Review: Duke of Midnight (Maiden Lane #6) by Elizabeth Hoyt

In Duke of Midnight, Elizabeth Hoyt follows through with her portrayal of sensual women who make their own choices when it comes to their sex lives even when they are virgins, as opposed to women who are "ravished" or seduced by the men they fall for. It has become a trademark of the Maiden Lane series. Most of the female protagonists to date feel caged by the societal roles imposed on them and manage to break free of those cages by making decisions that are not always traditionally accepted including the how and when intimacy with their men takes place. These women take the lead in such matters. The exception, of course, is Silence who, although embroiled in a public scandalous situation, plays a more traditional (historical romance) female role.

Artemis Greaves is one of the strongest female protagonists of this series. She has to be in order to go from the gray, invisible companion to her cousin, the spoiled Lady Penelope, to the woman who not only catches the passionate attention of the Duke of Wakefield, but becomes his ideal of what a woman should be. Artemis doesn't accomplish this with physical beauty or superficial seduction, she captures Maximus's attention, sparks his passion, and wins his heart with bravery, strength of character and will, passionate honesty, and intelligence. Artemis is loyal and fearlessly passionate in her defense of those she loves and has no scruples when doing so. She chooses to become Maximus's mistress and like the goddess of the hunt Artemis of mythology, she becomes his private goddess, his fearless Diana.

Maximus, the Duke of Wakefield is quite different from Artemis. He also has a strong personality, but tends to be overbearing and overprotective of those he loves. Outwardly, he is a stiff, humorless, and rather intimidating Duke. However, as Artemis and the reader get to know him, Maximus is revealed as a man who has been overwhelmed by grief, guilt, and duty since he was nothing but a boy. In his personal life Maximus is always a Duke and doesn't know how to be "just a man" until Artemis comes along to show him he can be both. Once she does so, he is as passionate about her, and much more romantic than I expected, as he is obsessed with what drives him to roam the slums of St. Giles.

Hoyt again works with two different threads, the romance between Artemis and Maximus and the adventures of the third Ghost in the slums of St. Giles. The romance is riddled with a few conflicts: first, Maximus decides early on to make Lady Penelope his wife, which places Artemis as her cousin and companion in an awkward position when her personal relationship with the Duke evolves. Second, Artemis wrestles with the unfair incarceration of her twin brother Apollo in Bedlam and will do (and does) anything and everything to help and keep him safe. Apollo's "madness" is a deterrent and one of the biggest conflicts confronted by the lovers in this romance. As the third Ghost of St. Giles, Maximus is obsessive in his search for one particular murderer and his hatred of the gin mills. There is good reason for both, but this obsession effects his life, personality and all the choices he makes on a daily basis. Hoyt weaves all these threads together seamlessly to drive the romance to its expected happy conclusion.

There are old and new secondary characters that make an impact in this romance. Phoebe, Maximus's younger and almost blind sister is delightfully present and right on point as always. Captain Trevillion whose role has changed so radically that his presence makes me wonder, and Apollo, the most intriguing new addition to the already large cast of characters in this series. I, however, was quite happy to see the tiny appearance at the end of the remaining single Makepeace sibling, Asa. I am hoping that his story will take us back to St. Giles where I think Hoyt makes these romances come alive with the grit and atmosphere of the slums.

Despite the fact that this is the third book featuring a Ghost of St. Giles plot, Duke of Midnight is not predictable, and both the romance and the Ghost's story felt fresh within the Maiden Lane series. With central characters who are equally strong, intelligent, passionate, and balance each other out in and out of the bedroom, the romance between Artemis and Maximus is an excellent historical romance read and a fine addition to the Maiden Lane series. Highly recommended.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Maiden Lane Series
Publisher/Release Date: Grand Central Publishing/October 15, 2013
Grade: A

Visit Elizabeth Hoyt here.

Series:
Wicked Intentions, #1
Notorious Pleasures, #2
Scandalous Desires, #3
Thief of Shadows, #4
Lord of Darkness, #5
Duke of Midnight, #6

October 2013 Reads: LGBT Month & More

October is usually one of my favorite months of the year. There's Halloween, of course, and then there are quite a few birthdays in my family to celebrate too. But this year I spent most of the month in bed with a flu that turned into bronchitis which turned into bronchial asthma. I'm just now getting over the whole sorry mess and am back to work.

I missed everyone, as I didn't get to blog much and frankly I was not in the right frame of mind to sit down to write, but I did read quite a lot while in bed and in between naps and such. I finished a few books from various genres, but if you look at my list the bulk of my reading was taken up by LGBT reads.

Anyway, I read some fabulous books, as well as some that were not so great, but then that's the chance a reader takes when reading so many books in one month, and that's fine with me. I read a few new releases that will probably make it to my "best of" list at the end of the year, some memorable B+ books, and one with such an interesting introduction that I actually wanted to write a post about it. And let's not forget about those amazing older releases that were lingering in my TBR that turned out to be fantastic.

Total Books Read in October: 35
Literary (Mainstream) Fiction: 2
Historical Fiction/Romance/Mystery: 3
Graphic Novella: 1
LGBT: 23
Rereads: 6

Top Reads:
In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa: A
Boystown 4: Time for Secrets by Marshall Thornton: A
Boystown 5: Murder Book by Marshall Thornton: A
Crack Shot by Dale Chase: A-
The Silent Hustler by Sean Meriwether: A-

Dear Life by Alice Munro: B+
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley: B+
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: B+
Light by 'Nathan Burgoine: B+
The Padisah's Son and the Fox by Alex Jeffers: B+
The Lavender Menace: Tales of Queer Villainy! ed. by Tom Cardamone: B+

Little Boy Dead: A Boystown Mystery by Marshall Thornton: B
Boystown: Three Nick Nowack Mysteries by Marshall Thornton: B
Boystown 2: Three Nick Nowack Mysteries by Marshall Thornton: B
Boystown 3: Two Nick Nowack Mysteries by Marshall Thornton: B
The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly: B
If Angels Fight by Richard Bowes: B
Still Life With Murder by P.B. Ryan: B
Lonely as God by Dale Chase: B
Master of Dreams: Sleep of the Just (Sandman #1) by Neil Gaiman: B
Zombies: Shambling Through the Ages ed. by Steve Berman: B-
Desert Run by Marshall Thornton: C
The Christmas Visit by Marshall Thornton: C
Meet Me in the Middle by L.A. Witt: C
Long Tall Drink by L.C. Chase: C
Pickup Men by L.C. Chase: D+
No Going Home T.A. Chase: D+
Duncan's World by T.A. Chase: D
The Ranch Foreman by Rob Colton: D

Reading the Nick Nowack Mysteries led me to reread the Adrien English Mysteries and I went on one of those never ending loops of rereading the series for a few days. I loved every minute of it. I forgot how much I enjoyed each of the mysteries, the gorgeous retro atmosphere in this series and how much I really love Death of a Pirate King. What I found in the end of this cycle was that I kept looking for more from or for Jake and Adrien, than what is actually on the pages of those books. And because I needed some chicken soup (contemporary romance), I picked up My Best Worst Mistake by Mayberry and gobbled it up while sniffling and taking my temperature. It was as great a read this time as it was the first time around.

Rereads:
The Adrien English Mysteries by Josh Lanyon: Fatal Shadows #1, Dangerous Thing #2, The Hell You Say #3, Death of a Pirate King #4, Dark Tide #5
My Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry

Review: In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa

I fell in love with Mel Bossa's story telling and writing talents when I read her debut full-length romance Split, and then that was reinforced when I read her second novel, the magnificent Franky Gets Real. This year? This year, it is In His Secret Life, the romance between Allan, a gay man who falls in love with Davinder, a bisexual man struggling with his life's choices.

Allan and his sister Elsie are alone in the world and very close to each other. He is very protective of both Elsie and his young niece Faye. It's not surprising then that he's happy but a bit taken aback when she falls in love with Dayton and plans to marry soon follow.

Allan's life really becomes complicated when he meets Dayton's bisexual older brother Davinder. There is an immediate, strong, mutual attraction when they meet and the two begin a secret, passionate affair, but the real conflict comes from the fact that Davinder is married with two children, and he's also about to become Elsie's brother-in-law. Allan continues the affair believing that Davinder is on the verge of ending his marriage, while all along Davinder is conflicted between his feelings for Allan and the responsibility he feels toward his marriage and children. As is the case with secret affairs, there are lies, betrayals, and broken hearts.

When Elsie becomes aware that the affair is going on, she tells Allan that Davinder is really working on his marriage and that he should do the right thing by leaving. Allan ends the affair, sells his condo and moves away, refusing all further contact with Davinder. Years later, a family member in need of clarification brings it all back.

In her romances, or romantic fiction, Bossa focuses on relationships from the perspective of both gay and bisexual males. Her couples find a happy ever after, which places her books firmly into the "romance" category. However, Bossa also presents issues and conflicts confronted by the couple as they enter into a relationship as well as how those issues affect each individual, from both gay and bisexual perspectives. Her characters are three dimensional, human and flawed, which I personally love. This includes her secondary characters and interpersonal relationships that occur between the main characters and those very important secondary characters.

In His Secret Life is a fantastic romance with forbidden love, sexual tension, intense yearning, and angst. It's one of those all-encompassing, sweeping, lasting romantic love stories between two men who are also selfish enough to cheat and lie to be together. They pay a high price, but in the end find their way back to love. The execution in this romance is fantastic, as Bossa follows through with all the characters, the choices, consequences, life and love. My favorite LGBT romance of the year to date... I highly recommend it.

Category: LGBT-Gay/Bisexual Romance
Publisher/Release Date: Bold Strokes Books/May 14, 2013
Grade A

Reading Habits: Moments, Blood & Guts, Cowboys & PI's

I had this post almost ready before the dreaded flu hit me over a week ago now, but it still holds since I've read very little since then. It's a little update on my reading habits, books I'm reading, and books read.
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Reading Habits:
Sometimes my reading habits get the best of me and other times they work like clockwork. I read different books at different times during the day. I use my Kindle and iPhone during my commutes to and from work and at lunch time, and read print books at home during the evening and weekends. That means that I'm usually reading multiple books at the same time. It gets crazy sometimes! For example, at the same time I went nuts reading gay cowboy romances and an entire mystery series, in print and in my Kindle I was reading contemporary fiction, literary fiction and other books that I don't often review here.

Moments:
In a previous post, I mentioned that I am reading Dear Life, the last collection of short stories by Alice Munro. In this book, Munro captures what seem like ordinary moments that change people's (mostly women's) lives. Sometimes the decisions that lead to those changes seem... mundane, but turn out to be life altering. Not all the stories are working for me on the same level, but one thing I can say about Munro, with few words she can pack a lifetime of information in a short story.

Blood & Guts:
I am also in the process of reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, one of the most gruesomely violent books I've ever read. The writing is fantastic -- sparse, tight, yet so freaking descriptive. It's like he punches you with words one minute and just lulls you with beauty the next. The worse part of it, and the most effective, is when the beauty of his words calmly and nonchalantly describe the horror and violence that humans achieve without even trying. Mr. McCarthy's perspective of the human condition and the lack of humanity in his portrayal of the historical American West is turning out to be rather daunting.

Blood & Guts - A Legal Battle: 
I also just began reading Gilbert King's Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner for general nonfiction. I am not too far into this book yet, but I can relate a little bit of information on it. So far I'm struck by Gilbert King's excellent creative nonfiction style of writing -- this book reads more like a novel, and it is not a dry accounting of events. The book begins with a brief accounting of landmark cases that Thurgood Marshall argued in Southern Courts and before the U.S. Supreme Court beginning and after the mid-1940's when he served as counsel for the NAACP during the Jim Crow South era. He is best known for his 1951 win Brown v. Board of Education, which brought about the desegregation of public schools, and for serving as Justice of the Supreme Court, the first black man to do so. However, this book specifically focuses on one of Marshall's less known cases, the 1949 Florida case known as the Groveland Boys.
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Cowboys:
Anyway, before the flu got me, I was reading like a machine. For example, this month I finished a crazy reading spree of contemporary western M/M romances. Don't ask me why, except that I love westerns and while reading one book something began to bug me, so I decided to do some comparison reading and went on an unexpected marathon.

As I moved along from one book to another, I realized that what was bugging me was that the core of these westerns all seem to have "required" points. There is the closeted cowboy or rancher who struggles to make the tough decision to come out of the closet when that one man shows up in their lives, the requisite homophobes, and the other closeted gay cowboys who pop out of the woodwork and are always lying in wait to give support and advice when needed. This sounds cynical, I know, but as a reader, this trend just hit me as a "truly tired" plot device. I read five books in a row and all hit the above mentioned points, as have many other contemporary western M/M romances I've read before. After a while I stopped making notes and just wrote a few lines about what was different. There is always the matter of different writing styles, and a different angle thrown here and there.

In Heart of a Cowboy by Z.A. Maxfield, I enjoyed the writing and the fact that the main character is honest with himself, his lover, and those around him. In Long Tall Drink by L.C. Chase, story trumps sex and both main characters are given backgrounds that are explored and used to develop the overall story and romantic conflict. In Pickup Men by L.C. Chase, a frustrating read, the fact that the story begins with the couple breaking up is rather unique. But the most interesting aspect of this piece is that Chase incorporates two different perspectives dealing with the consequences that arise from sending young gay men to "rehabilitation camps." And, in No Going Home and Duncan's World, T.A. Chase focuses his novels on fathers who physically abuse their sons, and psychologically lost young men who need and look for "daddies" in their lovers and require their support in order to come out of the closet.

A PI:

On my iPhone, I read the first book of Marshall Thornton's Nick Nowack Mystery series, Boystown: Three Nick Nowack Mysteries. This is a series that my friend Indigene highly recommended to me because she knows how much I love good LGBT mysteries. I fell in love with the gritty central character Nick, the 1980's Chicago setting, Mr. Thornton's pared down writing, and the book format. The book is separated into three sections with titles (novellas), each with a mystery solved by Nick, but the overall storyarc focuses on Nick's personal life and the recurring characters give the book (and overall series) continuity.

This is a great first book with wonderful mysteries that hooked me and a fantastic, rather captivating, ex-cop turned PI whose prolific sexual escapades mask the heartbreak of losing the ex-lover who shoved him out of the closet resulting in the loss of both his family and job with the Chicago PD. I liked the first book so much that I ended up reading the entire Nick Nowack Mystery series up to the latest release, including Little Boy Dead: A Boystown Prequel, Boystown 2: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries, Boystown 3: Two Nick Nowak Mysteries, Boystown 4: Time for Secrets, and Boystown 5: Murder Book. I became so invested in Nick that frankly, I can't wait to find out where Thornton takes this character as well as some secondary characters I've become attached to -- particularly since we know some of what is coming and after the heartbreaking events in Murder Book.
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What Else?:
I've finished a few books since I began writing this post, The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly, a historical fiction/romance book set in 1927 during the Mississippi Flood (Kindle ed.), The Padișah's Son and the Fox by Alex Jeffers, a Turkish erotic fairy tale (Print ed.), and 'Nathan Burgoine's debut full-length novel Light, a combination superhero action/adventure romance, with strong spec-fic elements (Kindle ed.).

Alice Munro: A Prize & An Excerpt

Just last week, my brother A. and I were discussing short stories and great short story writers over drinks, and I told him that the older I get, the more I seem to love and appreciate both. He and I share the love. So, here I am smack in the middle of reading Alice Munro's last book, Dear Life, and first thing this morning he wakes me up (early!) with a text to let me know that Ms. Munro won the 2013 Nobel Prize in literature. Needless to say we were both excited by the news.

Alice Munro is a Canadian author born in the southwestern Ontario area, a setting she uses in most of her stories. Her writing and works are admired and have been widely recognized. The Academy's announcement for the Nobel Prize calls her a "master of the contemporary short story." Peter Englund, permanent secretary for the academy told The Associated Press that, "She has taken an art form, the short story, which has tended to come a little bit in the shadow behind the novel, and she has cultivated it almost to perfection"

Since I am reading Dear Life at the moment, I'd like to share a short, rather interesting excerpt* from Munro's short story,"To Reach Japan."

Greta should have realized that this attitude -- hands off, tolerant -- was a blessing for her, because she was a poet, and there were things in her poems that were in no way cheerful or easy to explain.

(Peter's mother and the people he worked with -- those who knew about it -- still said poetess. She had trained him not to. Otherwise, no training necessary. The relatives she had left behind in her life, and the people she knew now in her role as a housewife and mother, did not have to be trained because they knew nothing about this peculiarity.)

It would become hard to explain, later on in her life, just what was okay in that time and what was not. You might say, well, feminism was not. But then you would have to explain that feminism was not even a word people used. Then you would get all tied up saying that having any serious idea, let alone ambition, or maybe even reading a real book, could be seen as suspect, having something to do with your child's getting pneumonia, and a political remark at an office party might have cost your husband his promotion. It would not have mattered which political party either. It was a woman's shooting off her mouth that did it.

People would laugh and say, Oh surely you are joking and you would have to say, Well, but not that much. Then she would say, one thing, though, was that if you were writing poetry it was somewhat safer to be a woman than a man. That was where the word poetess came in handy, like a web of spun sugar.

Copyright, 2013 Alice Munro

The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #6) by Jennifer Ashley

Daniel Mackenzie. Slow goodness. What a sexy, sweet, man our Daniel turned out to be! Ashley outdid herself with this Mackenzie character. Of course, Daniel has the advantage of having been developed and loved, as a character throughout the whole series. More than just sexy, Daniel is a sensualist who enjoys life to its fullest.

With the romance between Daniel and his Violet, Ashley moves this series to that exciting period in time when motorcars, balloons, and mechanical inventions were just beginning to make an impact and spiritualists were all the rage in many of the best salons in Europe. Both Daniel and Violet are an integral part of both worlds. Daniel with his keen, obsessive mind is an inventor, and Violet is part of a spiritualist team along with her mother, but she also has a knack for understanding and creating her own mechanical inventions. Daniel is attracted to Violet physically, but her mind is what really hooks him.

Daniel and Violet fall for each other pretty early in their journey to happiness. The main conflicts arise from terrible past experiences that Violet survived only by running away. but has not been able to overcome. She remains a partially broken woman who needs healing. And that is where Daniel comes in, not to save the day (although he tries) but to show Violet that she has the strength to deal with the past and to move on with her life. They are a wonderful pair, Daniel with his easy, charming ways and wonderful laugh, and Violet with her deep need to understand what honesty means, what it is to feel safe, to be truly cared for, loved, and understood.

The plot follows an interesting path, taking the reader from London to Marseille, back to England, going on to a climactic scene in Paris, and a final epilogue in Scotland. The Mackenzie family as a whole is intricately involved in Daniel's life and in his romantic adventure. I love how he deals with his whole family as they interfere with his life. He listens and is loving in his dealings with all of them, and then. . . takes off and does his own thing. Daniel has their number. He knows Ian won't sell him out to the rest of the family... so he's the best confidant. So yes, Ian, more so than his father Cameron, plays a role in helping Daniel find happiness.

Was there anything that did not entirely work for me? Well, there were two moments too many of near-death and survival that didn't quite work for me. Daniel's role as an avenger toward the end just... troubled me, and the appearance of Fellows came out of nowhere! I was. . . surprised by his participation in this storyline. Really, I was! However, the rest of the book was delightful, with excellent inner and outer conflicts that are satisfactorily resolved and, more than just sexual, some wonderful sensual scenes between Daniel and Violet. So, yes, The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie is one of my favorite books of the series.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Highland Pleasures
Publisher/Release Date: Berkley Sensation/October 1, 2013
Grade: B+

Series:
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, # 1
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, #2
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, # 3
The Duke's Perfect Wife, #4
A Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift, #4.5
The Seduction of Elliot McBride, #5
The Untamed Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #5.5)
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie, #6

Halloween Reads: Creepy, Disturbing UF/Fantasy/LGBT/Spec Fic & Horror!

It's October. Time for reading the spooky and disturbing. I have a stack of books that I have been reading or checking out -- not a Stephen King book in sight either... but we all already know he's the King! My list is a combination of books that have an edge of the dark stuff, and others that are made of darkness. You may or may not have heard of them, but what they all have in common is that they are all great reads!

URBAN FANTASY AND FANTASY with an edge and a dash of the dark stuff. If you don't like too much of the creepy stuff that comes with horror but enjoy a bit of edge, urban fantasy, and fantasy can provide that. The following is a list of books I highly enjoyed, beginning with a few I read recently:

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (Novel 2013, Fantasy) - An adult fairy tale with the Gaiman magic and a darker, more adult plot at its core. There are some pretty disturbing scenes in this fairy tale, and not all of them come from the magic-side of things.

Written in Red by Anne Bishop (Novel, 2013 - Fantasy) - This fantasy piece has some fantastically gruesome shifters! I mean these are not cookie cutter vampires or shifters. The story has darkness and edge with a dash of warmth and humor providing balance. A great beginning to a new fantasy series by Ms. Bishop.

Omens (Cainsville #1) by Kelley Armstrong (Novel, 2013 - Urban Fantasy) - Omens is the beginning of a new urban fantasy series by Armstrong. However, the fantasy aspects of the story are a bit blunted in the first book, but overall the story is definitely unsettling -- more of a suspense read with light paranormal elements and an edgy flavor.

Bone and Jewel Creatures by Elizabeth Bear (Novella, 2010 - Fantasy) This novella with necromancy as a central theme is gorgeously dark. It also serves as a sort of prequel to Elizabeth Bear's Eternal Sky fantasy series.

SPECULATIVE FICTION ANYONE? 

In Search Of and Others by Will Ludwigsen (Collection 2013, Speculative Fiction) is one of the best collections of speculative fiction short stories I read this past year. It has those disturbing, unsettling pieces, and the ones that just make you think and wonder.

The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Doctor Spencer Black by E.B. Hudspeth (Illustrated Book, 2013 - Speculative Fiction/Horror) is one of the most creative pieces I read this year. This book has some magnificent illustrations and a very short story about Doctor Spencer Black, separate they are a curiosity, together they become a uniquely gruesome experience.

Fungi edited by Orrin Grey and Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Anthology, 2012 - Speculative Fiction/Horror) I began reading Fungi last year, finished it in 2013, and never reviewed it. It's a shame because this is such a great collection. I have favorite pieces that are stuck in my mind as if I read them yesterday, either because they're disturbing or downright unique. Two quick examples: "Last Bloom on the Sage by Andrew Penn Romine" is a memorable short with fantastic characters, world building, action and a plot that combines western steampunk with mushroom weirdness. And, in "Midnight Mushrumps by W. H. Pugmire" the beginning reads like a dream that quickly gains the atmosphere of a dark fairy tale and veers off into a dank, fungi infested, horror-filled nightmare.

READING: Moving on to a list of books I'm reading at the moment, you will find everything from the mild to pure unadulterated horror!

Still Life with Murder (Gilded Age Mystery #1) by P. B. Ryan (2003 Historical Mystery/Suspense) I saw a recommendation for this book at Li's site Me and My Books and decided to check it out. I'm already 25% through the book. It is set in the midst of aristocratic Boston during the Civil War and the main character is an Irish immigrant. It has an upstairs/downstairs sort of flavor with scenes that range from posh settings to the Bostonian Irish ghettos. I'm really liking it. Not a horror or speculative fiction read, but definitely a good mystery so far.

The Dust of Wonderland by Lee Thomas (2013, Novel Rerelease - LGBT Speculative Fiction/Horror) This story, set in New Orleans, is all about atmosphere and suspense. Lee Thomas always keeps me at the edge of my seat, and that's exactly what happened as soon as I began reading the prologue. I'm about 25% through the book and will let you know how it turns out. Mr. Thomas is an author whose works I absolutely, positively recommend if you want to read excellent spec-fic/suspense/horror that has a deeper, more meaningful subplot at its core. He does not disappoint.

Zombies: Shambling through the Ages ed. by Steve Berman (2013, Anthology - Horror) I am reading this collection at the moment. I am enjoying the creative way zombies are portrayed by the different authors, some of them are quite unusual. The book is divided in such a way that it more or less gives a history of the zombie, so the stories follow a fascinating progression. I was really hooked by the first short story "Blood Marker by Victoria Janssen," which almost serves as a sort of introduction to the Before Lazarus section and sets up a precedent for the uniqueness that follows.

I have more! My list was rather long this year, but I paired it down to ten which was not easy. I also have a "want to read" list and TBR pile that is a mile long. Do you read spooky stories, mysteries or crime suspense during October? What books do you recommend?

2012 Halloween Recs
2012 Xtra Scary Recs
2011 Halloween Reads

September 2013 Recap: Books Read + Minis

I am in the middle of what I am calling an "Indescribably Severe Period of Blogger's Fatigue." I'm half-way through my fifth year of blogging, and it has been seven years (or is it eight) since I've been hanging around the blogosphere. Perhaps it's the seven year itch and I just need a little pick-me up. Someone prepare a strong and refreshing mint julep for me, please!

Anyway, here are my reads for September 2013:

Total Books Read: 18
Contemporary: 1 (YA Fiction)
Historical: 1 (Romance)
Urban Fantasy: 10
Fantasy: 4 (Historical Fantasy Fiction: 2)
LGBT: 2 (Gay Fiction: 1, M/M Romance: 1)

Top 3 Reads of the month:

Desire: Tales of New Orleans by William Sterling Walker: A

I loved this book so much that I read it twice. You can read my review, but let me tell you... I had to retrain myself! This book is so gorgeous, I had enough notes and quotes to write a saga instead of a review. I can't believe I missed this collection in 2012.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: A-

This is a fantastic adult fairy tale. I can't recommend it enough to lovers of fantasy as a "must read."

Ashes of Honor (October Daye #6) by Seanan McGuire: A-

After reading the whole October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, this book was definitely my favorite. It is the one book of the series where everything came together and worked for me: Toby, the plot, the relationships, and the world-building.

One Salt Sea (October Daye #5) by Seanan McGuire: B+

I love the additional world-building in One Salt Sea. McGuire's inclusion of the Undersea Faerie Folk was fantastic. The revelations about the Luidaeg's history was a definite plus. And, this book has one of the funniest scenes as well as some of the saddest of the whole series. I was kind of relieved that some characters were finally disposed of and that decisions that needed to be made were faced by Toby.

The House of Impossible Loves by Cristina Lopez Barrio: B

This Latin American style magical realism yarn has teeth and challenges comfort zones with a few taboo subjects, love, angst, some truly hateful characters, and a gorgeous historical setting. Not for everyone.

Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega #1) by Patricia Briggs: B

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of werewolves and witches. Briggs's world-building is quite attractive and I liked the characters much more in this book than in the introductory novella, On the Prowl. However, I feel that without reading that novella, this book would be incomplete as it really explains Anna's psychological state of mind and how Charles came into her life. A solid read!

The Untamed Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley: B

The lovely romance between detective Chief Inspector Lloyd Fellows and Lady Louisa Scranton is a novella. It contains passion and a wonderful crime mystery. I enjoyed getting to know Fellows while he yearned for his Louisa, and wished that there had been more page time when it ended.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: B

This was our Internet Book Club choice for the month of September. The Fault in Our Stars is not a book I intended to read, but it was recommended by Mariana's young daughter and of course I had to give it a go. If this book were a movie, it would fall under the "tear jerker" category. I found it to be relentlessly sad with three dimensional characters that pulled me in and under until the end. So yes, this is a great read, but I could not help but be relieved when it finally ended. Augustus and Hazel Grace are memorable characters I won't soon forget. A really great book for young adults.

Late Eclipses (October Daye #4) by Seanan McGuire: B

Late Eclipses is the book that was needed to give this series a boost, in my humble opinion. It's filled with great revelations about Toby, her magic, and her mother Amandine that help make sense of what happened in the previous three books. Finally! A solid, solid installment.

Rosemary & Rue (October Daye #1) by Seanan McGuire: B-

Rosemary and Rue begins with a bang, fizzles out, and then picks up with the kind of great world-building that I love and kept me reading this series.

Chimes at Midnight (October Daye #7) by Seanan McGuire: B-

The latest release in the Toby Daye series was a mixed bag for me. The plot felt disjointed and not quite up to snuff, particularly after reading Ashes of Honor #6 -- a much tighter installment. In the end, I found the central theme of the book, pureblood superiority/inferiority with its power or lack of it, disturbing.

Carniepunk Anthology: B-

A dark urban fantasy anthology that is packed with stories that are part of ongoing series, although a few are free standing. I enjoyed enough of them to recommend this as a good October, Halloween read.

An Artificial Night (October Daye #3) by Seanan McGuire: C+

Another book I'm not crazy about, but I liked better than book #2 because characters such as Raj, Tybalt's nephew, are introduced, Quentin's relationship with Toby is further developed as is her relationship with the Luidaeg, plus the excellent fantasy world-building continues.

My Cowboy Heart by Z. A. Maxfield: C+

This was a good M/M Western Romance by ZAM but nothing really unique. This story about a foreman in his 30's who becomes aware that he is gay when a new out and proud gay ranch hand is hired, has been done before. It's not a gay for you story. Anyway, ZAM writes a good contemporary western yarn, better than some others I've read with this same plot device. I'm actually interested in reading the follow-up story about two older ranch hands, one of them an alcoholic.

On the Prowl (Alpha & Omega 0.5) by Patricia Briggs: C

A short novella with great central characters, but one that felt incomplete. It has that insta-mine paranormal device that feels a bit tired and an overly abusive storyline toward the female protagonist that nearly turned me off from continuing to the first book of the series. The world-building seemed interesting and I wanted to give Briggs a shot, so I continued on to Cry Wolf.

La Rosa de Fuego (The Rose of Fire: The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #0.5) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: C

I read the Spanish version of this fantasy-based prequel to Zafon's Cemetery series and enjoyed his prose and writing style. Set in 15th Century Barcelona during the time of the inquisition, Zafon incorporates religion, ignorance, and the prejudicial mores of the times, along with a rather heavy handed dose of fantasy. This prequel is a bit too short and lacks depth.

A Local Habitation (October Daye #2) by Seanan McGuire: C-

Unfortunately this book drove me insane! Why? The setting for the plot in this book is limited for the most part to one very uninviting, cold place, the characters introduced are not compelling or interesting, and Toby is not well prepared to investigate the crimes occurring in this place. Yet, the relationship and world-building continued and that kept me reading.

Rereads:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: A

This is ghoulish children's fairy tale, that is true, but at its core it is a family-oriented fairy tale that deals beautifully and warmly with the subject of adoption. This was a reread for me, and yes I fell in love with the characters and Gaiman's storytelling talent all over again.

I will remember September 2013 as the month I went nuts reading UF! I began a couple of books from other UF series, but in the end settled for McGuire and Briggs. Maybe by the end of the year I'll read a few more of those "first books in a series" that have been hanging out in my TBR for years.

How was your September? I fell in love with Desire: Tales of New Orleans by William Sterling Walker and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Did you fall in love with any books last month?

Desire: Tales of New Orleans by William Sterling Walker

There are places that exude an atmosphere of casual sensuality that can be felt, smelled, and tasted. The residents of such places absorb the atmosphere like sponges until they become part of the place and the place becomes part of them. The City of New Orleans is such a place. In his collection of loosely related short stories, Desire: Tales of New Orleans, William Sterling Walker captures the essence of this city until, with its strong presence and influence, New Orleans takes center stage and breaths life into each and every character. Walker's beautiful integration of music -- classical, jazz, 80's pop -- and art adds to the overall sense of time and place, capturing moments, depth of feeling, and often creating the illusion of a written snapshot suspended in time.

Walker's descriptions of New Orleans are also intrinsically connected to themes found in his collection, -- with "connection" the most prevalent theme throughout -- to the character's conflicts, and to their personal desires. The heat and oppressive humidity may be connected to voracious or subtle physical needs. The stagnation of a place where the past is present may be found in conflicts faced by quite a few of the men, and the gravitational pull that the city exerts on its denizens as if it were a living entity is mirrored in the friendships and relationships between the characters.

The word desire, as in the title of the book, usually brings to mind sexual want or hunger. Humans, however, desire much more from each other than the physical and Walker incorporates both in his stories. He breathes life into his stories through his characters, the friendships they share, their loves, losses, needs and desires. Moments, events, conversations, assignations, paralyzing fear, pain and regret, all become connected through friendships and hookups in a pre-Katrina gay community that learned early about tragic loss while experiencing the plague years.

I first read Walker's short story "Farewell to Wise's" in the Best Gay Stories 2013 anthology and what really struck me about it at the time, what made me love it, was the fact that the place and characters became real to me. I found that same quality in the rest of his stories. Walker develops intimate interactions and dialog between his characters, slowly revealing layers and, in the process, giving them a depth that becomes an essential part of his portrayals. This development leads readers to become fully invested in both the characters and the conflicts they face.

I know I will reread this book for a couple of reasons. Throughout the time it took me to read it, and after, I fell asleep in New Orleans thinking about the characters and woke up the next day in New Orleans still communing with them. But, most importantly, Desire: Tales of New Orleans is a book that strongly reminded me of the "why" behind my love for short stories. Highly recommended.

Category: LGBT/Gay Fiction
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Chelsea Station Editions/November 1, 2012
Grade: A

Visit William Sterling Walker here.

The Untamed Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #5.5) by Jennifer Ashley

A Woman of Breeding Meets a Man of No Standing...

In The Untamed Mackenzie, Jennifer Ashley finally lets us in on the mystery that is Detective Inspector Lloyd Fellows, the Mackenzie bastard brother whose first introduction to readers in the guise of a quisi-villain. Happily, Lloyd is believably portrayed in this novella as a Mackenzie worthy of his name.

Ashley portrays Lloyd as a man on fire. A man in the throes of a passion that leads him to place in jeopardy everything he holds dear for Lady Louisa Scranton, the woman he has secretly loved from a distance without hope of a real future. The magnetic pull Louisa feels when she is anywhere near Lloyd is felt throughout, as Ashley uses more sexual tension and sensuality than graphic sexual scenes to build on the romance. The passion is reciprocated, but is the love? And even if it is, how can they have a future when she's a Lady and he's nothing but a well-respected policeman?

There is a crime, of course, with Louisa as the main suspect and Fellows as the investigator. Lloyd pulls all the stops to save his love with help from the Mackenzie clan and Scotland Yard detective Pierce. This side of the story was satisfying to me. I was somewhat disappointed, however, by the length of this piece.

It's interesting that I abhorred Lloyd Fellows in the first book of this series and at the time thought his was a superfluous character -- I remember just wanting to enjoy the romance between Ian and Beth. Yet, while reading this novella I found myself thinking that Ashley created Lloyd as such a conflicted character that a more in-depth exploration of those conflicts (both past and present) would have been welcomed. However, although I would have loved a longer book with more page time to also develop Louisa's side of the romance, as a novella filled with impulsive, passionate thoughts and actions, The Untamed Mackenzie worked for me. Grade: B

Overview: October (Toby) Daye Urban Fantasy Series by Seanan McGuire

I was in the mood for urban fantasy and just... pleasure reading. I decided to begin by hitting a few of the urban fantasy books sitting in my TBR and read a few, including the first two books from Patricia Briggs' Alpha & Omega series, but most notably, I inhaled the entire October (Toby) Daye urban fantasy series by Seanan McGuire. Yes, all seven books!

So what did I think of the series?

The first three books of the series, Rosemary and Rue #1 (B-), A Local Habitation #2 (C-), and An Artificial Night #3 (C+/B-) were not real winners for me. So you may wonder why I continued reading the series. Well, I fell in love with McGuire's world-building, particularly the fantasy side of things. Her Faerie world is fascinating with its changelings, multiple fae races, nobles and Courts, and of course the Court of Cats. I particularly like McGuire's take on how they all interrelate with each other, the history details, and all the political ins and outs that develop throughout the series.

I also fell in love with the detailed and clear magical elements in this series. McGuire's takes her time developing this aspect of her world. Magic works and is used differently depending on the fae's race, mixture of pureblood race, and for changelings -- the half-human, half-fae -- it all depends the fae parent's blood. Power and magic really comes down to blood. Humans don't necessarily play a big role in this series, however, the fae have no choice but to make use of their physical world and I like how magic is used in this symbiotic relationship. San Francisco is a fantastic setting. My fascination with the world-building kept me reading Rosemary and Rue and beyond because frankly, I was not necessarily taken with other aspects of this series until I reached the fourth book.

Initially, one of my problems was Toby, the narrator and main character, who is not impressive in the first book as the "hero." Toby is a changeling with little magical power of her own, but earned her place as knight errant to Sylvester Torquill, Duke of Shadowed Hills, making Toby special/unique among the changelings and purebloods. Her story begins when Toby is turned into a fish, a Koi to be exact, while in Sylvester's service. Toby spends fourteen years swimming in a pond until she breaks the spell and realizes that her whole life as she knew it is lost, including her human live-in boyfriend and daughter Gillian. This loss plunges Toby into a depressive spiral until a friend binds and compels Toby to find a murderer or die trying. Toby's life slowly gets back on track as she picks up the threads of her life as a P.I. and begins the process of bonding with people who eventually become her closest allies.

The highest praise I can give Toby's character is that although she is half-human, McGuire imbues her with a humanity and vulnerability that is sorely missing from many of the characters encountered in this series, including changelings. She has a big heart and because she is a "hero," bravery. However, Toby's bravery is often the foolish kind -- she is universally known for taking stupid, uncalled-for risks. There are other aspects of her personality that tend to annoy. For example, Toby tends to blame herself for events that are not her fault. She's a guilt-ridden hero. Me thinks she's a bit self-deluded in that respect, but then she has a huge hero-complex which makes her both self-sacrificing and self-centered in my opinion.

See, initially, Toby doesn't think much of herself and believes she's a waste of space. Later on confidence comes with power and gained affection, but too often she is willing to let herself go if necessary because there always seems to be a small part of her that feels she doesn't deserve to live -- that she is not good enough or doesn't deserve better. Talk about poor self-esteem! If you understand that about her, it goes a long way toward understanding Toby's choices -- including her choice in men. This drove me a bit insane during the first three books as did her lack of insight, follow through and investigative skills. Toby also tends to be oblivious to important comments or clues, and other times she chooses to be oblivious to the obvious. But okay... Toby was a fish for fourteen years, her emotional state was severely compromised for a while, and she has huge mommy issues (and I'm talking about Toby's mother here, not her daughter. That's another kettle of fish altogether).

In this respect, Toby is no different from other urban fantasy "heroines" who throw themselves in the fray over and over again and are willing to sacrifice themselves to save the world because they believe they are the only ones equipped to do so. Initially where she differs is in the fact that she has little power throws herself heart and soul into the battles anyway. Later on in the series she falls in line with other urban fantasy heroines. What doesn't change is the fact that Toby wants to be a 'hero' and believes her own press (she contradicts herself about this though), or the fact that she's not a great investigator, in fact most of the time she stumbles along until things fall into place, has problems following through and "listening to others." Toby's usually too busy looking for the next bit of trouble to really take the time to listen and analyze information. She doesn't pay attention. Thank goodness for her allies.

And that's the thing, the secondary characters in this series kick some serious ass! I'm not talking physically now... I mean whatever flaws I found when focusing on Toby were placed aside when McGuire began building those excellent relationships between her protagonist and the key secondary characters. It is a slow development, but every single one of these characters and relationships are worth the page time. What would Toby do without Quentin, Tybalt, or her fascinating frenemy the Luidaeg. There are so many more!

Toby? Toby grew on me. By the time I read Late Eclipses #4 (B) I was hooked and thrilled to finally see significant revelations about Toby come to light, and by One Salt Sea #5 (B+) I was laughing my ass off as Toby hopped on a mermaid's lap, riding a wheelchair down a San Francisco hill to save her life -- an absurd and memorable scene, and a very good read! And yes, Ashes of Honor #6 ( A-) was an absolute winner for me just as it was for many other readers. There is an obvious reason behind that, but also in this book Toby finally takes the time to look inwards, gains some insight into herself and admits some hard truths. Self-awareness never hurt anyone, and Toby needed a good dose of that! Chimes at Midnight,#7 (B-) wasn't a great read for me, but it made me think hard about this series. Am I still hooked? Hmm..., I will read the next book to see where McGuire takes it.

Additional Thoughts after reading Chimes at Midnight: McGuire's Toby is a changeling of mixed blood -- half-human, half-fae. In her world, changelings are forced to make the choice to become one or the other. Socially, they are also at the bottom of the ladder and are often disregarded by the upper classes -- the pureblood fae. The issue of blood, the mixtures of blood, and/or choosing who you are because of your blood becomes a central theme in McGuire's series. In many instances, choosing to be both means having little power. Choosing to change your blood to become a pureblood means more power and becoming human means next to none. In thinking about this central theme in a contemporary context (something I tend to do when I read fantasy and sci-fi), the whole idea became utterly disturbing.

Review: Mañana Means Heaven by Tim Z. Hernandez

Tim Z. Hernandez bases his novel Mañana Means Heaven on the story of Bea Franco, the young Chicana woman Jack Karouac meets while on his way to Los Angeles from San Francisco, during his travels across the United States, and who later appears in his famed novel On the Road as Terry, or "the Mexican girl."

"Mañana," she said. "Everything'll be all right tomorrow, don't you think, Sal-honey, man?"

"Sure, baby, mañana." It was always mañana. For the next week, that was all I heard --- mañana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven. -- On the Road by Jack Kerouac

The title of the novel is taken directly from one of the passages of Karouac's novel, but this is Bea's story, not Jack's. That is made perfectly clear from the beginning. Hernandez takes Karouac's short chapter, and following the same timeline, cleverly weaves in Bea's background and breaths life into the woman by exposing the extreme emotional and familial circumstances that pushed her into opening up to a man like Jack, a gavacho "college boy," during that particular time in her life. A time that lasted but a blink in time, but one that changed both of their lives irrevocably.

Meeting Jack gives Bea hope while she is trapped in what seems like a hopeless and desperate situation that Hernandez utilizes to build tension throughout his novel. Franco's short time with Jack changes her. It gives her the determination and resiliency that may have been there all along, but that she learns to use to become a woman who expects better for and from herself. For Jack, much later that moment in time becomes the stepping stone that helps to propel his career as a writer when the Paris Review publishes his short story "Terry, the Mexican Girl," and well, the rest is history.

If Franco and her family are well researched by Hernandez, then so are the historical details. Hernandez takes the reader to a post WWII Los Angeles that comes alive with all of its paranoia and multicultural prejudices. But nothing comes alive more than the San Joaquin Valley and the plight of the pickers -- the smell and paranoia in the tent camps, the fear of immigration raids, the hatred for the implacable owners and the need for work, the child workers, the stultifying poverty, and through Bea, the desperation.

Hernandez utilizes mañana, tomorrow, as the main theme of his novel. The word mañana represents many different things to the different people who inhabit the novel. To Bea and her brother Alex it represents the possibility of a future and the realization of a dream. To the pickers in Selma it represents the basics, work, food, a warm place to stay. If not today, tomorrow things will work out. To Jack it is always a way to gain time, to learn more, to see more. To little Albert, it comes to represent lack of money, a lack of hope. However, Hernandez also uses partings, abandonment, leaving and returning as a secondary and more subtle theme throughout the novel.

As an award winning poet and writer familiar with Franco's cultural background, Hernandez was already well equipped to write a story about Karouac's muse. However, Hernandez's research into her life and his insights into the person Franco was, into the woman she became, takes her story beyond that of a myth. Highly recommended.

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Memorable Quote from Tim Z. Hernandez's Guest Post: "I Remain As Ever, Bea"

I spoke briefly about what Bea had taught me, and about what we might all learn from her story. That each of us, regardless of how seemingly insignificant or boring or obscure our lives may be, are made up of valuable epic stories that deserve their day in the light.

Related Posts:
Guest Author Tim Z. Hernandez: "I Remain As Ever, Bea"
RIP Bea Franco, Kerouac's "Terry, The Mexican Girl"
Highlighting: Manana Means Heaven by Tim Z. Hernandez

Guest Author Tim Z. Hernandez: "I Remain as Ever, Bea"

Today, I would like to extend a big welcome to Tim Z. Hernandez, author of Mañana Means Heaven, the story of Bea Franco who for years was only known as Terry, the "Mexican girl" from Jack Karouac's On the Road.

Mañana Means Heaven deftly combines fact and fiction to pull back the veil on one of literature’s most mysterious and evocative characters. Inspired by Franco’s love letters to Kerouac and Hernandez’s interviews with Franco, now in her nineties and living in relative obscurity, the novel brings this lost gem of a story out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

Franco was sought out by dozens of Kerouac and Beat scholars, but none could find her. According to one, “finding Bea Franco is like trying to find the ghost of a needle in haystack.”

Well, Tim Z. Hernandez found the "needle in the haystack" and wrote a book that has received high praise from The Associated Press, Booklist and others, and that I am sure will continue to do so.

On a personal note, when The University of Arizona Press contacted me about the upcoming release of Mañana Means Heaven I was immediately taken in by the synopsis. It just captures the imagination. Later, as I was in the middle of reading Bea Franco's journey through life, I was quite shocked and saddened to learn that she had passed away.

Today is the last day in a week-long blog tour. By following the tour, you will find real insight into Tim's research by listening to interviews, reading notes from his journal, excellent question and answer sessions, or if you prefer, there are also book excerpts available.

For his last stop today, however, Hernandez chose to write a very personal post about Bea.

Blog Tour:

Monday, September 16 | Stephanie Nikolopoulos blog 

Tuesday, September 17 | The Daily Beat 

Wednesday, September 18 | La Bloga 

Thursday, September 19 | The Big Idea 

Friday, September 20 | The Dan O’Brien Project 

Welcome Tim!
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I Remain as Ever, Bea

On the morning of August 15, 2013 I received a text from Albert Franco, Bea's son, telling me in only a few abbreviated words that his mother had passed away. This news took the breath out of me. It was unexpected, to say the least. I had just recently spoken with Patricia, Bea's daughter, who Bea had been staying with in Long Beach. My family and I were making plans to see her while we were going to be in California. At the time, Patricia said something to the effect of, "My mother's been doing much better lately and I'm sure she'd like to see you." So my wife and I began planning. Just a few days earlier, on August 3, after receiving copies of my book in the mail from my publisher, I hurried to the post office and sent Bea a package, which included a signed copy of the book, her book, along with a bound photo album I had made her, compiled with all the photos and documents her family had loaned me during the writing of her book. Days later Patricia called to tell me the package had arrived and how excited they all were. I asked if she wouldn' t mind taking a few pictures of Bea holding her book, and she agreed. On August 7, I received several text messages from Patricia's daughter Dina, images of Bea smiling with her copy of Mañana Means Heaven in her hands. She had that same curious glint in her eye that I had come to know, as if to say, it's about time! Of course, in that moment we had no idea that these photographs would become the only evidence that Bea did in fact live to see her life story told in the pages of a book. No longer merely the fictional "Mexican girl" of Kerouac's imagination, or the quiet and unassuming campesina that appeared for all of two minutes in Walter Salles' movie, On the Road, but Beatrice Renteria Franco, now Bea Kozera, the real woman, the real deal.


On the very day Mañana Means Heaven was to land on the shelves of bookstores across the nation, Thursday August 29, a handful of friends and family gathered at the idyllic Belmont Memorial Park in Fresno, California to pay their last respects to this "petite woman with fire in her heart," as one of Bea's relatives remarked. For the better part of three years, it seemed every member of my family was also invested in Bea's story. (It was my mother who actually located her whereabouts back in 2010. After telling her I was about to give up my search for Bea and just get on with the book, she replied, "Give me your files and notes, I'll find her!" 24 hours later, she handed me two possible leads.) Even my cousin Art, when I went to visit him in the pen the first thing out of his mouth was, "Have you finished your book about the Mexican girl?" And of course, so many times my wife Dayanna had watched me return from my interviews with Bea beaming with excitement. Like this, my family, even our children, became familiar with Bea; through our visits with her, through the myriad photos which hung on the wall above my desk as I wrote the book, through the sound of Bea's own tender voice played back on my video camera, for three solid years we lived with her presence. Needless to say, at her services, we were all there together. I was asked by her son Albert to share a few words, and so I spoke briefly about what Bea had taught me, and about what we might all learn from her story. That each of us, regardless of how seemingly insignificant or boring or obscure our lives may be, are made up of valuable epic stories that deserve their day in the light. Standing at the podium, I concluded my thoughts by sharing one small but very cool detail about Bea. Over the years she had enjoyed writing letters and postcards to people, and she had a distinct way of signing off. I could clearly see that curious glint in her eye shine, each time she assured her reader, "I Remain as Ever, Bea."


Tim Z. Hernandez, copyright 2013
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Mañana Means Heaven by Tim Z. Hernandez
Released: August 29, 2013
The University of Arizona Press

In this love story of impossible odds, award-winning writer Tim Z. Hernandez weaves a rich and visionary portrait of Bea Franco, the real woman behind famed American author Jack Kerouac’s “The Mexican Girl.” Set against an ominous backdrop of California in the 1940s, deep in the agricultural heartland of the Great Central Valley, Mañana Means Heaven reveals the desperate circumstances that lead a married woman to an illicit affair with an aspiring young writer traveling across the United States.

When they meet, Franco is a migrant farmworker with two children and a failing marriage, living with poverty, violence, and the looming threat of deportation, while the “college boy” yearns to one day make a name for himself in the writing world. The significance of their romance poses vastly different possibilities and consequences.

Mañana Means Heaven deftly combines fact and fiction to pull back the veil on one of literature’s most mysterious and evocative characters. Inspired by Franco’s love letters to Kerouac and Hernandez’s interviews with Franco, now in her nineties and living in relative obscurity, the novel brings this lost gem of a story out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

About the Author: Tim Z. Hernandez is a poet, novelist, and performance artist whose awards include the 2006 American Book Award, the 2010 Premio Aztlan Prize in Fiction, and the James Duval Phelan Award from the San Francisco Foundation. He is the author of two books of poetry, Natural Takeover of Small Things (2013) and Skin Tax, and the novels Mañana Means Heaven (2013) and Breathing in Dust. In 2011 the Poetry Society of America named him one of sixteen New American Poets. He holds a BA from Naropa University and an MFA from Bennington College.

Visit Tim Z. Hernandez here.
Buy the book here.

The House of Impossible Loves by Cristina Lopez Barrio

The curse of the Laguna women is long and painful. It is filled with unrequited love, anguish, death, hate, abuse, revenge, ghostly hauntings, and powerful magic of the beautiful and dark sort. It is the sort of magic that touches everyone who comes in contact with the Lagunas -- men and women alike.

The House of Impossible Loves covers multiple generations of Laguna women who are cursed to have "tragic love affairs and to give birth to girls," who in turn follow the same pattern as their mothers. Along the way, Lopez Barrio creates memorable and compelling characters with gray areas  -- some are worthy of pity while others are worthy of compassion, yet there are reasons to dislike and even hate more than a few. In the Laguna women, Lopez Barrio creates a truly cursed family.

Clara Laguna falls in love with an Andalusian who loves her but afraid of the curse, won't marry her. He gives her the deed to what becomes Scarlet Manor, a place she turns into a brothel as part of her revenge against him. Clara gives birth to Manuela who is reared by Bernarda, a servant/cook who can barely speak, but whose only goal in life is to love Clara Laguna. Manuela's upbringing shapes her into a woman who seeks nothing less than perfect respectability. When through no fault of her own Manuela becomes a victim of the curse, she becomes a cruel and terrible master of vengeance. Her beautiful daughter Olvido becomes the frequent target of her rage and frustration.

Olvido's life story is the longest in this book and it is simply both beautiful and horrifying. Olvido's beauty garners Manuela's rage and hope that she will be the one who will attract a husband that will break the curse. But she falls victim to the curse with an all consuming passion when she and Esteban fall in love with each other. As predicted, it ends in tragedy, but does it really? Margarita is born and she in turn gives birth to the first Laguna boy, Santiago. Will he be the one to break the curse?

The story takes place in a small, remote Castilian village in Spain that comes alive with vivid and memorable secondary characters. The world seems to evolve around this place but in this place life, with all its cruelties, ignorance, and beauty, seems to stand still. There is magic that never ceases to exist, whether it is the ghosts of the dead that visit the town square in the morning in the guise of fog, or the winter blooming of daisies, honeysuckle, roses at Scarlet Manor, the peeling of bells, the trail of violets as kisses, or the smells and sensuality of Olvido's cooking, magic becomes part of daily life and natural events that occur in this Castilian village.

The magical realism in The House of Impossible Loves is comparable to the Latin American style that I prefer. It is not pretty, sweet, or nuanced. Instead it is the type of magical realism that is in your face, and often over-the-top, filled with passionate emotion that spills out and is expressed by depicting it strongly in all the colors of the rainbow: beauty, love, hatred, darkness, compassion, envy, revenge.  Recommended.

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Favorite Quote:

"Love sometimes goes astray when you love too much, but it's always love and it can get back on track again." Olvido

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A dark fairy tale for adults, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a short piece by Neil Gaiman that nevertheless leaves the reader thinking hard about those childhood memories we all take for granted. Gaiman infuses this fairy tale with magic, realism, and enough terror to make an adult tremble, never mind a child.

The magical aspects of this fairy tale are gorgeous, absorbing and scary: there is an Oracle-like trio of women who live at the end of the lane from the boy's home, at a place called the Hempstock's farmhouse -- the crone, the mother, the maiden -- or Old Mrs. Hempstock, Ginnie Hempstock (Lettie's mother), and eleven year-old Lettie who becomes the boy's friend and protector. Oh, Lettie and the boy visit a magical and dangerous place with an orange sky and the farmhouse is warm and safe with a a magical pond, a beautiful kitten, delicious pies, cream and milk where he finds a deep, abiding friendship. But, don't be deceived because there are also terrifying monsters, danger, betrayal, loss, and the question of survival.

Gaiman's fairy tale is narrated by a seven year-old boy as events are remembered by the man he becomes. It's interesting because we all know how childhood memories can fade and events can become distorted with time and our narrator is middle aged -- divorced with grown children with established lives of their own. Magic, however, factors into the "distortion of memory" issue, which I believe is a creative approach by Gaiman.

Children often blame themselves for what happens around them, to them, to their parents, as a result of their actions, but most times through no fault of their own. They can also erase and/or rearrange memories, particularly bad ones, to fit their lives and make them more acceptable. In Gaiman's fairy tale, the unnamed protagonist placed those memories in a tight little box and closed the lid. The memories only came into play when he went through changes in his life, but were those memories accurate or was he still placing the blame where it did not belong? After the funeral when our story begins, are the memories closer to being accurate? This adult fairy tale is a magnificent way of telling a story that deals with the consequences of childhood trauma and factors in memory.

The summary of the book above is quite accurate in detail, but lacks spoilers. It is in fact the perfect summary for this short novel by Gaiman. However, it would help to clarify that forty years earlier means 1960, and that has to be kept in mind when reading the seven year-old boy's narrative, particularly his feelings about adults and his reactions to them.

Grown-ups and Monsters:

"Grownups and Monsters aren't scared of things. "

"Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters. And as for grown-ups. . . "

As terrifyingly beautiful and creative as the fairy tale turns out to be, this story is about growing up. There is little subtlety in the way Gaiman portrays the death of innocence or the depth of terror or fear felt by the boy as he narrates his experiences. But there is no question that I wouldn't have missed walking in the boy's shoes or missing out in those experiences.

I think what I love about The Ocean at the End of the Lane is that it can be read and enjoyed in different ways, as a magical fairy tale or as more. Although it has children as protagonists at its core and family is part of the story, this is not a warm, children's fairy tale like The Graveyard Book. It has a much darker atmosphere, and deeper and much more complex plot that makes this an adult fairy tale. This is my interpretation of what I found at the core of the fairy tale. I'm sure we all have different thoughts about it... and of course, that is the beauty that comes from reading this piece by Gaiman.  Highly recommended.
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Favorite quote:

I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't children's stories. They were better than that. They just were.