The Necromancer’s Daughter Book Tour: Day 12

Welcome to Day 12 of The Necromancer’s Daughter’s Book Tour!

I hope you enjoy:

~ A lovely community of bloggers.

~ My favorite book from my host’s list, along with my review.

~ Something to make you smile.

~ Something from or about The Necromancer’s Daughter (follow the link below).

~ Leave a comment on my hosts’ sites, and your name will be entered in an end-of-tour drawing for a $50 Amazon gift certificate. The more tour sites, the more entries!

Day 12, here we go!

Steven Baird’s Blog: Ordinary Handsome

There’s nothing ordinary about Steven’s blog. He doesn’t post often, but when he does, I’m soaking it up. Steven is a writer who shares stunning pieces of prose and poetry as well as peeks into his work in progress. He’s one of the authors I try to emulate. I drool a little over his lush imagery and the exquisite emotional depth of his work. His glimpses into character are breathtaking.

See what I mean… drooling again. Lol.

I’ve read everything Steven writes, and I hear there’s a new book floating around out there on the horizon. I can’t wait. Here’s my review of one of my all-time favorite books:

Ordinary Handsome by Steven Baird

My Review: I just finished this book and sit here collecting my thoughts. From the first page, I knew I had happened upon something special, something that would sweep me into the otherworld offered by a talented author and his beautifully written book.

The story is grim, about the dying lives that labor on in the dying town of Handsome, Oklahoma. Ghosts in a ghost town. The book follows ordinary men dealing with the epic struggles that shape human experience: love and death, failure, fathering, poverty, murder, and lost hope. It revolves around a young man, Euart Monroe Wasson, and the men who participate in the tragedy made of his life.

The narrative isn’t one to speed through. Baird writes with a style that requires one to pay attention. He slowly draws aside the veils that reveal the interconnection of each man’s story. I had the impression that I was piecing together a mosaic, the tale assembled from the shards of shattered lives, memories, impressions, and illusions.

The narrative is informal and appropriate to the rural landscape. At the same time, the writing is textured, rife with precise detail, stunning imagery, and raw emotion. Baird is a master at finding the perfect word and painting a picture that shifts and clears with each new perspective.

I highly recommend Ordinary Handsome to any reader who wants to get lost in an exquisitely written tale. This book will stick to your heart.

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