Monday, October 31, 2016

US of Books Tour - Spartina by John Casey.**Review by Laura**

 


This week takes us to Rhode Island with Spartina by John Casey.

Entertainment Weekly says - Dick Pierce works in Narragansett Bay, but his true passion is is the unfinished boat in his backyard. The tale may be standard, but Casey's lyrical descriptions of the Rhode Island sea are anything but.
“If Rhode Island were a country, it would be part of the Third World. The largest employer is the military. Tourism is the major moneymaker, although most Rhode Islanders benefit from it only in service positions. The bulk of choice real estate is in the form of second homes or resorts run by absentee corporations. “There is a seafaring tradition, and there is—still—a fishing fleet. By comparison to the high-tech factory ships of Russia, East or West Germany, Japan, or the tuna clippers of our own West Coast, the boats and methods are quaint. But it is still possible—barely possible—to wrest a living from the sea.”
Spartina is one of those books that should be a total winner. Poetic writing, vivid descriptions, a real world to sink into.
A blue heron wading in the marsh on her stilts, apparently out for a stroll—suddenly freezing. An imperceptible tilt of her head—her long neck cocking without moving. No, nothing this time. Wade, pose. Abruptly, a new picture—a fish bisected by her bisected beak. Widening ripples, but the heron, the pool, the marsh, the sky serene. The clouds slid across the light, the fish into the dark.
Unfortunately, the main character Dick Pierce was just an ass. He was at first a crusty older man and I was fine with that. He had very much of a him versus the world attitude and believed that anyone from money was to be looked down at. He ran some cons and did a few shady deals, but he did it to support his wife and children. Nothing wrong with that, he was doing his best to survive. Then the story took an turn and I lost all respect for good ol' Dick. He began to match his name and started a torrid affair with a woman in the neighborhood. First, I hate when adultery is used as a plot point. I have no patience with it and hate reading about it. Second, he had absolutely no remorse about his actions. He did not care if he was going to hurt the woman he promised to cherish or his children. Other stuff happened that was interesting, but I could not move past my hatred of Dick to enjoy the story. In the end he sadly did not get the comeuppance he should have and Dick continued to be just that as he sailed off into the sunset.



Saturday, October 29, 2016

Ungolden Silence: A Thought Provoking Novel by Lydia E. Brew **review**

Ungolden Silence: A Thought Provoking Novel
A few years ago, two teenage girls were kidnapped and their names were given on the national news. Luckily they were found alive. It was determined that they had been sexually assaulted, and their names were not given after that. What is wrong with this picture? We hear the name of every crime victim except the name of people that are sexually assaulted. We are protecting their privacy as if they have done something wrong. Rape is a crime just like murder, stealing, robbing a bank, carjacking and any and every other crime that we have to deal with as a society. Sometimes a rape victim is shown on television but her face is not shown because she is frightened that her rapist will come back to hurt her. This is understandable. However, when the rapist is in jail and the victim is on television her face is still hidden. Why? Another question is why are rape victims reluctant to come forward and report that someone has just raped them? Could the reason be that the rapist is the victim's boss, teacher, colleague, boyfriend, a family member, a casual acquaintance, or maybe a stranger? Ungolden Silence is an exploration of how rape is treated in the United States.
It is imperative to change the way that society looks and deals with this social taboo. Ungolden Silence is a novel that will leave the reader with many questions. It will also attempt to answer some of the questions that society asks but never seem to want to answer. We must look at the history of how men have been allowed to treat women. It is important not to just know the information, it is important to act on it.
 

Ungolden Silence will explore the world of rape and expose the myths through articles that are based on facts. The main questions that needs to be answered in why one human being would rape another human being. These reasons are explored in the story.
When any crime takes place, the families of the victims as well as the criminal are involved. 


Ungolden Silence will illustrate that the criminal is a real person, and rarely do they commit crimes just for the fun of it.
It is important to know that rape is a part of violence. Through the characters of Ungolden Silence it is hoped that society will begin to find a way to eliminate the acceptance of violence, which includes the act of rape.
 

It is imperative that society understands that rape does not stand on an island by itself. Rape is a room in the house of violence. When looking into the house of violence we cannot just go into the front door and head to the rape room. We must look at other rooms. One room we must look into is the room of abuse. When we enter the room we see that there are different kinds of abuse. They are sexual, physical, and mental.
 

Again the main question is why a man or a woman will rape another person. While the answer is far too complex Ungolden Silence will attempt to give some possible explanation. The answers are not simple or exact. Each rape case is as unique as the persons involved -- both perpetrator and the victim.
 

Ungolden Silence looks at this social taboo in a unique way. The Calloway Firm, where the owners and employees are African-Americans, sends two women to Washington D.C. to begin a campaign to create awareness about the disabled. Elaine Wilson, who is disabled, is in charge of the project. Beatrice James is her partner and goes with her.
 

Their client, Mrs. Stevens is impressed with the professionalism that Beatrice and Elaine show as they share their ideas for the campaign to increase the awareness of the disabled. Mrs. Stevens is amazed to see that Elaine really is in charge of the project. The story changes when Mr. Thomas Paige, a very influential African-American in the city comes into the picture. Mrs. Stevens, though an extremely rich and influential American woman of European descent, is very excited to have Mr. Paige on the project.
Beatrice is exhilarate


********
My review:

I am very happy that I opted to read this book for review. It is on a touchier subject that is not spoken about a lot, but needs to be talked about so people are aware of the dangers of it happening. This book...it was so compelling, gritty, honest, well written, and a topic that needs more light. This is most definitely an emotional roller-coaster ride of a story, but well worth it. You find yourself emotionally attached, especially because the context is rape. A lot of people know or at least have an idea of what happens in the aftermath of a rape If She or he reports it, there is the rape kit (as intrusive as it may feel, it is very important to do it because it is instrumental in solving cases).

Aside from the delicate topic of rape, the author also touches on subtopics in the book. Topics such as disability, race, etc. all important to be aware of and discuss. It is also important to see a case of rape all the way through, and important to know the entire story and context. We all of heard and seen stories on the news, it is important to educate ourselves and educate our kids. 

I think the writing was very good. I really liked Elaine and Beatrice as well as the law that comes into the book. I think that was a smart choice to add to this book. I would recommend this book to others.




I received this book for free from VBT Cafe in exchange for an honest review.
 

Friday, October 28, 2016

The Banned Book by Scott Hughes **Review**


This booklet was not quite what I expected. At all. In fact, it was the exact opposite. It was great. Below I have left the message from the author for clarification.  This is a good and quick read with a good and clear point of view.
There was one point in this booklet I didn't quite agree with, and that was from page 3:
"Hate isn't a means. It just is what it is. That may sound like meaningless poetry or platitudes, but it's not. Hate doesn't work as a means. It doesn't have desirable ends." I can't say I agree with this. How many people commit crimes in the heat of the moment out of hatred?

Aside from my disagreement of this portion of the booklet, this is a good read and I recommend it to all. It really makes you think.

Message from the Author
On June 13th, 2016, I released this short booklet for free through Amazon. I pledged to donate 10 cents per copy downloaded through Amazon to a charity that helps victims of sexual assault. The winning charity was RAINN. Because the book is free, there were no proceeds from which to make the donation, but rather I took a financial loss to give to charity and to spread my message--a message I passionately believe in and hope will change hearts and help make the world a better place, especially a better place for victims and would-be victims of sexual assault or other violence.
In just a few days, the booklet earned over a thousand downloads. It became the #1 bestseller in the entire Philosophy category on Amazon.
The booklet was nearly unanimously well-received by those who actually read it.
However, there was quick outrage from people who did not read the book but who judged the book by its cover and title (the original ones) and jumped to the conclusion that the book was pro-rape or that I wanted violent criminals to not be put in jail. Both of those things are absolutely false. Both the booklet and I are clearly anti-rape and supportive of incarcerating dangerous offenders.
The booklet is not really about the people who we hate at all. It is about me and about the reader. It is about how hate doesn't help victims and doesn't protect future would-be victims. It's about something that cannot be described in a blurb or a tl;dr summary (too long; didn't read).
Nonetheless, the outraged people who believed utterly false things about the book viciously attacked me publicly and spread false rumors about the book, especially via Twitter. For just a few examples, I was told publicly on social media to "burn in hell". People who did not read the book said things like, I will spit in your face if I have the chance. That's not the worst of it, but the worst of it and the much more vulgar of it would not be good to repeat. At least one person attempted to hack my Twitter account. Ultimately, the passionately outraged people got the book abruptly banned from Amazon, only a few days after release.
How can a book about love result in such vicious outrage from people who did not even read it? Well, remember love challenges hate, and hate is irrational and vicious. The haters react that way not because of what's wrong with love and what lovers believe; they react that way because of what's wrong with hate. For instance, only two people were quoted in this short booklet. Both of those people were killed for what they said. So, if I merely had my book banned when quoting much greater minds and much greater words than my own, I suppose I got off easy.

I recommend this read!

United States of Books – Rabbit, Run by John Updike **Review by Teri at Sportochick’s Musings**



Rabbit, Run is the book that established John Updike as one of the major American novelists of his—or any other—generation. Its hero is Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, a onetime high-school basketball star who on an impulse deserts his wife and son. He is twenty-six years old, a man-child caught in a struggle between instinct and thought, self and society, sexual gratification and family duty—even, in a sense, human hard-hardheartedness and divine Grace. Though his flight from home traces a zigzag of evasion, he holds to the faith that he is on the right path, an invisible line toward his own salvation as straight as a ruler’s edge.
 125US of Books
Review:
Throughout the book I kept hoping that Rabbit would find himself and become a man, husband, and father but he just kept getting more confused. It was apparent that this man couldn’t make up his mind about anything and that he would drift forever lost. Also what was abundantly clear was that he had no conscience. He just couldn’t figure out what was right and what was wrong nor would he take responsibly for his part in any of the events that lead to his babies death, his wives destructive life, his son’s feeling of loss or his mistresses pregnancy.

Reverend Eccles was the one of two redeeming characters in this book. He tried really hard to help Rabbit but in reality Rabbit starts to lead him astray no matter how hard he continually tries to help. Ruth, his mistress, well she was someone to be admired. She understood who Rabbit was, stood firm and strong about them ending their relationship with her taking care of the baby they would still have.

The book ended just as I thought. Rabbit is so confused. STILL! Bye bye Rabbit! Keep running away from life but realize you will never have one you love till you confront yourself.

I give this 1 star. I just disliked the main character, Rabbit, too much to find any value in this book.

United States of Books – The Awakening by Kate Chopin **Review by Serena – Savvy Verse & Wit**

awakening
The Awakening by Kate Chopin is considered by many to be a work of Feminism, published in the early 1900s. Mrs. and Mr. Pontellier appear to have a mutual respect for one another and the relationship many married couples fall into, such as nods and certain looks that are read easily by one another. He is a broker and has very specific ideas about how much attention his wife should pay to the children. But despite their easy way with one another, there is something distant in their relationship, as he feels she does not value his conversation and she tries to tamp down her anguish about only being a mother and a wife.
While summering at Grand Isle, she comes to view their relationship much differently and that of her place in the world. Mrs. Pontellier can see from the actions of other mothers vacationing there that she is much different. She does not worship her children and she does not have all the sophistication of a societal wife. As she becomes aware of these differences, Robert Lebrun begins to pay her special attention, which recalls for her many youthful infatuations. However, when Alcee Arobin crosses her path, things begin to change dramatically for the reborn painter, Mrs. Pontellier.
Edna Pontellier returns to the city and begins to break with tradition, which raises her husband’s eyebrows. Chopin’s work is not so much about the liberation of a woman from societal expectations. It is an introspective look at how we present ourselves to our husbands, children, friends, and greater society. Our inner selves, our true selves — if they ever emerge — are buried deep within our private worlds. For many of us, our true self is only known by us and, in some cases, not even then. Edna has been awakened to her true self and she embarks on a journey to realize it fully.
In terms of the setting, it’s clear that they live in Louisiana and music and art are strong cultural elements. The roots of French colonization remain in the area, and many of the people Edna interacts with speak French. Many of these people are definitely from the upper crust as they do little more than socialize, entertain one another, and gossip. The Awakening by Kate Chopin explores the consequences of becoming independent and stripping all pretension, leaving Edna in a solitary world (which mirrors the one she held close prior to her awakening). However, it seems as though Edna fails to evolve, merely bringing her inner world to the surface to find that she cannot survive, rather than exploring what that means and how she should move forward.

125US of Books

About the Author:
chopinKate Chopin was an American novelist and short-story writer best known for her startling 1899 novel, The Awakening. Born in St. Louis, she moved to New Orleans after marrying Oscar Chopin in 1870. Less than a decade later Oscar’s cotton business fell on hard times and they moved to his family’s plantation in the Natchitoches Parish of northwestern Louisiana. Oscar died in 1882 and Kate was suddenly a young widow with six children. She turned to writing and published her first poem in 1889. The Awakening, considered Chopin’s masterpiece, was subject to harsh criticism at the time for its frank approach to sexual themes. It was rediscovered in the 1960s and has since become a standard of American literature, appreciated for its sophistication and artistry. Chopin’s short stories of Cajun and Creole life are collected in Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897), and include “Desiree’s Baby,” “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm.”

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United States of Books – Empire Falls by Richard Russo **Review by H.C. at Irresponsible Reader**

Empire Falls


A few years ago, my parents took a trip through New England in the Fall to look at the leaves — I know, not an original idea, but for people from the Northwest, it’s not as common as it is for others. One of the places they drove through was Empire Falls and were telling me about some HBO series/book based there — I was vaguely aware of the book, having recently finished Russo’s Straight Man and told them that they’d probably enjoy it. I don’t think either of them gave it a shot (I could be wrong).
A few months later, I got around to reading it myself — wow. It so different in style and content from Straight Man, but it took me a long time to read, and (best of all) it was fantastic. It sent me reeling and made me want to read more by Russo. Sadly, the next book I read by him just about killed that (That Old Cape Magic). A couple of years go by and I decide to read all of his novels in order. When I get to Empire Falls, I skipped it. I just couldn’t do it again. I really didn’t enjoy about half of Russo’s novels, but I couldn’t deny the power of them, nor his skill. Nobody’s Fool, for example, I really didn’t enjoy — but here I am a couple of years later, and I still find myself thinking about a couple of characters and scenes at least three times a month. That’s staying power. (no, I haven’t gotten to the sequel that came out this year, for reasons I don’t fully understand)
Incidentally, I liked That Old Cape Magic better the second time around — actually, I think that was true for Straight Man, too. Liking Cape Magic was almost a given (would be hard to like it less), but I really enjoyed Straight Man the first time out — the second time I loved it. Both of those books deal with a different kinds characters than the rest of his books (including Empire Falls, which I’m getting to — I promise). Most of his books are about small towns and their citizens, usually dealing with economic hardships on the municipal and individual level. Frequently, cafes and bars are used to get the characters to interact with each other and there’s typically one guy who drinks too much, is fairly unreliable, yet everyone likes and enables. There’s humor, tragedy, history (actual and fictional), mixed with character and family struggles. Empire Falls checks every single box on the “what makes a Richard Russo novel” list, but does it bigger. If you’ve read Empire Falls, you’ve read almost every one of his books — which is not to say you shouldn’t read the rest (especially Straight Man and Bridge of Sighs) — but you’ll get a good idea what kind of things Russo typically deals with and how he does it.
Richard Russo is what Jonathan Tropper, Nick Hornby and Matthew Norman (and many others, probably, but these are the three I’m most familiar with) could easily become if they got a little more serious and a little darker. On the whole, the latter three are more entertaining (and funnier) — but Russo can pull that off when he wants to. You could also say that Russo is what Jonathan Franzen could be if he lightened up and got less pretentious. But mostly, you can say that I’m a giant fan.
Why am I blathering on? Mostly trying to give context for this post, but partially because it is just daunting to try to talk about this book — especially in something that’d make a decent-length blog post and not a full-fledged dissertation. But I’d better suck it up and get to it.
Empire Falls won Richard Russo his (seemingly) inevitable Pulitzer Prize in 2002 and stands as one of the greatest achievements in his storied career. It is at once a story about a town and a man, microcosms for the state and the nation; it’s both sweeping and epic while being personal and intimate.
The story centers on Miles Roby, manager of the Empire Grill in Empire Falls, ME. He has an ex-wife (who I truly despised), a daughter (who I wanted more of), an ex-mother-in-law that seems to like and respect him a lot more than her own daughter, s (even if they don’t see eye to eye much lately). But more importantly he has a patron — the town matriarch, owner of the Empire Grill, and most of the various places of employment in town. She’s a patron, a would-be surrogate mother (for a select few), and petty tyrant over the city. It’s one of those small towns where the mayor/council/etc. have real power, but it’s only the power she lets them have, you know? Francine Whiting isn’t evil — well, I’ll let you decide for yourself — but at the end of the day, she thinks she’s doing what is right for Empire Falls, the Whiting legacy and her daughter — whether or not anyone wants what she thinks is best. She still could be evil, I guess, and I could very likely made a case for it. Anyhow, let the reader decide.
The trials and dreams and efforts of Miles and his family as he tries to do something different with his life are the core of the novel — but they’re not all of it. The town is full of interesting people — many aren’t vital to the overall story (but you can’t know until the end who those are), but they all add flavor. Most are so fleshed out that you could imagine a short story/novel centered on them. While reading Song in Ordinary Time a few months back, I kept asking myself what made the people in that novel so unlikeable when in many ways they reminded me of Empire Falls‘ cast. I came to this conclusion (and have since reconsidered and still think it’s basically right): Russo uses the flaws in his characters to emphasize their humanity, Morris uses the flaws to emphasize their flaws.
But I come not to bury Morris (again), but to talk about Empire Falls, so let me focus on this a bit more: the flawed humanity isn’t pretty, it’s frequently ugly, people who make mistakes (some tragic, some dumb) are usually trying to do the right/moral/noble thing and it doesn’t work. But it’s real. This could all be real. Even Janice, Miles’ ex, is a well-developed character — and I think I’ve met a handful of people just like her — and I wouldn’t dislike her as much as I did if Russo hadn’t nailed the writing.
There’s an event towards the end — one of the two or three that you ultimately realize the whole novel has been leading up to — that in 2001 would’ve been truly shocking (shocked me a few years ago), but in many ways it’s de rigueur now. 2016 readers might be bored by it, but I can’t imagine that many readers in 2001 were. I’m not going to say more — just if you read this, put yourself in the shoes of readers from 15 years ago when you get to that bit.
Yes, Empire Falls is slow (sometimes), ponderous (sometimes) but it’s also inspiring (sometimes), heartwarming (sometimes) and many other things that I could parenthetically qualify. But every negative about it is utterly worth it for the positives.
What I learned about Maine: (haven’t done this in awhile, whoops). It’s a beautiful state, filled with people who could be better educated, who aren’t vocationally ready for what’s coming for them thanks to the technological shift in jobs. It’s a state where people, nature and industry who have been damaged by reckless policies and practices. It’s a state where nature exerts itself every now and then to remind people how powerful it is. Basically, Maine’s just like every other state in the union — just a little different.
One more thing, not that this’ll surprise many, but I’d advise skipping the HBO miniseries — yeah, it’s a fairly faithful adaptation, it just doesn’t have the heart.
I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t read this book for this series of posts — breaking a personal resolution. There were 3 reasons for this: 1. Time; 2. I really wasn’t up for the emotional punches this delivers, and 3. I didn’t need to — I still remember it well enough to discuss at a length greater than I have despite being 4 years and change since I read it. That right there should tell you something about the book — hundreds of books later and I almost feel like I read it a couple of weeks ago. I’m not sure that this is the Russo novel I’d tell people to start with (probably Straight Man), and I don’t think it’s his best (probably Bridge of Sighs (tells a story almost as epic in scope, with greater economy and greater depth when it comes to individual characters), but there’s no denying the talent on display here, the greatness of the execution, the vibrancy of the characters, or the impact it has on the reader. No brainer, 5 Stars from me.


125US of Books

United States of Books – Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson **Review by H.C – Irresponsible Reader**

Housekeeping


It’s time for my home state here in this little series we’re doing: Idaho, featuring the book Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Set in the fictional town of Fingerbone, in the Northern part of the state, about 50-60 miles from the Canadian border (not information from the book, that’s just me trying to orient those of you looking at a map).
Lucille, and her older sister Ruth, are raised in the same house their mother grew up in. We’re told straight away that following their mother’s death they lived with their grandmother, then her two sisters, and finally their mother’s younger sister. The circumstances surrounding these transitions are revealed gradually — none of the adults in their lives were cut out for parenting (Grandmother was at one point, and probably would’ve sufficed if she hadn’t died).
This is not a plot-driven book, and it’s hard to talk about what plot there is without telling you everything — so I’ll be vague. Ruth tells us about her grandfather’s death; them coming to live in his old house; life with grandmother, great-aunts, and aunt; and then things really start happening as she and Lucille enter adolescence and I’m not going to ruin anything by finishing this sentence properly. On page 27, I wrote “this text is so beautiful, I don’t care what happens, I’m going to love this book.” Thankfully, I was right — because once things happened, I really didn’t like it — but I loved reading the book. There are other characters in the book, but they’re of so little importance, I’m not going to say anything beyond acknowledging their existence. The focus is on the girls, their family and the really old house i which they all reside.
Thematically, this book is about loneliness, family ties, waiting for someone/something. I’m not sure there’s much difference in Ruth’s mind between loneliness and waiting (nor am I that sure that there’s much difference in my mind between them as I write this). For young girls to have this much upheaval in their parental figure(s), loneliness and loss are going to loom large in their psycho-social development — and they’re not going to respond the same way to things. You add some pretty perceptive thoughts about loneliness to Robinson’s prose and you’ve got yourself a winner of a book.
So what do we learn about Idaho here? Nothing. Fingerbone could be any small city/large town in the U.S. There is nothing distinctive Idaho about this book. Well, almost nothing. There’s a lot of mentioning of local place names (mostly cities, incidentally, that most non-Idahoans are going to mispronounce) — enough so that we all know that Fingerbone is just Sandpoint’s nom de plume, but that’s as “Idaho” as we get here. Take out the local names and this could be in any state that has lakes, forests and railroads — which pretty much covers all 50, right? I don’t know why Robinson didn’t just use the actual town’s name — but, whatever. The fact that Entertainment Weekly thinks this novel “best defines” Idaho probably says more about the dearth of books set here than anything else.
Lyrical, haunting, insightful, beautiful — this is prose that’ll stick with you. I didn’t like the ending, but it worked and was earned, so I can get over it. Don’t worry about the story, focus on the telling of it and you’ll likely agree, this is stunning stuff.

125US of Books

Composing Temple Sunrise: Overcoming Writer's Block at Burning Man **Review**


Composing Temple Sunrise: Overcoming Writer's block at Burning Man
In this candid, inspiring memoir, singer-songwriter Hassan El-Tayyab of American
Nomad takes us deep into the heart of what it means to chase a creative dream. After experiencing multiple losses (family, home, love, job, self-confidence), El-Tayyab sets out on a transcontinental quest that eventually lands him in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. His vivid descriptions, paired with artist’s renderings, capture both the vast, surreal landscapes of the Burning Man festival and the hard practice of art-making. Composing Temple Sunrise is both a page-turning adventure and a road map for anyone struggling to forge their way.


This memoir read like poetry, which made it so eloquent and inspiring to read. The author has an art with words that make his memoir like velvet to read. His prologue is enticing and vivid, as though it were a painting. He tells his story about being fired as a special education teacher due to budget cuts that leads to his trip across country.  I did find his attitude toward being fired interesting...He was fired due to budget cuts, ans they chose him because of his lack of initiative and focus, and he didn't fight for his job because he wasn't going to fight for a job he only half wanted anyways. However, the explanation afterwards makes sense. Anyway, this memoir as a whole is inspiring and well-written. However, there were parts for me that seem to drag on (too wordy) for me; but that really is my only complaint.



I do recommend this memoir to others, it is a quick read, easy read, and maybe will inspire others to look at their own life and think about tuning the areas that may need help.




I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review as part of the Poetic Book tours

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Play For Me by celine Keating **Promo Blitz**









Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction



Date Published:  April 2015




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It happens without warning: At a folk-rock show at her son’s college, Lily becomes transfixed by the guitarist’s unassuming onstage presence and beautiful playing—and with his final note, something within her breaks loose.




After the concert, Lily returns to her comfortable life—an Upper West Side apartment, a job as a videographer, and a kind if distracted husband—but she can’t stop thinking about the music, or about the duo’s guitarist, JJ. Unable to resist the pull of either one, she rashly offers to make a film about the band in order to gain a place with them on tour. But when Lily dares to step out from behind her camera, she falls deep into JJ’s world—upsetting the tenuous balance between him and his bandmate, and filling a chasm of need she didn’t know she had.




Captivating and provocative, Play for Me captures the thrill and heartbreak of deciding to leave behind what you love to follow what you desire.







Céline Keating is the author of two novels, Layla and Play for Me. Play for Me was a finalist in the International Book Awards, the Indie Excellence awards, and the USA Book awards. Her short fiction has been published in many literary journals, and she was the first-place winner in the Hackney Literary Awards for short fiction for 2014. Keating is also a music journalist and plays classical guitar.






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