Sunday Sweepstakes: Nalini Singh

If you're a Nalani Singh fan--and who isn't a fan of the best-selling PNR writer?--you might want to check out  this chance to win ANY one of her books plus get entered in a contest to win other great giveaways. I'm way behind on my Nalini reading, so there are four or five of her books I wouldn't mind winning, including this one.
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Cover appreciation: Animal Farm

Everyone reads George Orwell's Animal Farm in school (along with Brave New World and Lord of the Flies).  As a result, each new version of the book seems to get a new cover. This seems to be the latest cover, and I like it. Srikingly graphic. Clean.

The cover of the edition I read was the one on the right.
 It's memorable enough that I can still pick it out from a gallery of covers the book has had over the years. Of the three dystopian novels every high school kid has to read, this one was probably my favorite, although I actually preferred 1984 to Animal Farm. I should probably go back and reread it. Somehow the current presidential election cycle seems to suggest it's time.

Review: Death of a Dyer by Eleanor Kuhns

Death of a Dyer by Eleanor Kuhns is the second of her Will Rees mysteries about a Revolutionary War veteran-turned-itinerant weaver.

They didn't have Facebook back in the 18th century so hearing unexpected news about an old friend rarely meant something good had happened. For Will Rees, learning that Nate Bowditch is dead is not only unexpected; it's unbelievable.

"Dead?” Rees repeated, staring at George Potter in shock.

“Dead?” A spasm of unexpected grief shot through him. Although he hadn’t seen Nate Bowditch for eighteen years, not since Rees had marched away with the Continental Army in

1777, as boys they’d been closer than brothers. “Are you sure?”

Potter put down his cup with a clink. “Of course I’m sure. His wife herself told me of his death.”

“I’ve never met her,” Rees said.

“After almost twenty years? He lives— lived on the other side of Dugard, not the Atlantic Ocean. What happened? You were such good friends.”

Rees shrugged; that story was too long to tell. “We . . . went in different directions.”

Happy birthday Rob!

It's my little brother's birthday today. Will and I wish him a very happy birthday.

Mercedes Lackey's take on Beauty and the Beast: The Fire Rose

The TBR pile gets taller and taller. I'm pretty sure at this point it's taller than I am but it's spread out all over the house, so I don't know for sure. I'm a big fan of Lackey's work. Not sure how I missed reading this. I'm not crazy about the cover, though.

the Devil's Cold Dish

I reviewed The Devil's Cold Dish over at Criminal Element this week. It's the latest in a series of historical mysteries written by Eleanor Kuhns. The series is set in colonial New England and her protagonist, Will Rees, a Revolutionary War hero who is now a part-time farmer and weaver. Kuhns won the annual Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America first crime novel competition in 2011 and she has not looked back since. If you love historical mysteries that are also really strong on characters, you should check out her series, which began with Death of a Dyer.

Enough

I am sick of colored ribbons.
And it's nice that landmarks around the world are lit up with rainbow lights as nations show their solidarity. But I'm sick of symbols.
What I really want is a Congress that will pass a gun law that will keep automatic rifles off the street.
It's the weapon that killed all those little kids.
It's the weapon that killed those movie goers.
And now it's the weapon that killed those people having a good time on a Saturday night.
I wish I lived in Connecticut and could vote for Rep. Jim Himes, who walked out out of the room today rather than observe another meaningless moment of silence.
Vote your conscience.
Vote for people who support your stance. And don't accept lack of action from those who claim to speak for you if they don't. We have an election coming up and there are "down-ticket" races that are important. Do some research. Do your due diligence. And if you see a chance to vote for sane gun laws, then take it.