Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Nov 14

19

Review & Giveaway: The Demon Who Peddled Longing by Khanh Ha

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 19, 2014
Posted in Books Read in 2014  | Tagged With: , , | 7 Comments

Demon Who Peddled LongingBook Description:

Publisher: Underground Voices (November 21, 2014)
ISBN: 978-0-9904331-1-8
Category: Literary Fiction, Multicultural
Tour Date: November, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 296 Pages

From the award winning author of ‘Flesh’, “Demons advocate love‒not the compassionate love devoid of possession and sexual desire. It’s the lustful love. They tempt humans with such lust, and the moment living beings fall for it, the demons will peddle longing to take them away.”

Thus, begins the terrible journey of a twenty-year-old boy in search of  the two brothers who are drifters and who raped and killed his cousin also his girl.

Set in post-war Vietnam, The Demon Who Peddled Longing brings together the damned, the unfit, the brave, who succumb by their own doing to the call of fate. Yet their desire to survive and to face life again never dies, so that when someone like the boy, who is psychologically damaged by his family tragedy, who no sooner gets his life together after being rescued by a fisherwoman than falls in love with an untouchable girl and finds his life in peril, takes his leave in the end, there is nothing left but a longing in the heart that goes with him.


My Thoughts:

‘The Demon Who Peddled Longing’ opens with a fisher woman finding 19 year old, Nam, usually referred to as ‘the boy” in the river, badly hurt.  She takes him in and nurses him back to health.  He stays and works for her for awhile but eventually moves on.

Nam is on a mission to find the two brothers who raped and killed his cousin. When asked where he is heading, he just tells people that he is heading south to find work.  He eventually finds the brothers that he is looking for, to avenge his cousins’ death but that isn’t really the main part of the novel. 

‘The Demon Who Peddled Longing’ takes place in post war Vietnam and is more about the journey Nam takes, that seems never ending and the kinds of people he meets along the way. The title is aptly named, Nam and many of the characters have demons lurking and they are longing. Most seem to just be getting by but know it’s too much to be happy, to strive for a better life.

This is the second book I have read by Khanh Ha and is does not disappoint.  His poetic prose is still hypnotic and I had a hard time putting the book down.  He writes almost like he is in a trance, observing what he writes first hand.  I don’t really know how else to explain it. He takes his readers on incredible journeys through his homeland, Vietnam. Getting a taste of the culture and people.  He examines those deep dark places most would try to avoid yet, you can’t help but follow.

I am not over emphasizing  how good a writer Ha is, too me, he is a literary genius!  His books may be a bit too brutal for high school reading but should be in college curriculum for literary study!  Don’t let this scare you, his books are very accessible to most readers who love literary fiction and multicultural fiction. ‘The Demon Who Peddled Longing’ is a must read!

5/5

I received the ebook version for my honest review.

Read the Interview:

Please go to my next post today where I have an interview with Khanh Ha, here: https://theteddyrosebookreviewsplusmore.com/?p=4541

Enter the Giveaway:

There is still time to enter the giveaway to win a copy of ‘The Demon Who Peddled Longing’!  You can enter here: https://theteddyrosebookreviewsplusmore.com/?p=4748

‘The Demon Who Peddled Longing’ would make an outstanding gift for any literary fiction lover!  You can buy it Here:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Indie Bound

Nov 14

18

Review & Giveaway: Bob by Tegon Maus

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 18, 2014
Posted in Book Tours • Books Read in 2014  | Tagged With: , , , , | 3 Comments

Bob CoverBook Description:

Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing (September 5, 2014)
Category: Soft Science Fiction
Tour Date: October, 2014
Available in: ebook, Approx. 165 Pages

After 27 years as a newspaper man, Peter Anderson’s career is slipping away… at least it was… until he stumbled upon the story of a lifetime.

Sent to do a fluff piece about lights in the night sky over Arizona, he discovers far more than he ever expected when he comes upon a mysterious young woman held prisoner in a basement.   After helping her to escape she disappears before he can learn the truth about who she is or where she came from.

His search for her leads him back to the lights in the sky and leaves him with more questions than answers.   The only thing he knows for certain… the only thing he can count on are the two words offered repeatedly by his friend and guide…. “IS BELT.”

My Thoughts:

Peter Anderson is a reporter  in a pretty desolate town, staying in a rundown hotel in Arizona.  He asks for a driver to take him around and that is when Bob shows up in a rundown car.  Peter doesn’t hold out much hope in making it to his appointment but he makes it.

Thus begins his journey with Bob.  The story he is covering takes on way more than he bargains for and there are many “roadblocks” along the way, including people who will stop at nothing to silence Peter. Peter soon finds out how good it is to have Bob with him.

‘Bob’ is a delightful book and a delightful character.  The book is soft science fiction and can be enjoyed by readers of thrillers, action/adventure, and humor.  Be sure to buckle in for this faced paced read, or as Bob would say, “Is Belt”!

Highly recommended!

5/5

I received this ebook for my honest review.

About Tegon Maus:tegon maus2

I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn’t friendly, I just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people, at least I did until I met my wife.

The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life of me I can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years after inventing games and prototypes for a variety of ideas before I got back to writing.

It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought, it was more of a stepping stone. My wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told.

I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it’s making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mind you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not.  When I write, I always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing, makes me happier.

I have consistently placed in the top 3 in 189 writing contest in a variety of genres and I have been featured in magazines a couple of times to raise money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Website: http://www.tegonmaus.com/#!
Author on Tirgearr Website: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Maus_Tegon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TegonMaus
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tegon-Maus/150255051766767
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tegon/tegon-maus/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/101974688416833509592/posts


Buy ‘Bob’:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords

Giveaway:

There is still time to enter the giveaway to win the ebook!  Enter here:  https://theteddyrosebookreviewsplusmore.com/2014/11/giveaway-bob-by-tegon-maus.html

Nov 14

11

Review: The Girl Who Came Back To Life by Craig Staufenberg

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 11, 2014
Posted in Books Read in 2014  | Tagged With: , , , | 2 Comments

girlwhocamebacktolife_cover_highresBook Description:

Publisher: Create Space  (April 16, 2014)
ISBN: 978-1497532731
Category: Fantasy, Magic, Fairytale
Tour Date: October, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 180 Pages

“When you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead. There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds you, says “Goodbye,” and Sends you to the next world.

After her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits. Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her mother and father’s spirits back home with her.

Taking the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet the journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold on to, when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.”

My Thoughts:

I haven’t read many fairytales in my adult life however, when I read the description of this book, something told me I should give it a try.  I am so glad I did!

Sophie is a 12 year old girl whose parents died and is now living with her grandmother.   Her grandmother is quite cold towards her and does little for her.  She knows that she needs to somehow make her way to the “City of the Dead”.  However, instead of  saying “Goodbye” to send her parents to the next world, she plans to bring them back to life.

Sophie’s grandmother also need to make her trip to the “City of the Dead” to say goodbye to her husband.  However, she told Sophie that she could come with only if she could pay her own way.  So Sophie finds a job at the same bakery her Grandmother works at.

Sophie and her grandmother finally start on the long, dangerous journey and face many challenges along the way.  Do they make it to the ‘City of the Dead” and does Sophie bring her parents back to life?  You will have to read the book to find out.

‘The Girl That Came Back to Life’ has an early 1900’s feel to me, though the time is not know.  However, there were motor vehicles in it, buses and trucks.  I loved how Staufenberg describes the vast landscape from the small village to the City of the Dead. 

At times the story takes a dark tone but I loved following Sophie through her journey and seeing her grow as a human being.   You could also call this book a come of age story.

I found the plot to be unique and the characters fresh and well fleshed out.  This is a book aimed at middle grade to young adult but I think it is great for adults as well.  I highly recommend ‘The Girl Who Comes Back to Life’!

5/5

I received the ebook for my honest review.

About Craig Staufenberg:

Craig Staufenberg is a writer and filmmaker living in NYC.

Website: http://craigstaufenberg.com/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com
/YouMakeArtDumb
Google+: https://plus.google.com
/108490376831859338288/posts

Buy ‘The Girl Who Came Back to Life’:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

Would you like to try to win a print or ebook copy of the book?  I still have a giveaway open here: https://theteddyrosebookreviewsplusmore.com/2014/09/giveaway-the-girl-who-came-back-to-life-by-craig-staufenberg.html

Hurry, this giveaway ends at 12 midnight on November 22, 2014.

« Previous Page — Next Page »