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Tuesday’s Temptation ~ June 1
Despite how wonderful my current reads might be (or, this week, how incredibly disturbing), I really enjoy being able to look over my shelves and drool over the as-of-yet unread goodies. I don’t know about you, but I could spend a half hour or more just touching the spines and, because I have to double park my books for lack of space, pull out the first row so I can rediscover what’s behind them. Granted, this is most likely to occur when I’m procrastinating getting the laundry started or doing the dishes, but I would enjoy it just as much if I planned to do it. So, why not plan on deliberately combing my shelves? Going forward, I’m going to take a look at my (horrifically gigantic) TBR pile and highlight a book that I’d really like to pick up right now if it weren’t for … Sigh. Here you’ll find the who, what, why, when, and where of one of my greatest literary temptations of the week.
Welcome to the June 1st edition of Tuesday’s Temptation (yeah… I know it’s nearly Wednesday, but the holiday weekend has my days all messed up)!
Who?
The author of today’s Tuesday’s Temptation is Deborah Noyes. As someone who loves both historical and Gothic fiction, her website caught my attention right away. She is a photographer and all of her interests intertwine beautifully. I absolutely adore the homepage! In the past she’s edited an anthology of Gothic fiction for teens. I know I’ve not yet read a word that she’s written, but when an author loves to read the same things you do, it’s a really good sign. Upon further investigation, the books she’s been involved in have been really diverse.
What?
Why?
As a lover of historical fiction, I really enjoy reading about the past. When a novel is about a subject or time completely new to me, I get really excited. Captivity most definitely falls into that category. It tells the story of the Fox sisters, young New York women who claimed to be able to converse with the dead in 1948. Talking to dead people in 1948 = historical fiction with a Gothic twist. I also happen to love the cover. That never hurts.
Here is the synopsis from the publisher:
This masterful historical novel by Deborah Noyes, the lauded author of Angel & Apostle, The Ghosts of Kerfol, and Encyclopedia of the End (starred PW) is two stories:
The first centers upon the strange, true tale of the Fox Sisters, the enigmatic family of young women who, in upstate New York in 1848, proclaimed that they could converse with the dead. Doing so, they unwittingly (but artfully) gave birth to a religious movement that touched two continents: the American Spiritualists. Their followers included the famous and the rich, and their effect on American spirituality lasted a full generation. Still, there are echoes. The Fox Sisters’ is a story of ambition and playfulness, of illusion and fear, of indulgence, guilt and finally self-destruction.
The second story in Captivity is about loss and grief. It is the evocative tale of the bright promise that the Fox Sisters offer up to the skeptical Clara Gill, a reclusive woman of a certain age who long ago isolated herself with her paintings, following the scandalous loss of her beautiful young lover in London.
Lyrical and authentic—and more than a bit shadowy—Captivity is, finally, a tale about physical desire and the hope that even the thinnest faith can offer up to a darkening heart.
When?
I first heard about Deborah Noyes and Captivity when Caitlin from Unbridled Books brought it to my attention, believing it might be a great fit for my Historical Fiction Lover’s Book Club on Facebook. I couldn’t say no. I will definitely be reading it this month.
Where?
I recently cleared off a shelf on our entertainment center in our living room for the books I really want to read soon. They are ordered by height alone. I’m not sure why I’m OCD about that when I first set up a bookshelf. As you may recall from my previous Tuesday’s Temptation posts, my bookshelves are more often than not double parked and double-deckered, so this organization isn’t meant to last for long. LOL! Captivity is the third tallest book on that shelf, so it’s the third book from the left.
What’s tempting you today?
June 1, 2010 | Filed Under Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Lovers Book Club, Tuesday's Tempatation, female author
Comments
4 Responses to “Tuesday’s Temptation ~ June 1”
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Barbara
Posted: Jun 1st, 2010 at 11:12 pm1Reply to this comment.read Angel & Apostle by Deborah — very good. Captivity on my TBR stack. hope you get to read this temptation.
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Sandy
Posted: Jun 2nd, 2010 at 6:52 am2Reply to this comment.Oh, this one is definitely temptation-worthy. And I love that cover. I have a “short stack” beside my bed…books (no more than 10) that must be read soon. Taller books on the bottom.
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Lisa
Posted: Jun 2nd, 2010 at 2:24 pm3Reply to this comment.Oh, me too! I can’t wait to get to this one!
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softdrink
Posted: Jun 2nd, 2010 at 3:34 pm4Reply to this comment.I have Brunonia Barry’s newest sitting next to my reading chair. But I’m halfway through Cutting for Stone, so it’s going to have to wait a bit. Oh, and the box of BEA books is scheduled to show up on Friday…I’m sure that will be devastating to all the books I already have.
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