Is there ever such a thing as too many books? I don’t think there are too many books to read, but there can definitely be too many to review. Often I’m sent books and, with an already sagging review shelf, these unsolicited books often end being overlooked – I just can’t fit them in to my schedule. Sunday Shout-Out aims to acknowledge these books and the publishers who have sent them to me.
Sunday Shout-Out is a bookish meme hosted by Monique of Write Note Reviews. If you’re a book blogger and you want to join in, just:
- Share the title, author, blurb and image from a book (or more than one) you want to acknowledge
- Share the genre, price and link to the publisher so readers can follow up if they like the sound of the book
- Ping back to Write Note Reviews in your post.
1. Downton Tabby by Chris Kelly (parody RRP $12.99) – published by Simon & Schuster
Downton Tabby is about England’s oldest and finest family of cats in people clothes. With beautiful (and scandalous) photographs and art, it tells the story of their lives and loves – and their maids and butlers and cooks’ lives and loves — from the sinking of the Kitanic to the Jazz Age. Tolstoy’s adage about each family being unhappy in their own way? What makes the Grimalkins different is they’re cats. Posh, spoiled, stuck-up-but-charming, English cats. Okay, it’s not just about cats and class warfare. It’s also a parody of Downton Abbey, the phenomenally popular TV show where everyone’s always getting dressed. Or they’re already dressed, and they’re getting more dressed.
As a fan of Downton Abbey and cats, this book made me giggle. I especially loved the sketches of “The Cats of Downton Tabbey”, which included Lady Minxy Clowder (the pretty daughter), Lady Serval Clowder (the prettier daughter) and Lady Etcetera Clowder (the other daughter), as well as the “Uninvited but necessary words from the Dowager”. This would make a great Secret Santa gift for a fan of the TV series.
Stop licking yourself there dear, it’s terribly middle class.
1. Small Town Storm by Elise Ackers (eBook RRP $4.99, also in paperback) – published by Destiny Romance
Nineteen years after a devastating crime almost killed her, Erica Lawrence has returned home. In the small mountain town of Olinda, her story is legendary. And now everyone knows she’s back, including top cop and her childhood best friend, Jordan Hill, the first and only person to ever touch her guarded heart. When a woman goes missing and her body is found brutally murdered, fear swallows the town. And suspicion soon turns on Olinda’s newest resident: Erica. As the cop in charge of the murder investigation, Jordan has to face the awful truth that the prime suspect is the woman he always swore to protect. While Jordan and Erica struggle with their feelings for one another, the murders mount up and the tension grows. Not only that, but Erica has a dark secret that she’ll do anything to keep from Jordan … Small Town Storm is a gripping read that captures the intensity and passion of first love and the terror of a town where trust has broken down. This is the unforgettable story of a lifelong romance, and of an innocent childhood tainted by evil that won’t let go.
This was sent to me unsolicited and it’s on my to-read, but not to-review list. Reviews on Goodreads are very positive, with fellow author Rachael Johns calling it “one of the best books I’ve read all year”, so I’m looking forward to it.
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What do you think? Sound like something you’d read?
