A Review of Polly Hall's "The Taxidermist's Lover" (audiobook)

Polly Hall’s The Taxidermist’s Lover is unlike anything I’ve listened to before. Scarlett meets Henry on the beach one day, and their love affair begins, both between them and between Scarlett and Henry’s taxidermy. They move in together, and the book follows about a year of their relationship, jumping between Christmas day in the present and the previous months of the year. As time goes on, the narrator slowly reveals exactly how their relationship has ended, and it’s not what the reader expects.

To be honest, if I’d picked up the novel, I probably would not have finished it. I’m not terribly fond of second-person narration, but it worked really well as an audiobook. The second-person perspective is what makes or breaks this story, and for the audiobook it suits. Listening to the narrator, Justine Eyre, really brought this novel into itself, and I was completely invested in following it through to the end. Her voice matched that of the narrator. I have to admit I sort of binged it. I was reminded a little of the TV series based on the movie Psycho, Bates Motel, because of the taxidermy and mental health issues in this story. That connection drew me in. I love taxidermy (though I’m not allowed to have any in the house). The narration feels like an extended love letter to Henry, which makes it quite intimate.

I am really looking forward to getting others to read this work because I want to talk about it with them! Because of the reliability of the narrator, it is hard to tell how much is real and how much is in her mind, and I want to explore that with other readers. I hope many, many people put The Taxidermist’s Lover on their TBR or “to be listened” lists.

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Book Review of "The Dare Club: Nita" by Laurie Bradach and Kim “Howard” Johnson

Laurie and Kim will be awarding a $20 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so make sure to leave a comment here and visit the other stops on the tour: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/11/virtual-review-tour-dare-club-nita-by.html Series: The Dare Club Format: E-book & Paperback Genre: Contemporary YA, Mystery Length: 330 pages in paperback Blurb: Nita Conroy has relocated to the most boring town on the planet. That is, until would-be boyfriend Brad Keeley spills the beans about a secret group of girls known as The Dare Club. During her subterranean initiation below the high school, Nita overhears a plan by contractors and school officials to embezzle millions of dollars in grant money. When she is betrayed, The Dare Club's pranks become deadly serious. With the clock ticking, Nita will need the help of her new friends to expose the chilling plot--and hopefully survive long enough to snag a date to the homecoming dance. Exce...

Show, Don't Tell!

Another common error young writers make is telling a story, rather than showing a story. This is probably because many of the short stories they have been exposed to are fairy tales, which have a distant point of view and summary-like narration. They start with phrases like "There once was..." and use direct characterization, like "She was the kindest girl in all the land." When we write, we need to show our stories, using vivid verbs, specific details, and deep point of view. Here's an example of a passage that is told. The action is summarized and the reader feels as if the action is happening far away: It was June of 1943. Eric's older brother had gone away to become a fighter pilot. Eric wanted to be a pilot too, so he got in the family's crop dusting plane and started it up. He flew it out of the barn and crashed it into the old oak tree in the yard. He hit his head. The doctor had to come. His brother came back, injured from the war. The two healed...

Exposition: One tool the author has to tell a story

Exposition is used in two ways when talking about fiction. First, it is the set-up at the beginning of the plot arc. Where we learn the basic who, what, when, and where. This is a necessary part of plot to ground your reader. I'm going to address the second way exposition is used in a story. This is when an author gives background information, description of characters or setting, or summarizes events that have already happened. It can happen at any point in the story. This is a necessary, key element of writing and one of the three tools an author has to tell his or her story, along with scene and dialogue. A good author does this without slowing down the forward progress of the plot. That is, the exposition makes sense in the context of the scene (or action) of the story and does not trip up the reader or bore him or her. She turned her blue gaze toward him. Here, we get the fact that she has blue eyes in the context of the action. That's the best way to give description. One...

Writer and Editor C.B. Calsing/ G.G. Royale

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