Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie


by 2 Comments

PAWsome or Over-Rated? 7 Popular HF Titles Reviewed

Kimber here. You know Mom and I read a lot of historical fiction, right? Well. We’ve read so much historical fiction lately, we’re almost ready to produce our own Encyclopedia Historica. Almost.

Best of HF?

Anywho, we’re in the process of reading our way through some “Best Of” historical fiction lists found elsewhere. We wanted to see for ourselves what titles are worth the time and what belongs in the kitty litter box. Cuz ya know, just because a book or author is a popular “best seller” doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll pass Kimber and Mom Muster.

Yea, verily. No one wants to waste their time on lousy snoozers with stale, brittle plots that are as predictable as tomorrow’s sunrise. Or populated with one-dimensional, cardboard characters we don’t know, don’t want to know, and could care less about, no matter how many accolades they get elsewhere. Cuz we’re like, picky.

The List

So here’s our Totally Unscientific, 100% Subjective take on a few recently read historical-fiction titles. Plus one plain fiction title we’re throwin’ in for free. Cuz we can. (You may want to buckle up. Just sayin’). Ready? Set? Let’s GO!

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

Until Next Sunday

Until Next Sunday

By Audry Fryer

Publisher: Of Ink & Pearls Publishing Co., 2021

Genre: Historical Romance

Via: Book Blog Tour

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Story

Rosina leaves Italy to build a better life. But after joining her brother and his shrewish wife in America, Rosina finds disappointment and disillusionment. She never expects to find love in this place – until she meets a shoemaker’s apprentice named Gianni.

When Rosina becomes ill and is hospitalized, their future is at stake. All they have is their shared letters. Each week she tries to survive the long, lonely days until Gianni’s next Sunday visit.

Will fate bring Rosina and Gianni together once more? Or are they destined to remain star-crossed forever?

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Teaser Tuesday: ‘The Red Queen’

Okay, so Mom was roaming around the Internet thingy the other day, looking for some new ideas for blog posts. She found Teaser Tuesday. It sounded fun. (Not as fun as me, of course. But nobody’s perfect.)

Anyway, we thought we’d give Teaser Tuesday a whirl. So here it is:

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

Here are the rules:

1: Grab your current read
2: Open to a random page
3: Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page that are SPOILER FREE.

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

‘Independent Woman’ Memoir Opens Window into Yugoslavia

An Independent Woman in Yugoslavia: A Memoir

By Iris Novak

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir

Pages: 327

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kimber the Magnificent here asking “What’s an “irregular declension”? Can I eat it? I’m only asking cuz it showed up in a book Her Momness recently read, An Independent Woman in Yugoslavia.

“You do not see me. I am Kimber the Invisible!”

First thing I had to do was look up the location of Yugoslavia. (One of us knew it was in Southern/Central Europe. And about Tito. One of us is also old enough to remember Kosovo. So don’t laugh. Bet you had to look it up, too. So here ya go. You’re welcome.)

Knowing a bit about Yugoslavia is kind of important. Cuz this memoir is about  how the 20th century moved into the 21st century in that part of the world as seen through the eyes of author Iris Novak. Mom will pick it up from here:

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

Light & Pol-dark in ‘Stone Ruins and City Smoke’

Stone Ruins and City Smoke

By Charlie Martyn

Dark Edge Press, 2022

Genre: Fiction/Romance/Travel

Via: Zooloo’s Book Tours

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You might hear Winston Graham rippling through the pages of this light romance novel set in London and the lush countryside of Cornwall, stompin’ grounds of Ross Poldark.

Widower Tom Maynard owns the Wheal Neft (hi, Ross) Hotel in Cornwall. It’s a small, unique “bijou” hotel that caters to the rich and famous who yearn for sanctuary and privacy from prying eyes. Wheal Neft has also caught the eye of Owen Taylor, owner of the posh, upscale Carillion Hotel in London. His daughter, snooty Melanie Taylor, has been tasked to visit Wheal Neft and wangle a partnership deal.

Tom is less than thrilled at the prospect. To put it mildly. Mel has the personality of battery acid, with a caustic tongue to boot. Her haughty insolence doesn’t exactly sweeten the deal.

Meanwhile, Tom’s fourteen year-old daughter, Amy, decides her dad is lonely and needs a woman. She talks him into signing up at an online dating site. Hilarity ensues.

Continue reading →


by 15 Comments

TTT: One Word Reviews for the Last 10 Books I Read

“Mom is gonna love this weeks’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic!” spake I, Kimber the Magnificent and Bookish Border Collie Extraordinaire. You know this is so because I say it is.

Anyway, this week’s topic is One Word Review for the Last 10 Books I (We) Read. Sounds easy, no? But when one of us sat down to actually come up with a list of same, we discovered three things:

  1. It’s a lot harder than it sounds.
  2. It’s a lot harder than it sounds. (That’s not a redundant typo, okay?)
  3. Once Her Momness finally got the lead out and got rolling, it was hard to limit the list to just ten. It was easier to limit the list to the last 10-ish good or at least reasonably decent books we read. (We left out the real stinkers. You’re welcome.)

So here ya go:

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

13 Book Tour Dos & Don’ts

“What’s a “book tour”? you ask. Glad you asked.

A “book tour,” also known as a “book blog tour,” is when a book goes on a virtual tour across the internet, hosted on various book blogs. These tours allow a book to gain more exposure to potential readers. Tours can also be an effective way for authors to promote their books, especially if they’re indie or self-published authors. (Find out more here.) 

Stretching….

Mom and I get boatloads of book tour invitations. (Here a tour. There a tour. Everywhere a tour, tour.) We ignore most of them. We’re either not interested in the book being promoted or our schedule is already jammed.

But they can also be fun. A chance to meet new people. Explore new books. Find new authors. Make new friends. Sniff out a nice, thick, juicy steak…

Wait. Where was I?

Oh yeah. Blog tours.

Continue reading →


by 19 Comments

TTT: Books With THIS Award on the Cover

Don’t look now, but this week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is Books With ___ on the Cover. (Pick a thing, a color, an item, a place, an animal, person, etc. and share books that have that thing on the cover.)

Children’s Literature has long been a favorite genre. So we’re highlighting Books With Newbery Medals on the Cover. 

100th Anniversary!

Besides. The first Newbery Medal was awarded in 1922. So This year, 2022, marks the award’s 100th anniversary.

What is a Newbery Medal, aka: a Newbery Award? Since 1922, the Newberry medal has been awarded annually by the American Library Association for “The most distinguished contribution to American literature for children”.” The Newbery Medal is the oldest and most prestigious children’s book award given in the United States. (For more info. About the Newbery Award, click here.  For a complete list of Newbery Medal winners, click here.)

It was really hard to narrow down our list to just a handful of awardees. But here, in no particular order, are some of our favorites. How many of these have you read?

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

‘A Kinder City’

We’ve been asked to “spotlight” this book. So here ya go:

 

About the Book:

The City is governed by the grim law of profit and loss. No exceptions, no place for compassion, pleasure, the warmth of friendship or the ardour of love. David, an Enforcer committed to the Law, meets Sarah, a villager from outside, and begins to understand that a different, more joyful, life is possible.

A Kinder City tells the story of their tangled relationship and of how they fall in love, and of their struggle against Franklin, the richest man in Market World. If the only law is the market, why not sell everything – and that includes the air we breathe, the land we stand on, the water we drink? No exceptions. His giant factories spew forth the road beasts – the huge machines that devastate the lands beyond the City in pursuit of yet more wealth. Not content with cloning animals, he traps horses in exo-skeletons and works them to death. Torn between her growing passion for David and her revulsion at the City that he is pledged to protect, Sarah turns her back on him.

In despair, he confronts one of the convoys supplying Franklin’s mills and releases the horses trapped within the giant trucks. Pursued by terrifying security guards they escape to the Broken Lands and witness at first hand the desolation that results from ruthless strip-mining and industrial farming driven purely by greed, and the misery of the remaining villagers. In their struggle to survive and return to the City they discover the power of their love for each other. Sarah challenges Franklin to his face and, helped by David, sparks off rebellion among the poor of the City. Together they defeat Franklin. He must learn what it means to be destitute and alone in Market World. The possibility of building a kinder City lies within their grasp.

About the Author:

Peter Taylor-Gooby is a sociologist. He has published widely and made many TV and radio appearances. His novels deal with issues that matter – love, money, power and environmental disaster. He has worked on adventure playgrounds, in a social security office and as a teacher. He loves walking, cycling, writing and talking to his children.

 

Follow him at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peter.taylorgooby

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterT_G

Buy Links

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kinder-City-Market-World-Novel-ebook/dp/B09WYYM15L

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Kinder-City-Market-World-Novel-ebook/dp/B09WYYM15L

 

Note:

The book did not arrive in time for us to read and review. So we won’t be rating it. We’ll leave that to you. :)


by 6 Comments

Kernels of Consummate in ‘The Coronation’?

The Coronation

By Justin Newland

Matador, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Via: ZooLoo’s Book Tours

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Step into 18th century Prussia and meet a land-owning family, its matriarch, and their community as they navigate politics, faith, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, treachery, and romance as the Seven Years’ War with Russia and Austria rages.

Select Characters:

Countess Marion von Adler of East Prussia.

The Countess could really use some Excedrin Migraine or a CAT SCAN. Her hubby Gottfried is off fighting the war, leaving Marion to run the estate – when she’s not down with a splitting headache. And what’s up with her visions of eagles?

Continue reading →