Getting the gift of bookish giveways

As any reader who finds themselves online knows, a good giveaway is only a click away. Much like the public lottery, you have to be in it to win it but the lack of return on your time investment can make one reluctant to keep those entries going.

However, when you do win, the joys can be bountiful indeed. At the moment, I just started reading the newest Paula McLain novel,Love and Ruin, thanks to being one of the ten lucky folks at First Look Book Club that won a copy the other week.

This book is a companion of sorts to McLain's surprise success,The Paris Wife, by looking at another wife of acclaimed author Ernest Hemingway. The focus here is on Martha Gellhorn, a journalist and writer in her own right who met Hemingway while he was still married to his second wife,Pauline.

Martha was determined not to get involved with him but they ran into each other while covering the Spanish Civil War and their shared literary passion turned into something more. Despite her deep feelings for Ernest, Martha did her best to remain an independent person, even to the point of making her own choices about the future of their relationship.

I've always found Gellhorn to be the most intriguing of the Hemingway wives,due to her writing prowess and strength of spirit,which makes me thrilled to have a novel devoted to her to enjoy. The Paris Wife inspired me to do a whole year of reading Hemingway, so let's see what this book will bring out in me:

Meanwhile, I have back-to-back Early Reviewer books on my TBR, courtesy of Library Thing and their monthly drawings.

First up is You Think It, I'll Say It, a collection of short stories by novelist Curtis Sittenfeld. Her set of ten tales touch on contemporary topics such as the last major political election but the emotions that her characters deal with are timeless struggles.

For example, the leading lady of "The World has Many Butterflies" discovers that her partner in mockery of their social set is not on the same page as her while "The Prairie Wife" considers revealing a secret that could damage the career of a former love from her teen years. A storm of resentment builds up to a head in "Volunteers are Shining Stars" as a woman who helps out at a local shelter grows to hate the newest volunteer for her upbeat ways.

I'm familiar with Sittenfeld's work and do like her brisk tone and insightful nature towards her characters, so checking out her short stories should be fun. Reese Witherspoon chose this book as her May reading selection, which is another good sign. I really don't do the whole celebrity book club deal but Witherspoon does have really great instincts when it comes to picking a fine read there:

The other book is by an author whom I've never read before but have heard good things about. The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore is actually the third in a trilogy called the Deverill Chronicles and takes place in Dublin of 1939.

The plot follows three women, all of which are connected to the Deverill family, some in unexpected ways. Martha arrives from America to find her biological mother and winds up falling for the dashing JP Deverill, who happens to know all too well about her mother.

The current mistress of Castle Deverill, Birdie, aka Countess di Marcantonio, is determined to make this home and new social position a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, those efforts are undermined by the wandering eye of her husband Cesare. Meanwhile,  Kitty Deverill appears content with her husband and children yet the reappearance of a former lover (who is in love with someone else) puts that familial bliss strongly to the test.

Granted, this being the third book in a series make it a bit daunting but I suspect that not reading the earlier titles won't be a problem(the original UK title of this one is The Last Secret of the Deverills, changed to appeal to a new audience,one would suppose). At any rate, this does sound like my cup of storytelling tea and taking a sip of this most recent brew ought to be fine indeed:

While you can't always rely on book giveaways to build up your TBR, they are great for providing those extra bookish bonuses to your reading list. At the very least, a book won this way does help you to save a little money from your book buying budget and allow you to dine on something more substantial than what's on sale at the supermarket. Page turning requires properly fed energy,after all!:

A few new additions to my summer reading list

With today being the official first day of summer, the time to start dipping your literary toes into that summer TBR pool of books is at hand.

I happen to have a good head start on my stack of page turners but there is always room for more, as they say. Lately, I've had the good fortune to add on a trio of intriguing titles that with any luck, I will have read before Labor Day weekend. Lofty goal, to be sure, but good reading is always worth it:

A Read To be Prized: One of the websites that I check out for new book info is Read It Forward and recently, they held a contest to showcase the new set-up for the site. It was a "Literary Emoji Scavenger Hunt", where you looked for emojis with a bookish theme such as typewriters and Shakespeare's portrait to sign up for book giveaways.

 It lasted for about a week and it was pretty fun(plus I got to read a couple of great interviews with Curtis Sittenfeld and Terry McMillan) but when I got an e-mail telling me that I won, I was happy and curious all at once. Which book did I win?

My prize turned out to be Allison Amend's Enchanted Islands, a novel inspired by the journals of Frances Conroy, who during WWII was part of a husband and wife spy team in the Galapagos islands. The story also focuses on a lifelong friendship that Frances had with childhood friend Rosalie, a bond that was briefly broken due to an act of betrayal that took place after the two of them ran away to Chicago from their Midwestern small town during their teens.

This story sounds amazingly good and I have to say that the cover art is beyond gorgeous(trust me, it looks even lovelier than in the picture above), plus the end papers have reproductions of the actual maps that Frances and her spy husband Ainslie drew up together. Out of all the books that I did sign up for, this one promises to be a true gem of a read:

A Warrior Woman Emerges: Thanks to Blogging for Books, I have the chance to explore the creative landscape that author Emily Barton puts in place for her new novel, The Book of Esther.

The time frame is 1942, with a bit of an alternate historical twist.  Esther is the daughter of one of the leaders of Khazaria, an isolated country ruled by Jewish warriors that has become home to a flood of refugees escaping from the reign of terror growing in what they call Germania.

Wanting to take part in the upcoming fight to both protect the refugees and keep the invading hordes from Germania at bay, Esther is held back by the traditional notions of not allowing women to be warriors. She then undertakes a quest to find a legendary village of Kabbalists, who may have the power to not only help Esther reach her goal but to save their mutual homelands as well.

A refreshing look at the power of women is always welcome and it ought to be fun to see how Esther overcomes her particular obstacles to become the warrior queen that she knows in her heart she was meant to be. In an age where we have the likes of Brienne of Tarth and Daenerys Targaryen as maidens of might, it's grand to see another fierce female join their ranks:

Learning to Fly: Finally, I treated myself to a couple of new paperbacks and one of them happens to be Paula McLain's Circling The Sun. Like her previous bestseller The Paris Wife, McLain takes on another notable yet overlooked woman from the past,Beryl Markham, who was a renowned aviatrix well before Amelia Earheart made her mark upon the skies.

Beryl was raised in Kenya by her father and thus was an independent woman that was unafraid to embrace her love of nature,especially horses. Along the way, she met up with Denys Finch Hatton(who was also the lover of Isek Dineson, aka Karen Blixen who wrote Out of Africa) and their relationship lead to a deeper love for airplanes, one that outstripped her romantic ties in the long run.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Paris Wife(which inspired my Year with Hemingway project) and eager to climb on board this flight of fiction to see more of Beryl's world:

 Adding on more books is a bit of a vice for me but at least it's a reasonably healthy one. Summer reading can be daunting but if you allow yourself some flexibility, you should do fine. Reading during this time of year is intended to be entertaining and enlightening, so with a good balance of both, getting into reading shape should be as easy as turning a page:

Springing Into Horror by entering The Library at Mount Char with Mr. Mercedes hot on my heels

Today is the opening chapter for Seasons of Reading's Spring Into Horror readathon, which will encourage as much page turning terror as it's participants can take until this upcoming Sunday.

You are allowed to read from genres other than horror(mysteries,thrillers,etc) and the first book on my terrifying TBR pile does cross more than one creative borderline here. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins follows a group of unusual acolytes, young people raised to catalog the arcane collection of worldly knowledge by the mysterious Father, who are now adrift due to the disappearance of their god-like master.

The leading lady of this debut novel is Carolyn, whose field of study is languages,including non-human ones, and she is tapped to enter the mortal world not only in search of Father but other items deemed necessary to appease other allies. She's not thrilled about how things are going, particularly with the brutal Michael, whose expertise is war, in charge.

I'm in the early sections of the book but so far, the one element that promises to be the undoing of them all is their lack of comprehension about how things truly work. Despite the seemingly infinite amount of knowledge that Carolyn and her fellow Librarians possess, they have no understanding of what their ultimate purpose is or how to adjust to this new change in their lives. Knowing and understanding are two very different things, as Carolyn is about to discover for herself:

Also, I'm doing a reread of Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes(which will be followed by reading for the first time his follow-up to that,Finders,Keepers). This book is more of a pulp fiction thriller, more along the lines of Joyland than Misery in terms of real world terror.

While it does have ripped from the headlines/crime novel vibe to it, Mr. Mercedes is a prime example of Stephen King's  original style of writing from the sardonic pop culture references(leading man Bill Hodges' take on daytime TV is scathingly acute ) to the deep dark depths of character development in both retired cop Hodges and his nemesis Brady Hartfield,aka the Mercedes Killer.

 Like most Big Bads, Brady is very much different in age and circumstance than his arch rival but both share a determination to outdo the other before it's too late. Brady's twisted American Psycho-esque  persona may fit the modern day profile of a spree killer but his first letter to Bill Hodges is a sinister villain rant that's down right classic:

Later this week, Seasons of Reading will put up the list of prizes for this readathon and I'm happy to say that one of them will be one of my e-books. I will be offering coupon codes for my Jane Austen monster mash-up, Fanny Price: Slayer of Vampires, that will grant a free download of to at least three winners from Smashwords.

As the title suggests, this is a darkly humorous look at Mansfield Park told through letters that Fanny addresses to her brother William in the Navy yet never manages to send. Not even her beloved Edmund is let in on her suspicions regarding the newest members of their social circle, Henry and Mary Crawford, who have fangs just as sharp as their wits.

 A modern day descendant discovers the many stashes of this most chilling correspondence during a house cleaning and hopes to turn this into a trendy vampire flick,hopefully starring his favorite actress Angelina Jolie.  Most of the book follows Fanny as she realizes the true danger that the Crawfords are to the Bertram family and her reluctant call to action against this pair of bloodsucking siblings.

 The book is also available at Barnes & Noble and iTunes, with an excerpt that Austenprose featured in a special Halloween post that you can check out here. Part of my inspiration for this book was my strong feeling that Henry Crawford(as well as his sister Mary) are more suited to be  made over into vampires than other Austen heroes and heroines are.

 Their immediate power and influence over nearly everyone they meet, especially Henry and the two Bertam sisters, does seem to be rather supernatural and no doubt, plenty of Henry Crawford fans would be extremely delighted to let him take a bite or two out of them:

 This should a fun and frightful week of reading for us all and if you're also signed up for Spring Into Horror, please feel free to share what you will be reading as well. One of the best parts of a readathon is seeing what everyone else is getting their literary goosebumps from,especially if you are looking for future fearful reads:

Jane and the Waterloo Map leads you to a true treasure of a mystery tale

In signing up for this blog tour for Stephanie Barron's latest entry in her Jane Austen mystery series, Jane and the Waterloo Map, I was a little concerned about how easily I could get into the story.

 After all, this is the thirteenth novel in a series that I've always been meaning to read at some point yet never have gotten beyond the first couple of pages with any of the prior books. Well, I'm happy to report that J&TWM was as comfortable to slip into as a pair of gloves, with a nice new lining that made it feel fresh and new.

It does help greatly if you're familiar with Jane Austen's bio, as our story begins in 1815 where Jane has gone to London to look after her brother Henry, who is experiencing some ill health and a bad run on his finances, due to the outcome of the recent war with Napoleon. Her visit is twofold, as preparations for her next novel Emma are underway and while she waits for the galleys for her editorial approval, an unusual invitation comes her way.

The Prince Regent's chaplain, James Stanier Clarke, extends an offer on the behalf of HRH(who happens to be a fan of her novels) to take a tour of Carlton House and even make use of the royal library to work in while she's in town. Despite her keen distaste for the Prince Regent, Jane is well aware of how beneficial to her book sales such a connection would be, so she accepts the invitation and endures the rattling company of Clarke, who has a lot more in common with a certain Mr. Collins that he realizes:

During her visit, Jane is encouraged to dedicate her new novel to the Prince Regent, which would certainly boost the profits to be earned from it.

 Before she can properly consider that idea, a shocking discovery in the library changes the course of the day quite completely In a corner, a dying man is discovered and as Clarke rushes off to get the court physician Matthew Baillie, Jane alone hears his last words:"Waterloo map!"

The victim turns out to be a military man, Colonel MacFarland, who  was one of the heroes of the battle of Waterloo. The map in question is soon found in a book and has a brief letter written in French on the back, urging it's intended reader to protect the map as it leads to something that Napoleon himself would be eager to claim upon the outcome of the battle:

While Jane is strongly encouraged not to look into the matter, she can't resist learning more about it, particularly when she comes across evidence that Col. MacFarland was poisoned.

In her quest to find the killer as well as discover the true purpose of the map, Jane enlists the aid of Raphael West, son of renowned artist Benjamin West, who happens to also be a government spy.

Even her visiting niece Fanny does a little undercover work, posing as a budding painter in order to draw out the actual artist who drew up the map and who also might be the murderer:

This investigation is not without risks, as Jane rather painfully discovers and while her injuries are slight, the real danger to her allies is all too heavy to bear. Can the Waterloo map lead them all to justice or to more horrible crimes yet to come?

Stephanie Barron has a sure and steady hand in creating this mystery realm for Jane Austen and her blend of fact and fiction(well assisted with a few historical footnotes) makes for a tempting tea cup of tension that is worth slowly sipping through page by page.

I do wish that I had taken on her books much sooner but regrets in reading can be quickly remedied by a good book or two and fortunately, the pleasure of catching with this engaging series is soon to be mine. Jane and the Waterloo Map may be a unlikely start for a newcomer but it's a very agreeable one and there is no doubt that regular fans of this series will be pleased with this current gem.

I hope that everyone is enjoying this delightful blog tour for Jane and the Waterloo Map and if you are interested in winning one of the prize packs from Stephanie Barron's website at the end of it, please leave a comment at this post as well as one at the review that Austenprose is posting today.

You can also leave comments at the other tour stops, such as the next stop at Mystery Fanfare on Monday and Laura's Reviews on the following Tuesday. The deadline is February 29 and the winners will be announced on March 3 at Stephanie Barron's official website, so make haste, I beg you!

And in the spirit of the day, I wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day with a special hope that Jane Austen's wonderful world of romance adds greatly to your happiness:

Some fabulous reading prizes coming my way

It's been a hectic week on my homestead,including putting the finishing touches on a manuscript to be submitted to Harper Voyager Impulse's open call for Military Sci-Fi and Urban Fantasy(my book fell into the latter category).

We'll see how that goes but in the meanwhile, one of the bright spots during the frenzy has been looking forward to receiving some books that I recently won in a pair of contests.

Thanks to Suzanne Beecher at First Look, a copy of City On Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg is due to arrive on my doorstep soon. This debut novel has been the talk of the town, as it's story of New York City during 1977(that culminates in the big blackout that hit in July) is said to be an amazing epic novel of our times. There are several narratives, including a cop hunting down the unknown attacker of a gal pal on the punk rock scene, a brother and sister who have gone down very different paths in life and a wanna be Capote reporter seeking answers to questions that maybe he shouldn't ask.

City On Fire happens to be a great big book in terms of length, as the page count clocks in at over 900 there. I've been wanting to check this out ever since the early buzz began for it and with any luck, it will do more than live up to the hype:

 My other reading prize is a trio that I was able to select from Better World Books, due to my participation in Seasons of Reading's FrightFall readathon run by the lovely Michelle Miller.

One of the books I chose was James Michener's The Novel, which chronicles the journey of newly published work of fiction in four parts, from Author to Editor to Critic and then Reader.

Since Michener was quite the prolific writer by the time this book was released in 1991( he had more than 40 books, most of them fiction in his lifetime), his inside look into that corner of the literary world is certainly worth 
taking a gander at there.

Michener is one of the best known old school saga writers and whose huge books I have tried many times to read but wind up not making it to the last page. He does know how to make a massive story line work yet he can get a bit bogged down in details which slows the pace for me.

However, since this book is a tad shorter and is set in publishing, I might be able to finish it and finally break though that particular barrier. Who knows, I might even be inspired to tackle Youngblood Hawke again, Herman Wouk's fictional take on literary fame and fortune, which should along well with Michener's version, I think:

Kate Morton is another highly praised author who I've attempted to read and yet only got so far in her books. The House at Riverton was her debut novel, a category that I'm a sucker for so I made that one my second choice.

Grace Bradley looks back upon her youthful days as a house maid for the Hartford family at Riverton Manor during the 1920s, reliving a secret long kept. A young poet was said to have killed himself during a Christmas party there but the only one left who can tell the true story is Grace.

A young director making a documentary about that tragedy seeks her out at the nursing home where Grace is living out her last days and opens up that flood of memories which tells more than one truth about that time. The story is said to have a Downton Abbey feel to it and with the final season of that series about to arrive in America by early next year, The House at Riverton sounds like a good companion to have by my side during that sad farewell:

For my final selection, I went the nonfiction route with John Sutherland's How To Read a Novel: A User's Guide. I'm familiar with Sutherland from his prior looks at classical literary work in such collections as Can Jane Eyre Be Happy? and Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet? and he's an engaging person to consult on such matters.

In this book, he goes over the history of novel reading as well as the standards for what it meant to be "well read" back in the day, along with tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of hype in choosing the right novel for you. Sutherland talks about both classics and current fiction, which ought to be interesting , plus I haven't read a good book about books for awhile now and this promises to fulfill that need for me very nicely indeed:

My thanks to both Suzanne and Michelle for awarding  me such great books, which I will eagerly awaiting for(and hopefully not be too impatient with the postal services about). One of the best presents for any reader to get is a book and the only problem that ought to go along with that is making sure you have a proper bookmark handy in order to take those little breaks from your reading that reality requires:

Getting prepared for the Ross Poldark Blog Tour this summer!

For many of us historical fiction fans, the latest PBS Masterpiece series Poldark is truly a refreshing breath of entertaining air for our summer TV viewing season.

 To add onto the fun, the folks at Sourcebooks(who are publishing the Winston Graham novels upon which the show is based) is having a special blog tour, starting on Monday July 6 and ending in early August. Reviews, previews and highlights about the literary version of Poldark will be featured, along with the chance to win a very particular prize pack(more about that later).

I am happy to report that Living Read Girl will be on two of the stops for this delightful tour, with reviews of the first two books. I am at this moment reading Ross Poldark, the one that starts it all and so far, it's quite a page turner.

We are introduced to our leading man as he returns home after a stint in the army that brought him into the American Revolutionary war. Upon arriving back in his Cornish hometown, Ross discovers that his former life has become just as much of a disaster as the battlefields he left behind.

With his father dead, the family estate in ruins and household in disrepair, plus Elizabeth, the woman he loves, about to marry his cousin Francis, Ross has little reason to remain in the neighborhood. Nonetheless, he is not about to simply turn tail and run away from his problems.

Instead, he undertakes a reopening of a copper mine and sets about to restore his family name and holdings, taking a young woman named Demelza under his wing(and perhaps into his heart) along the way:

My full review of Ross Poldark will be up on July 14 and by the 25th, my write-up of Book Two, Demelza, will be ready as well.

Demelza is a rather intriguing character, as she starts out as the roughly treated daughter of a miner who takes her chances as a kitchen maid in the Poldark household. Her ill ease with so-called "refined society" makes her transition from servant to lady of the manor all the more challenging.

Nevertheless, she is more than capable of  her new found responsibilities, especially when a tragic clash between Ross and his greatest rival George Warleggan threatens to tear the entire neighborhood asunder. As Demelza is such an engagingly forthright person who seems to be the perfect match for Ross, watching her take command should be a true treat to read:

During the tour, there will three chances to win some nifty prizes such as paperback editions of Ross Poldark and Demelza, along with a grand prize pack that includes a tea and cookie set with a pair of lovely mugs and serving plate.

To enter, just leave a comment at any of the blog stops(starting on July 6 and ending August 3) when they put up their Poldark posts and the winners will be announced at Buzz on Sourcbooks' blog by August 13th.

Well, I know that my Independence Day weekend will be complete with both the book and TV version of Poldark to enjoy here and I am in no doubt that my pleasure is well shared amongst lovely like-minded others out there. Have a happy holiday and do drop in later this month for some pleasant Poldark thoughts:

Updated* Having a witches night out to celebrate our Book of Life winner!

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and that you're fully prepared to tackle the joys of summer reading. I'll help start that off for the winner of the LRG giveaway of The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness(the third volume of the All Soul's Trilogy) by announcing who that person is.....

*drum roll*....and our winner is Ted Hand! *applause,cheers, confetti is tossed* Congratulations and in order to claim your prize, please email me at livingreadgirl@yahoo.com(also please use "LRG Book of Life" as your subject line) with your preferred mailing address. I will pass that along to the publisher, who will ship your paperback copy out of The Book of Life as soon can be.

*Note: due to prior winner not being in the US, a new one has been chosen and my sincerest apologies for the delay in this announcement. Congratulations to our new winner Ted and hope to hear from her soon regarding claiming her prize.*

Thank you to everyone who participated in this contest, from those who entered to the many that re-tweeted the link to this giveaway. I greatly appreciate your efforts and to celebrate this event, I have pulled together a little magical music mix for some dance party fun. Since witches seemed to outnumber the vampires in the entries, songs related to witchcraft are our theme here:

THE BAD MAGIC BOYS ARE BACK: Yes, I know that there are folks who object to the term "warlock"(why, I don't get it) but there are males who practice witchcraft in fiction and whether you call them wizards, warlocks or witches, they can be just as tricky as their female counterparts.

So, while looking for a modern rendition of "Season of the Witch", this tribute to the 2006 movie The Covenant(sort of like The Craft for guys) that had Joan Jett's version as it's background music seemed to fit the bill.

I have heard that a remake of The Craft is underway but not sure if this story of black magic boys will get the same sort of reboot spell cast upon it. Well, the song choice is good anyway for this online sinister salute:

WITCHY DIVA: When it comes to celebrities who may be witches, one name that comes to mind is Cher and not just because she starred in The Witches of Eastwick.

Her style of dress and vocal prowess do suggest an ethereal energy emanating from her , not to mention Cher's forthright attitude towards life more than makes her a fitting leader of any powerful coven.

This performance of "Witchy Woman", mixed with some of "Honky Tonk Woman" there, has that good campy Vegas vibe which we all know and love Cher for. The lady weaves a special kind of magic on stage, there's no denying that:

HIGH FLYING HEROINE: With Diana Bishop being the powerful leading lady of her own destiny in the All Souls' Trilogy, selecting a song from a similarly strong sorceress is perfectly proper.

Granted, Diana doesn't have to deal with green skin or yellow brick roads as Elphaba of Wicked does but both of them could swap stories about duplicitous wizards and making tricky alliances.

 I'm only in the early chapters of A Discovery of Witches right now, so I can't say whether or not Diana has a taste for Broadway yet I do think she would enjoy the merits of "Defying Gravity":

Once again, congratulations to Book of Life winner Kristen and happy reading to all. Let's close this out with a toe tapping number from Winifred Sanderson and her swinging sisters of Salem as they "Put a Spell" on us:

Stake your claim or cast a spell to win Deborah Harkness' The Book of Life!

With the summer reading season coming up, the chance to catch up and/or finish up a series of books is hard to resist. It's especially difficult when at last all of the titles are in one particular format.

For example, the third book in The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness entitled The Book of Life will be available in paperback by May 26, making all of them relatively easy to slip into your beach bag for those hot and humid days ahead.

Of course, that's not the reason you should read any book but it does certainly help if your home library is paperback friendly. This is a series that appeals to my genre tastes, as it tells the story of  two rather unusual academics who joined forces as well as hearts to seek out a long lost manuscript.

 One of those academics is Diana Bishop, a history scholar who has put aside her family's legacy of witchcraft due to personal tragedy. As she happens to get closer to discovering the true power of a mysterious document known as Ashmole 782, her refusal to use magic is meant with serious skepticism and possible danger from others in the magical community.

Diana finds an unlikely ally in Matthew Clairmont, a genetic researcher whose knowledge is enhanced by the fact that he's a 1,500 year old vampire. In A Discovery of Witches,  they first met and realize that their combined curiosity and abilities could offer both knowledge and protection from their mutual enemies.

Part of that plan involves time travel, which occurs in Shadow of Night, taking the two of them to Elizabethan London in order to find out more about Ashmole 782 as well as stumble upon some of the supernatural doings of the day(and yes, Shakespeare is involved,folks!).

Their return back to modern times and the consequences that follow that journey conclude in The Book of Life, which I'm sure fans of this trilogy are happy to hear is about to be out in paperback next week. With that in mind, the good folks at Penguin are allowing me to hold a giveaway for a paperback edition of The Book of Life(U.S. only) which starts today and ends on May 25.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment at this post,with an e-mail address, that answers this question; if you have only one choice,  what would you be-a witch or a vampire?

I'll state the pop culture pros and cons of both, starting with witches. Being a witch is not easy, given the long history of persecution and bad press involving broomsticks and gruesome faces. However, they can be true heroes, using their array of powers to protect the world from the forces of evil.

A fine example of that is Bonnie Bennett of The Vampire Diaries, whose bloodline is highly coveted amongst allies and foes alike. Despite her initial fears of not being strong enough, Bonnie has proven time and again that her special brand of determination is the fuel that make her magic the most formidable:

Yet, even among witches, there are frenemies who use their talents against others of their kind out of jealousy or spite. That's going on now in the current season of Penny Dreadful as Vanessa Ives is being targeted by a secret coven whose head mistress is desirous of the unholy attention that Vanessa wishes dearly not to have in her life:

As to vampires, since the 1970s there has been a redemption option made for them as their long life span and powers make them ideal crime fighters.

Whether the enemy is supernatural or simply human, having a vampire at your side to stop them is quite the asset. Shows like Forever Knight, Moonlight and Blood Ties have had their mortal leads work with immortal partners(sometimes falling in love with them as well),showcasing the best of both those worlds:

Speaking of bad vampires turned good, the best known one is Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who was the star of his own spin-off series to boot. On either show,the risk of him losing the soul that grounded him in goodness and allowed his dark side named Angelus out to play was a plot point put into play many times.

 Not too many that it got old,mind you. Rather, it was sort of twisted fun to see him break loose from that nice guy image and give the current Big Bads on the scene a run for their money:

So, make your pick,people and there are no right or wrong answers, it's what feels best for you. Just keep in mind that this is an U.S. only giveaway and the deadline is May 25, one day before The Book of Life is out in paperback. As for my choice, I think that I would go with witch. While I adore vampires, witchcraft offers so many more possibilities for power(not to mention the chance to met Stevie Nicks!):

Our Pick Your Mansfield Man winners and a special summer sale for Fanny Price,Slayer of Vampires

For the past couple of months, I have asked Jane Austen fans to declare their allegiance for one of the leading men of Mansfield Park or in simpler terms, are you Team Edmund or Team Henry?

Part of the reason for that is due to this year being the 200th anniversary of Mansfield Park, the one novel in Jane Austen's cannon that causes the most kerfuffles amongst readers and critics to this very day. With all of it's misgivings, it still has enough resonance with it's themes of moral judgement and guidance that there is plenty of food for thought to be had on this small shelf in Austen's literary cupboard.

The other reason is my Pick Your Mansfield Man contest, where one champion from each corner would win a free copy of my e-book Fanny Price,Slayer of Vampires(currently on sale this month,more about that in a moment).

Well, the dealing is done and for Team Edmund, the winner is Wordy Nerdy Sarah, for her great essay on why "We Should All Give Edmund Bertram A Break"-thank you,Sarah for your thoughtful and spirited defense of Edmund(who I must confess,I favor here also):

While I find Henry Crawford to be quite the scoundrel as well as being more in love with the idea of being in love with Fanny, I am willing to give that charming devil his due,along with his ardent fans.

After all, I made him a vampire(along with his sister Mary) in my MP monster mash for that very reason; his smooth operator style and easy manner with words as well as women. Yes, I know that there are Darcy vampire stories but in truth, does not Henry Crawford seem to be more suitable to that True Blood night life? Maybe it's just me.

So, for Team Henry, the winner is AGreatReader who makes a good case for the merits of Mr. Crawford and the good that could have come from a long lasting relationship with Fanny:

Thank you AGR, for your share of the conversation and congrats to you and WNS -to claim your prize, please send the e-mail address of your choice to me at livingreadgirl@yahoo.com so that I may send you both a gift copy of Fanny Price,Slayer of Vampires to download from Smashwords.

Speaking of Smashwords, they are holding a big summer sale in July for many of their titles and Miss Price was bold enough to join them. From now until July 31st, FP:SOV is available at half price( from $1.99 to 0.99) with the coupon code SSW50-this discount only pertains to Smashwords, as they are my publisher, and I hope that many of you who have yet to explore this dark side of Mansfield Park will take this opportunity to do so.

Thank you to everyone who took part in this contest and any MP discussion out there. I wish you all a happy and not too overheated summer and do remember that there are plenty of Jane Austen men to go around,so let us not quarrel amongst ourselves too much:

Happy Mansfield Park Birthday and a Merry Mrs. Bennet Mother's Day!

Today marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and many of it's readers still have much to say about after all of these years. For such a mild heroine, Fanny Price does attract quite a bit of diverse opinion regarding her merits and flaws yet to me she is one of the more relatable leading ladies in Austen's literary line-up.

Yes,she's not as lively as Elizabeth Bennet (but very few of us are) or even as emotionally available as Elinor Dashwood or Anne Eliot yet Fanny does prove that slow and steady can win the race to love there.

There will be several discussions taking place online, particularly at Sarah Emley's Invitation To Mansfield Park section of her blog with numerous guest posts from Austen folk such as Laurel Ann Nattress, Syrie James and Deborah Yaffe. I highly recommend checking it out this month long rap session, which should provide plenty of festive food for thought that even Mrs. Norris can not complain about:

Meanwhile, in honor of May being the month of Mansfield Park, I'm holding a very special giveaway(linked right here) of two copies of my Mansfield monster mash-up, Fanny Price: Slayer of Vampires.

The theme of this contest is Pick your Mansfield Man or in other words, are you Team Edmund or Team Henry? I know that Henry Crawford has his defenders while there's a long queue waiting to slap Edmund a good one for his neglect of Fanny during a good long portion of the story but surely, we can agree that the ultimate choice is handed to Fanny herself,a rather emboldening notion that gives this presumed creepmouse quite the upper hand here.

This is a month long contest(deadline is May 31st) so take your time in deciding whether you're truly hot for Henry or eager for Edmund:

 To round things off, I thought that with Mother's Day on the horizon this weekend, a salute to Mrs. Bennet would be fitting.

 For better or worse, she is the most memorable mom in Jane Austen's work and whether or not you love or loathe her, it's fair to say that in her way, she is looking out for her girls.

First up is a tribute to Alison Steadman's portrayal of Mrs. B in the now classic 1995 miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice that captures all of her charm and warmth:

Our next Mrs. Bennet comes from the 1940 Hollywood adaptation of P&P, where this determined lady resorted to a literal horse race in order to get her daughters a decided advantage in making Mr. Bingley's acquaintance.

Mary Boland's high pitched and over the top tones in her performance perfectly matched this stylish straight from the stage play version of the story, not to mention getting extra credit for the overly lavish costumes she(and the rest of the women in the cast) had to wear:

Last yet far from least, is the Lizzie Bennet Diaries impersonation of Mrs. Bennet by leading lady Ashley Clements.

While the actual Mrs. B didn't make an onscreen appearance until the very last episode, the entertaining reenactments that her dear daughter gave us during her vlog journey successfully made her come alive for the online audience.

One wonders what this Mrs. B would think of how she's been showcased into Lizzie's narrative and hopefully not get too peeved, as some of this is clearly laced with love as well as frustration:

 So, Happy Mother's Day to all and what ever Jane Austen themed plans you make this weekend or the rest of this month, I do hope that you get the chance to share your joy with as many friends as possible-how else can you have a proper Jane Austen party this season?:

Pick your Mansfield man and win the adventures of Fanny Price,Slayer of Vampires!

While 2014 is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, the main month of celebration is May when the first edition was published.

Many Austen groups and websites will be holding quite a bit of lively debate and appreciation of the book this month and my humble contribution to this outing will be a very special giveaway of my current e-book, Fanny Price:Slayer of Vampires, to two people who can convince me of their preference for either of the leading men in the story. In other words, are you Team Edmund or Team Henry?

While I most assuredly understand the need that some MP readers have to "Slap Edmund Bertram Upside The Head" for his neglect of Fanny in favor of the dubious charms of Mary Crawford and will concede that he is not the most engaging of Austen's male love interests, I do believe that his heart is in the right place at the end but can easily see how a first time reader would find him repellant:

Upon reconsideration, you do have to give Edmund his due;yes, he does fall under the spell of Mary Crawford and her sassy big city ways and confiding all of his romantic doubts and desires regarding her to Fanny(who quietly but clearly adores him) is not one of his stellar moves here.

However, he has seen Fanny in the light of a little sister for most of their lives and in many ways as a best friend,so much more than his own older brother. In fact, Edmund often times has had to be the voice of reason in his family,which makes him seem to be a nag but in truth,he is only doing what Tom should in certain matters and like any follow-the-rules type of person, is guilty of adjusting those standards when it comes to certain people(yes,Mary again!).

Edmund is flawed,much like many of Austen's heroes but he does see the error of his ways in time and learns to appreciate the true virtues of Fanny both as a friend and a romantic counterpart. No, he is not as perfect as he would wish to be but that's one of the things we love about many of Jane Austen's characters, their ability to grow and move beyond their preconceived notions, especially when it comes to love:

Now, I know that Henry Crawford has a lot of fans and many feel that the story would have been better served if he and Fanny had gotten married.

I,however, feel that Henry's sudden love for Fanny is really a rebound effort on his part to get over Maria. Henry and Maria are very much alike in that neither one of them wants to be the first one to admit in public how they really feel about each other and Maria mainly marries Mr. Rushworth out of spite due to Henry's non declaration of love.

For me, it is hard to reconcile with Henry's gleeful boast to his sister about "making a hole " in Fanny's heart at first,yet I am willing to give him credit for having some good intentions towards her as their awkward courtship goes on.  However, his impatience with winning Fanny's true affections only confirms that she was quite right in seeing Henry's true nature all along:

 Yet I do allow that he is quite the charmer,which is the main reason I made him a vampire in my monster mash version. After all, the two Bertram sisters claim not to find him attractive upon their first acquaintance,declaring him "plain" and yet all too soon, they're close to cat fighting over Henry,particularly during the casting sessions of Lovers' Vows.

When it comes to the swoon factor,Henry Crawford has it in abundance and is one of Austen's most memorably lovable rogues. Henry is definitely the bad boy type that every girl wants to party with at least once and it is a sign of Fanny's great resolve that she does not give into his persistent passion:

 So, if you would like to win a copy of my Mansfield Park monster mash-up,Fanny Price, Slayer of Vampires. this month,all you have to do is let me know me which Mansfield Park Man is your decided choice of suitor. I would so very much like to award a copy to a Team Edmund and a Team Henry fan, so don't be shy with your opinions!

You can make your pick either in the comments section of this blog post or at the link to this contest on Facebook at The Austenite Adventures page,where I talk about both of my Jane Austen themed e-books as well as share fun JA related videos.

The contest starts today and ends on May 31st-if you'd like to link a blog post that favors your argument or a video in your response, please feel free to do so. I look forward to hearing from both sides of this delightful debate, which reminds me of such discussions in vampire fandom as well-I've had my fair share of Angel vs. Spike chats( I'm a Spike supporter in BTVS circles) and willing to chime on which Salvatore brother is best for Elena on The Vampire Diaries,too(my heart belongs to Damon, what can I say?):

UPDATE: So far, we've had a most agreeable response from Team Henry but are still awaiting for Team Edmund to rally for their man,so do make haste!

 YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Due to this being a busy time of year, I am extending the deadline for the Pick Your Mansfield Man contest to July 6(well after the next big holiday weekend), so please stake your claim for either Team Edmund or Team Henry by then.

Giveaway Goodness winners and a look at Dear Mr. Knightley

I have a double dose of Jane Austen goodness to share today and let's begin by announcing the winners of our first Fanny Price Giveaway Goodness contest and congratulations are in order for:

Doris Maat

Evie Cotton

Thank you,ladies,for entering and you will receive your pair of Fanny Price,Slayer of Vampire pins in March-please send your mailing address to livingreadgirl@yahoo.com(five winners were originally planned for but circumstances did not allow for it this time around.  Do not despair,another giveaway for these fabulous Fanny Price pins will be held later this spring)

Now for our second scoop of Austen related sweetness,we will discuss Katherine Reay's debut novel Dear Mr. Knightley,which has been talked about in many other forums but as Lady Catherine would say, I must have my share of the conversation!

The leading lady of this story,told mainly through letters,is Samantha Moore,a young woman whose troubled past still haunts her. She is planning to attend college with the help of a grant obtained for her by Father John, a mentor that runs Grace House,a way station for kids in the foster care system.

One of the main conditions of the grant is for Samantha to write progress reports to the head of the grant foundation who prefers to be called "Mr. Knightley" after the main hero of Jane Austen's Emma. That name suits Samantha just fine,as her major refuge from the traumas of her former and current life are classic literature such as Austen,Charlotte Bronte and Alexandre Dumas( Edmund Dantes often inspires her to feel brave).

Samantha's social awkwardness causes folks to encourage her to venture outside of her comfort zone and I found myself getting a little perturbed at some of their insistence,such as not allowing her to go for an English Lit degree and signing her up for a journalism major instead. Granted,they all meant well but you know you're invested in a book when you find yourself wanting to tell other characters to back off there:

 Samantha does begin to open up,particularly in her letters to Mr. Knightley,but there are a number of obstacles for her to overcome and some are due to Samantha's habit of directly quoting from her favorite books in regular conversation.

Others come from school,as one of her teachers increasingly demands that she show him her "true voice" in writing and some of the new friends Sam makes feel as if she deliberately holds back from them.

Once some of those hurdles are jumped,new ones arise but not without some real emotional benefits like the bond Sam forms with Kyle,another at risk youth at Grace House who shares her joy of running track. Eventually Sam winds up with two potential love interests,Josh who seems like a Colonel Brandon at first but turns out to be more of a Mr. Elton and Alex Powell,a popular yet reclusive mystery writer who becomes a close friend but has secrets of his own to hide.

 As Sam's inner and outer world experiences expand,she learns to take more joy in life and to start trusting others,although that trust is sorely tested by a startling revelation from the last person she would expect it to come from.

 While Samantha's personal journey was extremely engrossing,some of the strongest sections of  the book for me dealt with Grace House,which at times put me in mind of a film released last year called Short Term 12 that deals with this subject well.

 While Dear Mr. Knightley is actually loosely based on Jean Webster 's 1912 novel Daddy Long Legs(made into a Hollywood film in 1955),it does have a contemporary vibe that gels with the overall tone of the story. The balance between old fashioned storytelling and modern day sensibilities is nicely done and most importantly,DMK is one of those hard to put down page turners that make you stay up all night to finish(granted, I read it in ebook form but still...).

In short, I highly recommend Dear Mr. Knightley for any constant reader who takes delight in a good story well told as well as Jane Austen fans. That's all of the Jane Austen news we have at this time,thank you all for tuning in and best wishes for you and your own Mr. Knightley this upcoming spring season: