I
am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the MATRIARCH by Adam Wing Blog Tour hosted
by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the
giveaway!
About
The Book:
Author: Adam Wing
Pub. Date: December
1, 2019
Publisher: Adam Wing
Formats: Paperback,
eBook
Pages: 124
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org
Read For FREE With A Kindle Unlimited
Membership!
The story is over. It’s already too late.
At the end of the Turkish War of Independence, a British soldier disobeys orders to return home. Setting out to explore a country he had only known as trespasser, he uncovers danger, mysteries, and magic—adventure, obsession, and true love.
One hundred years later, the soldier’s great-granddaughter sits at her great-grandmother’s deathbed while the old woman recounts this very tale; it is the last she will ever tell.
Secrets are revealed as past and present collide, and as one woman’s future draws toward its inevitable close, another finds hers thrown into uncertainty.
Book Playlist:
It was suggested
to me that I might make a song playlist to go with my novella Matriarch. But,
while I’m certainly passionate about music and have MANY thoughts on what songs
or artists might pair well with my writing, I also recognize that music is
extremely personal, and songs that carry tremendous meaning for me may be little
more than noise to just about everyone else.
Not to mention, virtually
every scene in Matriarch is a major spoiler, so it would be hard to say which
songs go where without spoiling everything!
If pressed, I
could tell you a few songs I’d include. A number by Regina Spektor, of course:
Blue Lips, Grand Hotel, Apres Moi. The ’59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem. Hands
in the Sky by Straylight Run. Probably an assortment of Lindsey Stirling Song.
Johnny Cash? Sinead O’Connor?
But as I said, music’s
too personal for any list of songs I give to mean much to anyone but me.
Probably.
More interesting,
would be to offer you a playlist—or mixtape, if you will—of books. A curated
list, presented in just the right order to create an experience—a journey—for
anyone who wants to read along. And so, I present you MY BOOK PLAYLIST:
1. The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – A. A.
Milne
A
stuffed bear finds adventure in the woods behind Christopher Robin’s childhood
house
Yes,
you read that right. Because if you haven’t read Pooh, you are seriously
missing out. It’s a work of genius. Not just children’s stories, but an
exploration of the worlds children create, and of their imaginations, from the
appreciative perspective of an adult. It’s pure and it’s knowing and it’s wonderful.
Moreover,
it’s a great entry point into the list. Inviting and easy to appreciate.
2. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
A
young girl discovers a sinister world behind a secret door in her new home
Spooky,
engrossing and fun, Coraline is a nice easy read, but with hints of real danger
behind every page.
A
ghost on the face of the doorknocker, as Scrooge himself once saw, this book
signals the tone of what’s to come.
3. If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
– Zen Cho
A
wannabe dragon attempts to achieve her life’s dream
Here’s
an uplifting novella steeped in Korean mythology, about love, family, failure,
perseverance, and how truly complex life’s goals can be.
This
wonderful little book is the perfect way warm your heart after Coraline eery
chills.
4. Spinning Silver – Naomi Novik
A
deconstructed retelling of Rumpelstiltskin
Spinning
Silver is one of the finest novels I’ve ever read. It begins so simply, telling
a variant on the familiar fairy tale. But then it branches; it develops; it
opens up in ways you never expect, which feel wholly natural—wholly necessary—nonetheless,
developing layer upon layer of complexity. The work is stunning.
Okay,
the warm-up’s over, here. Now we’re into the meat of this list. You’ll seen
that while we’re keeping a sharp focus on books that are fun to read, you’re
going to get some substance from me.
5. A Million Little Souls – Chase Connor
Four
young bibliophiles are brought together for the adventure of their lives
This
short indie-novel is filled with adventure and populated by well-wrought
characters. It’s light, it’s fun, and as a book about loving books, it
absolutely belongs on a books playlist.
This
is a perfect little pause before we begin our dive into the heavier stuff.
6. American Gods – Neil Gaiman
An
ex-con finds himself entangled in lives and politics of ancient and modern
deities
American
Gods is a brick of a book. But it’s a gorgeous brick, beautifully told. There’s
whimsy in this tale—as there is on this list—but it’s tempered with inky
threads of darkness. Beautiful and grotesque. Cynical and idealistic. Here’s a
book you can lose yourself in and come out changed on the other side.
Approaching
the middle of the list, we’re going to slow things down. And intensify them.
The reads are getting harder, but also more involved.
7. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Michael
Chabon
Two
young Jewish artists help kickstart the Golden Age of Comics in 1940s New York
Michael
Chabon writes so well, his prose makes me angry. This book, is in my opinion,
his finest work. A powerful story about loss, art, ambition, sacrifice, pride,
love, fear, rage, and beauty. And also comic books.
After
American Gods, your brain should be good and limber; so we’re ready for Michael
Chabon. In many ways, this book belongs with the previous; it’s dense, smart
and beautiful, and it never fails to take you in a direction you couldn’t have
possibly expected.
8. Matriarch – Adam Wing (that’s me!)
A
dark fairy tale crossing generations, from the Turkish War of Independence to
modern times
This
bite-size novella serves up beautiful prose, constant surprises, and an ending
that will leave you breathless.
I’d
be foolish not to include any of my own books on this list! Besides, after the
last two heavy hitters, it’s about time for a nice, easy read. But don’t be
fooled; it’s going to hit you, and it’s going to hit you HARD.
9. Tuff Voyaging – George R. R. Martin
An
unlikely space buccaneer travels the universe in a futuristic seed ship
GRRM
is one of my favorite authors, but I wanted to avoid putting large series on
this list. So A Song of Ice and Fire is out. (Also it’s just too long.) (And
not finished yet.) Tuff Voyaging is a fun alternative, though. It’s exciting
and filled with high-concept sci-fi.
We’re
going to hold onto the light-reading momentum we found with Matriarch. A bit of
space opera is just what the doctor ordered.
10. Axiom’s End – Lindsay Ellis
A
young woman making first contact with an alien species is pulled into the
resulting chaos
Axiom’s
End is a difficult book to describe. Written by acclaimed video essayist,
Lindsay Ellis, it’s a fish-out-of-water / government conspiracy / alien
invasion / pseudo-romance / coming-of-age story. Transformers meets District 9.
Kinda.
This
book keeps things easy and fun, but maintaining a level of intelligence in the
stories that we’re going to be thankful for later.
11. Icarus – Adam Wing (me again!)
A
period-true retelling of the ancient myth
My
first novel, Icarus is short and a little dense, but a fun read and not overly
difficult. It tells a powerful story that will upset you. You will fall
in love with this character who you know, right from the beginning, will have a
tragic end. Then you’ll watch it happen.
Yes,
this is another of mine. It’s a light read with heavy emotions. A signal that
we’re moving back into deeper waters, and that the list will soon reach a
crechendo.
12. Hyperbole and a Half / Solutions & Other
Problems – Allie Brosh
A
series of anecdotes told in silly drawings and words
These
two hilarious books are deceptively deep. What begins as humorous stories, fast
becomes painfully earnest, and painfully painful examinations of the author’s
troubled life and many internal and external challenges. You’ve never thought
anything could be this hilarious and this heartbreaking at the
same time.
This
one’s a bit of a fake-out. After the emotional gut-punch of Icarus, you’ll
think this is going to be care-free dance on dust motes. So when the heavy
stuff hits, it hits all the harder.
13. STET – Sarah Gailey
A
troubling tale told in the revision notes of a textbook author
STET
is an unconventionally told short story in which part of the drama is realizing
what’s actually happening. But when you do…
Okay,
STET is a bit short to be called a book. But after you’ve been primed by
all the trauma involved in the previous books, it’s a perfect outlet to vent
back at an unfair universe.
14. The Revisionaries – A. R. Moxon
…I
can’t … I don’t even know how to describe this book
The
Revisionaries is a sweeping epic that fully implodes its own plot halfway
through the narrative. It’s maybe the smartest book I’ve every read (and
beautifully written, to boot). There’s so much going on. So much at the same
time. It’s big. It’s stunning. It’s brilliant. It’s silly but serious. It’s so
dense, yet somehow endlessly readable.
After
all the disorientation of the last few books, after the heavy lifting we did with
those middle books and continually exercising our intelligence as we progressed
through the list, I think we’re ready for The Revisionaries.
15. The City We Became – N. K. Jemisin
New
York City comes alive, literally, as each burrow awakens as a person to fight an
evil invasion
Here’s
a complex, magical story about people coming together, about prejudice and
hate, but ultimately about hope.
This
book pairs well with the previous, as it has a complexity of theme. But this is
the prefect book to end our list on; hope permeates its every page. There is
darkness, or at least, evil—in the story and in life—and in The City We Became,
we see that evil can be defeated.
And that is my
book playlist. Now if you’d like a music playlist to go with this absolutely
massive booklist I’ve set upon you. Well, you, uh … might have to give me a bit
more time on that one.
About Adam:
Man of many hats: teacher,
engineer, editor, scholar, mountain climber, bar tender, student, world traveller,
and through and above it all, writer, Wing has dedicated most his life to the
craft of writing fiction.
Wing's published works
include the novel, Icarus, and a book of short stories, Apoca Lypse Sink Ships,
and he has fantasy work on the way.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon
Giveaway
Details:
2 winners will win a finished
copy of MATRIARCH, US/Canada Only.
2 winners will win an eBook of MATRIARCH, International.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour
Schedule:
Week
One:
|
1/4/2021 |
Guest Post |
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1/4/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/5/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/5/2021 |
Instagram Post |
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1/6/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/6/2021 |
Instagram Post |
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1/7/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/7/2021 |
Instagram Post |
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1/8/2021 |
Review |
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1/8/2021 |
Instagram Post |
Week
Two:
|
1/11/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/11/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/12/2021 |
Review |
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1/12/2021 |
Review |
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1/13/2021 |
Guest Post |
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1/13/2021 |
Instagram Post |
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1/14/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/14/2021 |
Review |
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1/15/2021 |
Review |
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1/15/2021 |
Review |
A mixtape of books - I like that.
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