The Literary Blog Hop

Posted 21 June 2014 in events /68 Comments

Welcome to my giveaway post for The Literary Blog Hop, hosted by Judith @ Leeswammes! I’m excited to be participating in my first blog hop. I am giving away a paperback copy of Helen Oyeyemi’s Mr. Fox, a creative re-imagining of Bluebeard tales.

From the book description: Fairy-tale romances end with a wedding. The fairy tales that don’t get more complicated, that is. In this book, celebrated writer Mr. Fox can’t stop himself from killing off the heroines of his novels and neither can his wife, Daphne. It’s not until Mary, his muse, comes to life and transforms him from author into subject that his story begins to unfold differently. Mary challenges Mr. Fox to join her in stories of their own devising, and so, through different times and places, the two of them seek each other, find each other, thwart each other, and try to stay together even when the roles they inhabit seem to forbid it. Their adventures twist the fairy tale into nine variations, exploding and teasing conventions of genre and romance, each iteration exploring the fears that come with accepting a lifelong bond. Meanwhile, Daphne becomes convinced that her husband is having an affair and finds her way into Mary and Mr. Fox’s game. And so Mr. Fox is offered a choice: Will it be a life with the girl of his dreams or a life with an all-too-real woman who delights him more than he cares to admit?

You can read my original thoughts on the book here, and here is an interview conducted by Fantasy Matters with Oyeyemi about the book. Oyeyemi is one of my favourite authors. Born in Nigeria and raised in London, her first novel, The Icarus Girl, was published when she was 21. Now 29 years old, she has just published her fifth novel Boy, Snow, Bird.  While her books are not without drawbacks, I adore her prose and her storytelling, and her characters generally intrigue me as well. Her stories will not be for everyone, but if you haven’t read anything by her, I encourage you to do so! To enter to win a copy of Mr. Fox, please see below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway Once you’ve finished entering, check out the other participating blogs’ giveaways! Have fun, and good luck 🙂

Participating Blogs:

  1. Leeswammes
  2. The Misfortune of Knowing
  3. Bibliosue
  4. Too Fond
  5. Under a Gray Sky
  6. Read Her Like an Open Book (US)
  7. My Devotional Thoughts
  8. WildmooBooks
  9. Guiltless Reading
  10. Fourth Street Review
  11. Nishita’s Rants and Raves
  12. Word by Word
  13. Words And Peace (US)
  14. Ciska’s Book Chest
  15. Falling Letters (me!)
  16. Readerbuzz
  17. The Relentless Reader (US)
  18. Mom’s Small Victories (US)
  19. Daily Mayo (US)
  1. The Emerald City Book Review (US)
  2. A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall
  3. Lost Generation Reader
  4. Booklover Book Reviews
  5. Bay State Reader’s Advisory
  6. River City Reading (US)
  7. Books Speak Volumes
  8. Words for Worms
  9. Wensend
  10. Bibliophile’s Retreat
  11. The Book Musings
  12. My Book Retreat (N. Am.)
  13. Books on the Table (US)

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68 responses to “The Literary Blog Hop”

  1. guiltless reader

    Hmmm .. Les Miserables. The Count of Monte Cristo. And pop by my blog and you'll find another reco – Strange Pilgrims.

    I've Boy, Snow, Bird and liked/hated it. Oyeyemi certainly is a gifted writer so I am going to see if I fare better with her other books. Thanks for offering up Mr Fox!

    Reply
  2. Lory

    I recommend Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

    Haven't read Oyeyemi yet, and Mr. Fox looks really intriguing. Thanks for offering!

    Reply
  7. clairemca

    Martin Booth's The Industry of Souls. Thn ks for the opportunity to participate. (Writing this a 2nd time as my first comment seemed to disappear).

    Reply
  8. Leah @ Books Speak Volumes

    I think everyone should read A Handmaid's Tale!

    I've been wanting to read Mr. Fox for years, so thanks for offering it in your giveaway!

    Reply
  10. Lianne @ caffeinatedlife.net

    Carmen Laforet's Nada. Such a powerful and atmospheric read!

    Thanks for hosting this wonderful giveaway 🙂

    Reply
  11. Happy Hobbit

    Mr Fox sounds like a fascinating book. I have never heard of this author before…but I'm tempted to read one of her books after reading your original review. thank you. Thanks for hosting a free book giveaway 🙂

    Reply
  12. Kerry M

    Oooh, picking just one is so hard! I'm tempted to say 100 Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera, because I'm a huge fan of Marquez. But it's still so hard to pick.

    Reply
  13. Diana

    Everyone who doesn't like to read should read Ready Player One by Earnest Cline, because that book will turn them into a person who loves reading. Everyone who already loves to read should read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

    Reply
  14. polarcharacters

    Promise of Dawn, by Romain Gary

    One of my favorite books of all times! CHECK IT OUT!

    Thanks for this lovely giveaway! I actually haven't read any of her books but I've heard so many good things about them

    Reply
  16. Laurie C

    A book that everyone "should" read is a tough one, since everyone is coming from a different place, but I'll go with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I'm noting down some of the suggestions from other commenters. I've read some of them already, but I'd never even heard of The Great Lenore, for example, and I know I really should read Things Fall Apart.

    Reply
  17. Amber Terry

    I think everyone should read Disturbing the Peace by Richard Yates.

    Thank you for the chance to win 🙂

    Reply
  18. Book Attict

    I think everyone should read The Great Lenore by J.M. Tohline…this book haunts me for weeks evert time I read it.

    Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com

    Reply
  22. chubbymadness

    I think everyone must read The Night Circus. It is magical and beautifully written. A real page turner.

    Reply
  26. KAS

    Thank you for this great opportunity — I think it's a real treat for readers like me. I am going to advocate the already-established (but ever so rightfully) modern classic POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt. It really helped develop my appreciation of contemporary literary fiction and close reading generally.

    Reply
  28. Amber Peppers

    Thank you! I love The Night Circus, and just finished Island of a Thousand Mirrors, which was a tough but must-read book about the Sri Lankan civil war.

    Reply
  29. Isi

    I think I'm going to choose a Spanish writer who I love, Almudena Grandes, and the best of her novels I've read, The frozen heart. It's about the Spanish civil war, told in two different times (the war and nowadays) with two different families who were enemies at that time. It's a terrific story which makes you think a lot about human beings.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  30. neer

    As it is the 100th year of the First World War, I think everyone should read E. Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
  31. ikkinlala

    I'm not very good at 'should,' especially when it's general, but one literary classic that I've recommended to a lot of people is The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.

    Reply
  33. Jennifer Hartling

    This is such a hard question but I'll answer with the first book that popped into my mind: To Kill a Mockingbird 😀

    Reply
  35. ikkinlala

    I&#39m not very good at &#39should,&#39 especially when it&#39s general, but one literary classic that I&#39ve recommended to a lot of people is The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.

    Reply
  36. Amber Peppers

    Thank you! I love The Night Circus, and just finished Island of a Thousand Mirrors, which was a tough but must-read book about the Sri Lankan civil war.

    Reply
  38. Jennifer Hartling

    This is such a hard question but I&#39ll answer with the first book that popped into my mind: To Kill a Mockingbird 😀

    Reply
  39. Laurie C

    A book that everyone "should" read is a tough one, since everyone is coming from a different place, but I&#39ll go with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I&#39m noting down some of the suggestions from other commenters. I&#39ve read some of them already, but I&#39d never even heard of The Great Lenore, for example, and I know I really should read Things Fall Apart.

    Reply
  40. KAS

    Thank you for this great opportunity — I think it&#39s a real treat for readers like me. I am going to advocate the already-established (but ever so rightfully) modern classic POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt. It really helped develop my appreciation of contemporary literary fiction and close reading generally.

    Reply
  41. chubbymadness

    I think everyone must read The Night Circus. It is magical and beautifully written. A real page turner.

    Reply
  47. Amber Terry

    I think everyone should read Disturbing the Peace by Richard Yates.Thank you for the chance to win 🙂

    Reply
  48. Kerry M

    Oooh, picking just one is so hard! I&#39m tempted to say 100 Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera, because I&#39m a huge fan of Marquez. But it&#39s still so hard to pick.

    Reply
  53. neer

    As it is the 100th year of the First World War, I think everyone should read E. Maria Remarque&#39s All Quiet on the Western Front.Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
  54. Happy Hobbit

    Mr Fox sounds like a fascinating book. I have never heard of this author before…but I&#39m tempted to read one of her books after reading your original review. thank you. Thanks for hosting a free book giveaway 🙂

    Reply
  55. Diana

    Everyone who doesn&#39t like to read should read Ready Player One by Earnest Cline, because that book will turn them into a person who loves reading. Everyone who already loves to read should read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

    Reply
  56. Book Attict

    I think everyone should read The Great Lenore by J.M. Tohline…this book haunts me for weeks evert time I read it.Thanks for the amazing giveaway!elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com

    Reply
  58. Isi

    I think I&#39m going to choose a Spanish writer who I love, Almudena Grandes, and the best of her novels I&#39ve read, The frozen heart. It&#39s about the Spanish civil war, told in two different times (the war and nowadays) with two different families who were enemies at that time. It&#39s a terrific story which makes you think a lot about human beings.Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  60. polarcharacters

    Promise of Dawn, by Romain GaryOne of my favorite books of all times! CHECK IT OUT!Thanks for this lovely giveaway! I actually haven&#39t read any of her books but I&#39ve heard so many good things about them

    Reply
  61. clairemca

    Martin Booth&#39s The Industry of Souls. Thn ks for the opportunity to participate. (Writing this a 2nd time as my first comment seemed to disappear).

    Reply
  63. guiltless reader

    Hmmm .. Les Miserables. The Count of Monte Cristo. And pop by my blog and you&#39ll find another reco – Strange Pilgrims. I&#39ve Boy, Snow, Bird and liked/hated it. Oyeyemi certainly is a gifted writer so I am going to see if I fare better with her other books. Thanks for offering up Mr Fox!

    Reply
  64. Leah @ Books Speak Volumes

    I think everyone should read A Handmaid&#39s Tale! I&#39ve been wanting to read Mr. Fox for years, so thanks for offering it in your giveaway!

    Reply
  66. Lory

    I recommend Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Haven&#39t read Oyeyemi yet, and Mr. Fox looks really intriguing. Thanks for offering!

    Reply
  67. Lianne @ caffeinatedlife.net

    Carmen Laforet&#39s Nada. Such a powerful and atmospheric read!Thanks for hosting this wonderful giveaway 🙂

    Reply

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