Cover Crush: Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

I absolutely LOVE the texture in this cover! Doesn't it feel like you could reach right in and pop out the nut?  And the rest of the picture - the trees, the ax, the bird, and the mouse king - all seem intricately carved out of marble or something similar. Add to that the stylized writing and that beautiful blue background and the entire image is simply stunning.

 

Let's read the synopsis to what we can learn about the story within....

 

In this imaginative novel rooted in the rich soil of early-nineteenth-century German Romanticism, beloved New York Times bestselling author Gregory Maguire twins an origin legend of the famous Nutcracker with the life of Drosselmeier, the toymaker who carves him

Gregory Maguire’s novels have been called “bewitching,” “remarkable,” “extraordinary,” “engrossing,” “amazing,” and “delicious.” Having brought his legions of devoted readers to Oz in Wicked, Wonderland in After Alice and Dickensian London in Lost, Maguire now takes us to the Black Forest of Bavaria and Munich of the Brothers Grimm and E. T. A. Hoffman. Hiddensee recreates the backstory of the Nutcracker, reimaging how this entrancing creature came to be carved and how it magically guided an ailing little girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on a snowy Christmas Eve. It also brings to life the mysterious godfather Drosselmeier—the ominous, canny, one-eyed toymaker made immortal by Petipa and Tchaikovsky’s ballet—who presents the once and future Nutcracker to Klara, his goddaughter.

But Hiddensee is not just a retelling of a classic story. Maguire discovers in the flowering of German Romanticism a migrating strain of a Hellenic mystery-cult, and ponders a profound question: how a person who is abused by life, short-changed and challenged, can access secrets that benefit the disadvantaged and powerless. Ultimately, Hiddensee, offers a message of hope. If the compromised Godfather Drosselmeier can bring an enchanted Nutcracker to a young girl in distress, perhaps everyone, however lonely or marginalized on the eve of a winter holiday, has something precious to share.

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

 

Spotllight on The Apocalypse Fire by Dominic Selwood

Publisher: Canelo
Pub. Date: October 31st, 2016
Pages: 408


THE STAKES DON’T GET ANY HIGHER


Archaeologist and former spy Ava Curzon’s world is transformed after the violent theft of the Turin Shroud pits her in a desperate struggle against a fanatical apocalyptic Russian cult. The trail leads her and her team around the globe - from London to the Vatican, Paris, and Jerusalem. They’re quickly plunged into a chaotic whirlwind of Christian extremism and biblical manuscripts in a desperate bid to unravel the mysteries of an ancient icon belonging to the shadowy Order of Malta.

However, time is running out, as military violence breaks out across the Middle East. Ava finds herself pulled into a terrifying climax amid mountaintop ruins where once medieval Christian fundamentalists burned themselves alive. It’s more than just her life at stake – the safety of the world hangs in the balance.


Expertly paced and filled with explosive action, The Apocalypse Fire is the follow up to Dominic Selwood’s The Sword of Moses, which sold over 65,000 copies.

Praise for The Sword of Moses

"Rollercoaster crypto-thriller… A ride that thrills and educates… Move over Lara Croft!" - Daily Express 

"The plot moves so quickly the reader is at times left gasping for breath … combines the daring and resolve of the Hollywood archaeologist with the razor-sharp mental agility of a Conan Doyle super sleuth" - Oxford Times

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo | Google Play | Apple iBooks

 

 

**The Apocalypse Fire by Dominic Selwood is out now from Canelo, priced £1.99 at Amazon UK! **

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Dominic Selwood is passionate about everything historical, and writes on history for the Daily
Telegraph, as well as contributing to the Spectator and other national and international magazines. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a former criminal barrister, and has lived in Europe and the Middle East. He now lives in London with his wife and two children.

Find out more about Dominic on his website, and connect with him on Twitter.



Review: Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/ Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Pub. Date: 10/6/2015
Pages/Length: 302 pages/7 hours, 44 minutes

Genre: Biography/Historical Nonfiction/American History


They were the most prominent American family of the twentieth century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference.


Joe and Rose Kennedy’s strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the Queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet, Rosemary was intellectually disabled — a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family.

 

Major new sources — Rose Kennedy’s diaries and correspondence, school and doctors' letters, and exclusive family interviews — bring Rosemary alive as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then — as the family’s standing reached an apex — the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early twenties. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe’s decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three, and the family's complicity in keeping the secret. 

 

Rosemary delivers a profoundly moving coda: JFK visited Rosemary for the first time while campaigning in the Midwest; she had been living isolated in a Wisconsin institution for nearly twenty years. Only then did the siblings understand what had happened to Rosemary and bring her home for loving family visits. It was a reckoning that inspired them to direct attention to the plight of the disabled, transforming the lives of millions.

 

 

What Did I Think About the Story?

I've always found the Kennedys to be a fascinating family, especially JFK and his wife, Jackie. I've seen a few movies about them, know the basics about Joe and Rose Kennedy and their famous political sons, but I had never heard of Rosemary Kennedy before (or, at least, I don't remember ever hearing of her). When I saw Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter come up for sale as a Kindle/Audible audiobook combo I knew I wanted to learn more. I'm so glad I purchased it because this story completely expanded my view of the Kennedys as a whole (not always in a good way) and introduced me to this remarkable member, one that's life was infinitely tragic.

This really is more than just the story of Rosemary. While she stays center to the story the author does a really good job of giving a solid background on her parents - Joe and Rose Kennedy - as well as each sibling. If for no other reason I think including this information was an excellent choice as detailing the various Kennedys' ambitions, skills, competitiveness, and drives went a huge way towards highlighting Rosemary's limits and the frustrations and disappointments she would have naturally felt growing up under the Kennedy regime. While I know this was a different time and place, it was upsetting to hear how Rosemary was pushed to achieve more than she was mentally capable of and how she was shuttled around and kept hidden often when she didn't live up to her parents' expectations. As a mother I cannot imagine sending my child off over and over again to let other people take care of her while I go on a myriad of vacations and concentrate on my more capable children. It's just appalling to me!

I honestly had to stop listening for a while when I got to the part about the lobotomy. I could  not believe that her father agreed to such a drastic, invasive measure to "fix" his (in his eyes) imperfect daughter instead of just accepting her with her limitations and letting her know that she was just fine the way she was (which, in my opinion, might have helped with the increased tantrums she had as she tried to keep up with the demands of her family). Top that off with the fact that she was then placed in an institution far from her family for decades so that no one knew how catastrophic a mistake they had made is just unimaginable to me. This biography left me with a bitter dislike for Joe and Rose Kennedy and for the lengths they went to for their own ambitions for their family.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the detail given to discussing how mental deficiencies and delays were viewed and dealt with in general during the early to mid 1900s and how those views shifted and changed with further study, exposure, and treatment, much of which was advanced by the Kennedy's philanthropic foundations and Eunice Kennedy's work and efforts in particular. So, in the end, whether from love, guilt, or whatever other motives might have fueled them, their experiences with Rosemary and her many trials ended up doing so much for other people like her. I also became a huge fan of Eunice Kennedy (someone else I wasn't overly familiar with) due to the fact that she was really the only one who took the time to spend quality time with Rosemary and wasn't as afraid as the others to speak about her disabled sister.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy is a wonderful look into the Kennedy family as a whole and this intriguing and tragic member in particular.  I'm not sure if what is discussed within its pages are already well known facts to those that have studied the Kennedys but I learned quite a bit and now want to read even further about the family. I can't help thinking  how much happier Rosemary's life might have been if she was born into a less ambitious family or a different time. The author (and narrator!) did an excellent job of making me feel for Rosemary and, for me, that is the mark of a great nonfiction book.

What Did I Think About the Cover?   

I think it's perfect for a biography. It has a nice, large picture of Rosemary, looking quite pretty, confident, and happy, highlighting the main focus of the story.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

I purchased the Kindle and Audible audiobook versions of Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter for my own library. To read more reviews and find links to purchase your own copy, visit Goodreads HERE.

 

 



Spotlight on Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors (Volume 2) + Giveaway!!

Publication Date: September 30, 2015
Madison Street Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook; 598 Pages

Genre: History


An anthology of essays from the second year of the English Historical Fiction Authors blog, this book transports the reader across the centuries from prehistoric to twentieth century Britain. Nearly fifty different authors share the stories, incidents, and insights discovered while doing research for their own historical novels.

From medieval law and literature to Tudor queens and courtiers, from Stuart royals and rebels to Regency soldiers and social calls, experience the panorama of Britain’s yesteryear. Explore the history behind the fiction, and discover the true tales surrounding Britain’s castles, customs, and kings.

Visit the English Historical Fiction Authors blog & Facebook page.

Buy the Book

 

 

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | KOBO

Praise

 

“Thoroughly enjoyable and diverse…leisure reading for any history fan.” – Elizabeth Chadwick, on Castles, Customs, and Kings (Volume 1)

 

 

 

Giveaway Time!!!

 

 

Thanks to the lovely Amy at HF Virtual Book Tours I am able to give away one eBook copy of Castles, Customs and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors (Volume 2), open internationally (winner will be able to choose preferred eBook format)!  All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the giveaway form HERE. Please be sure to enter BOTH your name and email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.

 

If you would like extra entries you can follow me on various social  media sites (links are on the right hand sidebar) just be sure to leave the name/email address you follow with on the giveaway form (I check!).

 

That's it! I'll pick a winner on December 3rd, 2015 and the winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I have to pick another winner.

 

Good Luck!!

 

 

Giveaway Rules 

 

You must be 18 years old to enter

 

Only one entry per household

 

All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

 

 

Castles, Customs and Kings Blog Tour Schedule

 

 

Monday, November 16

Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Spotlight at Unshelfish

Tuesday, November 17

Review at Kinx’s Book Nook

Wednesday, November 18

Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Thursday, November 19

Review at Unabridged Chick

Friday, November 20

Review at With Her Nose Stuck In A Book

Saturday, November 21

Spotlight at The Reading Queen

Monday, November 23

Review at A Chick Who Reads
Spotlight at HF Connection

Tuesday, November 24
Spotlight at So Many Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, November 25

Review at Broken Teepee

Thursday, November 26

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Friday, November 27

Review at Bookish
Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Saturday, November 28

Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Monday, November 30

Review at Impressions In Ink
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Review at The True Book Addict