San Francisco Book Review http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:57:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1 The Great Divide http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-great-divide/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-great-divide/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:57:00 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28016 By Stephen Grace, Jim Havey, Photographer TwoDot, $35.00, 208 pages, Format: Hard This two-hundred-page hardcover volume is not for most readers’ leisure reading. The Great Divide has a single focus: Colorado’s water. It is a beautifully produced book with equal space for text by Stephen Grace and photographs by Jim Havey. A massive amount of research must […]

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great_divideBy Stephen Grace, Jim Havey, Photographer
TwoDot, $35.00, 208 pages, Format: Hard

5 Stars (5 / 5)

This two-hundred-page hardcover volume is not for most readers’ leisure reading. The Great Divide has a single focus: Colorado’s water. It is a beautifully produced book with equal space for text by Stephen Grace and photographs by Jim Havey. A massive amount of research must have gone into coming up with the detailed historic information on Colorado water, in which politics is one of the major heavy-weights. But almost equal in importance are economics, environmental and ecological concerns, water conservation, and needs of businesses relying on a steady supply of water, particularly agriculture. Sources of municipal water is also part of the players. The photographs are beautiful, many are stunning, each with extensive captions and explanations. The texts were drawn from many different sources: libraries, archive and private collections, museums and public water agencies’ files. We find hundreds of quotes throughout as sidebars. Only the most interested readers will be willing to absorb this material from cover to cover but this volume is a valuable resource and reference material for anyone dealing with any aspect of Colorado’s water. The book ends with extensive Sources: both additional texts and long lists of chapters by chapter references.

“For such a simple and prevalent substance, water can cause startling complications.”

Reviewed by George Erdosh

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Ophelia’s Muse http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/ophelias-muse/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/ophelias-muse/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:54:48 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28014 By Rita Cameron Kensington, $15.00, 416 pages, Format: Trade Elizabeth, Lizzie, Siddal is working in a milliner’s shop to help support her struggling family when she catches the eye one of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) artists. Convinced to sit for him as an artist’s model, Lizzie quickly becomes the darling of the PRB movement and especially […]

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ophelias_museBy Rita Cameron
Kensington, $15.00, 416 pages, Format: Trade

4.5 Stars (4.5 / 5)

Elizabeth, Lizzie, Siddal is working in a milliner’s shop to help support her struggling family when she catches the eye one of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) artists. Convinced to sit for him as an artist’s model, Lizzie quickly becomes the darling of the PRB movement and especially that of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the charming and charismatic co-founder of the PRB. Throughout their tumultuous affair, Lizzie struggles with depression, drug addiction, and Rossetti’s infidelity to find her own identity.

Rita Cameron weaves a heart-wrenchingly tragic love story full of rich detail and texture. Through the use of existing paintings, poetry, and letters, Ophelia’s Muse imagines the intricate details of lives of several renowned artists of the PRB movement. This is a luxuriously written historical fiction that draws heavily from history as well as the author’s imagination. I both loved and disliked this book for it is a real love story, full of ecstasy and heartbreak.

Lizzie did not fit the mold of the ideal Victorian woman. Her height, slight figure, and pale complexion were not within the fashion of the times. She was also well-read, a bit of a day dreamer, and reserved in her manner. She is concerned for her reputation and the propriety of being an artist’s model as they did not have the best of reputations. However, she is convinced by her employer that sitting for gentlemen painters might introduce her to more polite society and open her prospects for marriage. This might have been true had she not met Rossetti and been drawn into his life.

As a young artist, Rossetti imagined himself to be chivalrous and imbued with the ideals of courtly love. His fascination with Dante Alighieri, and Alighieri’s muse Beatrice, bordered on obsession. Upon discovering Lizzie, Rossetti transfers that obsession to her imagining her to be his own Beatrice. He pulls her into his social circle and life to the detriment of Lizzie’s standing in polite society and her mental well being. Emotionally manipulative, Rossetti strings Lizzie along for years, jealously guarding his artistic muse while exploring his own artistic proclivities elsewhere. “He wanted to savor what they had, and was in no rush to change it. He desired the Lizzie who walked among other women like a goddess, who fed upon nothing more than love and poetry, and demanded nothing more, or less, than worship.”

“…she was the untouchable muse, he was her knight-errant; they were lovers, in body or in spirit; they were souls, swirling in the inferno.”

Lizzie finds herself in a precarious situation. Her unorthodox relationship with Rossetti results in her family disowning her and she is forced to rely on Rossetti, regardless of his resistance to marrying her. She spends years trying to make sense of his feelings for her. “How could she have pinned her hopes on a man who seemed to create his reality to meet his needs as easily, and often, as he created new worlds in his paintings? She would never be sure where she stood with him, what version of her he wanted at any moment-whether he wanted the woman or the muse; the collaborator in his art or merely the silent beauty in his paintings?” It is only when she appears to be upon her deathbed that Rossetti finally marries her.

Reading this book from the perspective of 2015, it is easy to see that Lizzie suffers from depression and drug addiction. Rita Cameron does a wonderful job of not spelling this out for the reader. She describes the emotional rollercoaster Lizzie rides through her entire relationship with Rossetti – her hopes, her dreams, her disappointment – in a way that draws on the reader’s empathy, allowing the reader to make their own judgment and determination. Cameron provides Rossetti’s perspective as well and it is easy to imagine him as a modern-day rock star telling Lizzie, ‘I have to be free to be me, babe.’

I am by no means an art connoisseur, and my knowledge of art is limited to the art appreciation class I took in college. I found myself on many occasions finding pictures of the paintings on the internet while reading Ophelia’s Muse – being able to see the art and to imagine the artist’s perspective while reading added so much to the experience of the book. I don’t recommend doing this if you are not already familiar with the particulars of Rossetti and Lizzie’s lives – it will give the story away.

Reviewed by Tarina Speidel

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Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/field-guide-to-the-neighborhood-birds-of-new-york-city/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/field-guide-to-the-neighborhood-birds-of-new-york-city/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:52:29 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28015 By Leslie Day, Don Riepe, Trudy Smoke, Illustrator, Beth Bergman, Photographer Johns Hopkins University Press, $24.95, 384 pages, Format: Trade Living in the city, sometimes people become blinded to all the wildlife that shares the cityscape with them. New York City has millions of birds, but people seem to talk only about the pigeons. Leslie Day, […]

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field_guide_to_neighborhood_birds_of_new_york_cityBy Leslie Day, Don Riepe, Trudy Smoke, Illustrator, Beth Bergman, Photographer
Johns Hopkins University Press, $24.95, 384 pages, Format: Trade

5 Stars (5 / 5)

Living in the city, sometimes people become blinded to all the wildlife that shares the cityscape with them. New York City has millions of birds, but people seem to talk only about the pigeons. Leslie Day, writer, naturalist, and former science teacher, became particularly interested in the birds of the city when she had a three-year on-going relationship with a female cardinal. That little bird inspired her to become familiar with the surprisingly wide variety of birds who share the city. It’s not surprising, though, considering where the city sits, surrounded by water and on a migratory route. Day identifies for readers ninety species of birds, then goes on to give pertinent information: where and when to find them, popular name and scientific name, description, size, behavior, nest and eggs, voice, and ecological role. Photographer Beth Bergman has provided spectacular close-up pictures of the birds in their natural habitats. An addition, Trudy Smoke has provided a number of gorgeous detailed drawings of birds and eggs. For any resident of New York City who appreciates birds, this book will be a great addition to his or her library. It is simply beautiful.

“In winter, small flocks of titmice appear in mixed flocks with black-capped chickadees and white-throated sparrows foraging for seeds on the ground. They hang upside down exploring pinecones and seedpods.”

Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck

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The Uninvited: A Novel http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-uninvited-a-novel/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-uninvited-a-novel/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:50:53 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28018 By Cat Winters HarperCollins, $14.99, 368 pages, Format: Trade All the Rowan women are cursed to see the ghosts of loved ones when death approaches. During the Great Influenza of 1918, Ivy Rowan recovers from the flu to learn of her brother’s death overseas. In a fit of revenge and rage, her father and brother brutally attack and […]

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uninvitedBy Cat Winters
HarperCollins, $14.99, 368 pages, Format: Trade

4.5 Stars (4.5 / 5)

All the Rowan women are cursed to see the ghosts of loved ones when death approaches. During the Great Influenza of 1918, Ivy Rowan recovers from the flu to learn of her brother’s death overseas. In a fit of revenge and rage, her father and brother brutally attack and murder a young German merchant in town. Disgusted and outraged by their actions, Ivy shatters her isolation and moves into town. There she falls down the rabbit hole into a world broken by fear and panic. Her “Uninvited Guests” begin to show more and more frequently as she attempts to right her family’s wrong by aiding the German’s brother, but she falls in love instead. As jazz music permeates the air and passions ignite, Ivy struggles to face an ever increasingly unstable world. The Uninvited is an eerily haunting, beautifully tragic, dream-like page-turner fueled by passion, fear, and anger.

“Music consumed every particle of the darkness inside my mind, and I felt just like Alice sailing down the rabbit hole, fleeing the real world that waited miles and miles above.”

Reviewed by John Murray

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I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 (I Survived #12) http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/i-survived-the-joplin-tornado-2011-i-survived-12/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/i-survived-the-joplin-tornado-2011-i-survived-12/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:48:50 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28013 By Lauren Tarshis Scholastic Press, $4.99, 112 pages, Format: Trade Dex and his family live in Joplin, Missouri, right in Tornado Alley. They enjoy watching Dr Norman Gage’s show about his adventures chasing tornadoes. When Dex’s older brother, Jeremy joins the Navy SEALS, things change. The old things that were so fun, like watching the show, […]

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i_survived_joplin_tornadoBy Lauren Tarshis
Scholastic Press, $4.99, 112 pages, Format: Trade

4 Stars (4 / 5)

Dex and his family live in Joplin, Missouri, right in Tornado Alley. They enjoy watching Dr Norman Gage’s show about his adventures chasing tornadoes. When Dex’s older brother, Jeremy joins the Navy SEALS, things change. The old things that were so fun, like watching the show, aren’t so much anymore. He worries about his brother, but loves receiving mail and sharing Jeremy’s stories with the kids at school.  Late in May, 2011, Dex runs into Dr. Gage, who is chasing a tornado in the town just north of Joplin.  He is given the opportunity to ride with him during the storm, but then the storm shifts, right to where they are watching and waiting.  Dex doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to get his own story to tell. This is Tarshis’s 12th novel in the I survived series.  Not only does she share a story based on research and true accounts of the event, she shares ways to stay safe in such a storm and a timeline of this tornado. Her question and answer section will satisfy readers who prefer non-fiction works of real events, and her bibliography will appeal to those who want to learn more.

Reviewed by Rebecca Williams

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The Good Little Book http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-good-little-book/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-good-little-book/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:47:09 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28017 By Kyo Maclear, Marion Arbona, Illustrator Random House Canada, $16.99, 40 pages, Format: Hard I love The Good Little Book. My favorite part was when he lost his book because he learned to read more books. I was sad the little girl got the book because it made the little boy sad. I really like that […]

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good_little_bookBy Kyo Maclear, Marion Arbona, Illustrator
Random House Canada, $16.99, 40 pages, Format: Hard

5 Stars (5 / 5)

I love The Good Little Book. My favorite part was when he lost his book because he learned to read more books. I was sad the little girl got the book because it made the little boy sad. I really like that the little boy got to go on adventures it was really cool.

Reviewed by Tristan Chason-Tillman

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The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-best-american-science-fiction-and-fantasy-2015/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/the-best-american-science-fiction-and-fantasy-2015/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:45:21 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28012 By Joe Hill, Editor, John Joseph Adams, Editor Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $14.95, 368 pages, Format: Trade 2015: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy from editors Joe Hill and John Joseph Adams is a great, fun, romping collection of stories. There are newish writers, some famous stars, some illuminati, and some masters of the form. The editors did […]

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best_american_science_fiction_fantasyBy Joe Hill, Editor, John Joseph Adams, Editor
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $14.95, 368 pages, Format: Trade

4 Stars (4 / 5)

2015: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy from editors Joe Hill and John Joseph Adams is a great, fun, romping collection of stories. There are newish writers, some famous stars, some illuminati, and some masters of the form. The editors did not try to find the famous or their publications here. They had an interesting way of choosing the stories with Adams giving Hill a number of anonymous stories that were published to choose from. The result is twenty stories evenly divided between fantasy/horror and science fiction with Hill famously excelling as a writer in the former.

My own first experience with wonder came in the candy-coated package of science fiction: Richard Dreyfuss chasing aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The book thankfully has the same size as the Best of American Series and is more portable that some of the mammoth best of collections that come out each year. There are a lot of stories here though, but they are varied. These also are stories with a broad appeal. Sadly, the book does not have a lot of hard science fiction stories, but one does not need to know a lot of technical jargon to understand the science fiction. Because it is diverse, one does not get deep into the emotional territories of these genres. The collection is a welcome addition this year for The October Country.

Reviewed by Ryder Miller

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Henry Clay: America’s Greatest Statesman http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/henry-clay-americas-greatest-statesman/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/henry-clay-americas-greatest-statesman/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:43:14 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28011 By Harlow Giles Unger Da Capo Press, $25.99, 320 pages, Format: Hard Henry Clay was a man of unlimited promise who preached compromise. He was born in Virginia, but made his living in Kentucky. He was a distinguished attorney who represented Aaron Burr after he infamously dueled Alexander Hamilton. Clay was a man of contradictions, he […]

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henry_clayBy Harlow Giles Unger
Da Capo Press, $25.99, 320 pages, Format: Hard

4.5 Stars (4.5 / 5)

Henry Clay was a man of unlimited promise who preached compromise. He was born in Virginia, but made his living in Kentucky. He was a distinguished attorney who represented Aaron Burr after he infamously dueled Alexander Hamilton. Clay was a man of contradictions, he was anti-slavery yet owned slaves who worked his plantation. He yearned for his family who had abandoned him in his youth, but ran around on his doting wife, Lucretia. He had many children, yet he would outlive most. Clay served a public life of distinction as one of the youngest Speakers of the House in US History and later was a Senator. He would author the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and another Compromise in 1850 saving a fragile union over slavery, come through again as a secession threat from South Carolina almost exploded. At the same time, he would be accused of getting the US into war in 1812 and striking a corrupt bargain with John Quincy Adams in 1824 to gain a powerful position in government. Mr. Clay’s life was colorful, rarely quiet, but he truly cared about his home country.

Harlow Giles Unger’s biography is a very well researched book. He casts a fair light on the statesman, showing his highs and lows. There is no partiality on the subject, the author questions some of Clays decisions, but does show sympathy to him on some issues, but never detracts from a balanced biography. The author’s work is sublime.

Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro

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Forever Your Earl: The Wicked Quills of London http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/forever-your-earl-the-wicked-quills-of-london/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/forever-your-earl-the-wicked-quills-of-london/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:41:24 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28010 By Eva Leigh HarperCollins, $7.99, 384 pages, Format: Mass Eleanor Hawke runs a gossip rag, collecting and publishing snippets of information about the rich and famous in Regency-era England. Her tongue-wagging is meant to serve as a moral admonishment, which strikes a nerve with Daniel Balfour, Earl of Ashford. Daniel offers Eleanor the opportunity to shadow […]

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forever_your_earlBy Eva Leigh
HarperCollins, $7.99, 384 pages, Format: Mass

3 Stars (3 / 5)

Eleanor Hawke runs a gossip rag, collecting and publishing snippets of information about the rich and famous in Regency-era England. Her tongue-wagging is meant to serve as a moral admonishment, which strikes a nerve with Daniel Balfour, Earl of Ashford. Daniel offers Eleanor the opportunity to shadow him on his nightly conquests. Eleanor obliges him, and eventually, their time together grows into something more than a professional relationship.

“Quite a spicy game we’ve devised,” she murmured.
“Always liked spice in my food,” he answered. “Why should this game be any different?”
She shot him a saucy look. “It might get too hot for you. You could burn your tongue.”

Sprinkled with anachronisms, Forever Your Earl brings a taste of the modern dating scene to a time when dating as we know it just didn’t happen. A secondary plot arc involved Daniel’s brother as a combat veteran, returning to society and being unable to adjust. This modern-day sentiment addressed in a novel set in the Romantic era was out of place, but it seemed like it was encouraging compassion to current-day returning veterans, in subtext.

The love story is sweet, but some of the dialogue was meant to be witty, but it came off as silly and unnatural. Eleanor was a strong, decisive character, but Daniel was considerably flimsier and more difficult to care about. Forever Your Earl is a good way to escape in the pages of a book, but is easily forgettable when it’s over.

Reviewed by Caryn Shaffer

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Connecting with Book Blogs http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/connecting-with-book-blogs/ http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/10/connecting-with-book-blogs/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2015 19:54:19 +0000 http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/?p=28000 By Stephanie Barko X When Technorati quietly changed their business model earlier this year and quit categorizing and ranking blogs, I began to wonder how to identify the top book blogs going forward. It turns out there are still plenty of ways to determine the best book blogs to partner with. It just takes a […]

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BookBlogs_ATM

By Stephanie Barko

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When Technorati quietly changed their business model earlier this year and quit categorizing and ranking blogs, I began to wonder how to identify the top book blogs going forward. It turns out there are still plenty of ways to determine the best book blogs to partner with. It just takes a little time and effort.

Where are those book blogs whose followings we can’t wait to borrow for free? Let’s take a look at some of the options out there for finding and connecting with book blogs.

Alexa

Alexa is a good resource for blog traffic stats, but it’s not free like Technorati was. However, Alexa offers some pretty savvy tools, such as:
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Which sites to pay attention to: Easy-to-use tools let you narrow down the web to specific sites that meet your criteria.
What a site is doing and how well it’s working: Use Alexa’s intelligence tools to pick up traffic stats and demographics.
How a site compares to others: Benchmark any site to see it in relation to competitors.

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These are excellent tools that will definitely locate quality book blogging sites, but prices range from $10 to $149 per month. It requires a bit of an investment.

 

Blogrolls

Check your current blog partner sites for blogrolls. A blogroll is a list of hyperlinks to other blogs or websites. If a blog has a blogroll, it is usually found in the blog’s sidebar. For example, book blogger Helen Ginger has labeled her blogroll Top Blogs. Finding online partners beyond your current blog partners can take some time. However, researching blogrolls may unearth sites with a similar focus to the ones you are seeking.

 

Blog Directories

Searching on the key term “book bloggers” will produce a slew of blogger directories and blogger lists. Depending on how well organized they are by genre, these lists may be worth exploring and you may even want the list your own blog on some of them. For example, the top list right now is The Book Blogger List and BlogPress is recommending seven blog directories in this article.

 

Google

Direct Google searches can sometimes be another way to find new online partners. Search keywords that book bloggers might use. Try keywords that convey your genre or subgenre like “paranormal novel” or the words “book reviews” or “guest blog”.

Word of Mouth

Online word of mouth is one of the best ways to discover new blogs. Check with bloggers you have previously partnered with for a referral to blogs they might recommend for you. If a blogger declines your content, ask if she can think of a colleague who might take it. For example, if my top placement choice for a historical novelist client is Michelle Moran’s blog and Michelle has just closed her blog to guest content, I might ask who she has worked with who might accept my client’s content.

 

Virtual Tour Itineraries

Blogs and websites that host stops on virtual book tours, and virtual tour provider sites publish virtual tour itineraries. These itineraries publicly list bloggers who are fair game to approach as long as you follow the guest post guidelines for their site. If you search tour itineraries that fit the niche of what you’re offering, this can be an effective way to discover new blog partners.

Beware of tour providers that create their own websites and blogs on which to tour clients. Look for providers who are touring clients on top well-known sites for the book’s subgenre or category. For example, a top author/reader/multi-genre website for a giveaway would be Goodreads. And top placement for an indie review these days would be the digital edition of Foreword Reviews magazine or Huffington Post‘s books section.

 

Facebook

Some bloggers gather with like-minded groups on Facebook. For example, if you happen to write historical novels set in England, then the 3,000 members of English Historical Fiction Authors Facebook Group will be a treasure trove of partners for you. If you write nonfiction, perhaps the 12,000 members in Facebook’s Nonfiction Authors Association Group would be of use to you.

Although there may no longer be a definitive free service that ranks blogs by category, with a little effort you can find the top book blogs in your genre on your own. How do you discover and connect with bloggers? Leave a comment sharing the resources and techniques that have helped you find book bloggers.

 


stephanie_barko_photo150Stephanie Barko virtually tours and promotes adult nonfiction & historical novels for both indie & traditionally published authors. Check out her new app for authors at www.DIYBookPlatform.com.

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