Books! Coming To a Television Near You

There's a conspiracy afoot! The entertainment industry is determined to make a TV watcher out of me. First they pull me in with Game of Thrones, forcing me to pay for HBO even though I watch it on my friend Sarah's "Dude TV" every week because it's more entertaining on a very large screen and with friends who also read the books. Then they send me Entertainment Weekly, eventually getting me hooked on Orphan Black.

Fun fact: The new Daario Naharis from Game of Thrones was on Orphan Black this week!

But apparently those shows weren't enough. Now they're making even more books I've read into TV shows and miniseries! C'mon you guys. I've got writing to do. It's not fair.

Spoiler: Jamie and Claire always end up looking like this.

The one that has me the most excited at present is Outlander, based on Diana Gabaldon's series, coming to Starz this summer. I love everything about these books. Their length, history lessons, the many references to Jamie's hair color (No, it's not just red!). 

I'm about to begin the seventh book in the series. The eighth book comes out in June. Cue fangirl squee.

If like me you are not fluent in Gaelic or perhaps just appreciate a Scottish accent check out this video sent to me months ago by my friend Julie, who got me reading the books and in fact loaned me the first six. The video really helped with an important word which I mispronounced for five lengthy books.

I told you they were lengthy

With something like 10,000 pages in the Outlander series alone Gabaldon has given Starz more than enough material for the show (Dear Mr. Martin, please take note). That's not counting The Lord John spin off books or the novellas. I have no idea how many of them there are as I'm wary of spoilers and won't even add those on Goodreads yet.

It doesn't end there. While I'm incredibly suspicious about what my TV is trying to do to my writing time, I'm also thrilled to have more book adaptations on the way.

I saw on Lev Grossman's Twitter earlier this week that The Magicians will be coming to the SyFy Channel. The third book in the series, The Magician's Land, is coming out this August.

Just last month it was announced that HBO and the BBC will be co-producing a three part miniseries based on J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy.

The Dovekeepers will be a four-hour miniseries on CBS sometime in 2015. I first heard about it from Alice Hoffman herself. Sorry I'm not sorry that I'm still bragging about that time I met one of my favorite writers.

Finally last Sunday waiting for Game of Thrones to start, I saw a commercial for The Leftovers series coming to HBO, which is based on the novel by Tom Perrotta. I've been meaning to read this since it was on The NY Times Best of 2011 list. I know it's currently 2014...I'm so behind. At least the show will force me to read it now.

I'm sure there are even more books coming to the small screen, but these are the ones that have reached me over the last few months. Perhaps a trend started after HBO's success with Game of Thrones? I'm just hoping the schedules of these shows are staggered or I'll be forced to invest in DVR. Who'd have guessed that being an avid reader would lead to such an uptick in my cable bill?

Letting Go: It's a Process

I don't know why I need books the way I do. Obviously reading them is wonderful. Every book is a unique experience in a different world, an escape from reality, a journey into the unknown, and like George R.R. Martin* says, "A reader lives a thousand lives." I understand what I love about them, but I don't know why I need books around.  

Libraries make me feel like dancing too, Belle.

Once upon a time, I was a having horrible day. I was at work and needed to get out before I emotionally imploded. Lucky for me, there was a Barnes & Noble next door. I grabbed a Soy Chai Tea Latte and walked around the fiction and young adult sections. I ended up buying a gorgeous copy of Persuasion, my favorite Jane Austen. I don't know why the sight of books calms me, but it does and it didn't let me down on Monica's horrible day. There's so much to discover and experience in the world, too much to get caught up in the trivial annoyances and hiccups of daily life. Books are a tangible representation of all the world has to offer. Okay, I guess I just realized why I like having them around...

The flip-side to basking in their presence is getting nervous at the thought of parting with my books. When my friend mentioned her school's annual book drive, my first thought was going and increasing my collection. When she said they were accepting donations, I felt an irrational pulse of terror. 

Not my books!**

Fortunately for the school, I am a rational individual and (though it was with much trepidation) I decided to donate some. My shelves are overflowing and I can't stop buying more. Yes I have a Nook and I take advantage of the Boston Library's fabulous eBook loaning program, but I continue to buy new and used books. I just love them.

When I went through my 300+ books, I did my best to consider the ones I should keep. Those being the ones I thought I might read again or would be likely to loan to other readers. I came up with four that I was willing to part with...

I have problems. First world problems. Nerd girl problems. Ravenclaw problems. I could go on, but won't.

I gave myself a stern talking to about how important it is for affordable used books to be available, how great it is to support a wonderful local school, and how I probably wasn't going to read most of these books again. What was I doing really? Just hoarding the knowledge for myself, which isn't cool. Knowledge is power and I want to share that power. Plus hoarding is unhealthy and kind of weird. I mean it would be weirder if they were cats or VHS tapes of my favorite late night infomercials. Minimal level of weirdness aside, I went through my shelves again. 

The donate pile grew and grew until it contained about twenty books!

I felt great after I filled the huge tote bag with thousands of pages of goodness. Soon other people will enjoy these books. Three cheers for being charitable. Plus, now I've got some space on my shelves...

*But writers only live one, so maybe write a bit faster, okay Georgie?
**Those actually aren't my books. They belong to the Boston Public Library. They were also mostly in French, which Belle would have appreciated.

Boston Book Festival 2013

Saturday was the Fifth Boston Book Festival in Copley Square. I went to hear the YA: Legends Revisited talk featuring Maggie Stiefvater, Nancy Werlin, Shelly Dickinson Carr, and Marisa Meyer. I haven't read anything by Carr or Meyer yet, though Meyer's Cinder has been on my to read list for a while and after hearing about Carr's take on Jack the Ripper in Ripped, I can't wait to pick it up. I've reviewed Stiefvater and Werlin's books on this blog. The talk focused on using pre-existing stories, myths, fairy tales, and historic events in their writing. It was right up my alley! Also, it was conveniently located near my office.

I felt a familiar sense of validation in hearing successful authors discuss their writing methods. 

"Hey, they do some things like I do. Maybe I am really a writer." 

Okay, maybe I let go of the doubt about whether or not I'm a "real writer" a while ago. Thank goodness! Still it's nice to know these women have had success and their processes are not all that different from mine. They also got me thinking about some things that could become blog topics in the future. Thanks ladies!

There were a lot of panels and readings, though I only attended that one. Outside they had booths set up for local publishers, self publishing companies, magazines, schools featuring MFA programs, and pretty much anything related to books, literature or reading. It was a gorgeous day and I was totally in the zone.

Check out the swag I snagged: a copy of Writer magazine, a SciFi Story Anthology, and a free ticket to the Boston Book Fair in November.

Fun Friday: Fantasy Fashions

While most people are content to show their love of books and movies with t-shirts, reusable tote bags, or by hanging maps of Westeros in their office (or is that just me?) others take it a step farther. It's not a contest. . .but if it was those folks would be winning.

For fans of Game of Thrones there's a tumblr dedicated to the latest fashions which would most likely be worn by Daenerys across the Narrow Sea. Aptly called What Would Khaleesi Wear? the site has hairstyles, clothes, jewelry and more.

Tattoos are common enough that getting one inspired by a book or movie isn't too crazy, but I'll probably blog about it at some point. Still it's fan nature to one up each other and now you can go under the knife to live out your nerdastic fantasies.

While it's just a bad idea to accuse vampire-wannabes of being nerds, what else do you call someone who gets the dental implants semi-permanently attached to their teeth?

I mean when they go to Nana's 90th, those teeth are still there.  

  

Source

You can now go the surgical route and have a small operation to get pointed ears like and elf or a Vulcan.





Like I said, it's not a competition....but this girl obviously likes elves more than I do...and I like them a lot. Even if I had "the nine" in Sindarin or Orlando Bloom's face inked permanently into my flesh, she'd still be winning.




Source

Elfophiles (aka Alfariophiles*) who aren't prepared to go under the knife can buy accessories that show off their dedication to the Alliance, Lothlorien, Orilla, or pure logic.

*Yes, I made that word up.

Book Report Monday: Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon

Title: Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon (Burton & Swinburne #3)

Author: Mark Hodder

Genre: Steampunk

Synopsis: It is 1863, but not the one it should be. Time has veered wildly off course, and now the first moves are being made that will lead to a devastating world war and the fall of the British Empire.

The prime minister, Lord Palmerston, believes that by using the three Eyes of Naga—black diamonds possessing unique properties—he’ll be able to manipulate events and avoid the war. He already has two of the stones, but the third is hidden somewhere in the Mountains of the Moon, the fabled source of the Nile.

Palmerston sends Sir Richard Francis Burton to recover it. For the king’s agent, it’s a chance to redeem himself after his previous failed attempt to find the source of the great river. That occasion had led to betrayal by his partner, John Hanning Speke. Now Speke is leading a rival expedition on behalf of the Germans, and it seems that the battle between the former friends may ignite the very war that Palmerston is trying to avoid!

Caught in a tangled web of cause, effect, and inevitability, little does Burton realize that the stakes are far higher than even he suspects.

A final confrontation comes in the mist-shrouded Mountains of the Moon, in war- torn Africa of 1914, and in Green Park, London, where, in the year 1840, Burton must face the man responsible for altering time: Spring Heeled Jack!

Burton and Swinburne’s third adventure is filled with eccentric steam-driven technology, grotesque characters, and bizarre events, completing the three-volume story arc begun in The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack and The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man

(from Goodreads)

Why did I pick it up?: I read the series at the behest of Jason, my Steampunk writer friend.

Favorite Lines: "Good grief! It's 1918 and that's still considered unconventional? Has the human race not evolved at all since my time?"

"I haven't a clue! I'm just a poet! But you'll find a way."

My Review: There were parts, predominately in the first half of the story, which were all about the African journey. I'm more interested in the characters driving the plot than the foliage and the heat and the way of the African landscape shimmered and blossomed in all its wild glory around Captain Burton. Though many people would undoubtedly enjoy being taken on a safari, I was distracted. And as a result the first half dragged a bit. The main plot was touched upon, but only just. I trusted Hodder to get there eventually but if there has been a little more to keep me curious I would have turned the pages faster.
That wasn't an issue for me in the first two books which were page turners from start to finish. The second half was character driven and I finished it in a few long reading sessions. I enjoyed the culmination of the bifurcated timeline. I thought it merged seamlessly.

One of my favorite things about the series were the geneticists, scientists who alter the genetic make up of plants and animals. That's how they move technology and industry forward. They turn dogs into mail carriers, breed swans big enough to ride, make a pistol out of a cactus, etc. Yet all these inventions come with a hilarious design flaw. The messenger parrots are my favorite. You recite your message, the bird memorizes it and flies off to repeat the message to the recipient. Handy for the 1860's, no? Or it would be but the parrots interject their own colorful language into the message, insulting the message recipient with inventive verbal abuse.

Recommendation: The series as a whole is a great for anyone interested in Steampunk.

Next Week: The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Book Report Monday: Name of the Wind

Title: Name of the Wind, The Kingkiller Chronicles Day One

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Synopsis: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

(from Goodreads)

Why did I pick it up?: Suggested to me on several occasions by a fellow fantasy buff. Many thanks to the glorious Free Library of Philadelphia.

Favorite Lines: "You have the sweetest face," she said looking up at me dreamily. "It's like the perfect kitchen"

"You do not know the first note of the music that moves me"

My Review: When someone tells me a book is the best fantasy they've read since Lord of the Rings, it raises my expectations considerably. The high fantasy world Rothfuss builds, sticks to classic fantasy rules in some ways and brings enough original ideas that you are comfortable and surprised to be there.

Magicians, called Arcanists, are feared and mistrusted by many. Magic itself is thought to be a myth among most of the population. The Arcanists handle magic as though it were a branch of science. Similar to The Magicians and A Song of Ice and Fire, where the magicians and maesters, respectively, are the most intelligent and educated.

The book is set up with Kvothe narrating his story to his assistant, Bast, and The Chronicler. The Name of the Wind is day one, of what Kvothe promises will be a three day tale. There will be, I assume, a progression of the current story framing the telling at the end of book three as the present plot moves along through a series of interruptions.

Kvothe has a tendency to ramble and there were times (particularly in the beginning) when I wondered, where his point had gone to, but he came back to it eventually. I trust the lengthy back story will be important in the next two books which I will read. The second one is out now.

Recommendation: If you loved Lord of the Rings and/or are currently waiting impatiently for The Winds of Winter then you should check this out. Besides Martin takes forever, so you've got the time.

Next Week: Expeditions to the Mountains of the Moon by Mark Hodder

Fun Friday: A Feast of Ice and Fire

Can you believe how time flies? I mean it's already June! I've had a busy few months spent editing, writing, traveling, and watching Game of Thrones.

The second season is almost over and I never even blogged about my season premiere party. I figure now is as good a time as any, because I can't not brag about my themed cooking success.

I used the Inn at the Crossroads blog for recipes and decoration ideas. I was even bold enough to try my hands at their Weirwood Cake. And by that, I mean I figured I'd try it but only one person knew the feat I was attempting. That way if it all went sour, and ended in melted white chocolate and tears with me shouting that the others could take the flipping cake, no one else would know.

It took four hours and the majority of my patience but I managed to construct a passable heart tree. The base is red velvet with cream cheese icing. The tree is made from white chocolate chips which I melted in a double boiler and then sculpted with spoons and my hands. I used skewers and made supports out of chocolate to be sure it would stay up. I've got to say, that cake is my crowning kitchen achievement.

I also modified their Honeyed Chicken recipe for the main course. After some smoke detector issues it turned out wonderfully. I suggest using grapeseed or canola oil which have higher smoke points. Or you can do what I did and wrap it in foil.

Also on the menu was a Sansa salad, veggie casserole, hummus, olives and cheese from Dorne, wine from the Arbor, an assortment of ales, black bread and salt (guest rights are important) and lemon cakes, which I adapted from a lemon cake recipe I already make.

Now I have to figure out how I am going to top this for next season's party. 

Cross stitch banners for the major houses and hang them around my living room? 

Sculpt the Wall out of Ben and Jerry's? 

Dragon eggs filled with actual dragons? 

So many options.

Maester's potions

If you follow the show, I hope you enjoy the finale on Sunday and remember Valar Morghulis. 

And if you don't watch the show. . . can I ask why in the seven hells not?

Fun Friday with Friendly Felines

Yesterday I flew from Philadelphia to Albuquerque with three friends, so we could visit our friend Ashley. She's the Harry Potter friend who was recently married.

I woke up this morning before the sun and started reviewing pages for my critique group. While I tapped away on my Netbook and scratched the ears of Ashley's cats a wonderful feeling settled over me.


I am on vacation, but it's a writer's vacation. A vacation from my responsibilities at home, from work and writing doesn't feel like work. Even when it's hard it is something I look forward to doing. And there's nothing like waking up to the contentment of doing what you love.

Ashley's cat, Chloe, was intrigued by the story I was critiquing.

Book Report Tuesday: Marcus of Umbria

Title: Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught and American Girl About Love

Author: Justine van der Leun

Genre: Travel Memoir

Synopsis: Tired of laboring in city cubicles, Justine van der Leun sublets her studio apartment, leaves her magazine job, and moves to Collelungo, Italy, population: 200. There, in the ancient city center of a historic Umbrian village, she sets up house with the handsome local gardener she met on vacation only weeks earlier. This impulsive decision launches an eye-opening series of misadventures when village life and romance turn out to be radically different from what she had imagined. Love lost with the gardener is found instead with Marcus, an abandoned English pointer that she rescues.

With Marcus by her side, Justine discovers the bliss and hardship of living in the countryside: herding sheep, tending to wild horses, picking olives with her adopted Italian family, and trying her best to learn the regional dialect. Not quite up to wild boar hunting, no good at gathering mushrooms, and no mamma when it comes to making pasta, she never quite fits in with the locals who, despite their differences, take her in as one of their own. The result is a rich, comic, and unconventional portrait about learning to live and love in the most unexpected ways. (from Goodreads)

Why did I pick it up?: I studied abroad in Umbria and I am obsessed with my dog. It was like this book was marketed specifically for me.

My Review:  Perhaps I am too familar with the topic, and that is why I was let down by this book. I expected more information about Italy and more about Justine's relationship with Marcus. Still the book is an entertaining, light read. I probably would have loved it, had I read it before I spent four months in Italy. Justine's stories about the tiny town of Collelungo and its inhabitants succeed in capturing the image of rural Italy.

Food plays a big role and she comes to appreciate the completeness and simplicity of Italian cooking, as well as a love for eating local. Italians are all about eating the best and freshest foods. They are also very proud of not only their country but of their region, town, and family. So, of course, the best tomatoes come from their own garden and the best wine from their neighbor's grapes.

The book begins with Justine searching for her dog, Marcus, who she finds in a neighbor's yard. A neighbor's chicken clamped firmly in her mouth. I had to laugh at that.

The town I studied in, Perugia, is about 40 minutes from Collelungo. Though the center of Perugia is vastly more populated than Collelungo, the surrounding countryside is not.

My friend Laura divides her time between Pennsylvania and Perugia where, with her boyfriend, she runs a farmhouse hostel for traveling students and visiting friends, like me. During my last visit in April 2010 we took a long walk through the countryside complete with plastic cups of white wine and a cute Italian dog named Diana. Yes, Diana, as in the Roman Goddess of the Hunt, more widely known by her Greek name, Artemis. 

Like Marcus, Diana had previously been caught slaughtering the neighbor's chickens. So when we lost sight of Diana on our walk, Laura feared she was on such a mission. We shouted for her and whistled to no avail. Finally we heard barking.

Diana had found her way into the neighbor's yard. A fenced yard. Naturally the fence was locked. She must have snuck in behind an entering car, but we were too late and the gate had closed automatically. So we were reduced to shouting loudly in Italian for the owner to come out.

Meanwhile, the owner of the house had a small terrier which was barking like mad to alert everyone in a five mile radius of the intruder. Diana paid this dog no mind whatsoever. Though she drank its water and stole a sizable dog treat directly from its bowl.

We weren't too mad. Probably because of the aforementioned plastic cups of wine. Then again, it could just have been her adorable face. Look how happy she is after her adventure. Even Laura who carried her 25 pound dog back through the picturesque countryside isn't annoyed. Rather she was glad Diana didn't kill any chickens.

Recommendation: Anyone with an interest in Italy and dogs would find this an entertaining read.

Next Week: Back to fiction, beyond that I have no idea.

Books: Now Even Better With Friends

In elementary school all my friends read The Babysitter's Club and together we watched the amazing movie. I personally always connected with Mallory, maybe it was the glasses. Or it could have been all that reading and writing she did...

Next came Harry Potter. One by one my friends and family jumped on the Hogwarts Express and we bonded over theoretical discussions like so many games of exploding snap. At times there were fierce arguments, mostly about Snape's true allegiance. By the way, I was totes right and there was really no reason to get so hostile. You know who you are. I held parties where I turned the dining room into the Great Hall complete with dangling paper candles. We decorated t-shirts, consumed pumpkin cookies, treacle fudge and more recently pumpkin margaritas which were actually quite tasty.

It was only natural that when Twilight came out my friends-who read it first-demanded I join them in their discussions. I obliged and read all four books the weekend Breaking Dawn was released. While Twilight will never be what Harry Potter is to me, I don't regret it one bit. The saga has provided similar discussions and celebrations. For example, Twilight came out in theaters and we had an epic thread of Facebook messages going for weeks after.

Tonight I'm going to see Breaking Dawn Part One with two friends from college. But before the movie we will be making Red Velvet Whoopie Pies-because they are the color of blood and delicious. There will also be a Breaking Dawn Signature cocktail, it's basically a hurricane with plenty of grenadine. The idea being Bella drinks blood to stop her unborn fetus from slowly killing her, so we shall drink blood-tinis to dull the pain to our ears when teenage girls emit high pitched shrieks in the audience. I love teenagers, but why do they do that at the movies?

I chose not to go the straw and sippy cup route.

As I write this blog post, two friends and family members are reading The Hunger Games. I think they are among the last of my circle to read the series and I am bouncing on my heels waiting for them to finish. I need to discuss. I need to relive the series again-this time with friends.

With the official Hunger Games trailer just released on Monday for the movie coming out in four short months, I am preparing for yet another book series to movie series string of social events. I mean look at that trilogy-so many food and drink options for themed-parties.

Who knows what will be next? It will be a while, but I am gonna cast my vote for Divergent.

Do you have any guesses for the next big book series to tackle the silver screen?



Have a great weekend and if you happen to make it out to see Breaking Dawn let me know your thoughts. We can discuss.

Book Report Monday: Matched

Title: Matched, Matched Trilogy #1

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Author: Ally Condie

Synopsis: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Likes: The Society, is a faceless entity that pulls all the strings in Cassia's world. They are always watching and compiling data about the citizens. As a lover of mathematics and statistics, I found the Society's ability to predict the expected outcome based on their data impressive. Their creepy controlling ways. . .not so much. 

The Officials who make sure everyone follows Society's rules are also citizens and can be punished by the Society. That makes me wonder, who is pulling the strings. I hope the rest of the series explains, who is in charge or are computers in charge and everyone just does what the supersmart program says to do?

The story kept me questioning what was next. I grew ever more appalled with the depth of the Society's determination of sameness. I grew to look toward Cassia's time spent on the hill as much as she did and I hoped for a magical solution to all the problems Cassia and her family and friends face.

I love the themes of strength and choice. At any age and in any society, I think it is important to examine if you are strong enough to take the risks, to make the choices, and to go in search of the life you want.

CROSSED, the sequel, will be out in November.

Favorite Line: "What is it about your voice that makes me want to hear you speak?"

Recommendations: If you like YA Dystopian you will of course love it. Also MATCHED reminded me of THE GIVER, I haven't read that in years but if you liked it, you will probably like MATCHED too.

Next Week: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Book Report Monday: Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

Title: Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale

Genre: Adult, Fairy Tale

Author: Carolyn Turgeon

Synopsis: The story of two very different women, one mortal, one mermaid, and the clash between worlds best kept apart... It is a cold day at the end of the world when a young woman, a princess in hiding, looks out across a Northern sea and sees something she could not have seen. It looks...it can't be. It looks like a mermaid's tail. And, as she looks more closely, she sees that the mermaid is dragging a drowning sailor in her arms. Because, only hours before, another princess, the daughter of the sea queen, has decided to risk everything and take a look at the world above the sea: the world of mortals. And there she finds a storm, a shipwreck, a sailor, and sets in train events which will change both women's worlds forever. From Goodreads

Why did I pick it up?: I spent the weekend at the shore and Mermaids are my Summer Reading.


Favorite Line: "The sun was a dull ache behind a veil of gray and silver."

Likes: Mermaid is short, only 240 pages, and familiar, as it is a retelling of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. It is a great refresher course on underwater life and the struggle between sea and land that plagues many mermaids.

Rules to Turgeon's take on mermaid mythology are sprinkled throughout the novel, never overwhelming the story, just enough to make me want more details.

Margrethe, the Princess who wants to marry the Prince and unite their kingdoms, is not a villain. I wanted them both to win, which surprised me. I thought, like in the Disney version, the mermaid would be the heroine but both women are protagonists.

It reads like Magical Realism (love) and was great for the beach. It was overcast and colder than I expected on the beach and the first part of the book takes place in the North, where it is freezing. Come to think of it, maybe that added to my own feeling of cold...

Complaints: The cover is misleading. In the novel, the mermaid, Lenia, has hair so blond it is almost white and is frequently referred to as moon-colored. I think the cover is supposed to allude to Ariel, who of course has red hair. I would have liked to read more about Prince Christopher, he comes off as a two dimensional character. His situation is intriguing, but his personality is not shown much. The story is not about him, but I would have liked to know more. I guess that is a sign, she gives the right amount of details on his character.

Recommendation: Read it on the beach!


Next Week: Matched by Ally Condie

Book Report Monday: The House at Riverton

Title: The House at Riverton

Author: Kate Morton

Synopsis: In her cinematic debut novel, Kate Morton immerses readers in the dramas of the Ashbury family at their crumbling English country estate in the years surrounding World War I, an age when Edwardian civility, shaken by war, unravels into the roaring Twenties. Grace came to serve in the house as a girl. She left as a young woman, after the presumed suicide of a famous young poet at the property's lake. Though she has dutifully kept the family's secrets for decades, memories flood back in the twilight of her life when a young filmmaker comes calling with questions about how the poet really died--and why the Ashbury sisters never again spoke to each other afterward. With beautifully crafted prose, Morton methodically reveals how passion and fate transpired that night at the lake, with truly shocking results. Her final revelation at the story's close packs a satisfying (and not overly sentimental) emotional punch.

Why did I pick it up?: I am a sucker for a long story that can keep my attention for 400+ pages. I had this on my list to read for over a year, when I was in an independent bookstore and the woman there recommended it and Kate Morton's second novel, The Forgotten Garden.

Favorite Line: "It is a universal truth that no matter how well one knows a scene, to observe it from above is something of a revelation."

Likes: I loved Grace's voice. Very detailed, easy to fall into the time and place she describes.

Complaints: Parts of the story did drag, for me. I don't usually get pulled into historical settings, unless there is some character making dirty jokes or a rivetting, fast-action plot that somehow weaves in time travel or vampires. For me, certain plot twists, were apparent very early on. It was frustrating that the whole book was built around one event but I loved how the details were sprinkled teasingly leading up to the very end when you get all the facts.

Recommendation: Jennifer Donnelly fans would love this, it reminded me of her stories though Morton's characters are far more refined than the Finnegans. I would still read her second book, The Forgotten Garden, I was told it was even better than the first.

Next Week: All the Names by Jose Saramago

Book Report Monday: The Thieves of Manhattan

Title: The Thieves of Manhattan

Author: Adam Langer

Synopsis: Aspiring writer Ian Minot toils in a New York City diner, enraged because he can't get published. His jealousy is pushed to the edge because he suspects the bestselling memoir about drug addiction and being in a gang by no-talent Blade Markham is a fake. Then Ian's Romanian girlfriend, Anya Petrescu, easily finds a publisher for her short stories. Ian becomes the latest author to be embroiled in a headline-making literary scam when he can't resist a scheme in which he passes off another man's novel about a valuable manuscript as his own memoir. The consummate con game takes a deadly turn after Ian realizes he doesn't understand the ramifications of his book nor does he control his emerging career. Part Bright Lights, Big City, part The Grifters, this delicious satire of the literary world is peppered with slang so trendy a glossary is included.

Why did I pick it up?: An editor friend recommended it as a must-read for anyone remotely involved or interested with book publishing.

Favorite Line: "This book was brilliant, Templen said, so raw and so true; when he read one of Blade Markham's prison scenes, he practically palahniuked all over his desk."


Likes: I loved how the story and characters evolved, the book is broken up into three sections: Fact, Fiction and Memoir. A few of the twists I foresaw but not until a few pages before the main character does. I laughed out loud at the glossary of terms in the back. Most of which are authors names turned into nouns and verbs. Even the ones I was unfamiliar with were easy to figure out within the context.

Complaints: The book may not be as entertaining as it was for me to someone with no prior knowledge of the publishing process but it would still be a worthwhile read nonetheless.


Recommendation: It's a fast-paced, entertaining book and only 250 pages. I definitely recommend it to anyone but particularly to bookies.

Next Week: The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Book Report Monday

Always an avid reader I once read two or more books a week. Now I spend a great deal of my free time writing but I still manage to read a book a week. I am going to make an attempt to post a review every Monday of the prior week's read. Hopefully this will entice me to read more. Without further ado, here is the first week's report.

Title: The Witch of Portobello

Author: Paulo Coelho

Synopsis: "The story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by many who knew her well-or hardly at all." The book is framed as a set of interviews conducted with those who knew Athena, who is dead as the book opens. Athena learns to harness the spiritual powers that have been present but inchoate within her, and the story picks up as she searches for her own solace in peace or love and acquires a teacher and disciples as she and the book speed toward a spectacular end.

Why did I pick it up?: The cover and the title were enough to have me snatch it off the shelf. I was intrigued by the main character's name as well, having already christened one of my own characters with the pseudonym Athena. I guess I am an easy sell.

Favorite Line: "Because the hand that draws each line reflects the soul of the person making that line."

Likes: I loved the way the story read like a regular narrative and not like a collection of firsthand accounts, which it was. The story switches hands naturally and the five main story tellers have beautifully distinct voices. Though each time the reins were passed on the teller's name was listed I eventually did not need to know because their voices told me who they were. Also, the dialogue was engaging and provoking. Through dialogue is the only time we know what the main character, Athena, is thinking and feeling. The conversations are very focused on spiritual understanding, the meaning of love, life's purpose and a myriad of similarly hefty topics but the characters' views and opinions come off as believable and not heavy handed or forced.

Complaints: The first set of interviews (or the first 14 pages) felt like interviews. Wide statements are made about Athena and the mystery surrounding her death. While it did serve to entice my curiosity about the woman and her story, I worried the whole book would be filled with out of step rantings. However Athena's mother takes over and the story flows chronologically from then on. So, it's a very small complaint, but the quality of the last 254 pages made the beginning 14 feel disconnected.

Recommendation: I loved this book. Anyone who loves a good story, appreciates beautiful writing, or who is interest in Wiccan or New Age Ideology would enjoy this compelling story.


Next Week: The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer