The Thing About Great White Sharks and Other Stories by Rebecca Adams Wright

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 23 Comments
The Thing About Great White Sharks by Rebecca Adams Wright
Publisher: Little A
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Source: TLC Book Tours
Description:
In this collection’s richly imagined title story, our brutal and resourceful protagonist is determined to protect her family from a murderous, shark-ridden world at any cost. Elsewhere, an old woman uncovers a sinister plot while looking after a friend s plants ( Orchids ), and a girl in the war-torn countryside befriends an unlikely creature ( Keeper of the Glass ). In Barnstormers, a futuristic flying circus tries to forestall bankruptcy with one last memorable show. At the heart of Sheila is the terrible choice a retired judge must make when faced with the destruction of his beloved robotic dog, and Yuri, in a Blue Dress follows one of the last survivors of an alien invasion as she seeks help.
About Rebecca Adams Wright

Extending from World War II to the far future, these fifteen stories offer a gorgeously observed perspective on our desire for connection and what it means to have compassion for ourselves, for one another, for our past and for whatever lies beyond.


My Thoughts:

I try not to be swayed by covers but I knew at a glance that I was in for a treat with this book. Look at that crazy, cool cover! I can’t get over it. In even better news? The insides are even groovier. 

Each story in this collection was odder, funkier, more imaginative, and more compelling than the last. It’s nearly impossible to choose a favorite as more than one of the stories have stuck in my mind since I read it. 

If you’re looking for some quirky, fantastic, knock-your-socks-off short stories you can stop looking now. Get a copy of a The Thing About Great White Sharks. Right this minute.

I’d like to thank TLC for asking me to be on this tour. This book was a delight from start to finish and I feel privileged to have read it. I can’t recommend this brilliant collection enough. 

See the rest of the tour stops here.

The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 18 Comments
The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 26, 2015
Source: HarperCollins
Publisher’s Description:

The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live — and relish — the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose — exquisitely limpid — Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless.” — Emma Donoghue

Downed during his first mission, James Hunter is taken captive as a German POW. To bide the time, he studies a nest of redstarts at the edge of camp. Some prisoners plot escape; some are shot. And then, one day, James is called to the Kommandant’s office. 
Helen Humphreys

Meanwhile, back home, James’s new wife, Rose, is on her own, free in a way she has never known. Then, James’s sister, Enid, loses everything during the Blitz and must seek shelter with Rose. In a cottage near Ashdown forest, the two women jealously guard secrets, but form a surprising friendship. 

Each of these characters will find unexpected freedom amid war’s privations and discover confinements that come with peace. The Evening Chorus is a beautiful, astonishing examination of love, loss, escape, and the ways in which the intrusions of the natural world can save us.

My Thoughts: 

I will never tire of books that take place during WWII. Whether it’s a major piece of the story or the merest backdrop there is something about that time that fascinates me. The Evening Chorus is one of the finest books that I’ve read about that era…and I’ve read many.
The author uses the sparest language to describe what James, Rose, and Enid are going through and does so to great effect. There’s no need for flowery speeches or grand dramatic scenes. Their lives are hard, and their day to day efforts to survive are dramatic enough without the need for flourish. 
I thought the use of nature in The Evening Chorus was a touch of brilliance. Even while a war rages on the world keeps turning. The tides keep rising and falling. The birds keep singing. Keeping an eye on the natural world around them helps the characters hold onto their humanity. That juxtaposition is just part of what made this book so wonderful.