Horror, History and some good laughs

Two reviews of three very different books.

The Little Book of Horrors by Lacey Lane on Amazon.com

I read this authors first book and knew what to expect with this book, but I did read this book with one eye closed and snuggling into my jumper to hide from the pages. If you’re not a fan of horrible things happening to horrible and innocent people alike, put this book back on its virtual book shelf and go and watch some fluffy kitten videos. If you are however a fan of grizzly horror and not averse to some raunchy sex scenes, then put this in your shopping basket and enjoy with the lights switched on. My favourite story was Karma is a bitch. All three are well written, fast paced, gruesome and sexy. I rate this 4 stars.

Goin' Postal and the Creek by Rhoda D'Ettore on amazon.com

I do like the fact that this author has put together two short books and given us, the reader value for money. On the face of it they are not related but after reading it you get a sense of being presented with a very American portrait. A very warm and insightful portrait by someone who loves her country and it’s diverse people. In Goin’ Postal she relates some of the stories (in part fictionalised to protect identities I’m sure) she experienced while working for the institution that is the US postal service. Not only do get a glimpse into the life of an everyday worker, but also how a postal worker experienced going through some turbulent historical times (The 9/11 attacks) This ties it nicely to The Creek which is the local history of a settlement on a creek from the civil war until the civil rights movement. The second book still has it comedy moments, but is over the whole more serious and a good example of exploring US history through the experiences of local ordinary people. Goin’ postal was my favourite of the two as it was just such a guilty pleasure of getting an insider view. I had no idea of the things that went on in the postal service. Both are a good, fast paced read. I rate this 5 stars.

Awesome Authors

This week I'm just going to redirect you to Rhoda D'Ettore's exellent blog. She has compiled a list of Indie writers worth reading and some of her reviews for them on Goodreads. A few of the authors have been reviewed by myself too. I'm very honoured to be included in this list:
http://www.rhodadettore.com/awesome-authors.html

Tower of Tears (The McClusky Series Book 1) by Rhoda D'Ettore

I do like historic novels, and having lived as an immigrant of sorts for the last 25 years, I was keen to pick up this book. I can safely say I never had to endure the hardships Jane McCluskey suffers in this book:) This was a well written and entertaining, if very tragic account of an Irish immigrants in the 1820's and I give it 5 stars.

Tower of Tears

This is a gripping and tragic story of a young Irish woman, Jane McCluskey, immigrating to America in the 1820’s. The author has clearly done her research and paints a vivid and harrowing picture of the journey to the Promised Land. Jane makes the trip with her infant son, while her husband stays behind to save up for his ticket. It’s a decision they soon both regret as life in America doesn’t turn out the way Jane hopes and her husband copes badly with being on his own. The book heartbreakingly illustrates the trap women found themselves in, caused by poverty, discrimination, the law and the church. In one line, Jane overhears some racist comments about the black community and wonders; if I barely make a living as a white woman, how hard must it be for them. Sometimes we need to read a book like this to appreciate our modern conditions and freedoms.

What I loved about the book was the host of strong female characters. Many tragic things befall Jane, but she finds strength in herself, her family and a female friend she met on the trip over. I liked that the writer immersed the book in period detail; from descriptions of the ships water desalination system to the use of 19^th century language. The book is easy to read as the pace is good throughout and the chapters are short. I don’t want to give anything away about the plot, but I could have done with the book maybe being a little shorter. At one point towards the end, we switch from following the female character to two male characters. The story was still good, but I probably felt less engaged at that point, because the characters were male and the story was more upbeat. The book neatly wraps up all adult story lines, but one of the children starts wondering about what dark secrets her family might be keeping from her. This sets things up nicely for the second book in the series, which I hope will be coming out soon.