July 19, 2010

The international bestselling midieval masterpiece The Pillars of the Earth has been made into a mini-series and comes to life on Friday, July, 23rd! The eight hour mini-series will air on The Movie Network in Canada and Starz in the United States. This mini-series news has been a much anticipated event for Oprah book club fans and author Ken Follett fans alike. Oprah can be credited for sending Follett's book to bestselling heights as it continues to be the most popular Oprah book club pick. Oprah has videos of her lunch conversation with Ken Follett to be viewed in Part 1 and Part 2. Another interesting interaction to check out is the author Q & A with the After The Show Oprah audience to be seen in Part 1 and Part 2.

If you haven't had a chance to read the book yet then you can dig in right now with the ebook from Kobo or get a copy of the TV tie-in edition from Penguin.ca or Penguin.com. Be sure to check out the Bookalicious Book Grab Giveaway below! ;-) If you want more after reading The Pillars of the Earth then you can read about the descendants in Follett's sequel World Without End.

Ken Follett has a entire list of bestselling books to his credit and in September he's releasing his new novel Fall of Giants which is the first part of a 'Century' trilogy.

The Pillars of the Earth mini-series will star Canadian heavyweights Donald Sutherland and Gordon Pinsent plus a cast of British talents like:
Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Redmayne, Matthew MacFadyen, Hayley Atwell and Sarah Parish. See the tv trailer tease for a tasty tidbit of the adventure to come! I don't know about you but I will be spending the next few Friday nights in front of the tube instead of tucked behind a book for a change!

BOOKALICIOUS BOOK GRAB GIVEAWAY

Penguin.ca has 5 copies of The Pillars of the Earth TV Tie-in Edition to give to Bookalicious readers who leave a comment below. The BBGG is open to Canadian residents until July 30, 2010. Winners will be picked using random.org. Good luck!

Relish reading,

Wanda Lynne Young

Bookalicious: Newsletter
Twitter: @YMCbookalicious
Facebook: wanda.lynne.young
Facebook: Bookalicious Fan Page
Website: Bookalicious

Labels/Tags: Wanda Lynne Young, Bookalicious, Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett, World Without End, Fall of Giants, books made into movies, Kobo, Chapters, Oprah book club, Penguin books,

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July 05, 2010

Last week The Yummy Mummy Book Club got together via Twitter and chatted about our latest read The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews.  Miriam Toews is best known for her award-winning bestselling novel A Complicated Kindness. Toews was born in Manitoba, Canada and this is where the characters in The Flying Troutmans also originate but the bulk of the story is spent travelling through the United States.

Hattie is a 28 year old free spirited gal who finds herself coming off a failed romance with her Paris boyfriend when she is called back to Manitoba by her niece Thebie. Hattie’s suicidal sister Min is in declining health and her children, 11 year old Thebes and 15 year old Logan can’t cope or fake at keeping their fragile family together any longer. Hattie comes to their rescue and has to make the heartbreaking decision to put Min in a psychiatric ward. With misguided desperation, Hattie convinces (and cons) her niece and nephew into believing their mother wants them to find their estranged father. This is where the story really starts to grab the readers attention and things begin to get very interesting. The impulsive trio set out on a road trip with barely a clue where to find the illusive father known as Cherkis. During the road trip, Hattie gets to know her niece and nephew and in doing so, she also gains insights about herself. Hattie's adventure with the children might have been born out of a hasty need to escape and a desperate need to find herself again.

Much of the trip is also spent travelling down memory lane. Hattie is forced to deal with her repressed past and reconciles her memories of protecting her mentally ill sister.  (Hattie’s recall of Min encasing her in a plaster body cast is particularly disturbing!)

The children show their rough edges but grow to be loveable to both their aunt and the reader. Logan's tough teen exterior eventually cracks to show an emotional, artistic soul. Thebie is a street talking girl who sports purple hair and shows her creative side making novelty cheques for the people she encounters. Hattie would be considered a cool aunt by most kids, especially with her way of focusing on the fun in the word dysfunctional.

The Flying Troutmans is truly a tribute to the family bond and bound to leave the reader with a sense of hope.

If you enjoy books that take you on a trip, then this novel would be a great summer read to tote along to the beach or cottage. I’m sure you’re still wondering, “What’s with the title?” Well, I will admit to being surprised when I found out where the title originated but that’s for you to find out when you read the story!

If you want your own copy then enter my Bookalicious Book Grab Giveaway below or order a copy of The Flying Troutmans for a steal of a deal from Bookscene.ca for only $5.98! 

Bookalicious Book Grab Giveaway

I have a hardcover copy of The Flying Troutmans to give away to a Bookalicious reader who leaves a comment sharing a favorite road trip or fantasy road trip, whatever the case may be!  The Flying Troutmans BBGG is open to Canadian residents until July 19, 2010. Good luck and don't forget to join the Bookalicious Page on Facebook and signs up for the Bookalicious Newsletter.

Relish reading,

 Wanda Lynne Young

Bookalicious: Newsletter
Twitter: @YMCbookalicious
Facebook: wanda.lynne.young
Facebook: Bookalicious Fan Page
Website: Bookalicious

Labels/Tags: Wanda Lynne Young, Bookalicious, The Flying Troutmans, Miriam Toews, summer reads, book club, #YMBC, Yummy Mummy Book Club, A Complicated Kindness, Canadian author, Canadian writer, Bookscene, contest, giveaway,

Posted by WandaL at 00:01:49 View Comments | Click Here to Comment

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