Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


May 14

8

Review & Giveaway: Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night by Shelly Lowenkopf

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on May 8, 2014
Posted in Books Read in 2014 • My Past Giveaways • Short Story Collection • Uncategorized  | Tagged With: , | 6 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to kick off the tour for Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night by Shelly Lowenkopf, with a review and a giveaway.

Publisher: White Whisker Books (June 6, 2014)
Category: Short Stories, Literary Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-9836329-8-6
Tour Date: May/June, 2014
Available in: Print and ebook, 186 Pages

Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night brings a number of Shelly Lowenkopf’s previously published short stories together in a single volume. All the stories revolve around life in Santa Barbara, the oceanside city north of Los Angeles, where people go after they’ve burned out in San Francisco and L.A. Yet there’s no safe haven anywhere. Interwoven into Santa Barbara’s picturesque setting, the people in these twelve stories reveal what their hearts and souls encounter in relationships. Their misreadings, mistakes, and misadventures bare what happens to people who love another.

“Shelly Lowenkopf’s short stories breathe gusts of fresh air into the often stuffy literary atmosphere,” says poet Charles Harper Webb (Liver). “Witty, urbane, sharply observed, insightful, mordant yet poignant and absolutely entertaining, these stories touch the funny bone as well as the heart. Readers have had to wait too long for this collection. Grab it now.”

“Shelly Lowenkopf is a gifted, humane story-teller,” adds author Aram Saroyan (Rancho Mirage). “Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night is a delight.”

My Thoughts:

This is a great story collection!  I know I have said this before, but I think it is worth mentioning again.  There are many people who say they don’t like short stories.  My opinion is that short story is a true art form.  Reading a short is not the same as reading a novel.

Most short stories need to be approached more like a painting.  You can’t just look at it once and get the artist’s meaning.  You need to stare at it for awhile and take in all the layers and depth.  The same goes for a short story.  Many times you need to read it more than once and really think about it.

This is true with most of the stories in Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night.  This collection is worth spending the time savouring the deep thoughts and meaning. It had me laughing, crying, and giving pause.

I howled out loud at ‘The Ability’ where a young woman was hire to write thank you notes to university donors and then was asked to do an even more difficult task. ‘The Man Within’ examines an ageing man’s life and what is acceptable and not.  This was one of those stories that is worth reading twice, digging for deeper meaning. These are just two examples of the range of emotions the stories in this collection examines.

Shelly Lowenkopf is a master story teller.  He paints words on paper like they are on canvas. Because of the depth and many layers of his stories, this collection would make an excellent book for a serious book club.  I highly recommend it!

5/5

I received the ebook version for my honest review.

About Shelly Lowenkopf:

Shelly Lowenkopf taught in the University of Southern California’s
Master of Professional Writing Program for 34 years, has taught at the annual Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference since 1980, and has been guest lecturer in many schools and conferences.

He is currently Visiting Professor at the College of Creative Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, with classes in noir fiction, the modern short story, genre fiction, and developing a literary voice. Mr. Lowenkopf has served as editorial director for literary, general trade, mass market, and scholarly book publishers, seeing over 500 books through the editorial and production process. His own short fiction has appeared widely in the literary press. He is author of the popular The Fiction Writer’s Handbook.

Website: http://www.lowenkopf.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lowenkopf 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shelly.lowenkopf

This giveaway is open internationally however, print is only available to Canada and the U.S. This giveaway ends on June 20, 2014.
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Follow The Tour:

So Many Precious Books May 8 Review & Giveaway
The Most Happy Reader May 12 Review & Guest Post
Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings May 13 Review                                                            Books of Mur-y-Castell May 13 Review
Second Book to the Right May 14 Guest Post
Girl with her Head in a Book May 16 Review & Iinterview
Cassandra M’s Place May 20 Review&Giveaway
Toot’s Book Reviews May 23  Interview
Open Book Society May 26 Review
Paranormal Book Club ( PBC)May 28 Interview & Giveaway
|Paranormal Romance & AuthorsMay 30Review
Tabula Rasa June 2 Review
The New In Books June 3 Review & Interview
Inspire to Read June 4 Review
Inspire to Read June 5 Guest Post
She Treads Softly June 6 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt June 11 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt Guest Post & Giveaway
Pinky’s Favorite ReadsJune 12 Interview
From L.A. to LA June 13Review & Giveaway
Ordinary Girlz BookRreviews June 16 Review
Mary’s Cup of Tea June 18 Review
Little Whimsy Books June 18 Interview & Giveaway
The Book Chick Blog June 19 Review
Svetlana’s Reads and Views June 20 Review

Apr 14

21

Review: The Scent of Butterflies by Dora Levy Mossanen

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on April 21, 2014
Posted in Uncategorized  | 1 Comment

Book Description:

A novel singed by the flavors of Tehran, imbued with the Iranian roots of Persepolis and the culture clash of Rooftops of Tehran, this is a striking, nuanced story of a woman caught between two worlds, from the bestselling author of Harem, Courtesan, and The Last Romanov.
A Love So Deep Can Forever Scar the Soul
Such audacity she has, Soraya, a woman who dares to break free of the diamond-studded leash of her culture. A woman who refuses to accept the devastating betrayal her husband has perpetrated. A woman who refuses to forgive her best friend.
Soraya turns her back on Iran, fleeing to America to plot her intricate revenge. The Shah has fallen, her country is in turmoil, her marriage has crumbled, and she is unraveling. The cruel and intimate blow her husband has dealt her awakens an obsessive streak that explodes in the heated world of Los Angeles.
Yet the secret Soraya discovers proves far more devastating than anything she had imagined, unleashing a whirlwind of unexpected events that will leave the reader breathless.
My Thoughts:
Sorry this review took so long for me to post.  Time got away from me.  I think my quote above of the book description from Goodreads gives the reader a good idea of what the book is about, so I am just going to give you my thoughts.
The Scent of Butterflies is beautifully written by Dora Levy Mossnen.  However, there were times where I just couldn’t get into it, yet at times mesmerising.  I found the plot and the actions of Soraya a bit unbelievable. Yet the landscape and time (1970’s) of Iran captured so well.  I do think The Scent of Butterflies is a worthwhile read because of the poetic prose and the landscape of Iran.
3/5
I received the ebook version for my honest opinion.

Apr 14

15

Review: Muffin Man by Stephan Collina

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on April 15, 2014
Posted in Books Read in 2014 • Uncategorized  | Tagged With: , | 2 Comments

Publisher: Analytical Media, Inc. (October 1, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1480078062
Category: Political Thriller
Tour Dates: March, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 368 pages

The President’s wife has a premonition, setting in motion a transatlantic story of love, sex and betrayal.

Set against a backdrop of drug dealing, covert political manipulation and murder the Muffin Man is an authentic and atmospheric tale from the 1970s. Based on real events, the story begins with a premonition that leads to the formation of a secretive political organisation. The plot unfolds in twists and turns through the ordinary lives of innocents who are sucked into an accelerating and dangerous vortex of drug dealing, assassination and murder.

A former high-flying US Army Colonel, his alienated daughter, an accidental drug dealer, his beautiful but manipulative girlfriend and a corrupt police inspector all become sucked into the secretive organisation, initiating a succession of assassinations. Rewards lead to arrogance and an early death, or do they?

The “Muffin Man” motion picture is under development by Analytical Media.  The scripting is now complete so expect further announcements soon.

My Thoughts:

Muffin Man is set in in the U. S. and UK.  Ed, the main character, suffers from post traumatic stress disorder.  His daughter, Anne runs away and works for a secretive organization.  Then their are David and Louise who get involved in drug dealing all because a friend leaves his stash at their house and he is now on the run.

There is a list of colorful characters and it is fun to see how they are all interconnected as the story goes on.  Muffin Man is an atmospheric thriller with drugs, sex and politics. The landscape is stark and contrasts the characters really well.  Though Muffin Man is not an easy read, it is a great read and I highly recommend it.

4/5

I received the ebook version of this book for my honest review.

About Stephan Collina:

Stephan Collina grew up in the 1970s: a troubled time of recession, poverty, industrial disruption, political tension and terrorism. But for younger people, it was also a post-1960s wide-flared, drug-enhanced and extravagant-haired innocence.

Stephan later became a prominent businessman, acquainted with a number of high-ranking politicians. Stephen ran international technology businesses, spending a great deal of time in the USA and various European and African countries.

The Muffin Man grew from a combination of these unique experiences: his early knowledge of the sometime innocent business of drug dealing (although he never inhaled), and of the much dirtier businesses of covert political and military action, and of international business practices.

Stephan’s first novel explored the nefarious and complicated emotional and sexual relationships of a remote village in Wales, where he had spent his early years.

Stephan holds a degree in Philosophy. He is also a qualified commercial ship’s captain. He now lives quietly by the sea, and concentrates on his writing and related filmmaking activities.

Website: http://www.stephancollina.com/muffinman.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephan.collina
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephan_collina

Buy Muffin Man:

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

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