I'm a hopeless book addict. I often find it hard to stick to one book at a time (though it does happen on occassion) as I am always looking out for that next great read. I also have yet to meet a bookstore that I haven't liked...or that I've been able to walk out of without buying at least one book.
BLOG ROLL:
To see which blogs I follow and recommend then click on view my complete profile.
If you are an author or publisher and you have a book you'd like me to review, send me an email at Irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com and let me know a bit about the book.
I do own a Nook named Alistair Wayland (Alis for short) and he too is happy to accept your book for review. I also can read ebooks via my apps on my ip@d (which is currently in need of a name) - available apps are nook, kindle, overdrive and bluefire.
Throuthehaze as first place winner you get to choose 5 of the items listed above. Once she's picked then Cait045 will get to pick 4 of the remaining items and Tiff will get whatever is left.
Throuthehaze please email me at Irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com with your selections.
First off thanks to everyone who entered my contest. Sadly there can only be one winner this time. But I hope that you'll all take a moment to stop by and congratulate
Normally when doing a blog tour/author interview combo I'll post my review first followed by the interview. Today I am going to have to change that up a bit. For you see I've been a bit distracted with waiting for my niece to arrive. As I write this my sister has been at the hospital for 16 hours. My niece is one stubborn girl!! So please forgive the change up. I also want to thank TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book and also to Ru Freeman for taking the time "stop by" and answer my questions.
Book Synopsis:
Set against the volatile events of the last forty years of Sri Lankan history, A Disobedient Girl traces the lives of three characters whose interwoven fates and histories force them to answer life's most difficult questions. Beautiful, haunting, alive, and brimming with truth, it is, above all, a novel about extraordinary circumstances that change life in an instant and the power of love to transcend time and place.
The story begins with two little girls, mistress and servant, one with every luxury and opportunity that money can buy and the other with nothing but her yearning for a better life. Together, they grow up bound by love, betrayal, resentment, and an impossible secret.
Then there is Biso, a devoted mother of three, who risks everything to escape from the hands of her tyrannical husband. But her journey, which begins with such hope, takes her on a disastrous path that ultimately leads her to give her life over to strangers she never imagined she would have reason to know, binding her story with that of the girls in the most unexpected and heartbreaking of ways.
A Disobedient Girl is a compelling exploration of personal desire set against the volatile backdrop of class and prejudice, as three women journey toward their future, united by a shared history but separated by different fates. A bold and deeply moving account that spans three decades of love and loss, it is a tale about the will to survive and the incredible power of the human spirit to transcend the unforgiving sweep of tragedy.
Interview:
Irish: First off…tell us a little about you?
RF: I was born and raised in Sri Lanka and came to the United States to go to college in Maine (Bates). I come from a family of writers so it wasn’t something I wanted to be, it was something I always did. I had a cat called Punky who was hit by a car when I was at Bates; he was a beautiful cat and I took lots of photographs of him – a whole roll of film one time, which was an expensive choice!
Irish: What is your writing process like?
RF: I drink enormous quantities of tea. I don’t listen to music when I write. I teach dance and I cannot hear music without it changing the rhythm of thoughts in my head, so it’s a distraction. I use a computer, an old lap top. I’m torn between scorning the “I’m so cool I’m a Mac user” marketing of Apple and taking the plunge and trying one.
Irish: If we were able to take a peek at your nightstand, what book(s) might I find there?
RF: I have Narayan’s A House For Mr. Biswas, the PEN/O’Henry Prize Collection from this year (which has stories by a couple of friends), the most recent issue of Glimmer Train and several back issues of The New Yorker.
Irish: One great thing about books are the places that they can take you, so far, what is your favorite time/place that a book has taken you to? Which book was it?
RF: Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto, Julia Alvarez’ In the Time of the Butterflies and Ursula Hegi’s Stones From The River and Barbara Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible.
Irish: Book you most want to read again for the first time?
RF: See above! I would also add Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Vikram Seth’s Golden Gate and Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger.
Irish: Are there any books that you might have lied about reading (we promise we won’t judge)?
RF: I usually confess with chagrin and regret that I haven’t read the books that I have not read. A few times I have attempted to read tomes that have received critical acclaim and not been able to finish them because I simply did not like the book. Dave Eggars’ What’s the What is one of those books. I always feel I am struggling to catch up with The Canon in terms of reading!!
Irish: What’s a book you’ve been a book bully for. (ie one you’ve liked so much that you practically beat people over the head just to get them to read it)
RF: Preeta Samarasan’s Evening Is The Whole Day.
Irish: What’s a book that you might have bought for the cover?
RF: Chimamande Ngozi Adiche’s Purple Hibiscus.
Irish: I agree its a fabulous cover!
Irish: Totally random, but what sort of food do you like to eat when you’re sick?
RF: Rasam (which is a very spicy broth).
Irish: Which came first title, plot or character(s)?
RF: I had a title (not the title the book ended up with), that I had been toying with. But the character of Biso came first and gave me a reason to put the two together.
Irish: Did you plan out the plot of A Disobedient Girl ahead of time? Or do you just let the story take you where it needs to go? How long did it take to write?
RF: I never know a plot until it is unfolding before me. I think every book is the result of all the reading and writing that a writer has done until that point, so in that case I have to say it took a lifetime.
Irish: There is a lot of turmoil contained within A Disobedient Girl with Latha as she struggles with her identity & social position spirals out of control. What was the hardest part of writing her story?
RF: It was always a pleasure to write Latha’s story. No matter what befell her, I always saw her as somehow making it through the worst of it.
Irish: There are so many wonderful characters in A Disobedient Girl, Biso, Latha, Thara...do you have any favorite? Where any characters based on real life people? If so, who?
RF: I have empathy for all the characters, so I can’t pick a favorite, only that it was easier to write Latha than Biso. Latha is the name of a girl who used to come to my grandmother’s house to keep me company when I was a child, and the fictional Latha is based on that girl. However, there are bits and pieces of many people I have known in all of these characters.
Irish: What can you tell us about Sri Lanka? Its not a place that is often featured in books. Is there anything in particulare about the setting that you hope your readers will learn?
RF: My hope is that when people finish reading the book they will understand that we all share the same motivations, the same desires and dysfunctions, no matter where we are born. The cultural differences are a stage which readers may have to work to absorb, but the characters themselves are, I hope, recognizable in terms of their strengths and failures.
Irish: Is there a message in this story that you want readers to grasp?
RF: I always feel that a novel imparts something unique to each reader. In that sense, there isn’t one A Disobedient Girl out there, but thousands of them. Each reader sees what s/he wants to depending on the extent of their own experiences – as readers, as human beings. I can’t say there is a certain message I want to emphasize; the book no longer belongs to me, it belongs to you.
Irish: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in A Disobedient Girl?
RF: I would layer it with greater detail.
Irish: Who designed the cover? Is there anything you can tell us about how the cover came to be?
RF: The cover was designed by Jeanne Lee at Simon & Schuster. There were many other possibilities that she came up with before my editor selected this one.
Irish: Have the book rights been sold to any foreign countries? If so, which ones? What do those covers look like? And of all the available covers, which one do you like the best?
RF: Rights have been sold in Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, Brazil, Taiwan and in the UK as well as Audio. The UK decided to scrap their own cover and go with the American cover so the book will come out with this cover in Britain and India and is already out in Australia. The Dutch cover is very bright and has shoes on it. I think each cover emphasizes a different aspect of the story; the Dutch cover is very hopeful and forward-looking, and the American cover depicts the present-day of the story. I like both these covers. In general - unless there are some egregious cultural insensitivities – I think the selling of the book is the business of the publisher and I am okay with letting them control what they know best.
Irish: I really like the American cover of the book. The colors are so vivid that when it first arrived I just sat and stared at it for a bit. Its also a book that has drawn my eye in the bookstore...even though I already have it.
Irish: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
RF: I am working on a new novel also set in Sri Lanka and trying to catch up with a bunch of overdue short stories and essays.
Irish: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
RF: If you read something you like, don’t be afraid to email an author and tell them so. Nobody ever gets tired of hearing from their readers. It is a privilege to be able to live a creative life, but it would not be feasible if there were no readers to support it, so I am grateful to every reader who goes out and purchases a book – mine or anybody else’s – and to all those readers to go to readings/signings/discussions. People who read are my favorite kind of human beings.
Irish: That's a great point! And the same not to author's who read something they like on a blog. Leave a comment or send an email. It never gets old and a comment from the author of a book we've read has an added specialness to it!
Thank you Ru for writing such a beautiful story and for taking the time to answer my questions. I really enjoyed getting to know you better and I am sure that my reader's did as well. Speaking of events be sure to check out Ru Freeman's Events Page to see if she's coming to a place near you. Author events are great and I wish that my schedule hadn't been so packed that I missed Ru when she was in my area. =( Next time! Also on her events page is a list for other blog stops that she is making so be sure to check them out. There are lots of great blogs on that list so I don't think you'll be disappointed!
So I'm such a total slacker and I meant to get this post up earlier in the week! I hope that you all forgive me. Anywho I am giving away a bunch of books to help celebrate YOU...my fellow bloggers! I had initially planned to do a giveaway a day but then thought no. Instead I'm going to list all the books/items I have to give away and will chose 3 different winners. First place will get to chose 5 items. Second place will choose 4 items and Third will get the remainder.
Rules of Entry: +1 entry for saying one thing that you've liked about this years BBAW +1 entry for making a suggestion to make BBAW 2010 even better +1 entry for listing each of the BBAW activies that you participated in +1 entry if you tweet about this contest....must put (@Irisheyz77) and use the #BBAW hasthtag at the end of tweet so that I see it +1 entry for blogging about the contest (sidebar ok)
This contest is open world wide and will close at midnight EST on 18 Sept 2009. (Time is short so there isn't much time to enter or spread the word). Winners will be announced shortly thereafter.
One more thing - please leave a way for me to contact you!
Hi everyone as part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week were assigned another book blogger to interview. I was assigned Vicki from Reading at the Beach the following is the interview. Enjoy! And if you’d like to check out my answers to the questions click here and it will redirect you to her blog post.
How’d you come up with the name for your blog?
My favorite place in the world to be is at the beach, and Reading at the Beach was the first name that popped into my head when I thought about starting a book blog, and I loved it.
How did you get into book blogging? How long have you been doing it?
I first started a blog just to ramble about this and that. I loved blog hopping and found some really great book blogs. I've been reading since I was really young so I decided to start one to keep track of the books I was reading. I’ve had my book blog since May of this year.
What do you do in real life aside from reading and blogging?
When I worked outside the home I was a retail auditor. At the present time my husband and I are trying to get a home based business started.
What has been the most challenging thing about blogging for you? What has been the most exciting?
The most challenging~ pulling myself away from the computer. The most exciting~ meeting so many nice people.
Yes, although there are a few genres I'm not crazy about, the only one I won't read at all is erotica.
Are there any books you have been a book bully for? (ie one you’ve liked so much that you practically beat people over the head just to get them to read it)
Book you most want to read again for the first time?
Johnny Got His Gun. I read this when I was young and it left a huge impact on me. I've never forgotten it and would love to read it again for the first time to see how it effects me as an adult.
Do you prefer to read one book at a time or are you a multiple book reader?
One book at a time. The only time I'll read two at a time is if one is a poetry book.
If you could give up the real world and move into a book, which one would it be and why?
I love the beach and have always wanted to own a bookstore, so I think it would be Driftwood Summer by Patti Callahan Henry. It’s about 3 sisters who reunite to save their family beachfront community book store.
What books have evoked strong feelings in you? Ones that really touched your heart, made you laugh out loud or made you cry?
Are there any books that you are ashamed/embarrassed to have read? What are some of your guilty pleasures?
No, I don’t think a book would ever make me feel ashamed or embarrassed to have read it. The only guilty pleasure I have has nothing to do with books or my other favorite things to do. It is pizza. I could eat it every day for every meal.
Can you be found anywhere else on the net? (LibraryThing, Goodreads, Twitter, etc?)
Yes. My username for all 3 of them is VickiLN
What are 5 books that are on your wish list right now?
Have extra books? Why not send them to our troops?
Click the image about to be directed to www.booksforsoldiers.com and learn how you can clean off your bookshelf and help out our men and women in the military at the same time.
Top Girls in Books for 2012 (in order of "meeting")
1. Jade Lansing from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 2. Riley from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 3. Minerva Highwood from A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare 4. Ana from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Top Guys in Books for 2012 (in order of "meeting")
1. Braden Michaels from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 2. Trey Lansing from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 3. Colin Sandhurst from A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare 4. Sam from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
(For the record no, this is not me...just a pic I found online)by Becca Fitzpatrick (Simon & Schuster Oct 13, 2009)
(Simon & Schuster, May 4, 2010)
by Brandon Mull (Shadow Mountain, Aug 5, 2009)
by Sara Zarr (Little Brown, Oct 1, 2009)
by Sarwat Chadda (Hyperion Books, Sept 1, 2009)
by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury, Sept 15, 2009)
by Julia Quinn (Avon, Jun 25, 2007)
edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little Brown, Aug 1, 2009)
(Sealed) by Tomie dePaola (Putnam Juvenile, Oct 30, 2008)
by Kristen Cashore (Dial, Oct 5 2009)
by Tom Kehoe (Little Brown, Nov 1, 2009)
, 
and the latest one was 
by 
. I read this when I was young and it left a huge impact on me. I've never forgotten it and would love to read it again for the first time to see how it effects me as an adult.
by 
was the latest laugh out loud book I've read.
. I saw this at the blog 
by 
by 
by 
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