Last week I received a Halloween decoration flier in the mail for a home decor store featuring witch’s shoes and hats – amazing orange and black stripped witch’s shoes with curled toes (I need these). The next day I was browsing a local things-to-do magazine and came upon an ad for the witching festivities at Gardner Village – a little village of shops that comes alive with witches each year. They host Breakfast with a Witch, Witch-a-Palooza, Witches Night Out and A Ride with a Witch events all through September and October. All of this witching news got me excited for the season (you can bet my little boys will be eating pancakes with a green-nosed lady in the near future) and got me to thinking about books (okay, everything gets me thinking about books).
Now, a little confession: I would like to be a witch. A real witch. I would like to own a cauldron, jars full of frog’s toes, newt’s eyes, wool of bat (what is that?) and scale of dragon. I would like hocus-pocus, abracadabra, and shazam to be part of my daily vocabulary. I would like to trade in my minivan for a broom with a few miles, turn my multicolored cats a midnight shade of black and get on speaking terms with the local owls. I could fine tune my already cacklely laugh into something more sinister and oh …. I’m gonna need those shoes.
With that off my chest, let’s get back to books. Books on witches. Since my minivan is probably with me for the near future, I would like to dive into some great books about witches. Real witches, not Salem witches or mean women, but good old fashioned spell casting, wart-nosed, wand toting witches. Where to start?
I read Witches by Roald Dahl last year and was a little disappointed. I don’t think of witches as bad or scary – but fun with maybe a tad bit of evil. I liked Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett. My boys and I love the children’s book Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. I have ordered The Witching Hour by Anne Rice from Paperbackswap and have searched for more, but I need some help.
What witch books can you recommend? Help me compile a definitive list of witching books – just in time to get in touch with our inner cackle.
It’s finally here! The last installment of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy was released today. While I didn’t attend a party last night, I was out shopping bright and early (okay, 10am) to get mine. It’s beautiful! I am very excited to dive in – and even non-reading hubby read both of the previous books this summer so it will be fun to share.
Crossing my fingers for some warm feelings towards Peeta (sorry Gale!), more survival games and less politics.
Make sure to join the Peeta-Palooza for a chance to win all three books – in hardcover!
It has been a lovely summer for me – reading, reading, reading. My kids have been busy with some fun activities, which has given me lots of reading time while I wait for karate, swimming and soccer to end. The Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris have been wonderful companions for me – during a hectic, crazy time. It was nice to escape to the South with a cute barmaid and her even cuter boyfriends.
While I haven’t wanted to review each of the books individually, there are a couple of things to chat about since I’ve finished that last few. During the 2nd-5th books, I was a little bugged by the mundane constant retelling of details from the previous books. I think that in each of these novels, a fourth of the story was retelling. Ugh. Who would jump into the series midway? Why retell? If you did pick up book in a series and felt lost…wouldn’t you realize that there were previous books and seek those out? But, the good news with the Stackhouse books is that at least with the 7th-10th books, the retelling is kept to a minimum and it is assumed the author has been along for the ride the whole time. Whew.
This point ties in with another thing – why don’t publishers let you know in some big and bold way which book is which in the series? Why not have a number somewhere on the cover – even the back – to let readers know what order to read the series? There are a few series out there that use clever titles to gently nudge us along: James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club Series uses the number in HUGE letters as part of the title, Sue Grafton’s books follow a letter of the alphabet and Janet Evanovich is up to a Sizzling Sixteen in her Stephanie Plum books. Thank you for these not so gentle ques on which books to read!
My last comment on the Stackhouse books, before I jump into some other exciting books (more Patterson and of course Mockingjay!) is that the most recent book in Harris’ vampire books is a dud. I was so excited to get to book 10 and am now left with a weird feeling (a book hangover) of ‘why did I do that’? What a poor way for me to exit a series – I was on such a high with the previous 9 books, but am now left with the impression of reading something of poor quality. Dead in the Family is boring, with the most mundane details drawn out to a painful extreme. Sookie turns downright nasty – an irritating character I wouldn’t walk across the room to meet. She is so mean to her cousin Claude – to the point it makes no sense and is embarrassing to the reader. Her frugality is also embarrassing – why does Harris have to mention being paid back for every tiny thing? Again, ugh. Charlaine, please tell us you have something better planned for book 11 (I will read it – even with my disappointment in 10). Bring cute Sookie back!
Have you read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books? What did you think?
Picture a warm August day in the mountains with a cool breeze (fall is coming?), granite peaks high in the distance and the chance to chat about books with one of America’s most beloved authors. Throw in a decedent brunch with crepes, smoked salmon and truffles. Nirvana? I think so!
This was how I got to spend last Saturday, with my wonderful hubby by my side, at the beautiful resort of Sundance (Thanks Bob!). The author? Ann Patchett. And yes, she is just as pixie cute as she looks on her website and jacket cover.
I have been lucky enough to attend quite a few author events in the past decade (Margaret Atwood, Jane Hamilton, Jim Harrison, and Ann Cannon to name a few) and I think this was one of the best. Ann’s talk was more of a cozy conversation among friends – 50 of your closest, book-loving Utah friends. There was a moderator from the Redford Institute who kept the discussion lively – sticking to questions readers would want to ask Ann about books, her writing and her life.
Admittedly, I have read only Bel Canto, Patchett’s most well-known work, and felt a little behind the class since a lot of the discussion pertained to her latest novel Run. But, while the novel was a main topic, major events in the book were skirted enough that I am very interested in reading it without that feeling of having the end ruined.
It was interesting to learn that Ann has had a clear vision of what she wanted to do her entire life – write. She spent the first part of her career writing for magazines – from Seventeen to Vogue. She was very humble about this part of her writing – saying it was ‘junk’ and that she had filled boxes with all of these articles. After meeting her, I can’t really picture her writing about ‘how to decorate your locker’, fashion trends and weddings. She is so down to earth, it would be easier to imagine her with National Geographic, Woman’s Day or Travel.
As with Bel Canto, Ann’s newest novel, out next June, also takes place in South America. But, from her description, that is the end of similarities to Bel Canto. It involves a woman scientist who treks through the Amazon searching for compounds for a pharmaceutical company. Ann seemed very excited about the novel – she had even traveled to the Amazon for research.
Ann has written 2 works of nonfiction (out of nine published works). She spent quite a bit of time discussing one of these: Truth and Beauty. This memoir concerns her friendship with Lucy Grealy, a poet and author, whom Ann meant in college and remained friends with throughout their lives. When Lucy was nine, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in her jaw. Subsequently, her jaw bone was removed and she endured countless reconstructive surgeries throughout her life to replace radiation damaged areas of her face. This event shaped her entire life. She is perhaps most famous for her novel, Autobiography of a Face, describing her childhood spent with a disfigurement. Lucy’s life came to a tragic end when she overdosed on heroin. A progression from pain medication to heroin was a result of a life of operations and pain. She was 39.
Ann ended her discussion with a great direction on creating life-long readers. She pointed out that her parents never read to her, but that she was told countless times to go outside and play because they were reading. Her sharp wit helped drive home the point that in order for kids to make books important parts of their lives, they need to see adults doing the same. Thanks Ann, for a wonderful day!
We here in Utah are blessed to have such a wonderful resource as the Sundance Resort. While author events are a small part of the activities at the resort (these include skiing, hiking, concerts, plays, fine dining, etc.), they are definitely my favorite. How lucky to have such a place to meet beloved authors, other bibliophiles and hear some amazing discussions.
I will make everyone in the book world jealous by mentioned that Kathryn Stockett is the author for December. A day without kids, a scrumptious brunch AND time with the author of Help? Merry Christmas to me!
BUT, I didn’t forget about all my bibliophile friends out there – and have a special signed copy of Run to giveaway within the next few months.
Have you read any of Ann Patchett’s novels? What did you think?
Read:Under the Dome, by Stephen King
Journal Entry for: August 10th, 2010
Remember and Recommend: My on-again, off-again love affair with Stephen King’s thrillers started a long time ago. I was but a wee teenager when I first started down the path of being scared senseless, riveted to books that would haunt my dreams (and my family’s nights) and start me on the path to being an addicted reader. Yes, it was King who brought out the bibliophile in me. And although I think King is a truly amazing writer, for someone who prides themselves in reading the best of the best in literature, the classics and award winners, this is a hard thing to admit.
When my twin sister and I were young teenagers, too young to drive, my sweet mom was worried that we would be bored during our summers at home. Both of my parents worked full-time, so we were a captive audience in our house. With amazing foresight, my mom took us to a bookstore and said she would buy us anything we would read. We spent the next days on our cool patio, reading, reading, reading. The next week, my mom did the same thing – and every week throughout the summer. That was the summer I discovered Stephen King. I started with Carrie and then moved on to my all-time favorite, Salem’s Lot and from there it was a fast ride to clear the bookstore shelves of all things scary. I tackled It and become the subject of family lore when I woke my entire vacationing family in our hotel room screaming about a clown in the room….”Can’t you see him?”. I spent the next Christmas vacation pouring through some of King’s short stories – Skeleton Crew and Night Shift contain some of the scariest stories I have ever read – and I can still recount some of them over twenty years later.
Stephen and I parted ways a few years later over The Talisman and Tommyknockers. His writing took a different turn, one that seemed more science fiction than horror. But, a love of books, reading and the joy of exciting escapes was embedded in me – something I have retained to this day. I have returned to King a few times over the years and will be forever grateful to him and my mom for culturing my love of reading – even if it was with *blush* horror.
When Under the Dome was released last year, I anxiously waited for reviews. I saw several good ones from known publications, but the best came from a trusted reading friend on Goodreads. I have been keeping my eye out for a paperback copy ever since and was excited to find a huge, whopping version at Costco a few weeks ago. In this summer of fun, light reads, I put Sookie down for a while and picked up my old friend for a fun reunion and trip down writing’s memory lane.
While Under the Dome does have a slight twinge of science fiction, it was more classic King than I have read in a long time. The familiar expanse of amazingly developed characters and setting (Maine, of course) was like slipping into an old pair of tennies. The story was a social scientist’s dream – Lord of the Flies meets Armageddon. It was an interesting study on what stress, power and loss can do to an isolated community – with a smattering of the supernatural thrown in.
I enjoyed reading Under the Dome and completed the 1,100 page tome in just a few days, but I discovered something about my now much older reading self; I’ve become a bit of boob when it comes to horror. What enthralled me and kept me glued to every page as a teenager stressed me out as an adult with a family, pets and a house. I had a hard time falling asleep after reading this and found myself recalling some of the more horrific scenes during the day. I would recommend this to anyone who loves good old classic King novels and am glad I read it, but I think I will return to Sookie for a while.
Is anyone else counting the days until the final installment in The Hunger Games trilogy is released? If you aren’t, you haven’t been introduced to this amazing series and need to get reading! You are in luck – in celebration of the much anticipated release of Mockingjay, the last book to feature Katniss, Gale and Peeta, Bibliobabe is giving away all three books in The Hunger Games series for the August teen book giveaway.
Make sure to enter the Peeta-Palooza for your chance to win copies of all three books!
Last Month’s Winners Congrats to Yuri who won the teen giveaway, An American Plague and to Victoria who won the fiction giveaway, The Calligrapher’s Daughter.
Read:The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Journal entry for 07/31/2010
Remember, Recommend: I picked this up on a whim at Costco a few weeks ago because it looked vaguely familiar. I read so many reviews online and in magazines that they get a little jumbled, but I had seen some praise for this debut novel a few times. As with most books I journal about here, I wasn’t disappointed.
Looking back, I can’t believe this is the first novel by Tinti. It was an amazing debut – and one we will be hearing more about as awards are announced. The story of an orphaned boy with only one hand, The Good Thief has been compared to both Oliver Twist and Harry Potter – with good reason.
While there are moments of sadness, there is also a bit of magic threaded throughout the story. And the characters are a diverse mix of good and bad – a giant hitman, con-artists, a dwarf, a colorfully dressed villain and a hard-of-hearing heroine make this story truly memorable. Set in the industrial revolution of New England, hardships abound and the simple acts of finding food, clothing and shelter are at times overwhelming. There are times for growing up, learning about love, family and friendship – even when those family and friends aren’t ideal. This would make a poignant movie for adults and teens alike.
Accolades for The Good Thief: New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Winner of the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize
American Library Association’s Alex Award.
The Fancher Train by Amelia Bean – Lisa is the winner!
June’s Fiction and Teen Giveaways are for July too!
So, have I mentioned my life has been a little crazy lately? In all of my travels and sickness, I completely forgot to choose a winner for each of my monthly giveaways. So, the contest for each has been extended until the end of July. Make sure to enter – these both look like great reads!
Things have been crazy for me and my little family this summer. And, I am just getting over a week long cold (who gets sick in the summer?!) after some busy travel weeks.
I have found that during stressful times in my life, I revert to easier reading; deeper, more intricate stories become too much for my anxiety filled mind and I can’t cope! During both of my pregnancies I couldn’t read anything with any real meaning whatsoever – only light happy novels until my boys were born – then both times I was off with Tolstoy the minute we got home from the hospital; Anna Karenina with my first and War and Peace with my second. How crazy is that?
So, with my busy, stressful life (just stress, no little peanut on board), Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels have been just what the doctor ordered. These novels are a dang hoot (Sookie style). They are fun, adult, and have some of the hunkiest characters since Stephanie Meyers teased us with Jacob and Edward. But, since Sookie is an adult, things move along a little faster.
I have to admit that series novels have not been my thing in the past. Of course I read the Twilight saga (who hasn’t?) and I tore through Stieg Larrson’s Millennium trilogy – oh, and I am eagerly awaiting the final book in the Hunger Games story, but as far as detective series novels, I haven’t been interested – till recently.
Now I understand the draw with the thriller/mystery series books. So many times after finishing a beloved book, I have pondered over favorite characters for days – missing them and their goings-on. With series books, you get to keep up with loved characters and their fun, crazy lives. Picking up one of the Sookie books is like going home to comfort – the characters are all as familiar as family, whose stories I know in detail. I now look forward to her funny ways, her cute ponytail and all the gorgeous vampires who are so interested in her and her blood.
I have finished the first four novels in the Sookie story and am eagerly awaiting #5 from Paperbackswap. Till then I have found another new series escape – the girls of the Woman’s Murder Club. I just started 1st to Die by James Patterson last night and can see that these girls are going to be fast friends. Thanks James! (Although, what’s up with the mini chapters?).
I know when the Fall hits (always early in Salt Lake), I will revert back to my old ways and dive in to more meaningful stuff, but what a fun Summer this has been!
Do you like series books? Leave a comment with their titles!
I hope everyone is having a great summer! I have been busy traveling back and forth between Salt Lake and my parent’s home in Mesquite, Neveda with my kids the past few weeks – so my reading and blogging are both a little behind. But, we’re back for a month, so I’m back in!
The Fancher Train by Amelia Bean
While in Southern Utah, we visited the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre (the second time for me) and I had a great idea! About 10 years ago I read The Fancher Train by Amelia Bean and haven’t been the same since. What has been called “the darkest deed of the nineteenth century”, the story of the Fancher Train is one of the most horrendous and mind boggling stories of our country – a story of Americans killing other Americans in cold blood – in the name of religion. Bean’s story is considered historical fiction, but from everything I know, is completely accurate in all known details.
Below is a little about the story and a reading map of some pertinent parts of the Fancher Train story. Also, I have ordered an original hardback copy (1958) from Paperbackswap.com and am offering this as a giveaway.
The Story
In April of 1857 a group of California bound ranchers and farmers headed out from the Ozarks of Arkansas in a wagon train. They brought cattle, horses, money and everything they could carry with them – including their families. The train consisted of about 40 wagons and 120-140 people. Their story is like any other wagon train, full of hardships and trials, until they enter Utah Territory. The Mormon settlers of Utah had previously had negative and often fatal encounters in other states due to their religion, one of the most famous being Hauns Mill in Missouri (where some of the Fancher Train party may have been from). The train’s journey through Utah was fraught with encounters with angry Mormons who didn’t want them in the territory.
When the emigrants met up with John D. Lee in the southern portion of Utah territory, he offered to let them rest themselves and their cattle in a beautiful meadow on his land before crossing the feared desert area between Utah and California. They were relieved.
What they didn’t know was that this meadow would be the end of their journey. What ensues is a jaw-dropping story of a mass murder – thought throughout history to be a massacre in the name of religious retaliation and one that will forever be steeped in secrecy, denial and mystery.
Reading Map
Map – This is the route taken by the Fancher Train from Arkansas to Utah.
Rock Carin – This is the site of the mass burial for the members of the Fancher Train.
In Memoriam – This is one of two monuments dedicated to the memory of the Fancher Train. This one contains a complete list of all members and is on a small hill overlooking the Mountain Meadow.
Second Memorial – This is a memorial marker on the site of the burial – which is owned by the Mormon Church. Almost no information about the reason for the site is given – only a history of previous markers is mentioned.
Meadow (bottom right) – This is a picture of the Mountain Meadow as it is today. Very little has changed – and after reading The Fancher Train, it was a haunting experience for me to visit the site – the siege could be imagined like it happened yesterday.
September Dawn Movie Poster – In 2006 a movie was released depicting the events leading up to the massacre and the murders themselves.
Books – What would a reading map be without a path for more reading? Both books mentioned here are nonfiction accounts of the massacre: The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Juanita Brooks and Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, by Will Bagley.
John Doyle Lee – John D. Lee, a prominent Mormon member, was the only person every punished for the Mountain Meadow massacre.
Giveaway
I am giving away an original copy of The Fancher Train by Amelia Bean. Since the title has been out of print for quite a while, this giveaway is for a used copy (1958). Simply leave your name and email in a comment to this post to enter. I will choose a winner on July 16th. Good luck!
Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming up – September 13-17!
BBAW is a fun week that “spotlights and celebrates the work of active book bloggers through guest posts, awards, giveaways, and community activities. Book Bloggers are encouraged to register their participation for inclusion in a database of book bloggers.” Make sure to check it out – and good luck to all who enter!
I have registered for two categories, with the following posts:
Journal Entry for: June 27, 2010 Read:Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Remember and Recommend: Dead Until Dark has been on my nightstand for a few weeks – softly calling to me while I’ve been reading more serious books. Do you crave reading some lighter, crazier things in summer? This summer I just want to read FUN! Normally my tastes are very different from vampire novels (although I did enjoy the Twilight series). Things have been crazy at my house for the last couple of months – and it is forcing my reading habits towards the light side. I have to thank Ms. Sookie Stackhouse for giving me a few nights of pure, unadulterated fun!
Sookie is one of the cutest series characters to be created in a long time. She is blonde and sexy (of course), but not shallow (thank you Charlaine). She has a ‘disability’ that gives the story a nonvampire little twist and she has had enough hardships in her life to give her depth. She is small town, but bright. When she meets Bill, a vampire who has ‘come out of the coffin’, her rural life takes turns that will alter her forever – and maybe change your reading habits.
There are now 10 books in the Sookie Stackhouse series – and I might not get anything more done till I read them all! I hope they stay true to this first story and are all mini vacations for my crazy life.
Even though I would much rather read a book than watch its story on t.v., I am excited to try the HBO series True Blood, created from the Sookie Stackhouse novels. In my mind Sookie was not Anna Paquin (she will always be Rogue in my mind – even with blond hair!) who plays her in the series, but it will be interesting to see how she creates the character.
Comments: I don’t want to give too much of this book away. If you haven’t read it, and are looking for a little mini vacation, go for it!
Confession time – I have never read a book by James Patterson. How can that be? you might ask. James Patterson is one (if not THE) most prolific writer alive today and I (who reads at least 2-3 books per week) have never picked one up. I think this is mostly because Patterson is so prolific – where to start?
Help this Patterson newbie and vote for the best novel to begin my Patterson quest. Should it be a book in the Maximum Ride, Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, or Michael Bennett series? Or maybe a stand alone novel? Vote and let me know!
Because there are so many (66!) books to choose from, multiple answers can be given. I will post the top answers on Monday, June 28th.
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In all of my travels and sickness, I completely forgot to choose a winner for each of my monthly giveaways. So, the contest for each has been extended until the end of July. Make sure to enter – these both look like great reads!
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