Friday Finds: Escape into History. Plus Book Blogger Hop series

I like being part of the weekly  Book Blogger Hop meme, hosted by Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addict, so I’m doing it again today. You can read my answer to this week’s question at the bottom of this post.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia reviewed by Narratess

Tessa Hastjarjanto is a Dutch/Indonesian writer from the Netherlands. She writes speculative fiction, and blogs about books, fountain pens, and writing. She champions the value of diversity in the publishing industry and in the world. Tessa reads a range of fiction genres including; fantasy, thrillers and science fiction, in both contemporary and historical settings. Narratess is a great blog that I love visiting and enjoy reading her thoughts. She really loved this historical fantasy, saying: “I give Gods of Jade and Shadow five stars. I absolutely loved it. It made me feel all the feels. I cheered very hard towards the end and it left me full of love upon finishing it. It’s definitely a book I’ll reread more than once. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mythology and fairy tales.“

The Lit Bitch recommends Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

Anne usually reviews books in the historical fiction genre, including all the sub-genres, e.g. mystery, thriller, romance, etc. However, she doesn’t restrict herself solely to historical stories. Books with a setting in history is a genre I rarely pick up myself, but I always enjoy reading her thoughts. Anne wanted to give this western romance more than 5 stars, saying: “This was the first book in a while to give me a big big big book hangover. I was so sad when it was over because I was so caught up in all the history, the journey, and the characters themselves. I could easily have read like 400 more pages and not been bored. I absolutely loved this one and have been raving about it to all my friends and family. Even though I have a major book hangover, I couldn’t be happier to have one! This could easily be my favorite read of the year..“

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne reviewed by Curiouser and Curiouser

Amy is a fellow blogger from the UK who’s also a very tired PhD student researching “something or other about English Renaissance literature“. I love the way she writes and how she allows her personality to shine through her posts. Amy mainly blogs about classic books as she tends to read books written before 1900. Recognising that this classic adventure story contains many stereotypes typical of this period in history, Amy conceded by saying: “Overall, I thought that this was a very fun book to read! Its superficiality is joyful in a way that I didn’t expect and I thoroughly enjoyed travelling with Fogg and his companions around the world.“

Avalinah’s Books raved about Villa of Delirium by Adrien Goetz

Evelina is a wonderful book blogger and reviewer who’s preferred genres are general fiction, fantasy and sci-fi, but she also reads non-fiction books on important topics like equality, disability, fair treatment of individuals. I love the layout of her reviews and her writing style. I always take the time to read her posts. Evelina really loved this Greek history novel, saying: “I can definitely recommend Villa of Delirium. It’s a book that’s rather felt than intellectually understood. It’s a book about living aesthetically, and the whole story is told in a very similar manner. I feel like Villa of Delirium is a work of art itself, and it’s definitely befitting the house it was about. (Seriously, take that virtual tour!)“

Draca by Geoffrey Gudgion reviewed by from Rosie Amber

Rosie is a fellow Brit and started blogging to combine a love of reading with her desire to embrace social technology; since then she says it’s developed into a passion to introduce avid readers to new writers, and offer a platform for little-known talent. Rosie also posts reviews on her blog by her review team (approximately 30 active readers) who read a wide range of genres. Noelle is the fab team reviewer that read this gripping novel, she loved it, saying: “This is a terrific book on many levels: the struggles of a veteran with physical and emotional baggage for the time of his service; the warped interactions of a family with a bully for a father and husband; Jack’s own crumbling marriage; the exhilaration of sailing, especially on this old, restored schooner; a developing love between Jack and a young woman, George, who runs the boatyard where Draca is moored; and the growing hold of Draca and the figurehead on Jack. In short, this is a rollicking tale, both down to earth and also unearthly, combining many elements into a fine story. I strongly recommend it.“

Now on to the Book Blogger Hop (BBH) meme.

BBH was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 but ended on 31 December 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addict relaunched the hop on 15 February 2013.

Each week the hop starts on a Friday and ends the following Thursday. There’s a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs and learn about new books. But also to befriend other bloggers and receive new followers to your own blog. Easy!