True Crime Week - Jenni L Walsh Guest Post

True Crime Week continues with a guest post from Jenni L Walsh. Her novel, Becoming Bonnie, is inspired by the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. It's a must read for fans of novels inspired by true crime and offers up a grounded, humanizing look at the women who would become one half of the most infamous crime duo in history.

It also happens that Becoming Bonnie is on sale. It is currently on sale at many ebook retails for $2.99! That's less than your daily coffee order, and such a steal for this amazing book. You can read the first half of Bonnie's story before the companion novel, Side by Side, released on June 5th.

Limited Time! #BecomingBonnie—story of Bonnie before Clyde—is $2.99

"Rollicking narrative will have readers rooting for Bonnelyn-turned-Bonnie every (dance) step of the way."-Shelf Awareness

Amazon https://t.co/oAK9Ia7A9F
BN https://t.co/WsmS8fN2iK
Kobo https://t.co/T4FoxJVHee pic.twitter.com/JqZ834IOni

— Jenni L. Walsh (@jennilwalsh) March 21, 2018

The sale ends April 16th! Be sure to snag your copy from your favourite ebook retailer and have an amazing beach read for the upcoming summer season!

Amazon // Barnes and Noble // Kobo

Jenni is also offering up a special pre-order incentive for Side By Side. If you pre-order and follow the instructions on her website you can get a package of goodies that includes temporary tattoos, bookmarks and  a signed book plate.

Amazing right? I definitely need to submit my own pre-order to snag these goodies. However, there is also the chance to win an amazing prize pack when you submit your pre-order. One lucky winner will receive  a tee shirt, Bonnie and Clyde wine glasses, custom Bonnie and Clyde magnetic bookmarks , and an amazing mug. 

I am personally keeping my fingers crossed that I get selected for this amazing prize pack. Those wine glasses are amazing. I love them!

Be sure to pre-order your copy from the retailer of your choice and take advantage of this incentive!

Amazon // Chapters // Barnes and Noble 

Jenni was kind enough to share a guest post with me about the allure of Bonnie and Clyde that exists even after all of these years. It's a fantastic read and I am so thrilled to be sharing it with you. A huge thank you to Jenni for taking the time to write it. 

Bonnie and Clyde: America’s Outlaws

Often when thinking about criminals or outlaws, Bonnie and Clyde come to mind. While the duo found themselves in various headlines throughout their twenty-seven month crime spree, it wasn’t until their deaths in May of 1934 that “Bonnie and Clyde” became fixtures in American history.

To this day, Bonnie and Clyde remain polarizing figures, their names frequently in the media. The phrase “modern-day Bonnie and Clyde” is often given to male/female criminal partnerships, especially when the couple is romantic. Two capybaras—quickly given the names Bonnie and Clyde—made headlines after the rodents escaped a Canadian zoo. Like it or not, Bonnie and Clyde are infamous.

I asked a group of individuals what the names “Bonnie and Clyde” were synonymous with for them. As expected, their answers varied.

Some reiterated history’s portrayal: criminal duo, bank robbers, gangsters, outlaws, doomed lovers.

Others attributed nouns, such as guns, death, dangerous, violence.

A few individuals responded with how Bonnie and Clyde exhibited sociopathic or psychotic behaviors and how their relationship was toxic. This answer didn’t come as a surprise; hybristophilia—when a female is attracted to a person who has committed an outrage or a gruesome crime—is called the “Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome.”

Adversely, a responder said, “I’ve always wondered what the love connection must’ve felt like between them… Bonnie entered a life of crime because she loved him so fiercely.” Another said, “I think of their close relationship first.” A third said, “dangerously in love.” These responders are not alone in their reactions. A quick scan of #BonnieandClyde on Twitter is littered with phrases of solidarity between couples, such as “I got your back gurl” and “partner in crime.” Sometimes the hashtag is accompanied by additional sentiments like #MyBestFriend #LoveHim

I’ll admit my own interest in Bonnie and Clyde was originally sparked by their loyalty and devotion to one another. I had been brainstorming a historical topic for my novel, when “Bonnie and Clyde” surfaced. I had seen the film, but over a decade prior, and it was their partnership I recalled the strongest in that moment. Curiosity filled me and I began to dig into their story. Bonnie was a church-going, straight-A girl with big dreams for herself. Clyde made multiple attempts at an honest life, before turning to violence. These interesting tidbits strengthened my desire to understand who they were at the core. So I set out to tell their tale, in Bonnie Parker’s voice, beginning before she ever met Clyde Barrow, before their crime spree, before any victims.

In my novel, Becoming Bonnie, I gave her a fictional name—Bonnelyn—and sought to show her evolution from a wholesome young woman to a gun-wielding gal—Bonnie—who was willing to risk it all for a fella named Clyde. In the companion novel, Side by Side, releasing on June 5, 2018, I explore their ultimate fate: death, danger, and violence. Ultimately, there’s much more than expected behind the infamous Bonnie and Clyde.

Begin Bonnie’s story with Becoming Bonnie, which is on sale for $2.99 until April 16th!

I'll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara

I'll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara
Release Date - February 27,  2018
Publisher Website - Harper Collins

Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages -  352 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**purchased**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer. 

True Crime books, I've discovered, are hard to review. You cannot talk about them the same way you would a piece of fictional work. There is no commentary to make on the characters. The plot cannot be deconstructed. It mostly falls to the writing of the book to pull the reader into the story. I'll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara is one of those true crime books that you instantly recognize as a stand out in its genre for so many reasons.

The writing in this is sharp. Michelle McNamara had such a distinct style to her writing that echoes in every single sentence of this book. It has the readability of commercial fiction, mixed with the attention to detail of any good investigative piece, and the passion of a woman whose words made you feel every emotion she was experiencing. You felt the exhilaration of a potential new lead just as strongly as you felt the disappointment when that lead resulted in a dead end. It takes a brilliant writer to pull off what this book does, and I can only mourn the books Michelle would have written as a result.

Every true crime obsessive will see a little of themselves in Michelle. She was drawn to true crime because of a need to make all the pieces fit. The puzzle like element to solving a case appealed to her. Others may be driven by a need to understand what would cause someone to commit these horrific acts, or even as a means of dealing with and facing anxiety they may face. People with an interest in true crime tend to bond together pretty quickly and that feeling is there with this book. The reader will feel connected to Michelle pretty quickly if they share that interest.

I'll Be Gone In The Dark paints a vivid picture of Norther California at the time of these attacks. The atmosphere is pitch perfect. Michelle has captured the essence of what it was like to live in these communities during this time. It captures that pulse pounding fear the victims felt, and ensures that you'll check your doors and windows an extra few times after reading. It's definitely not the kind of book to read in the dark while you are alone in your house.

The writing is so deeply personal that this book becomes almost a character study of not only the Golden State Killer, but Michelle McNamara herself. She divulges the depths of her obsessive need to follow up on leads. She shares details of how this investigation found its way into so many parts of her life. I found it remarkably brave that she would share so much of herself and it also makes the book connect with the reader in way that true crime books tend not to. Michelle McNamara seemed like someone I would have liked. She was someone I would have wanted to know and talk true crime with. I am only saddened to have only discovered this amazing woman's work after her death. This book is a stunning part of her legacy and destined to become a true crime classic that fans of the genre will pass along to those just entering the fold.

Patton Oswalt, Michelle's husband, mentions in his section of the book that he hopes Michelle somehow knows when the Golden State Killer is finally caught. I echo that sentiment, and hope that her research is carried on by other and that justice will eventually be served for the victims. If you're looking for a really well written, meticulously researched true crime read I cannot recommend this one enough. 

Waiting On Wednesday .... The Real Lolita

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

In keep with this week's theme I decided to pick a book that fits into the true crime genre. My pick this week is  The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

A gripping true-crime investigation of the 1948 abduction of Sally Horner and how it inspired Vladimir Nabokov’s classic novel, Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.

Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.

Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.

I was not aware that there was a real kidnapping that inspired Lolita. so this immediately caught my eye. I am excited that it is written by a woman and hope that this means it'll be handled with care and respect for the victim.

This one comes out in November, so it is a bit of wait for this one, but there are plenty of true crime books to devour in the meantime.

Expected release date - November 13, 2018

Cover Reveal For Del Toro Moon by Darby Karchut

Taking a quick break from True Crime Week to help reveal the cover of what sounds like a fun middle grade book. I can easily see my nieces wanting to read this one and I am always on the look out for new books they would be interested in.

Here is a little bit about Del Toro Moon by Darby Karchut before we reveal the cover:

Bad enough Matt Del Toro is the greenest greenhorn in the family’s centuries-old business: riding down and destroying wolf-like creatures, known as skinners. He must also learn how to match his father’s skills at monster hunting. Odds of doing that? Yeah, about a million to one. Because Matt’s father is the legendary Javier Del Toro—hunter, scholar, and a true caballero: a gentleman of the horse.

Now, with the skinners multiplying, both in numbers and ferocity, Matt is desperate to keep his father and hot-tempered older brother from killing each other, prevent his new friend, Perry—a horse-crazy girl who recently moved to their small town of Huerfano, Colorado—from discovering the true nature of his odder-than- oddball family, and save a group of paleontologists from getting skinner-ed.

Luckily, Matt has twelve hundred pounds of backup in his best friend—El Cid, an Andalusian war stallion with the ability of human speech, more fighting savvy than a medieval knight, and a heart as big and steadfast as the Rocky Mountains.

Serious horse power.

Those skinners don’t stand a chance.

There is a lot that I think middle grade readers will love in that synopsis and the cover is pretty adorable and makes the book look like a lot of fun.

Visit the author at her website or on Twitter, and be sure to add the book to your Goodreads account.

While not currently up for pre-order from book retailers, be sure to visit the publisher's website for more information and up to date details.

Darby Karchut is a multi-award winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter.  A proud native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms. When not dodging death by Colorado, Darby is busy at her writing desk. Her books include the best selling middle grade series: THE ADVENTURES OF FINN MacCULLEN. Best thing ever: her YA debut novel, GRIFFIN RISING, has been optioned for film. Her latest book, DEL TORO MOON, releases Fall 2018 from Owl Hollow Press. 

Visit the author at www.darbykarchut.com

Lizzie by Dawn Ius

I am kicking off True Crime week on the blog with a review of a book that comes out TOMORROW!

Lizzie by Dawn Ius                           
Release Date - April 10,  2018
Publisher Website - Simon and Schuster

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 320 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Lizzie Borden has never been kissed. Polite but painfully shy, Lizzie prefers to stay in the kitchen, where she can dream of becoming a chef and escape her reality. With tyrannical parents who force her to work at the family’s B&B and her blackout episodes—a medical condition that has plagued her since her first menstrual cycle—Lizzie longs for a life of freedom, the time and space to just figure out who she is and what she wants.

Enter the effervescent, unpredictable Bridget Sullivan. Bridget has joined the B&B’s staff as the new maid, and Lizzie is instantly drawn to her artistic style and free spirit—even her Star Wars obsession is kind of cute. The two of them forge bonds that quickly turn into something that’s maybe more than friendship.

But when her parents try to restrain Lizzie from living the life she wants, it sparks something in her that she can’t quite figure out. Her blackout episodes start getting worse, her instincts less and less reliable. Lizzie is angry, certainly, but she also feels like she’s going mad…The story of the heart can never be unwritten.

Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan heLove, loss, friendship, and the betrayals of the past all collide in this first women’s fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).
r wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.

But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother...only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

Anything relating to true crime is hot right now. The resurgence has led to some amazing podcasts, movies, television series, and books being released. Being a true crime addict myself, I was thrilled with Dawn Ius announced her next novel was to be inspired by the infamous Lizzie Borden case. This fictional account modernizes the story, and while it weaves in plenty of details from the real case, this story is something all its own.

Lizzie is a  sharply written story of a young girl falling in love for the first time. It's also the story of a young girl spiraling into madness. It also boasts one of my favourite kind of narrators. Lizzie is unreliable. Everything she tells us as readers should be held as suspect. She cannot trust herself which immediately sets a sort of tension over everything she does. This book is a character study more than anything else, and I think it succeeds.

The writing invokes the feeling of slowly spiraling into insanity and it perfectly mirrors Lizzie herself in this regard. As Lizzie becomes more and more frenzied so does the writing pattern. It ensures the reader feels just as disoriented and unsettled as Lizzie does in the best possible way. It's a stylized narrative style that really only works for this type of story and character and it's used to great effect here.

Those who are looking for a true crime inspired read will certainly find that within these pages. They'll also, however, perhaps surprisingly find a love story. The connection between Lizzie and Bridget is one of the lighter moments in the darkness that is this novel. It's a safe haven for Lizzie and the reader, as much as it is a catalyst for much of what happens. Those moments of happiness is what makes Lizzie a narrator we can invest in. It's the anchor to the story and a way in for the reader. I found it incredibly well done, and that Lizzie's inexperience was woven into this part of the story perfectly. This is, in essence, her for crush and those strong emotions that come from feeling everything for the first time are expertly captured.

Bridget is a breath of fresh air from the moment she enters Lizzie's life. She's kind, supportive, patient, and caring. She's pretty much the perfect girlfriend. She, through Lizzie's eyes, seems almost too good to true. This, to me, felt like a very deliberate choice. Bridget has no faults because Lizzie doesn't see them. She is in that initial stage of being attracted to someone where everything about them is perfect.

The real Borden murders were never officially solved and as a result of this I was especially eager to see how this fact would be worked into this novel. Lizzie was ultimately found not guilty of the murders, so in many ways this story is missing a nice 'tidy' ending. Dawn Ius manages to provided not only a satisfying ending, but one that makes you want to immediately re-read the book to experience it with a new perspective.

True crime obsessives will be drawn to this novel due to its inspiration, but I predict even those who are not familiar with the Lizzie Borden case will find plenty to love within these pages. It's a haunting, unsettling story that, for me, was a perfect blend of atmosphere, characters, and plot wrapped in some strong writing.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

I've had a few fun books make their way into my mailbox this week!

First up is one I borrowed from my friend Ciara.

Sam and Ilsa's Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (goodreads) 

Next up is is an exciting package from Simon and Schuster Canada. I huge thank you to them for these amazing sounding reads. I am especially excited about the new Siobhan Vivian!

Love and Luck by Jenny Evans Welch (goodreads)
Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian (goodreads)
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (goodreads)

What bookish goodies made their way into your mailbox this week? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

A few things to share this week! Not much was released in terms of book news, but there are some equally exciting things to share.

TV/MOVIES

First Look At Sabrina and Harvey from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Creator Roberto Aguirre Sacasa released (via his Twitter) the first image of the new Sabrina and Harvey from the Netflix show based off the comics titled The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. They are adorable and pretty perfect. I think I love Sabrina's entire outfit.

 Is it just me or does Ross Lynch have a very Dane Dehaan vibe in this photo? I might just be the lighting/angle of the photo but that's all I keep thinking. I wasn't sure about the darker hair, but it works. I am super excited for this show!

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights & Stranger Things

Every year Universal Studios unveils the pop culture properties that are to inspire their Halloween Horror Nights mazes and Stranger Things is the first one to be revealed.

Not going to lie, it immediately got me looking up flight prices in the month of October to Orlando. I am hoping I can make a trip happen (it'll depend on finding someone to go with) as I would love to experience this!

OTHER

My Birthday Cake

My birthday passed recently and I had the most amazing birthday cake! I loved it so much!

It's very on brand for me, and looked even better in person. It's incredible and tasted as good as it looked.

What are you obsessed with this week? Let me know in the comments.