The biggest benefit to buying books from independent booksellers, publishers, and authors, is also the number one reason why readers are often afraid to take the leap outside of Amazon: choice. The worries about choice Familiar titles by the biggest celebrity names, as promoted on TV and other media, are unlikely to be available at…
I know, I keep banging on about buying your books from independent bookshops, and I’m as big a culprit as anyone else when it comes to Amazon, but now I’ve really looked into it. With Amazon holding 65% of the American e-book market and 90% of the British one, as well as goodness knows how…
A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson is a delicious tale of the romance and love between two men in a fantasy world and time far from here. Told in multiple time frames, the story is fascinating and paced well, and the language is beautiful and poetic. I even caught myself shout-whispering some of…
Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter by Richard Parks is a swashbuckling set of noir short stories set in mediaeval Japan, where demons, ghosts, and spirits of all kinds bring barely fathomable mysteries to the down-and-out detective, Yamada no Goji. In essence: Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter Yamada-san is officially a lord of the imperial court, but he…
Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman is a combination of Regency-period romanticism (with lots of lords and ladies, and minuets and arranged marriages) with modern day action, with a little steampunk chucked in for good measure. In essence: Between Two Thorns Follow the trail of Cathy, a fae-touched member of one of the Great Families…
Black Cloud by Juliet Escoria is the kind of book that stays with you. It bugs you. Little things about yourself remind you of it. So you pick it up again, and check through, reminding yourself of how you felt when you read it. In essence: Black Cloud This is not a comfortable book, but…
Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig is one helluva yarn, and the first in the Miriam Black trilogy. If you want to conjure a miasma of human vileness with shots of blacklight humour, this is the book for you. In essence: Blackbirds This book is a death-fest, in a highly entertaining, twisty-turny format that keeps you slavering…
Today, the Book Bird has a real treat, if you like to see into a writer’s mind. Angela Hartley, author of Copper Descent, has agreed to guest post for us all the way from Utah, and here she discusses how much is enough for your audience (wink wink). Angela’s debut novel is available on Amazon…
Darla Decker Hates to Wait by Jessica McHugh is an energetic leap through the hilarious misdeeds of an almost-sexually-aware 11-year-old, Darla In essence: Darla Decker Hates to Wait Darla Decker is a feisty sixth-grader with a wicked streak and frequent doses of good and bad luck. Her many crushes turn into dates and boyfriends with…
Max Booth III’s book, Toxicity contains a hallucinated fly that behaves like God, well-punctuated violence, and a delicate portrayal of a young abused woman. There are also rich seams of humour, often conveyed by acidic observational wit liberally applied by the author. His bittersweet gaze strips down the characters to their lowest common denominator –…
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