Sarah Laurence

Spring at Last in Maine

2013-05-08T06:59:00.000-04:00

When we returned from England in late April, there was an overnight frost. Slowly the temperature warmed to the 60s, greening the grass. As usual, our forsythia (above) was the first to bloom along with the crocuses. Wild violets (below) have been popping up everywhere. I got my bike out of the shed, and walking the dog was no longer a chore. Today the azaleas are opening and our cherry tree is budding. The sky has been blue for days, but I'm welcoming rain in the forecast.

Last week my new agent sent me notes on my British novel, the one I researched during my family's Oxford sabbatical. I started writing it as women's fiction, and 100 page later, decided the story would work better for teens. My former agent is no longing representing young adult fiction so I switched to an agent who specializes in children's books.

It was the right move. I'm inspired to see how much better my book can be...with some hard work. There are lines to cut, scenes to move and new passages to write. Who knew I overuse "even" and eye rolls (my mom is laughing)? If I'm offline, I'm either typing in a deliriously happy frenzy or outside enjoying the late bloomers. No eye rolls.

Happy Spring!

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

2013-05-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

In A Tale for the Time Being author Ruth Ozeki inserts herself as a character in her novel. This narrative device works because Ozeki is quite interesting herself: she's an indie film maker, an award winning novelist and a Zen Buddhist priest. Born in 1956 in New Haven, Connecticut to a Japanese mother and an American father, Ozeki has lived and worked in both the USA and Japan. She currently resides in New York City and on the remote island in Canada, where her novel/memoir is set.

In the book's opening, Ozeki discovers a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed onto the beach. Inside are letters in antiquated Japanese, a French composition book, a wind-up watch and a diary written mostly in English. The narrative alternates between the journal entries and Ozeki's search for the 16-year-old Japanese girl who wrote the diary. Humorous anecdotes about living on a remote island in Canada make it easier to get through a story of abuse and neglect. Like Ruth, I kept turning the pages to learn what happened to Nao, pronounced and symbolically "now."

"Print is predictable and impersonal, conveying information in a mechanical transaction to the reader's eye. Handwriting, by contrast, resists the eye, reveals its meaning slowly, and is as intimate as skin."

Nao grew up in California, but after the dot com bubble burst, she returned with her impoverished parents to Tokyo. At school she is bullied for being too American, and even her teacher does nothing to stop the harassment. In Japan there is a word for ritual bullying: ijime. Nao's father is too depressed and her mother too overworked to help her. The only person who reaches out to Nao is her Aunt Jiko, an 104-year-old Zen Buddhist nun. The best part is the summer that Nao spends with Jiko at her temple.

"Have you ever bullied a wave?" Jiko asked me at the beach.

Stylistically, A Tale for the Time Being is an unusual mix of fact and fiction. There are footnotes and appendixes explaining Japanese terms, Zen Buddhism, western philosophy and even Quantum Mechanics. In sharp contrast to this academic approach, Ozeki tosses in a bit of magical realism. It's an odd juxtaposition, but she makes it work in a way that reminded me of Haruki Murakami, one of my favorite authors. Like Murakami, Ozeki is fascinated with the seedy underworld and uses surreal devices to flip between contemporary Japan and horrific scenes from World War II. Cats and occasionally birds play pivotal roles. However, Ozeki's personal blend of memoir and fiction makes her work original.

Given all the stereotyping of Japanese women in western literature, I loved these lines from Nao's first journal entry:

"Everything I write will be historically true and empowering to women, and not a lot of foolish geisha crap. So if kinky nasty things are your pleasure, please close this book and give it to your wife or co-worker and save yourself a lot of time and trouble."

A Tale for the Time Being is an important addition to the emerging genre of Bully Lit. Too many stories about bullying have fairytale endings in which the bully is justly punished or realizes the errors of his/her ways, but this novel offers no clean resolution. Instead, Ozeki draws a parallel between schoolroom bullying in 2000 and Japan's treatment of young kamikaze soldiers in the 1940s. By linking bullying to wartime atrocities, the author gives broader meaning and cultural context to the issue.

As a victim of childhood bullying myself, if not nearly as severe, I found Ozeki's novel only too believable. Reading a book like this back then would have helped me cope, although the scenes of child prostitution, torture and sexual deviancy mark this book as adult literary fiction. Nothing is gratuitous or titillating, but it was still hard to read. I had to take restorative breaks.

By the book's end, I felt like I'd corresponded with Ozeki personally. It was hard to believe that Nao wasn't real too. My only criticism was the the ending lacked full closure, but that was intentional. I can't stop thinking about this marvelous book. A Tale for the Time Being inspires me as a writer too.

Reviewer's Disclaimer: I bought this book at Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine.

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@Barrie Summy

Revision Watch: author John McPhee has a fabulous essay in last week's New Yorker on the painful process of writing a first draft and the art of copyediting: "Draft No. 4".

England in Springtime

2013-04-24T18:02:00.000-04:00

Hello, I'm back! We've been in England visiting my in-laws, who live on this gorgeous stretch of the
Thames River. This is the village where my husband grew up.

For provisions we headed to Wallingford (photo above), which hasn't changed much since medieval times. We easily found wellies (rubber boots) for my daughter but not a replacement headset for her iPod. I highly recommend the antique arcade and the Wallingford Bookshop. Agatha Christie lived outside this charming town. My mother-in-law, an occupational therapist, used to help care for her.

My daughter was amused to find a supermarket aisle devoted to tea and snapped this photo. I tasted a Cornish cheese called yarg, wrapped in nettles. I have a special interest in all thing Cornish since the young adult novel I'm revising is set in Cornwall.

For "research" my husband and I had to visit the Catherine Wheel, a favorite pub in Goring-on-Thames.

Back in the day, food was cooked directly over the fire.

The hidden men's room.

Amos sings along to opera and pop.

When we tired of the singing dog, we took the train to London. After watching a superb performance of
Gorky's Children of the Sun at the National Theatre, we admired the view from the Millenium Bridge.

The weather was damp and chilly,
but the sun came out for
my husband's birthday party.

The best part of our visit was
catching up with family
and old friends.
I met Sherry and Safia
during my junior year abroad in London.

If you live in the UK or Japan,
check out Safia's fair trade clothing company:
People Tree.
She's wearing one of her dresses
in hand woven fabric.

England, I already miss you. Photo by my daughter.

What are your favorite books?

2013-04-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

My friend Cathy (right of me) is opening a bookstore in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and she is asking for our help:

"I am getting ready to place my opening order for Main Point Books and was looking for some help to make the initial order more interesting. Would you send me a list of your 3 favorite books of all time and your 3 favorite books this year (a longer or shorter list is completely fine)? If you have time and can write a sentence or two about why you loved the book that would also be extremely helpful. I am hoping to have shelf talkers about many of the books."

- Cathy Fiebach

My book recommendations follow. Please add yours in the comments and pass on the good news!

Favorite Books of All Time for Adults (so hard to choose!)

The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Murakami's innovative novels inspired me to try writing fiction myself. His realistic characters struggle to make sense of the surreal landscape of modern Tokyo with yakuza gangsters, elusive women and enigmatic cats.

A Secret History by Donna Tart

This novel captured the love of learning and the charm of a New England college campus. A murder mystery added intrigue and danger.

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

A contemporary tale set in eastern India where deified tigers roam free and viciously wild in tidal country. The tough Indian-American heroine has come in search of the elusive river dolphin. She hires an illiterate fisherman whose knowledge runs deeper than the hidden pools. The lyrical prose is as captivating and enchanting as the story.

Favorite Books for Adults from the Past Year

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (review coming soon)

Favorite Young Adult Books of All Time

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne's friendship with Diana, her slow building romance with Gilbert and the gorgeous island setting made this a childhood favorite. The 6 books in the series follow Anne from her adoption as a headstrong young girl to adulthood.

The Arm of The Starfish & A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle

Adam Eddington, a student of marine biology, was my biggest book crush as a teen. I loved how L'Engle's novels featured smart girls who loved science and books but were a bit awkward in love. That was my life.

New classics which inspired me to write young adult fiction:

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Favorite Young Adult Books from the Past Year

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Small Damages by Beth Kephart

Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

A Wonderful Middle Grade Book from Last Year

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

An ordinary boy with a disfiguring birth defect starts school in 5th grade. The reaction of his classmates spotlights the cruelty of middle school and the ability of people to rise above it. I don't usually read MG fiction, but I picked it up in our local bookstore and couldn't put it down. This engaging novel deserves its number one spot on the NYT bestseller list.

Maine Point Books is due to open by early June. Please share your book suggestions with Cathy in the comment section or add a link to your own post. Nonfiction and gardening books are welcome too. Thanks for your help!

Reviewer's Disclaimer: Author Maria Padian is a friend and Beth Kephart is a blog buddy. I borrowed or received free ARCs of their books and of Flight Behavior for review purposes. The other books I purchased for myself. I happily agreed to advise Cathy on young adult books for her bookstore without compensation.

Note: I'll be taking a one-week blog vacation for my kids' spring break. Next post: April 24th.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

2013-04-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

In Just One Day by Gayle Forman, an American ditches a dull teen tour to run off with a Shakespeare actor from Holland. Allyson's romantic fantasy becomes a nightmare when Willem abandons her in Paris. Back in the USA for college, she circles into depression. Her helicopter mom expects Allyson to follow her father along the premed path, but the former straight-A student can't handle the advanced coursework. Her endless moping over Willem alienates her roommates too.

The one class that motivates Allyson is a Shakespeare elective. As Allyson contemplates the theme of identity in the plays, she realizes that what she misses isn't only Willem, but the free-spirited girl she was around him. In a logical leap that only a teenaged girl could make, Allyson decides that to find herself she must find the guy who abandoned her, even if this means defying her parents.

"And this is the truth. I may be only eighteen, but it already seems pretty obvious that the world is divided into two groups: the doers and the watchers. The people things happen to and the rest of us, who just sort of plod on with things."

Just One Day is a good example of an emerging genre called New Adult Fiction. The characters are no longer in high school but not quite independent adults either. There are consequences from risky behavior (street brawls, drinking and hook ups), but the teen characters don't necessarily learn from their mistakes. In this innovative novel, the search for identity is like an audition in which the characters try on different personalities and sexual orientations like clothes.

Just One Day brought back a lot of memories for me. The summer after high school, I traveled around Europe with my friends staying in hostels, watching opera in Roman ruins, dancing in night clubs and going to a black tie dinner at an American embassy in a rumpled black sundress. During a term off from college, I also had a relationship with a gorgeous Dutchman who then disappeared from my life. Unlike Allyson, I didn't pin all my happiness on being with a guy, although I did relate to the challenge of transitioning to life at college and to the emotional turbulence of those years.

I'd recommend this young adult/new adult novel to mature teens and to adults who want to remember what it felt like to be swept away by the awe of discovery. The descriptions of Europe were so realistic that you can taste the gourmet food. Author Gayle Forman worked as a journalist abroad; she knows her settings and she knows her teens. She writes really well too. A sequel told in Willem's voice, Just One Year, will be released on October 15, 2013. I'd also recommend Forman's If I Stay, which has a sequel in the guy's voice (Where She Went).

Reviewer's Disclaimer: I bought this book on its release (January, 2013) without compensation.

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@Barrie Summy

Mud Season in Maine

2013-03-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

March and April is mud season in Maine.

Rivers thaw, snow melts and fields brown.

Every step is slippery or squelchy,

And a question mark of snow remains.

Tides ripple the sand, promising summer.

Only my dog misses winter.

Blog Watch for seasonal blues: Les@Tidewater Garden hosted his annual winter walk off. Sapphire shared cherry blossom season in Japan. Petra revisited summery Lhota in the Czech Republic. Pamela@From the House of Edward posted a whimsical list for spring.

Longfellow Books Survives Blizzard Nemo

2013-03-20T06:56:00.000-04:00

It has been a long winter in Maine. Yet another snowstorm (8 inches) shut schools yesterday. Last month Nemo dumped more than 30 inches in Portland, but Mainers are usually prepared for harsh weather. Human negligence was a greater hazard. The tenants above Longfellow Books had left a window open during the storm, causing the pipes to freeze and the sprinkler system to go off. Firefighters rushed to the rescue, but thousands of books were already ruined.

When the tragic story was shared on Facebook, readers and authors rallied to help. Josh Bodwell at Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance coordinated a fundraiser with a cash mob, online donations and a sold-out literary event at Space Gallery, featuring Maine literati: Richard Russo, Monica Wood, Ron Currie Jr., Bill Roorbach, Brock Clarke, actress Moira Driscoll and others behind the scene. Longfellow Books reopened after three days. Thanks to everyone who helped!

A good independent bookstore offers more than books; the bookseller is a connoisseur stocking quality literature. On this display table at Longfellow Books, I discovered The Indigo Notebook, and author Laura Resau, became one of my favorites. Longfellow stocks both new and used books, and browsing in a well organized store with informed staff is the best way to shop. Booksellers have told me horrific tales of people scanning the titles with their phones to order online. Indie bookstores are an endangered species so if you value them, support them. Indifference is a greater threat than a blizzard.

My latest purchase at Longfellow Books was a March 12th release, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, after reading a glowing review in The New York Times. The trailer features the author, who also appears as a character in her novel.

Spring begins with the vernal equinox at 7:02 AM today. My backyard didn't get that update.

Grammar, Identity and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive with Phuc Tran

2013-03-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Imagine life without WHAT IF...

Phuc Tran was a child refugee from the Vietnam War, moving with his family to Pennsylvania in 1975. He now lives in Maine, where he teaches Latin and works as a tattoo artist too. Phuc is one of the most interesting and articulate people I've ever known. He's also modest. I've only just learned of his TEDx talk in which he shared his experience of immigration and assimilation. In the clip below Phuc explains how living without the subjunctive tense can change the way you approach life.

"The subjunctive allows us to be creative, but it also allows us to become mired in regret." - Phuc Tran

The talk is 14 minutes long so pour yourself a cup of tea. Be careful not to choke on laughter.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

2013-03-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Harpswell Cove, Maine

Elizabeth Strout excels at creating unlikable but emotionally compelling characters, each one uniquely fallible and true to life. Her books speak to me personally since some are set in New York City, where I grew up, and all are set in Maine, my home of 15 years. A Maine native, Bates College graduate and former lawyer, Strout resides primarily in NYC and writes beautifully about what she knows. Her latest novel, The Burgess Boys, lived up to my high expectations (in stores on March 26, 2013).

Central Park, New York City

Kind Bob and slick Jim grew up poor in Maine and are now lawyers in New York City. Their estranged sister, Susan, remained in Shirley Falls, a working class town (modeled on Lewiston) with a recent influx of refugees from Somalia. Brewing racial tension boils over when Susan's teenaged son, Zach, tosses a pig head into a Muslim mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. A testament to Strout's literary skill and audacity, Zach is a surprisingly sympathetic character. His deplorable act is put in perspective as the European-American and Somali-American characters strive to understand a culture foreign to theirs.

The Burgess Boys taught me a lot about Somalis (NOT Somalians) and their history of civil war, second wave migration and struggles to retain their culture (ie. to be Somalis and not "hyphenated people: Somali-American.") The book is narrated from multiple limited points of view, including a Somali elder and a Somali mother. The author also jumps inside the heads of "liberal" New Yorkers, whose initial concern for the Somalis fades into smug indifference. The most likable character in the book is Margaret, a minister who seeks to bridge the racial gap, but even she is lampooned for using The Bible as a window jam. It makes her human. The multiple head hopping was rarely confusing and added depth and texture to the story without losing the focus on the central characters. Most of the book follows "bighearted" Bob Burgess and the people important to him.

Given the initial set up, I was expecting a novel about racism and religious intolerance, but The Burgess Boys is first and foremost a book about dysfunctional family. The pig head incident works primarily as a plot catalyst to bring the three siblings together in Maine. This present day crisis is framed by a tragedy from their past, which overshadows their lives and contorts their relationships. One small weakness, in this otherwise well structured novel, is that the pig head plot line was too easily resolved. Also the prologue was unnecessary and contained spoilers. I'd save the prologue for when you finish this marvelous book and wish there were more pages to read.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout glitters with literary diamonds:

My backyard in March

"He thought of the people in the world who felt saved by city. He was one of them. Whatever darkness leaked its way in, there were always lights on in different windows here, each light like a gentle touch on his shoulder saying, Whatever is happening, Bob Burgess, you are never alone."

"About the Somalis, a few townspeople did not speak at all: They were to borne as one borne bad winters or the price of gasoline or a child who turned out badly. Others were not so silent."

"The November sun - not high in the sky, but coming at the town from an angle - sliced across the streets, across the lawns that were still green, fell on half-sunken pumpkins left on stoops from Halloween, shone against the tree trunks and their bare limbs, beamed through the clear air, making mica specks in the old sidewalks glitter."

"She pictured a dandelion gone by, the white, almost airless pieces of her family scattered so far. The key to contentment was to never ask why; she had learned that long ago."

"The facts didn't matter. Their stories mattered, and each of their stories belonged to each of them alone."

Reviewers Disclosure: I met Elizabeth Stout when she gave a talk at our library about writing her 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner, Olive Kitteridge, and two other novels. She was charming, intelligent and modest and nothing like her overbearing, smug characters. Publisher Weekly has a fascinating biographical essay on Elizabeth Strout. I borrowed an ARC of The Burgess Boys from my friend, Maria Padian, who has written another wonderful book about Somalis in Maine, Out of Nowhere, but hers is young adult fiction. I'd recommend reading the two books together; both are excellent.

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@Barrie Summy

A Narnia Winter

2013-02-27T07:18:00.001-05:00

Over February vacation my daughter (pictured) and I drove two hours north to Sugarloaf Mountain.
The peak was hidden in frozen mist. After one miserable day of white-outs, we abandoned downhill
for cross-country skiing at the base. Away from the crowds and the chairlifts, it felt like stepping
through the wardrobe into Narnia. The snow fell light and soft on empty trails.

The Sugarloaf Outdoor Center has 90 km of groomed Nordic trails with warming huts serving hot cocoa and tea.
The base lodge has homemade soups, oven roasted turkey on fresh baked bread and apple brownies.
Yep, skiing is all about the food.

I worked up an appetite trying to keep up with the 40th fastest girl skier in state division C.
My daughter patiently halved her pace to my poky 8 km/hour and gave me helpful pointers.
She'll make a fine captain of the Nordic Ski Team next year (announced last night!)

When we returned home, our driveway was hidden under a foot of fresh snow.

The trees were frosted white. I stood for a moment in awe of the familiar transformed.

Best of all, my husband had done all the shoveling and tidied the mudroom.

Bluebird sky returned as my kids headed reluctantly back to school.

Scout led the way into the woods, wagging her tail.
I'm trying to train her to run outside the tracks.

The early morning light was blue and the air was still.
Snow showered down from the drooping pines randomly.

I couldn't have dreamed of a moment this beautiful so close to home.

At the cove I paused to listen to the Canada geese. Then I followed my tracks back the way I'd come.
More snow is falling this morning through Friday; hopefully it won't turn to rain. I love a real winter!

Blog Watch: Congratulations to Hana @Mama Shujaa for her story published in African Roar 2012! My friend and neighbor Susie Dorn is asking for suggestions on 50 books to read before turning 50. Congratulations to Carol@Flower Hill Farm on the birth of her grandson! Les@A Tidewater Gardener is hosting his annual Winter Walk-Off through March 19; this post is joining as a ski-off!

Recipe for Shepherd's Pie with Beef, Ale and Mushrooms

2013-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

A juvenile bald eagle sometimes joins us on our daily ski to Harpswell Cove but not when I bring my camera.

My daughter took this photo of me.

Winter sports build up a big appetite. After Nemo dumped 26 inches of snow, I've been skiing every day with my friends and our dogs. My kids are on their school's Nordic Ski team. A crowd pleaser for the whole family is my husband's Shepherd's Pie. Henry (a Brit) crafted this recipe from his memory of the pub classic. The dark ale adds a special flavor, and Hobgoblin is one of our favorite British imports. You can also substitute another dark ale like Guinness; this dish is popular in Ireland too. The alcohol will evaporate with cooking so it's fine for the kids. I usually drink Hobgoblin with the meal and toast the marvelous chef. Cheers!

Ingredients:

1 ½ - 2 lbs minced beef (low fat eg 94%)

1 medium onion and/or 1 leek, chopped small

2-3 carrots, sliced

1- 2 stalks celery, chopped small

large handful of mushrooms, chopped to taste

½ tsp salt + fresh ground pepper

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

½ tsp fresh thyme (dried is ok)

1-2 tsps (approx) fresh rosemary, chopped fine (dried is NOT ok!)

2 tbs flour

1 tbs tomato paste

½ - ¾ 12 oz bottle Hobgoblin or other dark ale

¼ - ½ cup chicken broth

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (or Soy Sauce, or steak sauce)

1 tsp redcurrant jelly

1-2 tsps dijon mustard

½ cup each of frozen peas + frozen corn

3-4 large russet potatos, peeled and quartered + some butter and milk

Cooking Instructions:

Set oven to 400%

Boil the potatos in lightly salted water till cooked (piercable by a knife, about 15-20 mins).
Mash with about ½ tbs butter and some milk.

Brown the meat in a large casserole/dutch oven over medium heat with some olive oil, adding the onions/leeks, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic and finally the herbs and salt/pepper.

Add flour and stir together.

Add tomato paste, then ale, cook till it reaches boiling (and the alcohol boils off) then add stock until you’ve got the right consistency (firmish)

Add mustard, worcestershire and redcurrant seasonings to taste

Cover and cook over v. gentle heat for 15-20 mins

Add frozen peas and corn

Put in a casserole dish, top with the mashed pots (make sure the top is totally sealed by the pots, or the meat will spill over)

Brush lightly with butter (if wanted) and roughen the surface with a fork to get better browning plus crispier top

Cook in oven until browned, about 20 mins.

It tastes much better than it looks!

Click on the "recipe" label below to find more of Henry's recipes. He's a wonderful cook.

Recipe Watch: check out Gloria @ Canela's Kitchen. She posts her recipes in both English and Spanish. We have a special interest in her Chilean recipes since that is part of my husband's ethnic heritage.

Beautiful Creatures movie review & Blizzard photos

2013-02-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Three years ago I reviewed Beautiful Creatures on its print debut and interviewed the authors, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Yesterday I went to a prescreening of the movie adaptation, which will be released on Valentine's Day. Familiar elements were the star-crossed lovers and the casters (the politically correct term for witches and wizards), but the deep south setting with Gothic undertones made this young adult novel unique. Dripping moss, crumbling tombstones, a dilapidated plantation and a timeless small town translated well to the big screen.

Richard LaGravenese's clever screenplay was true to the spirit of the book with a few modifications. Alice Englert (Jane Campion's daughter and a dead ringer for Debra Winger) was well cast as caster Lena, bringing more heart to the character than she had on the page. Alden Ehrenreich is a likable Ethan, a popular jock who reads Kurt Vonnegut and dreams of college. His bond with Lena is as much intellectual as passionate, quite unusual for a teen movie. Amma, played by the superb Viola Davies, is now the librarian. I missed Amma's southern cooking, but that was worth sacrificing to avoid the cliché of the big-hearted African American maid. Sadly, there is only a hint of her voodoo magic. Uncle Macon, no longer a vampire, is a more compelling character played by Jeremy Irons. The actress who steals the show is Emma Thompson, delighting in her wicked role.

Beautiful Creatures is a teen movie that parents won't mind seeing with the kids. The few violent scenes are not especially graphic and sex is barely implied, making it appropriate for tweens as well. The special effects, although quite cool, are a bit distracting; this is a big budget Hollywood production. The literary tie-in To Kill a Mockingbird is weaker in the movie, but it's still there. For complexity and depth, a 563-page novel beats a two-hour movie. Still, fans of the book won't be disappointed, and hopefully the movie will lead more teens to discover the marvelous book, the first in a series, so expect sequel movies too.

Reviewers Disclosure: I watched a free prescreening but was not paid to write this review.

For those of you who asked how Maine fared in Blizzard Nemo:

Our back deck

Henry shoveling after 6 hours

Scout in the backyard with 26 inches of snow

Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian

2013-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian tackles the issue of post 9/11 prejudice toward Muslims in America. In this soon to be released young adult novel, Somali war refugees are pouring into Enniston, Maine. This working class town can barely house the impoverished families let alone educate the shell-shocked children, who barely speak English. Ethnic tensions flair when the mayor makes a plea in the newspaper to discourage Somalis from inviting more family members and friends to her overwhelmed community.

As the teenaged protagonist reflects, "You gotta wonder who the genius was that came up with the plan to put a bunch of Africans in Maine, the coldest, whitest state in America."

For Tom the issue becomes personal when a legal challenge is made to block Somalis from playing varsity soccer. His team's best player, Saeed, is Enniston's only hope for beating their rich, entitled rivals from Maquoit. Other problems ensue when the fasting month of Ramadan falls in soccer season and also when Tom is made to do 100 hours of community service tutoring Somalis after he vandalizes Maquoit High School. As Tom struggles to understand a foreign culture, he begins questioning his own values and those of his family, friends, girlfriend and neighbors.

All the characters were well developed and multi-dimensional, with the sole exception of Tom's girlfriend, Cherisse. I couldn't believe that a smart, empathetic boy like Tom would date a mean girl only because she was hot, but then again, I'm not a teenaged boy. Myla (a college student) and Samira (Saeed's smart sister), who volunteer with Tom, were more compelling female characters. Tom's Franco-Maine family was also well portrayed. The writing was pitch perfect for teens:

"He [Saeed] pronounced each word hesitantly. As if it were a new food he was tasting for the first time."

"The other two guys? I didn't know them, but word from Ismail was that they were dipshits, too. So what we all knew was that the fight on the bus had nothing to do with race or religion. It was pure asshole-ness. Of course 'Assholes Fight' is not a newspaper-selling headline in the post-9/11 world. 'Ethnic Tensions Flare' sure is."

"You know, Captain, outside of your family I doubt anyone much cares where or whether you go to college," Myla continued. "But as a healthy, smart white male growing up in one of the safest, most prosperous countries in the world, you know what? You have a moral obligation to do something worthwhile with your life and not be an asshole. Just sayin.'"

Some readers might be put off by the swearing and underaged drinking in the opening pages, but this book is deeply grounded in morality and in religion, both Islamic and Catholic. There are consequences to reckless behavior, and the characters eventually learn from their mistakes. Some problems, however, are less easily resolved, reflecting the real world.

The Somali diaspora and a mayor's plea in the local newspaper happend for real in Lewiston, Maine back in 2002. Author Maria Padian, who has a background in journalism as well as in young adult fiction, spent weeks in Lewiston and in Portland getting to know Somali families and the community volunteers. In the real world, Maine is making progress. Somali students at my children's school are well integrated and are thriving in a tolerant, supportive atmosphere.

I read Out of Nowhere in 24 hours; it was that hard to put down. The story was richly textured and beautifully rendered. Here is real Maine, not "vacationland." I'd strongly recommend this book to teens as well as to adults. The complex themes would make for fascinating classroom and book group discussions about race, religion, immigration and class differences. It teaches toleration without sounding preachy.

Out of Nowhere will be reviewed in The New York Times Books section this coming weekend. The book and ebook will be released next week on February 13th, 2013.

Disclosure: Maria Padian is a friend, and I borrowed an ARC for review on my request. I'll be buying a hardcopy at our town's independent bookstore. Brava, Maria!

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@Barrie Summy

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

2013-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey should be read in winter by the fire. Set in 1920s frontier Alaska, this stunning debut is either historical fiction or magical realism, depending on your interpretation. Although based on a fairytale, The Snow Child was written for adults who never outgrew their love for a good story.

"Then they came to a frightening place, a stand of tall spruce where the air was dead and the shadows cold."

Do you remember the Russian fairytale about a barren couple who molds a child from snow? The snow child is their daughter until she melts in spring. It was Mabel's favorite story when she was young, but she'd forgotten how the grim ending echoes her personal narrative. Mabel fled to Alaska with Jack after the loss of their stillborn baby.

"Was that why they had come north - to build a new life? Or did fear drive her? Fear of the gray, not just in the strands of her hair and her wilting cheeks, but the gray that ran deeper, to the bone, so that she thought she might turn into a fine dust and simply shift away in the wind."

Jack fears that starting over in the wild frontier was a horrible mistake. He's not a young man anymore and farming is much harder than it was back in Pennsylvania. They risk absolute failure. Mabel and Jack still take delight in the first snowfall and craft a little girl out of snow. The next day, the snow girl is gone, leaving a track of small footprints into the woods. When Mabel insists she's seen a young girl darting amongst the snowy trees, Jack believes his lonely wife has succumbed to winter madness...until he sees the girl too.

A perfect pairing of fantasy and realism makes you believe. The travails of farming, trapping and housework are described in gritty detail, but there are poetic moments of transformative beauty too. Faini, the snow girl, is named for the twilight glow of an alpine sunset. Real or not, she is a wonderfully strong character, who lives off the land. The true heroes, however, are Mabel, Jack and their quirky neighbors, who work to exhaustion but still love their frontier existence.

The landscape reminded me of Maine and was true to my memories of Alaska, where I conducted research for my master's thesis. Even mud season is rendered with a naturalist's eye and poetic rhythm without slowing the pace:

"Here and there patches of snow still clung to the earth. Dwarf dogwood leaves and fern heads sprouted from the damp ground. Soon he heard the roar of the river, and when he neared the water, he saw soft, silvery pussy willows budding. He went to pick some from the limbs to bring back to Mabel, then remembered his grim task and kept walking."

Eowyn Ivey

Author Ewyn Ivey grew up in Alaska and is raising her family in the wilderness there. Her fascinating bio is here. The Snow Child (2012) is not only impressive for a debut, it's one of the best books I've ever read. It would make an excellent gift or a book group pick. I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

Reviewer's Disclosure: I bought my beautiful hardback copy from Gulf of Maine Books last summer but saved if for our first big snowfall. Thank you, Pamela, for the recommendation. Cat and Lisa, thanks for urging me to post this review.

SCBWI Watch: I'll be in NYC this weekend for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Winter Conference. Meg Rosoff and Julie Andrews are speakers. Is anyone else going to SCBWI?

Minus Four to Plus Four

2013-01-23T14:49:00.000-05:00

Brrr! It's cold even by Maine standards. Check out the thermometer at sunrise. When we awoke it was minus four; that's Fahrenheit not Celsius. Scout stuck only her head out the dog flap and then went back to bed. My intrepid husband walked her once it had warmed to zero.

Our kids bundled up in down coats, still grumbling about yesterday's aborted snow day. Arctic winds had blown the blizzard out to sea, just missing the coast. Schools were full of dozing students with incomplete homework. A teacher chided them, "Poor you, you didn't get a snow day because there is NO SNOW!" That woke a few.

We need a snow day desperately. Mother Nature gave us nearly two feet of white powder over December break, but all that is left is crusty tracks and slick ice. The midday skies are the intense, unfiltered blue of single digit weather. It is, at least, good writing weather. Tonight I shall read The Snow Child by the fire. Keep warm and do a snow dance!

P.S. thank you so much for your kind comments on my 6 Year Blog Anniversary post!

6 Year Blog Anniversary

2013-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging for six years. When I started in 2007, my aim was only to update friends and family about our adventures in England. My husband was taking a sabbatical at Oxford University, and I was gathering material for a novel about an American on her junior year abroad. Every week, I blogged about new and beautiful places. Many of you found me online back then and followed me home to Maine. I followed you all over the globe.

The best part of blogging is the diverse community. Last week's post on the Drinking Age in the UK vs the USA received comments about the laws in Hungary, Canada, Japan and Chile. Others shared their experiences of raising teens in the USA and in the UK. I'm grateful for all your comments and your fascinating posts. I have learned so much from you.

Another example of our community being helpfully informative was when I posted Advice to New Bloggers to guide a friend new to blogging. Over three years that post has gathered 72 comments with more helpful tips than I could have thought of on my own. I love how our words continue to live online and gather new responses.

Through blogging, I've connected with other writers who share my passion for books. On the first Wednesday of every month for nearly four years, author Barrie Summy has been hosting a book review club. In addition to that group, many of you recommend good books to me as well. Being online encourages me to read more offline too.

Your words and images inspire me. What I see, I want to share with you. I do not walk alone in the snowy fields thanks to your company.

So let me raise a virtual glass to say thank you.

Your lovely blogs, thoughtful comments and friendship have improved my life.

Cheers!

Cultural Differences: drinking age in the UK vs the USA

2013-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

My husband and kids at The Plough, our local pub in Wolvercote, Oxford

When my family was on sabbatical in England, I researched a young adult novel about an American girl who spends her junior year at a British boarding school. One of the reasons my protagonist is 16 is that's the legal age for beer and wine in the UK, as long as someone 18 or older buys, and it's consumed with a meal. This law makes pubs a popular place for families and teens, giving them a very different vibe from American bars, where the drinking age is 21.

lower Manhattan: my teen playground

To understand how my fictional character might react to a change in her legal status, I recalled my own teenaged years. Back in the 1980s, the legal age was 18 in NYC. Club reps used to hand out free passes to underage girls outside our high school. At Limelight, a church that became a dance club, a bouncer told my friends where we could buy fake ID. We were more interested in dancing than in drinking, but teens drank heavily in the 1980s. It felt more like the UK.

While I was in college, the legal drinking age was raised to 21 in the USA. I went from being of age to underage, and this varied by state. Drinking went underground at dorm keg parties, which was not my scene. The change in law brought new danger as underage binge drinkers were afraid to call for medical help.

The Rose and Crown in Oxford

I spent my junior year in London where pubs and college bars were a big part of the social scene. I frequently saw students as young as 16 drinking in the streets, often getting sick. It's a myth that starting younger encourages moderation with alcohol. Still, as a young woman, a pub was a more comfortable place to be than an American bar or keg party.

The Dartmouth Arms, North London

Once I became a parent, my view on teen drinking gained a new perspective. In Maine we live next door to a college dorm. Our yard becomes a recycling bin on weekends. Back in elementary school, my daughter once asked her brother, "Was so-and-so louder than a drunk college student?" It wasn't all bad. My kids believe that getting drunk is disgusting and embarrassing. Even in England, where my son can now drink legally, he orders a soda at the pub.

Our family has lived in both countries because my husband is British and an academic. It's been tricky coming up with cohesive rules for our kids. We discuss the risks of alcohol and drugs with our kids and ways to deal with peer pressure.

My biggest concern with underage drinking is drunk driving. In the UK the driving age is 17 and there are stiff fines for driving intoxicated and ubiquitous speed cameras. Most people live within walking distances of a pub, and there is an extensive network of nationally subsidized public transportation. In most of the USA, kids can drive at age 16 so underage drinking is a bigger problem. Teens are actually safer in a big city where no one has a car, let alone a license in high school. Perhaps the push should be for better public transportation to keep drunk drivers of all ages off the roads.

Update: be sure to check out the comments for info about drinking laws in other countries. Fascinating discussion! Do share more.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan

2013-01-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I'm happy to introduce you to a brand new author: Elizabeth LaBan's debut novel, The Tragedy Paper, is an enchanting wintery tale with sinister undertones. The release is well timed for January 8th, 2013.

A blizzard heralded Tim Macbeth's arrival to the elite Irving School, halfway through senior year. In the airport, his chance encounter with beautiful Vanessa snowballs into a tragedy. Tim's story is relayed on CD's left to Duncan, the student who inherits his dorm room. Duncan wishes to forget the role he played in last year's traumatic incident, but he can't resist listening to the CDs. Despite their Shakespearian names, this original story is not a retelling of Macbeth but rather an exploration of the narrative form of tragedy. At Irving, students write a tragedy paper senior year, and Tim promises that his story will inspire Duncan.

Tim is a wonderfully complex and sympathetic character. Born without pigment, he has physical challenges, such as a sensitivity to bright light, but his biggest problem is low self esteem. Tim assumes that being albino makes him an unlovable freak, although other than startled reactions from strangers and his lack of friends, there is no tangible evidence of prejudice in the book. I would have liked a flashback to an event that had traumatized him into being so reclusive, but his insecurities around a popular girl and his foolish behavior to impress her are generally relatable and true to teenaged boys. There is also plenty more to Tim than his disability. He's a sensitive, creative and kind person with a unique perspective on life.

I wish Duncan, the present day narrator, had been as well developed as Tim. Duncan seems to exist only as a narrative foil, reacting to Tim's story without carving out his own narrative arc. Often I had trouble marking the transition from one voice to another, but this might be a problem particular to the digital galley, which I read on my Kindle. Hopefully the final print version uses different fonts. Having Tim's voice in first person and Duncan's voice in third person meant I wasn't lost for long.

The Tragedy Paper reminded me of two other popular books, and I suspect it will do well. Using CD's to tell a story is a similar narrative device to the tapes in Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why. LaBan's novel also shared common elements with Donna Tartt's A Secret History, a favorite of mine in adult literary fiction. Both books share a gorgeous New England campus setting, a secret society, a charismatic teacher and a tragic story in the past. However, The Tragedy Paper's tragic event felt a bit anticlimactic after all the build up, perhaps in comparison to the other two books, or maybe because LaBan's story was geared to a younger audience. As such, The Tragedy Paper is appropriate for even preteens and would appeal to both boys and girls as well as adult readers of young adult fiction.

With its evocative, literary writing and true teen voice, The Tragedy Paper is an impressive debut. The cover art is gorgeous too. I'm curious to see what LaBan will write next. Disclosure: I received a free digital galley from NetGalley for review purposes.

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Winter Soltice on Popham Beach

2012-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

As the days fade to sunrise by sunset,

Colors glow in russet hues.

We choose to walk in empty spaces,

Where islands float in solitude,

Embering the lingering rays,

That wash dunes flat and grey.

But in the final moment,

The sun defies the solstice,

Painting winter in gaudy tones,

And reflecting infinite sky in endless sea.

Then into blackness, another year goes.

Festive Holidays and Happy New Year!

I'll be offline next week.

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Best YA Books of 2012 & One Favorite Book for Adults

2012-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy 12/12/12...I should have posted at noon!

A book makes the best holiday gifts if well matched to the reader. Buying for teenagers can be especially challenging. Luckily for the perplexed parents out there, I read a lot of young adult (YA) fiction since that is what I write. My gift suggestions aren't kids' books but complex, literary novels featuring teens making the transition to adulthood. These books would crossover well to an adult audience as well. I've thrown in one adult title, which would be appropriate for teens too. All the books were published in 2012. To read my full reviews, click on the title links.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein was the best book I read this year. Set in Nazi occupied France, this historical novel might be better suited for adults. What makes it YA is the age of the protagonists: the captured Scottish spy and her English pilot are both 18-year-old girls. The novel focuses on their friendship and their bravery. This is a book I will read a second time and pass onto my 15-year-old daughter when she's a bit older. My British husband loved it too.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is a tragic romance between two teenagers with cancer, but it made me laugh as much as it made me cry. Green is the only YA author that my 18-year-old son still reads (his Hanukkah request was Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace in adult literary fiction). Green's YA novel was also recommended by AARP for retired people. Both Green's and Wein's books made the best 2012 YA list in The New York Times.

If you're looking for a lighter story, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith was my favorite contemporary YA romance. An American teenager is seated beside a British Yale student on a flight to London. Their whimsical love story spans 24 jet lagged hours. My daughter enjoyed it too. A similar American-in-London romance is Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill.

Small Damages by Beth Kephart also transports the reader to a new world. A teenaged American girl is sent to Seville, Spain to face the consequences of an accidental pregnancy. This book has a marvelous sense of place with gorgeous, literary writing. It's a quiet, sunlit story meant to be savored.

In The Knife and the Butterfly by Ashley Hope Pérez, a teenaged boy faces the consequences of gang warfare. Violence, drugs and swearing make this book best suited to a mature audience. Nothing is gratuitous and this original novel delivers a strong moral message without sounding preachy. It would make a terrific gift for a teenaged boy.

As a teenager, one of my favorite authors was Barbara Kingsolver. Now she's my daughter's favorite adult author. Flight Behavior focuses on climate change, Monarch butterflies and a young woman's journey to finding herself. It was the best book for adults that I read this year and would be appropriate for young teen readers too. My mother, another Kingsolver fan, loved it as well.

Reviewer's Disclaimer: I received free ARCs of Small Damages, The Knife and the Butterfly and Flight Behavior for review purposes. I bought the other books myself. Beth Kephart and Ashley Hope Pérez are blog buddies.

Blog Watch authors: Keri Mikulski writes sporty romances for younger teens. Ellen Booraem writes middle grade fantasy. Alyssa Goodnight writes romantic fantasy for women. Barrie Summy, host of our blogger book review club, writes middle grade mysteries. David Cranmer edits, writes and publishes pulp fiction. Elizabeth Wix has self-published several novels for readers of varying ages. Pamela has self-published a lovely bound edition of essays from her blog, From the House of Edward; my aunt and uncle will get a copy for Christmas. What a talented group!

More Best 2012 YA Book Lists:
Kirkus Reviews
The Atlantic Wire
Good Reads

From the house of two religions: Happy Hanukkah!

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What was the best book you read this year?

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill: review and interview

2012-12-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Julia's dream visit to London had not included being partnered with her arch nemesis. Popular Jason will do anything for a laugh, especially at straight-A Julia's expense. When Jason accepts an invitation to a stranger's party, she feels compelled to go with her partner. Too hungover to enjoy sightseeing the next day, Julia regrets her choice. She gets a flirty text from Chris and can't even remember who he was. Jason offers to help her track down the mysterious British texter if she'll write his class papers. The two embark on a wild-text chase that leads them from a graffiti art skateboard park and to other quirky places.

The Cranley Hotel, London by Sarah Laurence

Meant to Be is Lauren Morrill's first novel, but she writes like a seasoned pro. She gets how teens act and talk today and knows what will appeal to her target audience. Her descriptions of London are spot on if a bit touristy, but that is appropriate for this story. Meant to Be is teen tour England. American girls will adore it. With its fun setting, snappy dialogue and slapstick humor, the book would translate well to the movie screen.

If there were an award for best use of cell phones in a novel, Meant to Be would win a trophy. Modern technology is a big problem for storytellers. Cell phones allow characters to connect too easily and texting can disrupt the narrative flow. This debut author cleverly exploits mobile phones to her narrative advantage. Every chapter starts with a text that drives the action. This was a smart editorial choice because readers will want to scroll back through those texts after reaching the final page. I can't explain why without a spoiler, but the ending is both hilarious and satisfying.

Lauren's musical inspiration: The Beatles

Fans of Anna and the French Kiss and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight will enjoy Meant to Be as well. Although there is sexually crude humor and teen drinking, there are consequences and the central romance is quite tame. I'd recommend this book for girls aged 12 and up. Their moms might enjoy it too. My British American daughter is looking forward to reading it over vacation.

My Interview of Lauren Morrill

Photo of Lauren by Steven Folkins

Lauren as a high school senior on a trip to Park City, Utah

Sarah: Why did you choose to write for teens?

Lauren: I've always heard that you should write the book you want to read, and I have always loved reading YA. All of my favorite books are young adult, and so when it came time to start working on my own novel, YA is what came pouring out. I think my inner voice is permanently sixteen years old.

What inspired you to write Meant to Be?

I love romance and comedy, so when I started working on Meant to Be I knew that those elements would be a huge part of the plot. The book draws a little on Cyrano de Bergerac, one of my favorite classics, so that was also a big inspiration.

Since you were living in Boston, how did you research the U.K. setting?

Believe it or not, I've actually never been to London! I did a lot of internet research, including making some really intricate Google Maps to keep track of scenes and characters. Thank god for Google street view!

Good job on the online research! I’ve lived in London for two years, and you introduced me to new places. Did you make up offbeat locations or are they real places?

All the locations are real places. Some of them have been renamed just for fiction purposes, but every restaurant, every hotel, every shop actually exists in some corner of London or another!

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben by Sarah Laurence 2008

Was the mobile phone plot device there from the beginning?

Yep, Meant to Be was always meant to be (hey, see what I did there?) a comedy of errors full of misdirection and missed connection based off the phone issue. With everyone so connected to to their devices, it seemed inevitable.

Who are some of your favorite young adult authors?

I love Sarah Dessen, Megan McCafferty, Stephanie Perkins, John Green ... oh man, I could go on and on. I love YA contemporaries in general, and romance and comedy specifically.

What is the best writing advice you received?

Lauren as a teen rock climber

Don't build any habits regarding where you write or what you need to write. Teach yourself to write anywhere under any circumstances, so that no matter where you are or what's happening around you, you can work on your novel.

That's sound advice. Can you tell us about your next novel?

My next novel is called Being Sloane Jacobs, and it's another contemporary comedy. It's told in dual perspectives, and I'm pitching it as The Parent Trap meets The Cutting Edge. It'll be out January 7, 2014.

Thanks, Lauren, I'm looking forward to reading more of you books!

Reviewer's Disclaimer: I bought the ebook on its November 13th release day and received no compensation. Beware of puns such as: "meant to be or not meant to be."

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Review of Kindle Paperwhite with Case, Stand or Cover

2012-11-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Amazon Kindle Case, Duragadget Stand, Verso Marbled Blue Cover

When my 2010 Kindle died on the beach, I replaced it with the new Kindle Paperwhite ($139 with wifi and without advertising). This time I got a 2-year warranty to protect the fragile screen. Although I prefer reading real books at home, I like the Kindle for reading on the go and for digital galleys. I missed not having one when I was waiting for the new model to be released in October.

Low setting in Amazon case folded back

The Kindle Paperwhite has some good new features. The reader still uses e-ink, but it has added a built in light for night time reading. The sharper text is illuminated sideways to avoid the eye fatigue of backlit screens. The lit screen appears bright white like paper, but you can adjust the lighting so the screen looks more like newsprint or the old Kindle. Unlit is easiest on the eye, but it's nice to have options. I thought I'd miss the old physical keyboard, but the new touch screen one is easy to use and the menu simple to navigate. The Kindle Paperwhite is also smaller and thinner without losing any screen size.

High setting on Home Page in Amazon case open

Not all of the new features are improvements. I miss the old page turner buttons as it's too easy to skip a page accidentally with a touch screen. Another feature I dislike is the promotion of Amazon books on the home page (even in the "no advertising" models), but you can hide it by selecting to display "list view" instead of "cover view." All-in-all the pluses outweigh the negatives, but I wouldn't rush out and replace your old reader before it breaks. It bothers me that these ereader screens are so fragile. A book can last centuries.

Because the Paperwhite is smaller than the Kindle 3 with keyboard, I needed to purchase a new case. If you had the later generation Kindle touch model, you might be able to reuse your old case. I tested three covers which would suit different reading needs.

Amazon case is 1/2 inch; Durgadget stand and Verso cover are 1 inch thick approximately.

The least bulky, lightest weight and most protective cover is the Amazon Kindle one ($39.99 available in 7 colors). It has the added feature of a magnet closure that automatically turns the reader on and off. This is a big plus as the on-off botton is tiny and hard to use. The rigid edges protect the Kindle on all sides while leaving an opening for the charger. The design is nice but a bit corporate in feel with good quality leather. The cover bends back for easy hand held reading but doesn't work as a stand. There is one major design flaw: it's really difficult to get the device in and out of the case.

Adjustable Duragadget Stand

Since I like hands free reading, my personal favorite was the Duragadget Cover with Stand ($30.59 in 4 colors). It's adjustable and sturdy enough to sit in your lap while still providing good protection. Of all the cases I tested it was easiest to get the reader in and out of the case. It was also the cheapest. However the functional design and cheap leather were not especially attractive. I'm going to ask my daughter to decorate it with silver ink as a Christmas gift.

Verso cover folded back

For pure beauty I fell in love with Verso Marbled Blue cover ($39.99). The fake leather looks and feels real. The gorgeous Italian marbled paper design reminiscent of a journal bought in Florence. Even the spine has nice old book detailing. The biggest downside is the cover has no closure. Also it's extra bulky and awkward to hold when you bend the cover back (photo at right). It's best when held like a book in two hands. I'm tempted to keep this cover to dress up my Kindle just for fun.

The Kindle Paperwhite is only two months old so I suspect more cases will be designed to fit the new dimensions better, but these three were the best options I found so far. When I ordered a Kindle Paperwhite for my mom earlier this week, it was on backorder until December 19th. No wait for books at our local independent bookstore, and they shall outlast the Kindle by decades.

Reviewer's Disclaimer: all cases and the Kindle were purchased by me without compensation. I returned the cases I didn't like for a refund.

Life online: can you be over-connected?

2012-11-14T06:34:00.000-05:00

Offline painting on Bailey Island earlier this autumn.

Although I can be quite social and outgoing, by nature I'm a hermit. When I write fiction, I disconnect from the internet and only answer phone calls from my children. The places where I paint my watercolors often lack cellphone reception, but that is a plus. Solitude allows me to slip into a meditative state of creative concentration. Still, as much as I need isolation to work, I crave social connection too. Face time is best, but the internet is useful for one who lives in a remote location.

Five years of blogging have lead me to new friends, who share my passion for books, nature and art. The view from my small town in Maine has broadened to foreign horizons. I've been introduced to new authors and toured beautiful gardens. A blog post is long enough to delve into a topic in depth and also allows interactive comments. Blogging is not the soapbox I feared it would be but an enlightened conversation. By meeting new people, whose paths wouldn't usually cross ours, we are forced to think outside the box and to consider different perspectives.

For years, blogging and email sufficed to maintain distant connections, but after Sandy struck, I lost contact even without losing power myself. I worried about friends and family in NYC and others in neighboring states. When emails remained unanswered, I joined Facebook and twitter to track down loved ones and blog buddies. Borrowed internet provided time for only a quick tweet or Facebook update, but it was enough to let me know they were okay. Technology is a marvel, a virtual campfire, as others have said. It warms our souls.

In the process of checking in with Sandy victims, I also reconnected with old friends, who had scattered all over the world. Many were now married with adorable children. As much as I dislike the needlessly complicated interface of Facebook and all the advertising, I now understand why people find it so addictive and forgo reading books. Limits will be key.

In some ways, I prefer the simplicity of twitter, but due to the public nature of tweets, it's better suited for work connections like my Linkedin account.

So now this Maine hermit is:

blogging,
tweeting,
updating on Facebook
and linking on Linkedin.
It's a 5-ring circus if you add
my website as a virtual art gallery.

Some have managed online multiplicity by posting simultaneously to all forums, but I don't think that approach usually works. Disconnect and redundancy happens. It looks unprofessional to whine about your kid's fever to business associates.

I'm concerned by how much personal information is out there for all to read. My guiding principle is to assume the last person I'd want to read my update will share it with a thousand clients. Think before posting.

Question: how do you manage this online cacophony and still find time for life offline?

Scout at Popham Beach last year.

Note: I'll be on blog vacation next week. Happy Thanksgiving! Next post on November 28th.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

2012-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

In the opening of Flight Behavior, Dellarobia climbs a mountain to escape her disappointing life when a vision halts her. The forrest appears to be burning but without heat. Unable to see clearly without her glasses, the young mother of two takes it as a sign to turn back. She returns to her unhappy marriage on a sheep farm where "her every possession was either unbreakable or broken."

Only later is the miracle revealed to be a wayward flock of butterflies. Monarch Butterflies usually over-winter in Mexico, but in this novel, global warming has destroyed their old roost. Feathertown, Tennessee claims the visitation as a divine blessing, but scientist Ovid Byron sees the shift in migration as a symptom of a sick ecosystem. Barbara Kingsolver's imagery cleverly reflects her message:

"Dellarobia couldn't remember a sadder-looking November. The trees had lost their leaves early in the unrelenting rain. After a brief fling with coloration they dropped their tresses in clumps like a chemo patient losing her hair."

The media seizes the opportunity and poses redheaded Dellarobia as the Venus of the Butterflies. Hoping to rescue the Monarchs, Dellarobia applies for a job as Ovid's research assistant. His Caribbean background makes him exotic, but even more enticing is his faith in her intelligence. The savior in this tale is education; the villain is ignorance. The writing is so beautiful it soars:

"At dusk she and Ovid would climb together to the barn loft. They would stand in the open door of the haymow and take these butterflies in hand, one at a time, and toss them into the air. Some would crash. And some would fly."

Flight Behavior flutters with metaphors but is grounded in science. Earthy descriptions of sheep sheering, child rearing and field biology draw the reader into a real world ravaged by climate change. Scarily, this novel isn't set in a future dystopia but in Southern Appalachia right now. The November 6th release date follows eerily in the flooded wake of Sandy. At times the narrative is nearly overwhelmed by polemic or digresses into discount shopping centers, but the wonderful characters and gorgeous writing kept me turning the pages eagerly. The resolution was deeply satisfying.

Flight Behavior reminds me of Kingsolver's earlier novel Prodigal Summer in setting and in theme but with more heart and sympathy for the male characters. It also has better focus than her last novel, The Lacuna, which had disappointed me. This new book will please Kingsolver fans and make many new ones too.

Disclosure: I borrowed an ARC from a friend, but I'd like a hardcover copy for Christmas (kids: hint, hint.)

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@Barrie Summy

Pumpkins for Love

2012-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

My daughter carved a message into our jack-o'-lanterns.

In Maine, Ballot Question One would grant the right of marriage to everyone, including same-sex couples. To me this isn't really an issue of politics or religion but a recognition of love and universal human rights. All families and committed couples deserve legal protection.

Last weekend I joined a candlelit vigil in our town organized by Standing on the Side of Love. It was wonderful to see teenagers showing their support for marriage equality too. Next week voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington can vote yes for marriage equality laws. Please remember to vote on Election Day.

Storm Watch: Maine was not hit as hard as the rest of the eastern coast. My thoughts are with NYC and other communities recovering from Sandy's onslaught. Up north, we know the pain of days without power or internet. Light a candle for love and hang in there, my friends.

Happy Halloween!

The Four 2012 helpful graphic for ballot questions.