Winners of the Gothic Fiction Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered my Gothic Fiction Giveaway. According to List Randomizer the winners are:

Enna has won The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

A Bookshelf Monstrosity has won Perfume: The Story of a Murder by Patrick Suskind

Brizmus has won The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

It was great hearing about all of your gothic fiction favourites and now I have a few more books I must add to my tbr list.

Happy Halloween to All!!!

There was a bit of a mix-up and so Brizmus will be receiving another copy of Perfume: The Story of a Murder rather than The Shadow of the Wind, which means Raspberry is now the winner of Shadow of the Wind!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

My Birthday turned out to be lovely even though my man is away for 10 days for work.  I had lunch with a friend and indulged in a burger and indulged even more afterward with a cupcake and hot chocolate from Buttercream.  The sun was shining and I was wearing my favourite boots. All-in-all a great day.

My man and I celebrated my birthday before he left and GUESS WHAT I GOT!!! Oh yes I did...the Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 in black and I even managed to find the swanky leather cover with light at another store in the city and these are totally on backorder and sold out online. The last one left!

What I love:

• The touch screen. 
• The ability to organize my books under whichever tag I choose and to make collections.
• The leather case that I purchased extra. 
• That I was able to add a memory card so I never have to think about running out of space.
• The battery lasts a long time.
• The ability to write notes and draw pictures and have these accessible in the Sony eBook Library.
• I can highlight words and look them up in the dictionary.
• The included stylus, which I thought I would never use.
• The ability to turn pages using fingers or buttons.
• The I can load pictures and audio. The audio is more important and I will probably never upload pictures.
• That I got a US$25 coupon to the eBook Library when we bought the Reader, which I have already spent of course.
• That you change change orientation of the reader.
• That you can search text.
• The back icon that takes you back to the previous menu.
• The hidden power button so you do not accidentally hit it.
• That Sony has finally provided software compatible with the Mac computer.

What I wish was different:

• Not much at all. I wish the e-ink was darker or there was more contrast with the white space. I wish there was a feature where you could change contrast. But you can still change the font size.
• The screen has a bit if glare depending on where the light source is.
• That when you are reading the time was shown somewhere!
• I wish you could make shortcuts.
• The leather case light is a bit annoying. I hate glare and you have to have the light just so and the book just so so you do not see the reflection of the light. But I would rather have the light than not have it at all.

Even though the Reader is not wireless this does not bother me because I would be too tempted to buy books randomly if it was and I like to research the books I plan to purchase. When I connect my Reader to the computer the eBook Library automatically opens. You need to shut it down and then open Calibre. Note that Calibre now recognizes the Sony Touch Edition. In Calibre you need to modify your tags for each book and these tags will show up as collections in your reader. Before you can view any eBook Library books on your Reader you need to authorize your computer and your device in My Account in the eBook Store. This was not an intuitive process...and you must do this first before you can view the books on your device, even though you can move them to your memory stick.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the PRS-600. Ask away!

Don't forget to enter my Gothic Fiction Giveaway  by October 30 to win either The Historian, Perfume or The Shadow of the Wind.

Gothic Fiction Giveaway

Originally Posted October 1, 2009

It has been a year of blogging at Obsessed With Books and to celebrate I will be giving away the following Gothic fiction 'modern classics' to three lucky winners. I read all three before I started blogging but the memory of them has stayed with me since, each being a distintictive work of fiction. All three novels are new, never been opened!

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind (Trade Paperback)

In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift-an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille''s genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"-the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (Mass Market Paperback)

To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history....Late one night, exploring her father''s library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of-a labyrinth where the secrets of her father''s past and her mother''s mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known-and to a centuries-long quest to find
the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself-to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions-and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad''s ancient powers-one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil.

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Trade Paperback)

Barcelona, 1945?A great world city lies shrouded in secrets after the war, and a boy mourning the loss of his mother finds solace in his love for an extraordinary book called "The Shadow of the Wind," by an author named Julian Carax. When the boy searches for Carax''s other books, it begins to dawn on him, to his horror, that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book the man has ever written. Soon the boy realizes that "The Shadow of the Wind" is as dangerous to own as it is impossible to forget, for the mystery of its author''s identity holds the key to an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love that someone will go to any lengths to keep secret.

I recently posted about my love of Gothic fiction, as well as historical and timeslip novels with Gothic elements, and I thought what better way to highlight the genre than to hold a contest!

One entry per person. Open to entries worldwide.

Entry Deadline: October 30th

Winners Announced: October 31st

What to Do: Comment on this blog post naming your favourite Gothic fiction novel or novel containing Gothic elements. Please include your email address in the comment and your book of choice out the three in the giveaway (pick one).

Earn an additional entry by linking to this post on your blog. Don't forget to let me know!

Related Posts:

Gothic Fiction - Historical and Timeslip Favourites

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Elizabeth Peters' unforgettable heroine Amelia Peabody makes her first appearance in this clever mystery. Amelia receives a rather large inheritance and decides to use it for travel. On her way through Rome to Egypt, she meets Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young woman abandoned by her lover and left with no means of support. Amelia promptly takes Evelyn under her wing, insisting that the young lady accompany her to Egypt, where Amelia plans to indulge her passion for Egyptology. When Evelyn becomes the target of an aborted kidnapping and the focus of a series of suspicious accidents and mysterious visitations, Amelia becomes convinced of a plot to harm her young friend. Like any self-respecting sleuth, Amelia sets out to discover who is behind it all.

Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first book in the Amelia Peabody Mystery series and although categorized as a mystery I think I smiled and chuckled all the way through. Amelia Peabody is such a character – a strong willed, opinionated, bossy woman, who thinks the only appeal she has is the inheritance left to her by her father.

Touring Rome Amelia’s companion falls ill and must be sent home before they can reach their final destination of Cairo. She encounters a young Englishwoman, Evelyn Barton-Forbes, who has collapsed on the grounds of the Forum of Rome. After hearing Evelyn’s shocking story of betrayal and abandonment by a man she thought loved her, Amelia determines to takes Evelyn under her wing to mentor her and be her companion on her Egyptian adventures.

This novel is a mystery, a story of self-discovery and a bit of a comedy of errors. In the end Evelyn teaches Amelia more about life, loyalty and love than she ever expected. Beneath her prickly and spunky exterior Amelia hides a kind heart. The below quote is one of my favourites in the novel and portrays Amelia to a tee.

“I watched them with the most thorough satisfaction I had ever felt in my life. I did not even wipe away the tears that rained down my face – although I began to think it was just as well Evelyn was leaving me. A few more weeks with her, and I should have turned into a rampageous sentimentalist.”

I’ve not delved too much into Egyptian archeological history so I’m not sure how true the methodology was for techniques in preserving Egyptian antiquities but I was impressed with the level of detail and how the descriptions of Cairo and Amarna come to life even though the story is fairly short. I’m sure I’ll continue on to read the rest of the series, the second book being The Curse of the Pharaohs. I would also recommend the Lady Emily Ashton series by Tasha Alexander.

Book Disclosure: Purchased
My Rating: 4.5

Chapters
Amazon

New Release by S.J. Bolton - Awakening

Sacrifice was an original and thrilling debut novel by S. J. Bolton. Her sophomore effort, Awakening, was released in trade paperback in Canada on August 29, 2009 (UK Import) and in hardcover in the U.S. on June 9, 2009. The mass market paperback edition will be released on February 23, 2010. I will definitely be looking to pick up the MMP in February as it is supposed to be even better. S.J. Bolton - synonymous with suspenseful and unique.

An idyllic village is thrown into turmoil in the startling, heart-racing new thriller from the author of Sacrifice.

How did it all begin? I suppose it would be the day I rescued a new-born baby from a poisonous snake, heard the news of my mother’s death and encountered my first ghost . . .

Veterinary surgeon Clara Benning is young and intelligent, but practically a recluse. Disfigured by a childhood accident, she lives alone and shies away from human contact whenever possible. But when a man dies following a supposed snake bite, the victim’s post mortem shows a higher concentration of venom than could ever be found in a single snake.

Assisted by her softly spoken neighbour, and an eccentric reptile expert, Clara unravels sinister links to a barbaric ancient ritual, an abandoned house and a fifty-year-old tragedy that left the survivors fiercely secretive. Then the village’s inventive attacker strikes again, and Clara’s own solitary existence is brutally invaded.

For someone the truth must remain buried in the past — even if they have to kill to keep it there.

Chapters

Amazon

Related Posts:

Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton

Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton

You're born. You live. They die.

Moving to remote Shetland has been unsettling enough for consultant surgeon Tora Hamilton; even before the gruesome discovery she makes one rain-drenched afternoon…Deep in the peat soil of her field she is shocked to find the perfectly preserved body of a young woman, a gaping hole where her heart has been brutally removed and three rune marks etched into her skin.

The marks bear an eerie resemblance to carvings Tora has seen all over the islands, and she quickly uncovers disturbing links to an ancient legend. But as Tora investigates she is warned by the local police, her boss, and even her husband, to leave well alone.

And even though it chills her to the bone to admit it…something tells her their concern isn't genuine.

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut effort by author S.J. Bolton. The setting of the Shetland Islands off the northeast coast of Scotland is interesting and unique. An area of isolation, myth and legend, remote from the rest of the world where secrets have been hidden for decades and immense power has been hoarded. Imagine moving from bustling London to a small acreage on a stark, unforgiving island. Your husband is often away on business, you have made no friends in the six months you have been working in the nearby hospital and your beloved horse has just died. Tora Hamilton is determined to bury her horse nearby her home, even though it is illegal, and in doing so uncovers a female body buried deep in the peat, heart taken out, runes carved into her back. From here leads a strange, twisted tale of murder and mortality, ethics, fertility manipulation, cults and myths.

Bolton's prose is rawly descriptive and blunt. Events are presented in a cold and analytical way, yet to offset this the author has created a sensitive, vulnerable character in Tora, who buries her feelings of confusion, pain and loss deeply. At first I did not like Tora, thinking her weak, misguided and a little dense, but after awhile I realized she is someone juggling a lot of issues and handling them the best she is capable of. Tora has difficulty making friends and with communication. People don't warm to her readily and she knows it. She has fears, inadequacies and issues to overcome. I would describe her as having questionable self-esteem, a frustrated, nervous temperament...yet tenacity of will and a caring heart. Someone that I could relate to rather than being some grand heroine or superwoman.

Bolton does a great job of disguising the true motivations of the characters, which made the story very suspenseful. I did not like most of the characters in the novel...we are not given much background on the characters, rather just the bare bones of their lives...and actually I do not think the author wants you to like any of the characters either. The tension, disapproval and antagonism between particular characters is portrayed well and really comes across in the writing.

One word in the story - a character's career - led me to figuring out some of the plot but by no means led to unravelling everything, as the story has been very cleverly crafted. Of course there are a few plot holes and loose threads (Why exactly did Dr. Kenn Gifford state (lie?) that KT meant Keloid Trauma when he must have known it meant something else entirely...he could not have been kept in the dark about everything...but we are left to ponder!) but the premise and setting are unique which makes for an out of the ordinary read.

I really liked this book and think its a solid debut effort by S.J. Bolton. Although it took me awhile to warm up to it, once I did, I did not want to put the book down and could not get the story out of my head.

My Rating: 4.0

Chapters
Amazon

E-Book Universe

A very good pictoral summary of how the e-book world is interconnected!

Pondering My Intimidating Bookcase

Somehow the actual collecting of books is insidiously replacing my enjoyment of reading.

I remember the joy of finding two or three books at the bookstore and then returning home to snuggle with a blanket on the sofa or in bed, with a cup a tea and cookie. I would read for a good three hours or so until I had finished one of the books I had bought...then most likely I would have started on the second. I had piles of books around my bed, under my bed, in shoe-box after shoe-box and in what closet space I could cram them into and in rubber maid containers stacked upon each other. With finally owning a home I determined to buy a bookcase which I then saved for and took my time picking out so I picked the right one.

When the bookcase first arrived I loved it, loved looking at it and running my eyes over all my precious books. Every time I walked into the house my eyes were drawn to it and I could smell the newness of the wood stain. Now more often than not to look at my bookcase raises anxiety instead of pleasure.

The left half of the bookcase are books I have read and the right half contains the unread ones...over 120 of them (and I have more put away in boxes and another bookshelf ). When I first started buying books to fill up the shelves I told myself I was doing so, so that when I retire or when I am on vacation I can pick from the bookshelf instead of going to the bookstore. That I would already have collected all my favourite fiction. What I did not realize was that the more unread books I have on the shelves the more difficulty I have in actually picking out a book to read. With wanting to read all the books I am finding it very difficult to pick just one.

I know I am lucky... not everyone can afford to buy books. I do miss the library but really not all that much because I have replaced that experience with the purchasing of books in a bookstore or online. I've turned into the type of person who cannot pass a bookstore by without stopping and hunting down books I've put on my To Buy list. I use Bookpedia to track the books I own and those on my wish list, which I then export to my iPod so I can always carry around a list of my To Buy. I spend a lot of time browsing online bookstores, LibraryThing, and GoodReads for reviews...time that could have been spent more enjoyably actually reading a book!! If only that darn bookcase would stop intimidating me.

Is there therapy for those who are book obsessed? I mean seriously, I need to create a plan of attack to stop allowing my bookcase to push me around. Instead of standing in front of it waiting for inspiration to strike, I think a good start may be to pick out three to five books that appeal, take them to another part of the house and see if one of them stands out. Do you have any helpful suggestions? Are you similarly book obsessed?