Hurricane Sandy Relief Still Needed, Books with a Bittersweet tag and the Week Ahead in Reviews

So on top of Hurricane Sandy, the nor’Easter hit the very same areas with another punch. So I am putting out there once more the name of organizations providing assistance to those in need due to Hurricane Sandy. Please help if you are able, even the smallest of amounts add up to someone being able to eat or have warm clothes.

Now turning to books, I have some wonderful books for you this week, including the latest from Andrea Speed, Megan Derr, and Marguerite Labbe. In particular, I wanted to talk about books labeled bittersweet. I think most people see that tag and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction and miss out on some marvelous books. Two in particular come to mind. One is Rodney Ross’ The Cool Park of His Pillow. This is absolutely one of my top books for 2012. It does contains sadness and pain as it charts one man’s recovery from the death of his long term partner. But there is also so much joy, humor and love that it would be shameful to label it bittersweet as it is so much more than that limiting tag. I feel the same way about Ghost in the Wind, the latest from Marguerite Labbe. This story has a definite supernatural bent to it as it concerns the death of a man’s long term partner but in this case the man is murdered and his ghost returns to help his partner move on as well as solve a mystery. Here the grief is palpable, the murder shocking and the suspense agonizing. Dreamspinner Press calls it a Bittersweet Dream. Sigh. I can almost hear the rejections on the wind. Again, definitely not so. Don’t miss this wonderful book either. It’s painful, joyous, suspenseful, and full of boundless love. I have the latest in the Infected series (darn you, Andrea Speed!!!) and a book from KA Mitchell that is not receiving the attention I think it is due. So fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a wild ride of a week:

Monday: Chaos (Lost Gods #5) by Megan Derr

Tuesday: Ghost in the Wind by Marguerite Labbe

Wednesday: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne and Marie Sexton

Thursday: But My Boyfriend Is by KA Mitchell

Friday: Splintered Lies by Diane Adams and RJ Scott

Saturday: Bloggers Choice

So that’s the week unless something changes. Happy reading!

By Scattered Thoughts

At over 50, I am ruled by my terriers, my gardens, and my projects. A knack for grubbing about in the woods, making mud pies, and tending to the injured worms, bugs, and occasional bird and turtle growing up eventually led me to working for the Parks. I was a park Naturalist for over 20 years, and observing Nature and her cycles still occupy my hours. From the arrival of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the Spring to the first call of the Snow Geese heading south in the Fall, I am entranced by the seasons. For more about me see my bio on my blog.

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