THE BOOK OF LIFE Spotlight & Giveaway

The Book

The Book Of Life by Deborah Harkness
Book 3 in the All Souls Trilogy
Genre: urban fantasy
www.adiscoveryofwitches.co.uk

About The Book Of Life:

After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.

With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close.

Source: Info in the About The Book Of Life was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):


Books In The All Souls Trilogy:

Meet The Author

About Deborah Harkness:

My life has been a series of left turns that nevertheless took me in the right direction (though it didn't always seem so at the time). I went to college to be a theater major and ended up studying the Renaissance. I went to grad school to become a college administrator and loved to teach so much I became a college professor instead. I thought I wanted to be a Tudor-Stuart historian, and found myself a historian of science. I started blogging because a friend needed help on a project in 2006 and am still blogging about wine today. I started writing a novel in the fall of 2008, and it became a New York Times Bestseller in February 2011: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. The second volume in the All Souls Trilogy, SHADOW OF NIGHT, came out in July 2012 and debuted at #1 on the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller's List. What's next? The final volume of the trilogy, of course: THE BOOK OF LIFE, coming July 15 2014 to the US, UK, Canada, and Republic of Ireland.

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WW28: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering: A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Sarah was quite for a moment, too, deciding whether or not to explode.

I think this is one of the hooking factors of this book... it keeps you on the edge...

About A Discovery Of Witches:

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Source: Info in the About A Discovery Of Witches was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8667848-a-discovery-of-witches on 21/06/2012.

Review: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: paperback

About A Discovery Of Witches:

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Source: Info in the About A Discovery Of Witches was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8667848-a-discovery-of-witches on 21/06/2012.

Review:

It took a few chapters before I could get into the story but once I did, it was easy going and became quicker and quicker towards the end. And after which, I was so glad I have book 2, Shadow Of Night, handy to read right after hitting the ending of this book. Speaking of endings, the entire book is just a chapter of a bigger book, but then again, this series has always been advertised as a trilogy so we are already expecting that the finalle would come with the third book. So the ending in this book is not really the ending of the story...

I also like Ms. Harkness's spin on this tired old vampire genre. It's a slightly different angle and gives a slightly different flavour. Even as I am looking forward to reading the subsequent books in this series, I am also dreading the fight scenes. Ms. Harkness seriously needs help with them. The ones in this book is so unreal that it drops the suspension of disbelief a couple of notches. So we have an alpha vampire with uber protective instincts with his love-of-his-life facing off an enemy and doesn't lift a finger to protect himself from the blows. Just stands there and let the blows land... Yeah, very real! Warner Brothers bought the movie rights to All Souls Trilogy and let's hope that the director would make the fight scenes more convincing. Anyway, which vampire face do you think best suits Matthew Clairmont for the silver screen? Out of the four selections here, which face would you give him? How about Diana Bishop? Now, her... I wouldn't be so unkind as to call Diana Bishop too stupid to live (TSTL), but I get irritated with her at times....

After all that moaning, however, I really do like the world Ms. Harkness has created and enjoyed this book and is eagerly awaiting the release of the third and final book in this trilogy!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 3.5
Plot = 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Buy Link(s):


Other Books In This series:


Thank you to Headline Publishing for the review copy of A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness received.

Guest Post: DEBORAH HARKNESS

Love With UK

When I was just eight, my parents packed up me and my brother and we boarded a plane for England. Our destination was Liverpool, my mother’s birthplace, rather than the city of London or a quaint village. It was her first time back to her native country since emigrating to the United States to marry my father. That summer holiday marked a first time for me as well: the first time I fell in love.

Most people remember their first love in sharp detail, and I’m no different. Even now I can recall the bright colors of the Penguin biscuit wrappers, the dim smokiness of the pubs, the instant sense of being home when I saw the hills of Wales for the first time. There were approximately one thousand cousins to meet (or so it seemed) and centuries of history to learn. It was surely during visits to Speke Hall, the city of Chester, and Warwick Castle that I began the slow process of becoming a historian of sixteenth century England. When it was time to return to America, I was inconsolable. My temporary breakup with the UK was as wrenching as the ending of any love affair. It seemed like the end of the world, and I swore to myself I would get back as soon as I could.

For years, the only way I traveled to England was through the pages of books set there and the biographies of long dead kings and queens. When I finally returned to the UK as a young adult, part of me was afraid that all that reading and make-believe had distorted my recollections of the real place. What if I had fallen out of love with England after all this time?

My worries were unfounded. The UK exerted an even stronger pull on me. I am one of the fortunate few whose first love turned into their true love. From the moment I climb into a London cab, spot Oxford’s dreaming spires, or spy someone wearing Liverpool’s red-and-white colors I know I am back home where I belong.

Photos here were all taken in March 2011 on a walking tour of Oxford with Deborah:

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy
Genre: urban fantasy

About A Discovery Of Witches:

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Source: Info in the About A Discovery Of Witches was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8667848-a-discovery-of-witches on 21/06/2012.
Buy Link(s):


Shadow Of Night by Deborah Harkness
Book 2 of the All Souls Trilogy
Genre: urban fantasy

About Shadow Of Night:

"Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches

Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

Source: Info in the About Shadow Of Night was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11559200-shadow-of-night on 29/06/2012.
Buy Link(s):

About Deborah Harkness:

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and have lived in western Massachusetts, the Chicago area, Northern California, upstate New York, and Southern California. In other words, I’ve lived in three out of five time zones in the US! I’ve also lived in the United Kingdom in the cities of Oxford and London.

For the past twenty-eight years I’ve been a student and scholar of history, and received degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Davis. During that time I researched the history of magic and science in Europe, especially during the period from 1500 to 1700. The libraries I’ve worked in include Oxford’s Bodleian Library, the All Souls College Library at Oxford, the British Library, London’s Guildhall Library, the Henry E. Huntington Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Newberry Library—proving that I know my way around a card catalogue or the computerized equivalent. These experiences have given me a deep and abiding love of libraries and a deep respect for librarians. Currently, I teach European history and the history of science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

My previous books include two works of non-fiction: John Dee’s Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy, and the End of Nature (Cambridge University Press, 1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (Yale University Press, 2007). It has been my privilege to receive fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the National Humanities Center. And I was honored to receive accolades for my historical work from the History of Science Society, the North American Conference on British Studies, and the Longman’s/History Today Prize Committee.

In 2006, I took up my keyboard and entered the world of blogging and Twitter. My wine blog, Good Wine Under $20, is an online record of my search for the best, most affordable wines. These efforts have been applauded by the American Wine Blog Awards, Saveur.com, Wine & Spirits magazine, and Food & Wine magazine. My wine writing has also appeared on the website Serious Eats and in Wine & Spirits magazine.

My career in fiction began in September 2008 when I began to wonder “if there really are vampires, what do they do for a living?” A Discovery of Witches is the unexpected answer to that question. The book debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, and was also a bestseller in the UK, France, and Germany. Thirty-eight foreign editions and translations will be published. The story of Diana and Matthew will continue in the second and third books of the All Souls Trilogy.

Deborah's Link(s):
deborahharkness.com
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