Hannah Parry's Blog - Posts Tagged "hannah-parry"

Dearest All, I am very sorry for the long delay in posting here, but I can finally say the sequel to Isabella Rockwell's War will be out on December 15th. It's called Fever Quest and I am happy with it, though I will be happier when a few people have read it and liked it!
Isabella Rockwell's War is also getting a makeover. The title is going to be changed to Winter's Bite and it has a brand new cover and has been thoroughly, properly edited. I have kept the same Kindle ISBN so I can keep all your lovely reviews.
I have some copies of the old book leftover, so will list a giveaway. I will do one for Fever Quest too, as soon as I can get my hand on a real copy as opposed to a virtual one!!!
I will be here much more in future and in the meantime, happy, happy reading. :)

I hope it's ok to put this here, but the new edition of Winter's Bite is free today and tomorrow and Saturday at the Kindle Store. It's got three chapters of Fever Quest at the back. So if you entered the giveaway last month - go ahead and get your copy today, if you have a Kindle or any e reader. I do hope you enjoy it! Have a great week and stay warm!

Thank you so very much to those who entered the giveaway for Fever Quest. I really appreciate it! There is also a one day giveaway for it on Amazon tomorrow. I really hope you like it - let me know. It's my second book and was very hard to write!!!!! I just hope I've done a good job.
Thanks again for the support. You are who I write for.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the second time I've read this book. I read it when it first came out in 1992 and thought then it was one of the best books I'd ever read. At the time I felt the point of the story was about how the main characters could best live their lives like the greeks of old. When I think of the images I took away from the book then, the one of Camilla turning into a deer seemed the most strong. I also remembered Henry as winning the hand of the girl overall and I had completely blanked what happened at the end.
My only criticism might be about the main character's feelings for Camilla - I would have liked to have known why he loved her - at what point does lust morph into love? But maybe that is hard for woman to write about from a man's point of view. I have never tried and I am not sure it's something I'd want to look at, so I will let her off.
On reading The Secret History twenty years later I think I was almost right, although to me the book turned out to be much more about love and 'fitting in' than I had thought at the time. The imagery is beautiful and the writing for more closely edited than the Goldfinch and so is succinct and a pleasure (almost easy) to read. Don't get me wrong - The Goldfish has some beautiful lines in it - but its overall structure is too loose.
I think The Secret History is an amazing book for her to have written at such a young age. I worry what she must have gone through in her youth - though whatever it was, I am grateful she has shared all this with us.




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Now You See Me by Emma Haughton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An exciting read with some lovely twists and some very incisive writing on loss. I know it's inspired by a true story and I am not surprised - a both sad and uplifting tale by an intelligent author.



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and I am trying hard to post you the first chapter here.

If I don't get it right, head on over to SoundCloud and you can listen to the first chapter for free if you'd like. It's about 34 minutes long. I'm going to upload the first chapters of Fever Quest too as Alison has done them already. She has done such a great job - it's amazing to hear my words spoken!!!!! I can't tell you what a kick it is.

Really hope it works! Thanks so much for reading this. I really appreciate it.

So sorry they took so long, I think it's because it was the first print run, which takes time to set up. Anyway they are on their way. Thank you for your patience and I really hope you like it! xx

The Accidental by Ali Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fascinating look at life - possibly not the most exciting story in the world - but beautifully subtle. Literary fiction really, I thought. One of those books that makes you feel very grown up to have read it. She is a wonderful writer - it's not escapism which is what I am usually after, but I came away feeling a bit more part of the human race, which is probably what writing is all about.



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How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Of course she is the funniest writer since Helen Fielding and this book delivered on all counts. I snorted tea out of my nose at one point. She is blissfully, effortlessly funny. As a reader, I don't have to do anything, just come along for the ride. I adored her descriptions of her family with love in every line. I remember so well being seventeen and thinking I knew it all, all the energy and bravery I had, and she captured it perfectly. In a way reading this was like bouncing around on my old space hopper in the scorching summer of 1976 (er without the sex). Or at least that's what it kept making me think of. If you've got a girl - you must read it. Girls rule. They always have.



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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a stunning book - I don't even know how I ended up reading it. I am always interested in what others view the end of the world to look like and I loved that this author took the long view. It intrigued me and she created a plausible, fascinating world where darkness is only seconds away at all times. Pretty scary and thought-provoking, but not at all like other dystopian books I've read. Strangely at first it felt clunky, as if it were badly written, but it is not - not at all - it's one of the best books I've read for keeping me thinking about it afterwards. High praise indeed. Really well done Emily St John Mandel!



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