Showing posts with label Jamie Ford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jamie Ford. Show all posts

Saturday, July 1, 2023

This OR That #Giveaway № 109 ~ The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford OR Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim #TheManyDaughtersOfAfongMoy #ScarletCarnation

 

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to cull my collection and to share some of the many books I have. I get to clear off some of my shelves to make room for more books and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
by Jamie Ford
ARC ~ Published August 2022


Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living.

As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.

Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.

As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price.

The New York Times bestselling author of the “mesmerizing and evocative” (Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet returns with a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across the generations.


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Scarlet Carnation
by Laila Ibrahim
ARC ~ Published April 2022

In an early twentieth-century America roiling with racial injustice, class divides, and WWI, two women fight for their dreams in a galvanizing novel by the bestselling author of Golden Poppies.

1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.

May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.

In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women—whose grandmothers survived the Civil War—support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.


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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways! 

Saturday, December 3, 2022

This OR That #Giveaway № 81 ~ The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford OR Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves

 

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to cull my collection and to share some of the many books I have. I get to clear off some of my shelves to make room for more books and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

*****************

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
by Jamie Ford
ARC ~ Published August 2022


Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living.

As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.

Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.

As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price.

The New York Times bestselling author of the “mesmerizing and evocative” (Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet returns with a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across the generations.


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Heard It in a Love Song
by Tracey Garvis Graves
ARC ~ Published November 2021

Layla Hilding is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who never put her first—Layla’s newly found independence feels a lot like loneliness.

Then there’s Josh, the single dad whose daughter attends the elementary school where Layla teaches music. Recently separated, he’s still processing the end of his twenty-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. He chats with Layla every morning at school and finds himself thinking about her more and more.

Equally cautious and confused about dating in a world that favors apps over meeting organically, Layla and Josh decide to be friends with the potential for something more. Sounds sensible and way too simple—but when two people are on the rebound, is it heartbreak or happiness that’s a love song away?

From the bestselling author of The Girl He Used to Know comes a love song of a story about starting over and second chances.


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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Release Day! The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford ~ My Thoughts #TheManyDaughtersOfAfongMoy #NetGalley

 Happy Release Day!

Congrats Jamie
on the release of
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy!

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford 
Asian American Literature & Fiction, 384 pages
Published August 2, 2022 by Atria Books

The New York Times bestselling author of the “mesmerizing and evocative” (Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet returns with a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across the generations.

Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living.

As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.

Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.

As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price. 


My thoughts about The Many Daughters of Afong Moy ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"Faye Moy signed a contract stating that she would never marry."

What a wonderful, complicated story! There are a lot of characters, all descendants of Afong Moy. They each live their lives—some having an easy time of it, others having to endue hard times. They all experience some drama and stress but they manage to get through it. What strong women they all are!

This story shows us how interconnected we are to our past. How much of the experiences and traumas that our ancestors went through manifest in our own lives? Dorothy sees some of her issues starting to exhibit in her young daughter. As she seeks answers to her problems to help herself, and her daughter, she connects with the women in her family who have gone before her. Understanding them will only help herself and give everyone some peace. 

Like I said this was a bit complicated considering all the different time frames and the various characters but stick with it. The ending was extremely satisfyingly for me and I came away with a feel-good feeling. I'm so glad I read this book. Jamie Ford has done it again!

I received an ARC of  The Many Daughters of Afong Moy via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.

About the author


Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Jamie’s work has been published in 34 languages. Also, because Jamie feels weird writing about himself in the 3rd person, he’s going to say…

Hi, this is me.

Not a publicist. Not some weird aggregated bit of web-content, just little ol’ me, the author, sitting here in my favorite Batman pajamas (yes, I have several pairs) writing this note in my cozy home office, dog at my feet. Her name is Lucy and she’s twitching right now, obviously chasing squirrels in her dreams.

While we’re chatting, I should mention that my latest novel novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, is now available for pre-order :)

If you’re looking for more things that have spilled out of my brain, I have steampunk storiess in The End is Nigh, The End is Now, and The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych). Also a tale in Stories from Suffragette City.

Lest I forget, I have a story in Anonymous Sex, but I'm not allowed to say which story is mine.


Connect with Jamie


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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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Again, as I was browsing my bookshelves, I discovered that I have two copies of a wonderful book. I have not read this one but have read this author's other two books and loved them. This one is definitely a must read for me! 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

19101240

Songs of Willow Frost

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford
Paperback, 352 pages
Published March 11th 2014 by Ballantine Books 

From Jamie Ford, author of the beloved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, comes a much-anticipated second novel. Set against the backdrop of Depression-era Seattle, Songs of Willow Frost is a powerful tale of two souls—a boy with dreams for his future and a woman escaping her haunted past—both seeking love, hope, and forgiveness.

Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese American boy, has lived at Seattle’s Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother’s listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. On his birthday—or rather, the day the nuns designate as his birthday—William and the other orphans are taken to the historical Moore Theatre, where William glimpses an actress on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost. Struck by her features, William is convinced that the movie star is his mother, Liu Song.

Determined to find Willow and prove that his mother is still alive, William escapes from Sacred Heart with his friend Charlotte. The pair navigate the streets of Seattle, where they must not only survive but confront the mysteries of William’s past and his connection to the exotic film star. The story of Willow Frost, however, is far more complicated than the Hollywood fantasy William sees onscreen.

Shifting between the Great Depression and the 1920s, Songs of Willow Frost takes readers on an emotional journey of discovery. Jamie Ford’s sweeping novel will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for the comforts of family and a place to call home.


About the author



Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Jamie’s work has been published in 34 languages. Also, because Jamie feels weird writing about himself in the 3rd person, he’s going to say…

Hi, this is me. 

Not a publicist. Not some weird aggregated bit of web-content, just little ol’ me, the author, sitting here in my favorite Batman pajamas (yes, I have several pairs) writing this note in my cozy home office, dog at my feet. His name is Dexter and he’s twitching right now, obviously chasing rabbits in his dreams.

While we’re chatting, I should mention that my second novel, Songs of Willow Frost, came out in 2013–which I think is better than my first novel, but I’m kind of biased.

And…now my third novel Love and Other Consolation Prizes, also historical fiction, also set in Seattle, will be published September 12, 2017.

If you’re looking for more things that have spilled out of my brain, I have steampunk tales in The End is Nigh, The End is Now, and The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych). Also a story in Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life. That particular piece is about Daredevil, Elektra, and how I lost my virginity. (TMI?) ~ Goodreads

Connect with Jamie




Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Monday, September 25, 2017

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford ~ My Thoughts

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Love and Other Consolation Prizes

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford
Print and e-book, 320 pages
Published September 12th 2017 by Ballantine Books

A powerful novel about an orphan boy who is raffled off at Seattle’s 1909 World Fair, and the friends who teach him what it really means to have a family, from the author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

Inspired by a true story, this is the unforgettable story of a young boy named Ernest, set during the 1909 Seattle world’s fair called the Alaska Yukon Pacific Expo. It is a time when the magical wonders of technology on display at the expo future seems limitless.

But for Ernest, a half-Chinese orphan who found his way to America through a last desperate act of his beloved mother, every door is closed. A charity student at a boarding school, he has never really had a place to call home. Then one day, his wealthy sponsor announces that if a home is what he wants, then that is what he will have: Ernest will be offered as a prize in the daily raffle at the fair, advertised as “Healthy boy to a good home for the winning ticket holder.”

The woman who “wins” him is the madam of a notorious brothel who was famous for educating her girls. He becomes a houseboy in her brothel and is befriended by the daughter of the madam, as well as a Japanese girl who works in the kitchen. The friendship and love between these three form the first real family Ernest has ever known.


My thoughts about Love and Other Consolation Prizes ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Ernest Young stood outside the gates on opening day of the new world's fair, loitering in the shadow of the future."

What a beautiful love story. But it is also a heart wrenching tale, a tale of a young boy who is shipped off to America, all alone. But somehow he makes it and finds love and friendship.

There is always so much depth to Ford's stories as he weaves his wonderful imagination into the stories he has heard growing up. He creates such interesting page turners, full of amazing and memorable characters. His stories show us the hardships of Chinese-Americans and give us a glimpse into their lives.

Love and Other Consolation Prizes is based on a true story and it's hard to imagine one person going through all that Ernest had to go through. I loved him from the beginning and marveled at his strength as he went from day to day. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time as I think of that little boy and the journey he takes to find love and friendship. 

I received a copy of Love and Other Consolation Prizes from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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About the author

Jamie Ford

Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Jamie’s work has been published in 34 languages. Also, because Jamie feels weird writing about himself in the 3rd person, he’s going to say…

Hi, this is me.

Not a publicist. Not some weird aggregated bit of web-content, just little ol’ me, the author, sitting here in my favorite Batman pajamas (yes, I have several pairs) writing this note in my cozy home office, dog at my feet. His name is Dexter and he’s twitching right now, obviously chasing rabbits in his dreams.

While we’re chatting, I should mention that my second novel, Songs of Willow Frost, came out in 2013–which I think is better than my first novel, but I’m kind of biased.

And…now my third novel Love and Other Consolation Prizes, also historical fiction, also set in Seattle, will be published September 12, 2017.

If you’re looking for more things that have spilled out of my brain, I have steampunk tales in The End is Nigh, The End is Now, and The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych). Also a story in Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life. That particular piece is about Daredevil, Elektra, and how I lost my virginity. (TMI?)

Connect with Jamie


*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford


I have sooooo many books! I have a ton of print books and probably even more e-books. The Book Spotlight feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the books I have. There are a lot of different reasons that I might be letting some of my books go, the biggest one is that when we moved I discovered just how many books I really do have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy them.

We read this book for my book club and we all enjoyed it very much. There was a lot to talk about as well. The Japanese interment camps have always interested me and this story gives the reader a very personal look at what was going on and how it affected several families at the time, as well as how they are dealing with it in the present times. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet


Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Paperback, 285 pages
Published October 6th 2009 by Ballantine Books Trade Paperbacks

In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s--Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors.

After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel's basement for the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.

   

About the author


My name is James.

Yes, I'm a dude.

I’m also the New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet—which was, in no particular order, an IndieBound NEXT List Selection, a Borders Original Voices Selection, a Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection, Pennie’s Pick at Costco, a Target Bookmarked Club Pick, and a National Bestseller. It was also named the #1 Book Club Pick for Fall 2009/Winter 2010 by the American Booksellers Association.

In addition, Hotel has been translated into 34 languages. I’m still holding out for Klingon (that’s when you know you’ve made it).

My new novel, Songs of Willow Frost was published September 10, 2013. And I'm also working on a YA (Young Adult) series that even my agent doesn't know about...yet.

On the personal side, I'm the proud father of more teenagers than I can keep track of. Yep, it's chaos, but the good kind of chaos.

Connect with Jamie





Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

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