my mother and in my disappointments with my husband, Mark. My mother was so overprotective that she never let me take swimming lessons for fear I would drown, yet she let me get married at 14. This is both horrible and funny. On my 16th birthday, I got all dressed up expecting a surprise party, but my surprise was that I spent the evening watching my husband work on his car. One can laugh and cry about things like this, and I would not want a director who missed the laughter.

Cast:

Lucy: Abigail...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Lucille Lang Day's website and follow her on Twitter.

The Page 99 Test: Married at Fourteen.

My Book, The Movie: Married at Fourteen.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Steve Sheinkin reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Steve Sheinkin, author of The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights.

His entry begins:

As usual, a lot of what I’m reading is related to the subject I’m trying to research for my next book, these days the Vietnam era. I’ve been working through the massive RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon, and, no kidding, it’s pretty good, far better than LBJ’s memoir. Of course it’s not a complete picture of the man, but Nixon doesn’t shy away from describing moments of defeat and embarrassment, and even shows flashes of insight into his own troubled character.

At night or while traveling, when I pick up books for fun, they’re often...[read on]

About The Port Chicago 50, from the publisher:

An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin.

On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution.

This is a fascinating story of the prejudice that faced black men and women in America's armed forces during World War II, and a nuanced look at those who gave their lives in service of a country where they lacked the most basic rights.

Visit Steve Sheinkin's website.

Writers Read: Steve Sheinkin.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Megan Shepherd's "Her Dark Curiosity"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd.

About the book, from the publisher:

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now back in London, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau's horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father's creations may have also made it off the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we'll go to save them from themselves.

Visit Megan Shepherd's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Her Dark Curiosity.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven top bromances in literature

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Becky Ferreira tagged her top seven bromances in literature, including:

Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series

This tearjerker of a bromance proves that behind every great hobbit is a seriously devoted gardener. Frodo is the “chosen one” in the series, selected by Gandalf to destroy Sauron’s ring. But when all is said and done, Frodo is nothing without his best friend. It’s Sam’s determination and support that ultimately brings Mount Doom crashing to the ground.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Lord of the Rings also made Nicole Hill's list of eleven of the most eccentric relatives in fiction, Nicole Hill's top seven list of literary wedding themes, Charlie Jane Anders's list of fifteen moments from science fiction and fantasy that will make absolutely anyone cry, Elizabeth Wein's top ten list of dynamic duos in fiction, Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders's list of the ten sources that inspired the dark storytelling of Game of Thrones, Rob Bricken's list of 11 preposterously manly fantasy series, Conrad Mason's top ten list of magical objects in fiction, Linus Roache's six best books list, Derek Landy's top ten list of villains in children's books, Charlie Jane Anders and Michael Ann Dobbs' list of ten classic SF books that were originally considered failures, Lev Grossman's list of the six greatest fantasy books of all time, and appears on John Mullan's lists of ten of the best women dressed as men, ten of the best bows and arrows in literature, ten of the best beards in literature, ten of the best towers in literature, ten of the best volcanoes in literature, ten of the best chases in literature, and ten of the best monsters in literature. It is one of Salman Rushdie's five best fantasy novels for all ages. It is a book that made a difference to Pat Conroy.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kerry Schafer's "Wakeworld," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: Wakeworld by Kerry Schafer.

The entry begins:

Directed by Peter Jackson, who sets in play the best of the magical qualities he perfected in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, Wakeworld is a fantasy extravaganza. Stunning CGI effects bring to life the dragons in all of their lethal beauty, from the glory of flight to the individual shimmering rainbow of each individual scale. Incredible cinematography accurately captures the shifting landscapes of the Between, contrasting them with the colder reality of Wakeworld. Poe the penguin is fully realized by an exceptionally well trained bird who plays to the camera with endearing charm.

Movie stars were clamoring for the opportunity to act in this blockbuster, and after extensive consideration the following cast was selected.

Vivian: Emma...[read on]

Visit Kerry Schafer's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: Wakeworld.

My Book, The Movie: Wakeworld.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten of the best contemporary war novels

Adrian Bonenberger is a combat veteran who writes essays on military topics. His new memoir is Afghan Post.

At Publishers Weekly Bonenberger shared his list of ten of the best contemporary war novels, including:

Sparta by Roxana Robinson

A novel about the psychological toll of war, and how that can unravel even the most upstanding, idealistic soldier’s (or in this case, officer’s) life. Echoes of Lord Jim and Moby Dick from the protagonist’s perspective – reading this, I felt an immediate kinship with the novel’s hero, and watching him overcome the common symptoms associated with trauma in a war zone, I felt as though I was reliving my own struggles with PTSD.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Page 69 Test: Sparta.

Writers Read: Roxana Robinson.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Helen Smith's "Beyond Belief"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: Beyond Belief by Helen Smith.

About the book, from the publisher:

Only a future crimes investigator can beat a killer’s sleight of hand.

When famed psychic Perspicacious Peg foresees a murder at England’s Belief and Beyond conference, her science-minded colleagues recruit twenty-six-year-old Emily Castles to report on the event as a “future crimes investigator.” The likely victim: Edmund Zenon, the celebrated and outspoken magician planning a daring conference stunt—and offering fifty thousand pounds to anyone who can prove that the paranormal exists.

In the lovely seaside town of Torquay, Emily meets a colorful cast of characters: a dramatic fortune-teller, psychic dachshunds and their friendly owner, devastated parents mourning their late son, a small but fervent religious cult, and more. Tensions fly as science, the supernatural, and the spiritual clash. But once a body count begins, Emily must excuse herself from the conference’s séances and use old-fashioned detective work to find the killer.

Humor, horror, and British cream tea collide in Beyond Belief, an exciting and entertaining new Emily Castles mystery from Helen Smith.

Learn more about the book and author at Helen Smith's website, Twitter perch, or on Facebook.

My Book, The Movie: Beyond Belief.

The Page 69 Test: Beyond Belief.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Peter Godfrey-Smith's "Philosophy of Biology"

Featured at the Page 99 Test: Philosophy of Biology by Peter Godfrey-Smith.

About the book, from the publisher:

This is a concise, comprehensive, and accessible introduction to the philosophy of biology written by a leading authority on the subject. Geared to philosophers, biologists, and students of both, the book provides sophisticated and innovative coverage of the central topics and many of the latest developments in the field. Emphasizing connections between biological theories and other areas of philosophy, and carefully explaining both philosophical and biological terms, Peter Godfrey-Smith discusses the relation between philosophy and science; examines the role of laws, mechanistic explanation, and idealized models in biological theories; describes evolution by natural selection; and assesses attempts to extend Darwin's mechanism to explain changes in ideas, culture, and other phenomena. Further topics include functions and teleology, individuality and organisms, species, the tree of life, and human nature. The book closes with detailed, cutting-edge treatments of the evolution of cooperation, of information in biology, and of the role of communication in living systems at all scales.

Authoritative and up-to-date, this is an essential guide for anyone interested in the important philosophical issues raised by the biological sciences.

Learn more about Philosophy of Biology at Peter Godfrey-Smith's website.

The Page 99 Test: Philosophy of Biology.

--Marshal Zeringue

Nine knockout last lines in literature

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog, Chrissie Gruebel tagged nine of the best last lines in literature, including:

“So this is what everybody’s always talking about. Diablo! If only I’d known. The beauty! The beauty!”
—Oscar Wao, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Why it tears us up: The line is delivered posthumously (in a letter), and it just seems all the more sad that way. Wao’s all-too-brief life is unfair, and that fact is annoying.

Read about another line on the list.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao also appears among Alexia Nader's nine favorite books about unhappy families, Jami Attenberg's top six books with overweight protagonists, Brooke Hauser's six top books about immigrants, Sara Gruen's six favorite books, Paste magazine's list of the ten best debut novels of the decade (2000-2009), and The Millions' best books of fiction of the millenium. The novel is one of Matthew Kaminski's five favorite novels about immigrants in America and is a book that made a difference to Zoë Saldana.

The Page 99 Test: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Myke Cole reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Myke Cole, author of Breach Zone.

His entry begins:

I'm currently reading Naomi Novik's latest installment to her fabulous Temeraire series, Blood of Tyrants. The series reimagines the Napoleonic Wars with dragon mounted aerial corps on both sides of the conflict. Novik is a bona fide Jane Austen scholar, and her knowledge of the period shines through in the incredibly detailed authenticity of the pieces.

But the greatest strength of the series are the dragons, whose character is so compelling that it absolutely carries the story. Novik develops her dragons with every bit as much care as her humans, and it is in the intersection between the two that we see her writing at its best. She takes the existence of highly intelligent, morally developed, giant fighting reptiles and extrapolates to conclusions that are at once shocking and...[read on]

About Shadow Ops: Breach Zone, from the publisher:

The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began “coming up Latent,” developing terrifying powers—summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. Those who Manifest must choose: become a sheepdog who protects the flock or a wolf who devours it…

In the wake of a bloody battle at Forward Operating Base Frontier and a scandalous presidential impeachment, Lieutenant Colonel Jan Thorsson, call sign “Harlequin,” becomes a national hero and a pariah to the military that is the only family he’s ever known.

In the fight for Latent equality, Oscar Britton is positioned to lead a rebellion in exile, but a powerful rival beats him to the punch: Scylla, a walking weapon who will stop at nothing to end the human-sanctioned apartheid against her kind.

When Scylla’s inhuman forces invade New York City, the Supernatural Operations Corps are the only soldiers equipped to prevent a massacre. In order to redeem himself with the military, Harlequin will be forced to face off with this havoc-wreaking woman from his past, warped by her power into something evil…

Learn more about the book and author at Myke Cole's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

As a security con­tractor, gov­ern­ment civilian and mil­i­tary officer, Myke Cole’s career has run the gamut from Coun­tert­er­rorism to Cyber War­fare to Federal Law Enforcement. He’s done three tours in Iraq and was recalled to serve during the Deep­water Horizon oil spill.

My Book, The Movie: Control Point.

Writers Read: Myke Cole.

--Marshal Zeringue

Wiley Cash's "This Dark Road to Mercy," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash.

The entry begins:

This Dark Road to Mercy is about a washed-up minor league baseball player who kidnaps his two daughters from a foster home. Who would I cast in the movie? I'll do better than that; I'll tell you who I'd like to write the screenplay and direct it: Jeff Nichols. I'm a huge fan of his three films. The one I saw most recently was Mud, so, that being said, I'd cast Matthew McConaughey as the father, Wade Chesterfield, and I'd cast Michael...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Wiley Cash's website.

Writers Read: Wiley Cash (April 2012).

My Book, The Movie: A Land More Kind Than Home.

My Book, The Movie: This Dark Road to Mercy.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Kerry Schafer's "Wakeworld"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: Wakeworld by Kerry Schafer.

About the book, from the publisher:

Vivian Maylor is trying to hold it together. But her attempts to build a life with the man she loves seem doomed by the dragon inside her yearning to break free. Vivian is a dreamshifter, the last line of defense between reality and the dreamworld, and the only one of her kind.

Weston Jennings also believes he is the only one of his kind. He fears his powers as a dreamshifter, and resists learning to control them. After suffering a tragic loss, Weston heads deep into the woods of the Pacific Northwest to embrace a safe life of solitude. But when a terrible mistake leads to an innocent’s death, his guilt drives him to his former home, where he encounters what he never thought he would find: another shifter.

Now Vivian and Weston must work together to defeat a new threat to the dreamworld.

Visit Kerry Schafer's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: Wakeworld.

--Marshal Zeringue

Coffee with a canine: Tracy Weber & Tasha

Featured at Coffee with a Canine: Tracy Weber & Tasha.

The author, on how she and Tasha were united:

I got Tasha from a breeder when she was eight weeks old, but I first met her when she was a wee baby girl at just over three weeks old. It was love at first sight. A second visit when she was five weeks old confirmed it. If I’d had my way, I’d have...[read on]

About Murder Strikes a Pose, from the publisher:

Yoga instructor Kate Davidson tries to live up to yoga's Zen-like expectations, but it's not easy while struggling to keep her small business afloat or dodging her best friend's matchmaking efforts.

When George, a homeless alcoholic, and his loud, horse-sized German shepherd, Bella, start hawking newspapers outside her studio, Kate attempts to convince them to leave. Instead, the three strike up an unlikely friendship.

Then Kate finds George's dead body. The police dismiss it as a drug-related street crime, but Kate knows he was no drug dealer. Now she must solve George's murder and find someone willing to adopt his intimidating companion before Bella is sent to the big dog park in the sky. With the murderer on her trail, Kate has to work fast or her next Corpse Pose may be for real.

Visit Tracy Weber's website, blog, and Facebook page.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Tracy Weber and Tasha.

--Marshal Zeringue

Six top literary amusement parks

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Nicole Pasulka tagged six great books amusement parks in books, including:

The John Ceepak Jersey Shore mysteries, by Chris Grabenstein

The John Ceepak mysteries show us the seedy side of the Jersey Shore, which is refreshing for those who might be leery of all the nostalgia and warm fuzzies that come with books set in classic American amusement parks. The happier a place seems, the deeper its secrets, right? The narrator is a 24-year-old part-time cop named Danny Boyle, but the story’s all about Ceepak, an ex-soldier with plenty of demons. The first book in the series, Tilt-a-Whirl, is everything you’d want from a mystery: a billionaire, a kidnapping, and plenty of Bruce Springsteen references.

Read about another entry on the list.

 Read--Coffee with a Canine: Chris Grabenstein & Fred.

The Page 69 Test: Hell Hole.

The Page 99 Test: Mind Scrambler.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Arturo Sotomayor's "The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper"

Featured at the Page 99 Test: The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper: Civil-Military Relations and the United Nations by Arturo C. Sotomayor.

About the book, from the publisher:

The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper reevaluates how United Nations peacekeeping missions reform (or fail to reform) their participating members. It investigates how such missions affect military organizations and civil-military relations as countries transition to a more democratic system.

Two-thirds of the UN’s peacekeepers come from developing nations, many of which are transitioning to democracy as well. The assumption is that these "blue helmet" peacekeepers learn not only to appreciate democratic principles through their mission work but also to develop an international outlook and new ideas about conflict prevention. Arturo C. Sotomayor debunks this myth, arguing that democratic practices don’t just "rub off" on UN peacekeepers. So what, if any, benefit accrues to these troops from emerging democracies?

In this richly detailed study of a decade’s worth of research (2001–2010) on Argentine, Brazilian, and Uruguayan peacekeeping participation, Sotomayor draws upon international socialization theory and civil-military relations to understand how peacekeeping efforts impact participating armed forces. He asks three questions: Does peacekeeping reform military organizations? Can peacekeeping socialize soldiers to become more liberalized and civilianized? Does peacekeeping improve defense and foreign policy integration?

His evaluation of the three countries’ involvement in the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti reinforces his final analysis—that successful democratic transitions must include a military organization open to change and a civilian leadership that exercises its oversight responsibilities.

The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper contributes to international relations theory and to substantive issues in civil-military relations and comparative politics. It provides a novel argument about how peacekeeping works and further insight into how international factors affect domestic politics as well as how international institutions affect democratizing efforts.

Learn more about The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper at the the Johns Hopkins University Press website and Arturo C. Sotomayor's webpage.

The Page 99 Test: The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper.

--Marshal Zeringue

Top eleven+ Manic Pixie Dream Girls in fiction

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog, Lauren Passell tagged at least eleven of the best Manic Pixie Dream Girls [Passell explains the term: "In 2005, film critic Nathan Rabin coined the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl after seeing Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown, calling her 'that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.'"] in fiction, including:

Tiffany (The Silver Linings Play Book, by Matthew Quick)

Even if you only saw the movie, you get the gist. Tiffany is ballsy, promiscuous, and beautiful, and though she seems rough on the outside, she displays her inner softness by teaching Pat, a broken man, how to dance like nobody is watching, etc. And about love.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Silver Linings Playbook is among Jill Halfpenny's six best books, the Barnes & Noble Review's five top books on football, and the eight book adaptations that won 2013 Golden Globe awards.

The Page 69 Test: The Silver Linings Playbook.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Barbara Claypole White's "The In-Between Hour"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: The In-Between Hour by Barbara Claypole White.

About the book, from the publisher:

What could be worse than losing your child? Having to pretend he's still alive…

Bestselling author Will Shepard is caught in the twilight of grief, after his young son dies in a car accident. But when his father's aging mind erases the memory, Will rewrites the truth. The story he spins brings unexpected relief …until he's forced to return to rural North Carolina, trapping himself in a lie.

Holistic veterinarian Hannah Linden is a healer who opens her heart to strays but can only watch, powerless, as her grown son struggles with inner demons. When she rents her guest cottage to Will and his dad, she finds solace in trying to mend their broken world, even while her own shatters.

As their lives connect and collide, Will and Hannah become each other's only hope—if they can find their way into a new story, one that begins with love.

Learn more about the book and author at Barbara Claypole White's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: The In-Between Hour.

--Marshal Zeringue

Helen Smith's "Beyond Belief," the TV series

Featured at My Book, The Movie: Beyond Belief by Helen Smith.

The entry begins:

My Emily Castles series would make an entertaining TV series, somewhere between Murder She Wrote and Midsomer Murders. Emily is a twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth who lives in London. She teams up with her friend and neighbor, the eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel, to investigate the murders that take place in her adventures.

Emily is loosely based on my daughter Lauren—Emily has her sweet nature and her dark hair and dimples. Obvious choices to play her would be Carey Mulligan or...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Helen Smith's website, Twitter perch, or on Facebook.

My Book, The Movie: Beyond Belief.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Jenny Hubbard reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Jenny Hubbard, author of And We Stay.

Her entry begins:

A Long Way from Verona, by Jane Gardam.

A quirky, fresh coming-of-age story for adults, especially those who always knew they would grow up to be writers. It was first published in England in 1971 and reissued recently by Europa Editions, which has introduced me to a goldmine of foreign authors....[read on]

About And We Stay, from the publisher:

When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self.

This inventive story, told in verse and in prose, paints the aftermath of tragedy as a landscape where there is good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.

Learn more about the book and author at Jenny Hubbard's website.

Hubbard is a poet and playwright. Pat Conroy called Paper Covers Rock, her debut novel, “one of the best young-adult books [he's] read in years.”

My Book, The Movie: Paper Covers Rock.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Jenny Hubbard and Oliver.

My Book, The Movie: And We Stay.

Writers Read: Jenny Hubbard.

--Marshal Zeringue

Three of the best books on the Philippines

At the Guardian, Pushpinder Khaneka named three of the best books on the Philippines. One title on the list:

Illustrado by Miguel Syjuco

Syjuco's exuberant debut novel begins with the suspicious death in New York's Hudson river of a self-exiled Philippine literary legend, Crispin Salvador. A controversial figure at home, Salvador attracts as many enemies as fans. The manuscript of his final work – an expose of corruption among the Filipino ruling elite, which is also an attempt to settle scores with his critics – has vanished.

His acolyte, Miguel, decides to find out what really happened to his literary mentor and to track down the missing manuscript. The quest takes him back to his home town, Manila – also home to Salvador's greatest triumphs and tragedies.

Syjuco's evocative tale of modern Manila, spiced with philosophical musings and wry humour, leaps around Philippine culture, history and politics. The story is told through a multi-layered and dizzying array of sources: blogs, newspaper cuttings, extracts from Salvador's books, Miguel's own writings, and jokes.

The sprawling structure and style is sometimes overwhelming, but those who persevere will find the trip worthwhile.

Syjuco, born and raised in the Philippines, now lives in Canada. Illustrado won the Man Asian literary prize in 2008 while it was still an unpublished manuscript.

Read about another book on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Free book: "Love Water Memory"

Gallery Books and the Campaign for the American Reader are giving away a paperback copy of Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge.

HOW TO ENTER: (1) send an email to this address:

(2) In the subject line, type Love Water Memory.

(3) Include your name (or alias or whatever you wish to be called if I email you to tell you you've won the book) in the body of the email.

[I will not sell or share your email address; nor will I be in touch with you unless it is to tell you you have won the book.  I promise.]

Contest closes on Tuesday, February 11th.

Only one entry per person, please.

Winner must have a US mailing address.

Visit Jennie Shortridge's website, and read more about Love Water Memory.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Brendan Kiely's "The Gospel of Winter"

Featured at the Page 69 Test: The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely.

About the book, from the publisher:

A fearless debut novel about the restorative power of truth and love after the trauma of abuse.

As sixteen-year-old Aidan Donovan’s fractured family disintegrates around him, he searches for solace in a few bumps of Adderall, his father’s wet bar, and the attentions of his local priest, Father Greg—the only adult who actually listens to him.

When Christmas hits, Aidan’s world collapses in a crisis of trust when he recognizes the darkness of Father Greg’s affections. He turns to a crew of new friends to help make sense of his life: Josie, the girl he just might love; Sophie, who’s a little wild; and Mark, the charismatic swim team captain whose own secret agonies converge with Aidan’s.

The Gospel of Winter maps the ways love can be used as a weapon against the innocent—but can also, in the right hands, restore hope and even faith. Brendan Kiely’s unflinching and courageous debut novel exposes the damage from the secrets we keep and proves that in truth, there is power. And real love.

Learn more about the book and author at Brendan Kiely's website and Facebook page.

The Page 69 Test: The Gospel of Winter.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five books that play with fire

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Alexandra Silverman tagged five books for a pyromaniac's reading list, including:

The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson

Part two of Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy opens with everyone’s favorite bada%$ hacker as content/peaceful as she ever is—living in Grenada, spending the money she stole from Wennerström, studying math, spying on an abusive husband and sleeping with a 16-year-old beach orphan—before she’s pulled back into another dark, dangerous mystery replete with violent crime, sex trafficking and coverups. (Ya know, the usual.) This one, though, revolves around Lisbeth’s own dark, violent past of coverups and crime, and that fateful day long ago when she tossed a milk carton filled with gasoline into a car.

Read about another book on the list.

The Girl Who Played with Fire is one of Janet Suzman's 6 best books.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Noah Isenberg's "Edgar G. Ulmer"

Featured at the Page 99 Test: Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins by Noah Isenberg.

About the book, from the publisher:

Edgar G. Ulmer is perhaps best known today for Detour, considered by many to be the epitome of a certain noir style that transcends its B-list origins. But in his lifetime he never achieved the celebrity of his fellow Austrian and German émigré directors—Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, Fred Zinnemann, and Robert Siodmak. Despite early work with Max Reinhardt and F. W. Murnau, his auspicious debut with Siodmak on their celebrated Weimar classic People on Sunday, and the success of films like Detour and Ruthless, Ulmer spent most of his career as an itinerant filmmaker earning modest paychecks for films that have either been overlooked or forgotten. In this fascinating and well-researched account of a career spent on the margins of Hollywood, Noah Isenberg provides the little-known details of Ulmer’s personal life and a thorough analysis of his wide-ranging, eclectic films—features aimed at minority audiences, horror and sci-fi flicks, genre pictures made in the U.S. and abroad. Isenberg shows that Ulmer’s unconventional path was in many ways more typical than that of his more famous colleagues. As he follows the twists and turns of Ulmer’s fortunes, Isenberg also conveys a new understanding of low-budget filmmaking in the studio era and beyond.

Learn more about the book and author at Noah Isenberg's website.

The Page 99 Test: Edgar G. Ulmer.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven great YA titles that take place on the go

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog, Dahlia Adler tagged seven great YA titles that take place on the road, including:

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson

Amy and Roger aren’t exactly in happy places in life as they drive across the country from California to Connecticut—she’s mourning her recently deceased father, and he’s nursing a breakup—but they still manage to be a blast to backseat drive with. Matson supplements her already lovely writing with perfect pictures and playlists to bring the reader along for the ride, and the result is, well, epic.

Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is April Smith reading?

Featured at Writers Read: April Smith, author of A Star for Mrs. Blake.

Her entry begins:

I’d hate to tell you all the books I’ve abandoned over the past year. Not wanting to badmouth fellow authors, I won’t, but it is appalling how many novels peter out after fifty pages or compromise the ending because they’re poorly conceived from the beginning. It’s rare to finish one and be happy, but I did like the mind-blowing originality and twisted daring of Swamplandia by Karen Russell, and was a huge fan of...[read on]

About A Star for Mrs. Blake, from the publisher:

The United States Congress in 1929 passed legislation to fund travel for mothers of the fallen soldiers of World War I to visit their sons’ graves in France. Over the next three years, 6,693 Gold Star Mothers made the trip. In this emotionally charged, brilliantly realized novel, April Smith breathes life into a unique moment in American history, imagining the experience of five of these women.

They are strangers at the start, but their lives will become inextricably intertwined, altered in indelible ways. These very different Gold Star Mothers travel to the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery to say final good-byes to their sons and come together along the way to face the unexpected: a death, a scandal, and a secret revealed.

None of these pilgrims will be as affected as Cora Blake, who has lived almost her entire life in a small fishing village off the coast of Maine, caring for her late sister’s three daughters, hoping to fill the void left by the death of her son, Sammy, who was killed on a scouting mission during the final days of the war. Cora believes she is managing as well as can be expected in the midst of the Depression, but nothing has prepared her for what lies ahead on this unpredictable journey, including an extraordinary encounter with an expatriate American journalist, Griffin Reed, who was wounded in the trenches and hides behind a metal mask, one of hundreds of “tin noses” who became symbols of the war.

With expert storytelling, memorable characters, and beautiful prose, April Smith gives us a timeless story, by turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, set against a footnote of history––little known, yet unforgettable.

Visit April Smith's website.

My Book, The Movie: A Star for Mrs. Blake.

Writers Read: April Smith.

--Marshal Zeringue