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Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour of Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads by S.R Mallery. This is a collection of 11 short stories. Featuring stories from genres like mystery, history, romance and action, this anthology has been highly rated by readers all over the world and has 4.8 out of 5 rating on Goodreads.
And I am so excited to share this book on my blog today. Also, Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads by S.R Mallery is only 99c/Rs. 63 from a limited time!
~About the Book~
Title and Author: Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads by S.R Mallery
No. of Pages: 276
Publication Date: December 2013
Genre: Historical Fiction, Anthology, Short Stories, Romance, Mystery, Action
Blurb:
The eleven long short stories in “Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other
Small Threads” combine history, mystery, action and/or romance, and
range from drug trafficking using Guatemalan hand-woven wallets, to an
Antebellum U.S. slave using codes in her quilts as a message system to
freedom; from an ex-journalist and her Hopi Indian maid solving a cold
case together involving Katchina spirits, to a couple hiding Christian
passports in a comforter in Nazi Germany; from a wedding quilt curse
dating back to the Salem Witchcraft Trials, to a mystery involving a
young seamstress in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; from a
1980’s Romeo and Juliet romance between a rising Wall Street financial
‘star’ and an eclectic fiber artist, to a Haight-Asbury love affair
between a professor and a beautiful macramé artist gone horribly askew,
just to name a few.
~Book Review~
Sewing Can be Dangerous and Other Small Threads by SR Mallery is the first book by the author that I read and instantly felt happy that I had picked it up to read!
The cover at first looks a bit like a puzzle but when you look closely, you understand that it is a quilt! So intricate with so many its and bits of pictures showcased on it, my interest was peaked at once. Then when I read the blurb, I just knew I had to pick this book up to read. Add the unique title to this mix and yeah, it was a winning combination!
The title looks confusing in the beginning but wait till you read the 11 stories. I felt impressed by the author who has given sewing a different meaning than just putting threads to a cloth. Sewing here symbolizes so much from caring to curses to giving new life to even finding that must sought after freedom. It is a symbol of strength, determination, peace and finding our identity!
I am an avid history buff and felt that this book gives the readers an insight into the lives of people all coming from different backgrounds with different religions and beliefs but still connected by their emotions and their craving for justice. This book took me to different patches in history where each time a different character was fighting for justice in some or the other form against the cruelty of the world.
From a young seamstress struggling to make her father happy despite all her efforts to a newly wed woman who tries to rid her marriage of a witch curse right from the times of the witches in Salem etc. There are so many contrasting stories and all equally or even better than the previous one in terms of entertainment and story.
I loved SR Mallery’s deep insight into history. She creates a vivid picture of the cruel times of the Second World War, the difficult times of the Witch trials in Salem, the heart wrenching time when slaves were common and mistreatment to them a regular occurrence, the saddening and horrifying era when Jews became the hunted and hundreds and thousands of innocent people lost their lives and so on. She writes fluidly and each of her story is a different experience. Short but still managing to leave a deep impression, I can still feel the remnants of the intense emotions I felt while reading this book.
Everything is so admirably executed that I felt like I was transported to these different times and connected to each story easily, feeling all their pain, happiness and determination as if it was my own.
This book had me researching the scenarios and I am so glad to say, in turn, increasing my historical knowledge. As I have always said, a good book is one that not only entertains but also increases our knowledge and Sewing Can be Dangerous and Other Small Threads definitely falls in this category.
I smiled, felt angry on behalf of a character that had become a favourite with me, cried my eyes out at the injustice in the world and then was impressed and bowled over by the strength of these same characters as they went along fighting to live their lives on their own terms. The mystery and suspense in the stories also threw me a couple of times and I could not help but applaud the author for introducing such surprising mystery twists in a seemingly simple short story.
All in all, Sewing Can be Dangerous and Other Small Threads was a very different and very entertaining book that I am so happy to have picked up to read. A complete package with dynamic stories, strong characters and set against memorable historical scenarios with ample of emotional play, mystery and suspense, I give it 5 super shiny stars and strongly recommend it to everyone. Go grab this book, currently on sale at just 99c or Rs. 63 and discover a very talented author. I will be checking out her other books in the future.
I received the book from the author and I am very thankful to her. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
~Excerpt~
An Excerpt from Sewing Can Be Dangerous & Other Small Threads
From A
Drunkard’s Path
Drunkard’s Path
“….Are you kidding me?” Deborah exploded. “My life is falling apart! C’mon,
curses don’t really happen, do they? I mean, what can I do? You tell me now!”
She segued into a screech.
curses don’t really happen, do they? I mean, what can I do? You tell me now!”
She segued into a screech.
“Come
over to my place tomorrow and I’ll try to relate it all to you, I promise…”
over to my place tomorrow and I’ll try to relate it all to you, I promise…”
….“Do you know anything about the Salem
Witchcraft trials?” The older woman leaned in toward her niece, as if casting a
spell herself.
Witchcraft trials?” The older woman leaned in toward her niece, as if casting a
spell herself.
“No, not much, why?”
“You remember Martha Stinson from my quilt group? Well
after the wedding, she showed me a journal written by a relative of hers and frankly, I am very concerned about you. It seems
one of the accused witches from the original Salem trials might have actually
had a connection with a real witch, an ancestor of Martha’s…”
after the wedding, she showed me a journal written by a relative of hers and frankly, I am very concerned about you. It seems
one of the accused witches from the original Salem trials might have actually
had a connection with a real witch, an ancestor of Martha’s…”
* * * *
Inside the packed meetinghouse, dust
particles from mud-caked boots floated throughout the air, rendering it dense,
murky. That year, April had been an unkind month to Salem Village. Rain-drenched meadows produced a sludge that clung to the edges of women’s dresses,
creating odors so foul that in such tight quarters, it became difficult to breathe.
But people weren’t concerned with such matters on this day. They had gathered
for a higher purpose: the Devil was in Salem, and they wished him
thwarted at all costs. Even the constant threat of
Indian attacks and surviving harsh winters paled in comparison to what was
happening now, in that room, swelling with apprehension.
particles from mud-caked boots floated throughout the air, rendering it dense,
murky. That year, April had been an unkind month to Salem Village. Rain-drenched meadows produced a sludge that clung to the edges of women’s dresses,
creating odors so foul that in such tight quarters, it became difficult to breathe.
But people weren’t concerned with such matters on this day. They had gathered
for a higher purpose: the Devil was in Salem, and they wished him
thwarted at all costs. Even the constant threat of
Indian attacks and surviving harsh winters paled in comparison to what was
happening now, in that room, swelling with apprehension.
Crammed into high-walled pews, dark wooden
benches, or simply shoved up against walls, spectators filled every conceivable
space in the meetinghouse. Donning black hats, cloaks, and
breeches, the men angled forward, their eyes boring holes into the five
men sitting up front, yet it was the women who carried the greatest burden that
day; their hooded coats and muffs covering their recently unkempt hair and
unwashed fingernails, couldn’t disguise the uncertainty they felt about their
community’s loyalty to them and how it would all end.
benches, or simply shoved up against walls, spectators filled every conceivable
space in the meetinghouse. Donning black hats, cloaks, and
breeches, the men angled forward, their eyes boring holes into the five
men sitting up front, yet it was the women who carried the greatest burden that
day; their hooded coats and muffs covering their recently unkempt hair and
unwashed fingernails, couldn’t disguise the uncertainty they felt about their
community’s loyalty to them and how it would all end.
Sitting at the head of the counsel table, amongst other magistrates in the newly appointed
Court of Oyer and Terminer, John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin quietly conferred
with each other before beginning their first round of questioning. Arrogant,
self-important, the black-robed magistrates assumed their positions on
the political totem pole, and having been brought to Salem for such a specific
purpose, they dared not disappoint. They were on a mission to deliver souls.
Hathorne, displaying the greatest exhibition of self-aggrandizement, seemed the
most severe. With no real legal experience, and having only glanced at Sir
Mathew Hale’s Trial of Witches, and Joseph Granvill’s Collection of Sundry Trials in England, Ireland the week before, he
nonetheless believed he was more than competent to interrogate the accused.
Court of Oyer and Terminer, John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin quietly conferred
with each other before beginning their first round of questioning. Arrogant,
self-important, the black-robed magistrates assumed their positions on
the political totem pole, and having been brought to Salem for such a specific
purpose, they dared not disappoint. They were on a mission to deliver souls.
Hathorne, displaying the greatest exhibition of self-aggrandizement, seemed the
most severe. With no real legal experience, and having only glanced at Sir
Mathew Hale’s Trial of Witches, and Joseph Granvill’s Collection of Sundry Trials in England, Ireland the week before, he
nonetheless believed he was more than competent to interrogate the accused.
At the front of the room facing the
magistrates, sat all the accusers, the “afflicted” girls: Abigail Williams, her
cousin Betty Parris, Ann Putnam, Sarah Bibber, Sarah Churchill, Elizabeth
Booth, Mercy Lewis, Susanna Sheldon, Jemima Rea, Mary Warren, Mary Walcott and
Elizabeth Hubbard. With downcast eyes and folded hands, they appeared
demure; inwardly they were experiencing emotions quite different from anything
they had ever known. Childhoods stocked with adult repression and fear now
served as a springboard to the frenzy of accusations they had created, because
on this day, along with their catharsis and even exhilaration, came the most
important emotion of all: a sense of empowerment. At last, they were getting
adults to listen to them, and it was intoxicating.
magistrates, sat all the accusers, the “afflicted” girls: Abigail Williams, her
cousin Betty Parris, Ann Putnam, Sarah Bibber, Sarah Churchill, Elizabeth
Booth, Mercy Lewis, Susanna Sheldon, Jemima Rea, Mary Warren, Mary Walcott and
Elizabeth Hubbard. With downcast eyes and folded hands, they appeared
demure; inwardly they were experiencing emotions quite different from anything
they had ever known. Childhoods stocked with adult repression and fear now
served as a springboard to the frenzy of accusations they had created, because
on this day, along with their catharsis and even exhilaration, came the most
important emotion of all: a sense of empowerment. At last, they were getting
adults to listen to them, and it was intoxicating.
John Hathorne commenced with the proceedings. “Bring
in the accused, Bridget Bishop….”
in the accused, Bridget Bishop….”
~Buying Links~
Grab the kindle/Nook book at just $0.99 or Rs. 63!
Amazon IN: Kindle Book
Amazon US: Paperback | Kindle Book
B&N: Nook Book
~Meet the Author~
S.R. Mallery has worn various hats in her life. First, a classical/pop singer/composer, she moved on to the professional world of production art and calligraphy.?Next came a long career as an award winning quilt artist/teacher and an ESL/Reading instructor. Her short stories have been published in descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.
Website/Blog: www.srmallery.com
Twitter: @SarahMallery1
Goodreads:
Pinterest: (I have some good history boards that are
getting a lot of attention—history, vintage clothing, older films)
getting a lot of attention—history, vintage clothing, older films)
Amazon
Author page: http://www.amazon.com/S.-R.-Mallery/e/B00CIUW3W8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Author page: http://www.amazon.com/S.-R.-Mallery/e/B00CIUW3W8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
~Giveaway~
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Open Worldwide
Ends on 31st July
~Organized by~
