A Worn Path

She Reads Book Club Book Review: The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski

2013-03-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

The March pick for the She Reads Book Club is a southern tale steeped in a mixture of voodoo magic, Catholicism, and full-flavored roux. Wonderful and strange, Rita Leganski's debut novel The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is sure to delight, sadden, and touch the soul every reader.

Set in the mid-twentieth century in a fictional town in Lousiana, Leganski's novel tells the story of Bonaventure Arrow. An exceptional young man with an auditory gift, Bonaventure is born into a world of sorrow. When tragedy strikes his family weeks before his birth, Bonaventure takes on the weight of the mourning, guilt, and longing his family members feel. Bonaventure is different from other children; he cannot speak, but he hears the sounds that come from blades of grass, rocks, and bird feathers.

To say too much more about the plot would ruin the book. Leganski breaks all kinds of "rules" for writing fiction, but prevails nonetheless. The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow was a novel I wanted to devour in one sitting, yet spread out over several days so that it would last. From her chapter titles to her writing style, Leganski wrote a novel that is perfect in every way.

Breaking the "show, don't tell" rule was a leap of faith, but one that paid off in the end. While much of the novel is "told" to the reader rather than "shown" in descriptive writing, Leganski creates the perfect voice for this brave novel -- a third-person narrator that the reader depends upon. Through this objective, omniscient eye, the characters come to life in all their wonderfully-flawed glory. Some remain lovable still, and some the object of further scorn, but this daring narrative distance allows their true colors to shine.

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow broke my heart into a million pieces more than once, yet it also somehow filled my soul with hope in the end. Bonaventure's innocence and the goodness that shines through him will cause in readers a renewed sense of faith in humankind. The novel is about many things, but at its core it is the story of one brave young man and the people who love him.

Leganski has written a novel that is far from anything else -- it is a magical tale that begs to be told. For more thoughts on this beautiful book, visit the She Reads Book Club March Selection page, where bloggers from all over the web have linked their reviews. To join in the book club discussion, click here. If you'd like to read the first chapter, HarperCollins has a preview of the book here.

The She Reads pick for April is Patti Callahan Henry's new novel And Then I Found You. I am super-excited about this one, as I LOVED Henry's last novel Coming Up For Air. Look for my thoughts on the new book in the next few weeks!

Reading in the Classroom: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2013-03-24T08:24:00.001-05:00

I told myself at the beginning of this year that I would be reading more of my middle school students' books: young adult, graphic novels, middle grades novels. My post-baby reading habits have slowed to almost-nil, save the reading I do on my iPhone via the Kindle app. Ebooks are my primary form of reading material for the moment, reading that is snuck in during midnight feedings and naps. However, I have recently been utilizing some previously unused reading time: the five or ten minutes each class period when my students are reading their independent books. For a few minutes after I take attendance and check in with my students about their reading, I have been stealing some time for myself.

My thought process is two-fold. A) I am modeling silent, sustained reading for them. B) I make sure that the books I am reading in front of them are books that they would be interested in reading, ones that I might recommend to them during our weekly book commercials. I recently read The Fault in Our Stars entirely at school during snatched minutes here and there. I think it's excellent for my students to see me engrossed in a book and to hear me say, "Five more minutes! I have to finish this chapter!"

The Fault in Our Stars was a phenomenal book, which is something you can read almost anywhere on the internet. I'm not going to make this a lengthy review because, again, that's something you can read many, many places on the world wide web. Instead, I'm going to discuss why it was important for me to read this book in my classroom.

John Green tells the story of Hazel Lancaster, a teenager with a complete understanding of the life cycle. You see, she has an incurable cancer. A pharmaceutical trial turned out really well for her; she happened upon a drug which does exactly what she needs it to do -- prolong her life. Thus, her incurable cancer has been transformed from an imminent-death disease to a probably-death-at-some-point-in-the-future-but-not-now disease. Despite this life-lengthening miracle, Hazel still has plenty on her plate. She must cart around an oxygen tank, for starters. And from time to time she lands herself in ICU, anyway.

Because of her illness, Hazel completed high school rather early and now attends some classes at the local community college. All of this spells disaster for her social life. Her old friends have continued living high school drama, and college students are largely uninterested in this sixteen-year-old in their midst. Her parents, doting and devoted, push her to attend a cancer kids support group, which Hazel grudgingly does. One night her world shifts from terribly boring to infinitely interesting when gorgeous former basketball star Augustus Waters walks into the group's feelings-sharing circle in a church basement.

The Fault in Our Stars was beautifully written and one of the most engaging novels I can remember reading. My students delighted in watching me read it, as I laughed out loud, shared lines and paragraphs with them, and postponed finishing it until I was in private because I knew there would be no way for me to extricate myself from the novel without tears. My students could hardly wait for me to finish so they could fight over who would check it out next from our school library.

I finally felt, with my reading of The Fault in Our Stars, that I could at last show my students what it means to fall head over heels in love with a book -- with the characters, with their predicaments, with the plot ups and downs. They heard it in my discussions with them, but more importantly they saw it on my face and in my body language as I read. No, not read -- pored over the pages, experienced emotions with the characters, traveled to Denmark with them. Visited Anne Frank's house and read her words in the space she inhabited during her hiding (yes, there is more to the book than a kids cancer group).

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is exactly the kind of novel I want to share with my classes: at once interesting, smart, funny, and sad. I recommend it for fairly mature students in upper middle school and above, although given my feelings about it, I believe adults can enjoy it every bit as much as younger readers. Green has written several other novels that I will be reading soon, and my fingers are crossed as I look for my next book and hope it is every bit as good a title to share with my emerging readers.

SHE READS BOOK CLUB Book Review: Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

2013-02-26T13:50:00.000-06:00

I was honored to become part of the She Reads Blog Network last fall, and this is the title chosen for their February Book Club. Most bloggers link up towards the beginning of the month; I'm just a little bit late this month, as I'm just now getting back into the swing of blogging about anything at all! You can read more reviews of Calling Me Home by clicking here. You can join the book club discussion over at She Reads after you've read the book yourself!

A bit about the book (from the author's website): Sixteen-year-old Isabelle McAllister longs to escape the confines of her northern Kentucky hometown, but after her family's housekeeper's son rescues her from a Newport drunk, the boundaries seem smaller than ever.

Falling for a black boy in late 1930s Kentucky isn't just illegal, it's dangerous. Signs at the city limits warn Negroes, “Don’t let the sun set on you here.” Despite repeated warnings, Isabelle and Robert disregard the racial divide, starting a chain of events that threatens jobs, lives, and generations to come.

Decades later, black hairstylist Dorrie Curtis agrees to drive her elderly white client cross-country to a funeral. Over the years, Miss Isabelle has become more than just a customer, but the timing couldn't be worse. First, Dorrie's seeing a man she's afraid she could fall for, but one thing is more obvious than ever: Trust is not her strong suit. Second, she knows her teenager's in big trouble; he just hasn’t told her yet.

When a phone call from home confirms Dorrie's fears, Miss Isabelle's tale of forbidden love illuminates Dorrie’s dilemma, merging the past and present in a journey with unexpected detours and a bittersweet destination.

How I felt about the book (and why you should read it): Julie Kibler's Calling Me Home could have been just another tale of race relations in the south. I am going to fully admit that when I read the description, I thought, 'Great. Driving Miss Daisy, The Help, and To Kill a Mockingbird, all rolled up into one and redone for the upteenth time.' I couldn't have been more wrong.

First of all, the two main characters grab you and don't let go. Dorrie and Isabelle are two of the most engaging characters I've been introduced to in a long time. They aren't perfect, but neither are people in real life. Although we know Miss Isabelle during two different periods in her life (young adulthood and as an elderly woman), and Dorrie only as an adult, Dorrie is every bit as dynamic in only the present day.

Another aspect of Calling Me Home that I enjoyed was the way Kibler told her story. Varying between present day and flashbacks, we are introduced both to Dorrie and Miss Isabelle as they take a road trip north and to Isabelle as a young woman in the 1930s. Ostensibly a story Isabelle tells Dorrie as they drive, the 1930s story line becomes every bit as important -- perhaps more so -- as the present day plot. Kibler strikes the perfect balance between the two stories, building suspense by switching time periods, on more than one occasion. The technique certainly worked on me, as I raced to finish the book and find out how both stories concluded.

While this isn't necessarily a tale of happily-ever-after, it mirrors real life and will nevertheless leave readers satisfied in the end. Calling Me Home is a book I would recommend to anyone seeking a good story, those who like stories about race relations in our country, and those interested in relationships. Because at its heart, the novel is just that -- a story about human relationships in all the various forms they take: mother-child, friendship, romantic love, and even the sometimes instantly-deep relationship strangers form when they meet during happenstance and show kindness to one another.

About the author: Calling Me Home is Julie Kibler's debut novel. She grew up in Kentucky (among other places) and moved to Texas to attend college. I always think novels ring more true when the author writes what he or she knows. Case in point, this novel and its setting. The inspiration for the story came from Kibler's own family. She learned that her grandmother experienced a similar situation to the one Isabelle faces, and that inspired her to create a fictional version. She is currently at work on her next novel. You can learn more on her website, where you will find links to connect with Kibler on your favorite social media site.

A Return to Blogging: Life, Babies, & the She Reads Book Club

2013-02-25T14:42:00.001-06:00

Casual iPhone shot of Ava, 4 months

It's been almost five months since my last post, and boy has life been busy! I birthed a baby, cared for her for more than four months (so far), celebrated major holidays, spent time with my family who was visiting from Africa, returned to work, interviewed for and accepted a position with Tennessee's Department of Education (in addition to my regular teaching job), and so much more.

The most important of the above list of life accomplishments and moments is, of course, the birth of my daughter. Ava Lauren is a whopping almost-16 pounds and more than 26 inches at four and a half months old. She eats well, to put it mildly. She is a joy and a night-disturbance; even in those half-awake, bleary-eyed moments in the middle of the night, she is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Her little hands touching my face, as she has begun doing in the last week or so, is quite simply the sweetest gesture that exists.

What I have not been doing very much of is reading or watching television/ movies. When you're a first-time mommy, all those things you've indulged in for so long fall to the wayside. My ten-minute shower each morning feels like a day at the spa. I had heard of those movies that won Oscars last night, but I hadn't seen so much as a trailer for any of them!

I have, however, managed to finish a handful of books in the last few months, and I am excited about sharing them with you. The books I've read for the She Reads Book Club will be up first, followed by some child rearing/parenting-related titles, as well as some classroom books. I may not be reviewing books every single day, but I'm excited to get back into the fray on some level, discussing books and sharing what I've been reading.

Two weeks ago...

2012-10-24T13:08:00.000-05:00

We met our tiny, beautiful bundle of joy.

Posts may come again at some point in the future, but for now I am enjoying every single moment with our little one (even the sleep deprived ones)!

Ava Lauren Carden was born on October 10, 2012, at 3:27pm. She weighed 7lbs 8 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.

We are in love!

Book Review: The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

2012-10-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, I called Attica Locke's debut novel one of the best novels I'd read in 2010. Black Water Rising was a phenomenal freshman effort. I don't re-read books, but I may have to revisit it, especially after reading Locke's second book this fall.

A bit about the book: Attica Locke's The Cutting Season takes on a wholly different set of issues and topics than Black Water Rising did two years ago. While Locke's first novel took readers to Houston in the early 1980s, The Cutting Season focuses on both the present day and the Civil War era in Louisiana.

Caren Gray is the manager and curator at Louisiana plantation Bella Vie, where daily pre-Civil War reenactments and tours are available. The mansion is also leased out for parties, weddings, and the like, all of which Caren presides over. She and her nine-year-old daughter Morgan live on the premises, much to the chagrin of Morgan's father Eric. An employee of Obama's White House, Eric would prefer that both Caren and Morgan leave the south behind and move to Washington, D.C.

Louisiana, however, is one place Caren can't bring herself to leave. Raised on Bella Vie, where her mother was the cook for decades, it is the one place Caren feels at home -- and the last place she saw her mother before her death. The Clancy family, her mother's former employers, still own the plantation, although Caren now works for one of the sons.

While Caren's background provides plenty of fodder for plot development, Locke throws a wrench into the storyline from the beginning, when the body of a young field worker is found on the grounds of Bella Vie. The murder mystery becomes intertwined with Caren's life at the plantation, bringing up another murder that was never fully investigated more than 100 years ago -- of a freed slave who just so happens to be one of Caren's ancestors.

Why you want to read it: One of Locke's talents is creating characters with whom her readers will empathize. She also does an excellent job of giving those characters both good and bad characteristics, so that it is virtually impossible to categorize them as all good or all bad. Caren Gray is a remarkable main character, teeming with life and dynamic in every way. Readers will both feel for her and, at other times, not understand her actions at all -- much as we do with living, breathing people.

Although Houston in 1981 was a feat all its own, Locke does another phenomenal job setting the scene for this novel. The plantation fairly breathes with a life of its own, as does Louisiana. Locke nails the scenes set in New Orleans, as well as the small town where Bella Vie exists. The reader is transported to a time and place, both in the present day scenes and in the references to the Civil War era.

The bottom line: With these two novels, there is no doubt that Locke is making a name for herself in the literary world. She came out of the gate running with Black Water Rising, and she has written another compelling novel with The Cutting Season. While I would choose Black Water Rising as the stronger of the two novels, The Cutting Season was a delight to read, and only makes me wish for more from Attica Locke's talented pen.

About the author: Attica Locke is from Houston, Texas, but now resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and daughter. Much of her career has been spent as a screenwriter for major Hollywood film companies. Her first novel Black Water Rising was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and was nominated for an Edgar award, among other accolades. According to her reply to one of my comments about The Cutting Season on Twitter, she is hard at work on her next novel. For more information about Locke and her books, visit her website.

Book Review: The Harbormaster's Daughter by Heidi Jon Schmidt

2012-09-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

A bit about the book: Set in present day New England, Heidi Jon Schmidt's The Harbormaster's Daughter nevertheless invokes an old world feel. Despite the fact that they are living in the twenty-first century, the characters who populate the novel maintain a certain nostalgia for life as it used to be in their little seaside town. Oyster Creek was once a town of fishermen, driven by an industry now mostly abandoned. As new folks move in, taken by the town's charm, the families who've been there for generations struggle to adapt.

Schmidt has written what is mostly literary fiction, but with a bit of mystery thrown in, as well. It is the story of Vita Gray and her early childhood tragedy. Her mother Sabine moved to Oyster Creek more than a decade ago, one of the outsiders taken in by its old world charms. She was a free spirit, unconstrained by the usual norms of society. As a result, she first got Vita; the second thing it got her was murdered.

Sabine's friend LaRee has raised Vita ever since that fateful night. Vita has had only minimal interactions with her father Franco, a long-time Oyster Creek resident whose wife Danielle seems saintly after his indiscretion rocked their world in more ways than one. Vita, now a teenager, is struggling through these difficult years. She lives partially as an insider in Oyster Creek - her father's daughter - and partially as an outsider, ever living in the shadow of her mother's shocking murder. When she finds out some truths about her mother's death, Vita's world is rocked even further.

Why you want to read it: Although there is a murder within the pages of this novel, Schmidt has not written a thriller. The truths Vita learns are already outlined for the reader beforehand. Instead, The Harbormaster's Daughter is a slower-moving story that focuses on human interactions and growth. Vita is, of course, as the heart of the novel. However, Schmidt has also thrown in several characters readers will love, as well. LaRee will make her way into your thoughts, as will Vita's father Franco. Although he is oftentimes a bumbling idiot when it comes to female feelings, deep down he is a man with good intentions.

Another plus for the novel is Schmidt's integration of Shakespeare into the book. Vita's one love is being a part of an outdoor drama group who produces a Shakepeare play each summer. The Tempest is the chosen play for this year, and Vita is fully involved in its production. Although she doesn't get the part she hopes for, any little part she plays is important to Vita. I enjoy links to other pieces of literature within novels, and Schmidt does this very well in The Harbormaster's Daughter.

The bottom line: Schmidt focuses on the things that make us all human in The Harbormaster's Daughter. Although it didn't turn out to be the literary mystery I thought I was going to read, the novel was winning in other ways. The characters, setting, and inclusion of Shakespeare make the novel something special. I did feel as though the action moved rather slowly in the middle; because the reader knows everything there is to know about the murder early on in the novel, the plot is not driven by an overreaching conflict. Instead, it's a slower novel that focuses on people rather than action.

About the author: Heidi Jon Schmidt is the author of four previous novels, one of which was also set in Oyster Creek. It is titled The House on Oyster Creek. Schmidt lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and has been writing for several decades. Her early short fiction has been published in The Atlantic and other literary magazines.

Book Review: The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March

2012-09-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

Readers dive into books for many different reasons. Some pick up books to learn information; others choose books that allow them to enrich their literary knowledge; still others seek books that allow them to escape. Avid readers probably do all of these, and many more, in their search for good reading material.

A bit about the book: Mia March's novel The Meryl Street Movie Club is the perfect novel to read for escape. Its strong female characters and engaging plot sucked me into its own private book world for several days this month. Although technically it could be called (the often dreaded term) "chick lit," I found that it fit that genre in the best sense possible.

Sisters Isabel and June are summoned to their family's Maine bed and breakfast by their aunt Lolly. She and their cousin Kat welcomed the girls into their home when an unspeakable accident claimed the lives of the sisters' parents and Kat's father many years ago. During that difficult time (which took place during all three girls' teenage years), the trio grew further apart rather than closer together. None of them has been particularly close in the years since. Instead, they've all gone on to lead very different lives.

Isabel settled into an upper middle class existence with her husband; June raised her son as a single parent; and Kat remained at the bed and breakfast, helping her mother. Each of them is surprised by Lolly's request. Lolly has never been much on family gatherings, other than at major holidays. However, once at the inn, they are rocked by a revelation none of them expected -- and a request none of them can ignore.

Why you want to read it: Simply put, Mia March writes fascinating, realistic characters you will come to love. Each woman has her own issues, and time spent together at the bed and breakfast is exactly what they never knew they desperately needed. Rather than providing a break from their everyday lives, the time they spend at the inn together in the next days days and weeks actually moves each of their lives forward in a profound way.

Intertwined with the novels chapters, told from the women's various points of view, are "movie nights" at the inn, primarily with films starring Lolly's favorite actress Meryl Streep. The women (and bed and breakfast guests who join them from time to time) discuss themes in movies as varied as Out of Africa and The Bridges of Madison County.

The bottom line: March takes what could become a trite, tired storyline and pumps new life into it. Although other "women's club" books have been done (i.e. The Friday Night Knitting Club, or the Jane Austen Book Club), none is so satisfying a read as this one. Isabel, June, Kat, and Lolly became important to me as a reader, their lives entertaining rather than tiring. I cared about each of them, individually and as a whole family. The Meryl Streep Movie Club was a delightful read.

About the author: This is Mia March's first novel. Her second novel, Finding Colin Firth, will release next summer and features the characters from The Meryl Streep Movie Club. She is a single mother living in Maine with her elementary-school-age child, and (proof that we may well be long-lost soul sisters) cites Anne of Green Gables as one of her favorite childhood books. You can connect with March on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads.

SheReads.org: I was fortunate enough to read this book as part of the September Book Club Selection for the She Reads Blog Network. To read other bloggers' thoughts on the novel, click over to the September Book Club Selection page.

Reading for the Classroom: YA Books Off My Classroom Shelves

2012-09-05T20:16:00.000-05:00

If you read the blog with any regularity, you will have realized by now that school starting means I post less. The nature of the education beast is that we teachers are in full throttle mode in August and September. By October, we usually have a routine established, and life gets a little easier.

I spent the end of July and beginning of August working from home and at school to prepare for the start of the new school year. I made things from Pinterest (a different post, and one I hope to have for you in the future), I worked on lesson plans from various places around the internet and from books I've inherited or purchased, and -- my favorite -- I purchased new books to include on my classroom library shelves.

I only started my classroom library last school year, and it's grown to close to 350 books. Not a mountain of them yet, but a good number given that they've all been purchased by me or given to me by students or other teachers. The best place to go in my area of the country (middle Tennessee) is McKay's Used Books. With stores in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, I am able to go pretty much anytime I'm in a big city that's close to home.

One book my mom purchased for me, which I have since treated like my own personal reading teacher's Bible, is Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer. It has guided my reading instruction this year more than any other single piece of education literature has before. One of her best pieces of advice is to read all of the books in your classroom library, so that you can better make recommendations to your students. I've been trying to choose at least one book a week from my classroom shelves in an effort to follow this advice. Here are some of the titles I've read so far this year:

Fig Pudding by Ralph Fletcher Main character Cliff, at twelve, is the oldest of three children. With that comes both responsibilities and annoyances -- and many responsibilities that are annoyances. When a tragedy changes the dynamic of Cliff's family, he and his fellow siblings have to learn to adjust. That, of course, is a task easier said than done.

Fletcher tells a heart-warming story about a family dealing with issues similar to those many students face. It is a sad tale that may just cause tears among more sensitive students, especially those with younger siblings, like Cliff. I enjoyed the book, but felt it to be a fairly simple tale for my middle grade students. I would recommend it to my younger students, but would hesitate to recommend it to my older, more mature eighth-graders.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor Part soccer tale, part mystery, and partially the story of a middle school student with a handicap, Bloor's Tangerine was amazing in more ways than one. Bloor does an excellent job of building suspense. When twelve-year-old Paul and his family move to Tangerine, Florida, everything seems a little off. From the muck fires to the mostly-missing actual tangerines, Tangerine is a strange place.

Beyond the setting, the novel also includes deeper mysteries. Namely, what happened to Paul's eyesight? Told one story for years, Paul struggles to remember the day of his "accident." And his brother Erik, a high school football star, has a mean streak a mile wide; is there a link between the two? I would highly recommend this to male readers, especially those interested in sports. However, I feel that both girls and boys would enjoy the novel, as well.

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass Mass actually made it onto my radar because so many teacher bloggers recommended her novel Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. I found both it and Every Soul a Star at McKay's, and snapped them both up. The novel is perfect for almost any reader because Mass has three main characters who are decidedly different. As a result, almost any student would be able to identify with one of them.

The characters are Jack, who is slightly overweight and academically challenged; Ally, an astronomy geek who lives with her family on an isolated campground; and Bree, who loves fashion and dreams of becoming a model. Their lives intersect in a perfectly orchestrated alignment of the stars. Each of them is undergoing changes (as are most adolescents) and struggling to find their places in the world. One thing I loved about this novel is the amount I learned. It just goes to show that fiction can sometimes be just as educational as nonfiction!

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick This is by far my favorite from my classroom shelves so far. That being said, it is also deeply sad; there were times that I was unsure if (in my eight-months-pregnant state) I would be able to continue reading it. But Sonnenblick captured my attention and my heart, and I couldn't put the book down until I'd read every last word. It's a simple story: one family, two kids, one cancer that affects them all.

In Sonnenblick's artful hands, however, this is so much more than a book about illness. It is also the story of thirteen-year-old Steven, a drummer in his school's band with a crush on the head cheerleader. It is the story of every boy at that age, constantly annoyed with and embarrassed by his parents and his little brother, who is hoping to just make it through each day. Although the themes are heavy, the book is not all doom and gloom. It's magical, to put it simply. Highly recommend for almost anyone.

Book Review: Dare Me by Megan Abbott

2012-08-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

A bit about the book: Megan Abbott's latest novel Dare Me has been making the rounds on blogs and in newspaper and magazine reviews throughout the last month or so. In Dare Me, Abbott takes on the world of competitive cheerleading squads. Not your mama's squads of old with simple clapping and cheering, Abbott's squad is focused on gymnastics, stunts, and winning.

Like the previous Abbott novel I read (see my review of The End of Everything), Dare Me delves into the darker parts of adolescence. Beth and Addy have long been best friends. Their relationship works because Beth is a bosser and Addy is a follower. For as long as anyone can remember, Addy has followed in Beth's footsteps, for good or bad. Until, that is, last summer. During cheer camp, Addy and Beth had a falling out of sorts, one that everything thought would end their friendship. However, much to their fellow cheerleaders' surprise, Addy and Beth made up and were once again a team to be reckoned with.

Enter their new cheer coach, called simply "Coach" by the girls. Coach is daring and different, a figure who the girls both admire and fear. Except for, of course, Beth. Narrator Addy falls under Coach's spell, drifting further and further from Beth. Things spiral quickly out of conrol, leading to an ending no reader would guess ahead of time.

Why you want to read it: Bloggers and reviewers agree: Megan Abbott can write. She draws readers into her story web and doesn't let go until the last drop of blood is drawn. She writes adolescence with a straight-forwardness many writers avoid entirely or sugar-coat. Her characters are well-written and highly interesting.

However, I can't entirely recommend Dare Me as strongly as others have. It is definitely a page-turner. I was engaged and interested until the last page. But, once again (as with The End of Everything), I can't describe the novel as entirely enjoyable. I heard someone (during a Book Club discussion on Devourer of Books) describe the novel as a car wreck you simply can't look away from. I feel this is wholeheartedly accurate. I did not identify (or sympathize) with the characters; I felt the plot was somewhat unrealistic. Yet, I had to keep reading.

The bottom line: There is no doubt that Megan Abbott has talent. She writes well, and she keeps readers engaged. However, she won't rocket to the top of my list of "favorite authors" anytime soon. While I enjoy a well-written page-turner, I also like to like the books I'm reading and the characters that populate them. I need at least one character who I can empathize with, anyway. So far that seems to be lacking in Abbott's novels, but her writing will keep me coming back to discover if anything changes in the future.

About the author: Megan Abbott is the author of six previous novels, including last summer's The End of Everything. Not only an author, she is also an academic on the subject with a Ph.D. in English and American Literature from NYU. She has taught at several universities, including NYU. She has also been nominated for awards including three Edgars, the Macavity, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. You can connect with Abbott on Facebook and on Twitter.

School Starts, Pregnancy, Common Core, and an Educational Shift

2012-08-12T10:28:00.001-05:00

I didn't really plan to take more than a week off on the blog; sometimes, these things just happen! The school district where I teach began school last week. We had three days of teacher in-service, then started school on Thursday. This week starts our first full week of school. I am both excited and exhausted! I worked each day last week in my room well after in-service or school was over (4:30 most days). I woke up yesterday morning with a running list in my head of things I needed to do before Monday. I ended up going to work in my classroom for about two and a half hours, then brought home with me a lot of other things to work on this weekend!

Part of my exhaustion is the pregnancy, and entirely non-school-related. Today I am officially 31 weeks pregnant, with approximately nine weeks to go. I don't know where the time has gone! It seems like I have been pregnant forever, and for no time at all. Many things are ready for our little one, but there seems to still be so much to do! We are having a little girl, which almost everyone in our families seems thrilled about. We seem to have an abundance of boys, so girls are rare! With that comes cute clothes and accessories. I will post pictures of the baby's room when it's finally done. Pinterest has been my friend in planning, and my mom has helped me do a lot of the hard work involved.

Housework has fallen behind during the last week, but my reading and prep for school has never been more on target. I have decided to make some changes to my classroom this year, both in the classroom itself and in the curriculum and way I teach. Tennessee is one of the many states around the nation adopting the Common Core standards. We are implementing Math this year, piloting Reading and Language Arts, and will fully implement R/LA next school year. This means many changes to my class over the next two years. Not only will we adopt new CC standards, but we are expected to simultaneously change the way we teach.

Common Core assessments will look very different from our old-school state TCAP tests. TCAP testing has been entirely multiple choice; in teaching students how to take these tests, the focus was taken off learning and put onto test-taking skills. Oftentimes, students' scores did not reflect actual mastery, but their ability to take standardized tests. New CC assessments should reflect more each student's skills. Although they have not been fully developed, our students did begin taking new Constructed Response Assessments last year as part of a pilot program.

CRAs are at the opposite end of the spectrum from TCAPs. They require students to read, then respond to a series of short answer questions. This year, students will also be required to cite evidence from the text in their responses. Math students will take actual CRAs; R/LA students will take pilot tests again this year.

This change in assessing has caused a change in teaching, at least for me. I went in search of the best research-based ways to teach students -- the methods that get results. Of course, for me that meant reading lots of books and blogs! Some resources I have turned to recently:

Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer and her blog of the same name on Education Week -- I have followed her blog for several months, but I read her book in the past week or so. I took pages and pages of notes, and hawked the title on Facebook and Twitter. It is a must-read for any reading teacher. You can also follow her on Twitter.
The Sisters' The Daily 5 and CAFE -- I am halfway through The Daily 5 and my mind is racing with the possibilities for implementing some of their strategies in my 7th and 8th grade classrooms. A two-plus-hour block is obviously out of the question, as I see my students for no more than an hour per day. I also have the task of teaching both Reading and Language Arts in that hour, which most schools do in separate class periods. So the Daily 5 could not be fully implemented in my classes. However, from The Book Whisperer, I am moving away from Accelerated Reader and towards free choices for independent reading. I feel that using strategies from the Daily 5 will help with my students' ability to self-manage during independent reading time.
NPR's new 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels List -- This list is brand-new and filled with great titles for YA readers. I don't have many of these books in my classroom library yet, but I have a long to-get list now!
The Twitter #TitleTalk chat -- A project manned by Donalyn Miller and teacher Colby Sharp, #TitleTalk is a monthly chat that offers suggestions for teachers. This month, they discussed which books they would be reading aloud to kick off the school year. Among the titles mentioned were Katherine Applegate's new The One and Only Ivan and R.J. Palacio's Wonder. You can read the archives from past #TitleTalks by clicking here.

I'm diving back into The Daily 5 for now. More later (and reviews, I promise!). I've been reading quite a bit of YA literature, also, as part of my plan to read all of the books in my classroom library.

Mandy's Book Blogger Club: Discussion Post #2 for America, You Sexy B**** by Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain

2012-08-03T08:19:00.001-05:00

Background Info: I am thrilled to be participating in Mandy's Book Blogger Club, the brainchild of Mandy at the Well-Read Wife. I will be reviewing America, You Sexy B****, the book that resulted from Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain's journey on a month-long cross-country trek to find out how real people in America feel about the state of our nation, later in August. Until then, I'll be posting on some Fridays using Mandy's Discussion Post questions to respond to the book and explore my feelings about it.

You don't have to be a book blogger or a participant in Mandy's Book Blogger Club to take part in the discussions. Click over to the Well-Read Wife and Mandy's second discussion question post to answer on your own in the comment section. You can also follow the discussion and answer the questions on Twitter using the hashtag #MBBCWRW.

The following questions cover pages 32 – 134 of the book:

1. In the Las Vegas chapter Michael and Meghan tour the Zappos headquarters.Would you like to work there? Why? Why not?

From their description, it seems a little too cult-like for me to want to work there. The forced happiness and fun sound... odd. But it makes them a heck of a customer service company! Based on this book, I may just have to start doing some Zappos shopping...

2. While in Vegas Micheal, Meghan, and co. go on a strip club tour of Vegas. Michael points out that in Vegas exotic dancers actually pay a fee to the clubs where they work for the opportunity to dance at the clubs. What do you think of this system?

Well, first of all, it makes it sound like it is something the dancers really want to do; how many of us (other than hairdressers, I guess) pay for the right to work somewhere? On the other hand, perhaps it is simply indicative of how cut-throat that business is in that particular city. I suppose I have mixed feelings on the topic in general; I minored in women's studies in college, where we discussed at great length the various types of feminism. On this issue, there are two primary feminist points of view: those in favor because it empowers women to make their own choices, and those not in favor because the career itself is demeaning to women. I'm all for women making their own choices, but it's hard to not see exotic dancing as... well, sad.

5. (Yes, I skipped #3 & #4.) In the Salt Lake City chapter Michael writes the following: “I would prefer that my political leaders practiced their religion however they see fit in private and shut the hell up about it in public.” Agree? Disagree?

I think most people want everyone to exercise their freedom of speech, and to stand up for what they believe in -- whether they agree or disagree. I am whole-heartedly in favor of free speech -- even for politicians. I suppose I do think that political leaders, however, have a responsibility to separate church and state most of the time. This probably means not evangelizing for your particular religious preference while acting as a government official. So... agree-ish? (And boy, could we all go off on a Chick-fil-a tangent on this one. But I won't. If you're interested, here's a link to a post by Jen Hatmaker, who had a thoughtful response on that topic.)

6. In the Austin chapter Meghan’s friend Cargill calls himself a philosophical Republican and says that he does not support any of the current Republican candidates. Cargill remarks that he will probably vote for the president in the next election. Michael writes. “Yet he would never call himself a Democrat.” Do you agree with Michael that people are afraid of being labeled a “liberal” or a “Democrat”? Do you think people are also just as afraid of being labeled “conservative”?

In the south, where I'm from (and where I love living), people are undoubtedly afraid of being labeled "liberal." To many, it's a dirty word, equal to saying you are aligned with the devil. The reason why is simple: people in the south (oftentimes, not always) equate "conservative" with "Christian." The Republican line is preached at many, many churches across the south. Thus, "conservative" means "more Christian" and "liberal," less so. I think that kind of thinking is dangerous, and doesn't address all the issues. But in answer to this question, yes, I think it's true. I'm equally sure that in some areas, "conservative" is the same kind of dirty word that "liberal" is in the south. It seems true in Hollywood and Michael Ian Black's state of Vermont, at least.

7. Cousin John. Discuss.

He brings necessary humor to the RV situation, and therefore, to the book.

8. In New Orleans, Meghan and Michael argue about health care. Whose side are you on? Meghan? Michael? Neither?

Oh, my. Another huge issue. I believe that all Americans have the right to healthcare. I also (firmly) believe they do not currently have access to healthcare. We have to change this, but people are so stuck in their ways of thinking that sometimes I'm afraid it will never happen. I think we have no choice but to look at other countries' healthcare systems and take the best and work on the worst to develop a plan for our own country. We may have the best doctors in the world, but a huge percentage of the population has no access to those doctors (or any doctors, for that matter). People have to stop dying (yes, literally dying) because they are afraid of the cost of taking care of themselves.

10. Were you surprised that Meghan, a Republican thinks marijuana should be legalized?

I was not surprised. She states in the book that many Republicans call her a "Republican-in-name-only," and I think that is a somewhat fair assessment. There do seem to be several topics on which she differs from the straight Republican line. I think this is awesome, though. We need more people who see multiple sides of issues, and less who take a strict approach to party lines in politics -- on both sides.

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Keep checking back for more discussion questions relating to America and politics in general. Feel free to comment below, if you can do it with civility. I don't mind at all if you disagree with me or with another commenter, but if things get nasty, understand that I may delete posts that contain gratuitous name-calling or other things in poor taste.

Book Review: A Simple Thing by Kathleen McCleary

2012-08-02T07:22:00.000-05:00

A bit about the book: I read Kathleen McCleary's first novel House and Home just after it was published in 2008. In short, I loved it. In it, McCleary told the story of Ellen Flanagan, an Oregon wife, mother, and coffee shop owner, who is struggling to keep the very thing that holds her family together -- their home -- as her life comes apart at the seams.

The protagonist of McCleary's new novel, A Simple Thing, finds her life falling apart all around her, as well. Although there are similarities -- the Pacific Northwest as setting, a strong female main character -- McCleary has also written a very different novel, yet one every bit as engaging as her first.

Susannah Delaney leaves her home in New Jersey and moves with her two children to the fictional (at least, according to Wikipedia's list of San Juan Islands) Sounder Island, off the coast of Washington state. It is here that they seek solace from the Troubles with Katie (capitalization intentional). In truth, although Susannah's oldest Katie has her issues, her son Quinn has his share, as well. While Katie dives into typical teenage problems head first, eleven-year-old Quinn struggles with being teased for being different. Katie has issues by choice; Quinn, by nature.

Susannah decides that the very thing they need is a break from the rat race in suburban New England. She packs them up, leaving her husband behind to work, and moves them thousands of miles across the United States, hoping geography alone will prove an antidote of sorts.

McCleary pairs Susannah's story with that of Betty, who moved to the island as a young woman with a new husband. Little has changed on Sounder since that move in the 1950s. Although the internet and some solar-generated electricity has come to the island, Betty largely lives now as she did then. Food is mostly home-grown, some bathrooms are outdoors, and no 24-hour superstores exist. Betty's story coincides perfectly with Susannah's, their problems different but providing a link between the women.

Why you want to read it: Although McCleary fictionalized the name of the island where Susannah and her children move, the sense of place is strong in A Simple Thing McCleary describes this still-mostly-wild area with a loving pen. The ferry-only transportation, snow-capped Mount Baker in the distance, and the wondrous orcas swimming alongside their boats all create a strong identity for the San Juan Islands.

In addition to the strong setting, McCleary has also written a tale full of characters to love. Susannah is flawed, yet immensely empathetic; her children frustrating, but endearing; and the island residents perfect foils for them all. Readers will at once sympathize with the novel's characters and wish for them positive change and healing.

McCleary also formulates an engaging plot with the combination of Betty's story just before and throughout her years on Sounder and Susannah's present-day island story. As stated before, their tales are very different, but the same theme prevails -- escape from the existing world, a search for something more. Whether or not Sounder will prove to be the source of that "something more" is the novel's essential question (and therefore, one I won't answer!).

The bottom line: McCleary has written two wonderful, woman-centered novels. A Simple Thing will transport you to a different way of American life, delight you with its setting, and engage you in the trials of its well-rounded characters. Then, you'll have to go in search of a copy of House and Home (which you can currently snap up from Amazon for $6 in paperback or $3.99 for Kindle).

About the author: Kathleen McCleary is the author of one previous novel. She has also had a successful career as a journalist. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, and everything in between. She also wrote a long-time column for HGTV.com. For more about McCleary, you can visit her website, follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, or read her online journal.

TLC Book Tour Info: I am pleased to say this post is part of a blog tour for A Simple Thing via TLC Book Tours. The tour began last week and will continue through the middle of August. Click over to TLC's tour page for A Simple Thing to see a list of links to the other posts and find out what other bloggers have to say about the novel. McCleary will also appear on Book Club Girl on Air on August 21 at 6 p.m. to discuss the novel.

Book Review: Broken Harbor by Tana French

2012-07-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

A bit about the book: An entire family is murdered in their Brianstown home near the sea, and Mike "Scorcher" Kennedy is on the case. After appearing in Tana French's previous novel Faithful Place, Kennedy becomes the main focus of French's newest novel Broken Harbor. This pattern of connecting her novels will be familiar to French's readers. In each novel, beginning with In the Woods, French takes a minor character and transforms him or her into a main character in a subsequent novel.

As with French's previous novels, Broken Harbor is a multi-layered work. One layer is the investigation of the Spain family's deaths. Kennedy and first-time investigator Richie work the case methodically, pairing their detective work with the medical examiner's findings and the team of crime scene technicians' work. They try on first one theory and then another as their information changes.

On a deeper level is the character analysis French provides for Scorcher Kennedy. Always a straight arrow in the Murder Squad unit, he plays strictly by the rules. As a result, he is often the object of ridicule for other investigators. Because he finds partnering with other detectives difficult, Kennedy ends up as the trainer for new recruits; thus, his pairing with rookie Richie. He prefers this somewhat solitary life, and French slowly reveals the secrets about Kennedy's past and present that shape him.

Why you want to read it: Apart from the plot (which is cleverly crafted and engrossing) and the characterization (which is flawless), the thing Tana French does the best in her novels, including Broken Harbor, is describe the setting. She discussed the sense of place in her writing in an interview with Fiction Is Stranger Than Fact, after her third novel Faithful Place was published:

I was an international brat, grew up in three continents, so there’s nowhere I can really call ‘home’; but Dublin’s the nearest I’ve got. I’ve lived here since 1990; it’s the only city where I know all the details and quirks – the connotations of every accent and area, the slang and the sense of humour, where to go for a good pint and where not to go after dark. And I can list all the ways in which it’s crap, while being ready to leap to its defence if anyone from anywhere else suggests it might not be perfect. In a lot of ways, 'Faithful Place' is a love song to Dublin – its bad sides as well as its good ones.

She perfects her writing of Dublin's "details and quirks" in Broken Harbor. After focusing on the tenements of Dublin in Faithful Place, she switches to an entirely different (yet still dark) place in Broken Harbor. Brianstown, the setting for much of the novel, is a small area outside Dublin once called Broken Harbor. During an upswing in the economy, a building boom created what French now terms as "ghost estates" all over the outskirts of Dublin. Subdivisions filled with cheaply-built, fancy-looking houses dot the countryside, including Brianstown.

Few families still live on its mostly-deserted streets, and many houses were never finished because they lacked buyers. What remains is a creepy, ghost town with people struggling to make their mortgages. It is here that the Spain family meets their end, and here where French's Murder Squad detectives try to make sense of the crime.

The bottom line: No one writes about Dublin, Ireland, as well as Tana French. Few people write police procedurals as well as Tana French. And even fewer people are able to delve into a character's soul like French does in her novels. Mystery/thrillers are probably my favorite genre -- I'd say close to half the books I read fit into that mold -- and French is simply one of the best. Scorcher Kennedy and his demons are a perfect addition to the fictional world French is creating through her novels.

About the author: Tana French is the author of three previous novels, all connected to the Dublin Murder Squad. The first, In the Woods, was the winner of the 2007 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Subsequent titles have been 2008's The Likeness, which featured one of the main characters from In the Woods; 2010's Faithful Place, which focused on a character from The Likeness; and finally this year's Broken Harbor, which takes a character from Faithful Place and makes him the star. While interconnected, each novel also works as a standalone title for those unfamiliar with French's previous work. For more information about the author and her writing, you can visit French's website.

Book Review: What I Did by Christopher Wakling

2012-07-23T08:43:00.000-05:00

A bit about the book: Christopher Wakling's What I Did is a charming novel with a fairly large twist: the entire novel is told from the point of view of a six-year-old. Complete with misunderstood words and somewhat skewed language skills, it is the story of a family told by their young son, Billy.

Billy is primarily taken care of by his father Jim, who works from home, while his mother works long hours. One day Billy and his father go on a trip to a local park, a trip that changes the course of both their lives. During normal back-and-forth moments between father and son, Billy becomes upset and runs away from his father. Jumping out into a busy street, he is finally caught by his father.

Everything that happens next is one long bit of confusion. Witnesses state one thing; Billy, in his six-year-old, imaginative way of talking, tells the story in a wildly different manner; and Billy's father Jim has his own version, of course.

Why you want to read it: Although the six-year-old point of view can be difficult to read with ease (there are definitely no speed-readers making their way through this novel in record time), Wakling also makes it fun and entertaining -- and most likely very true-to-life. Our narrator misunderstands many words, making for some confusion as you read, followed by small bursts of "Oh!" as it's figured out. Some excellent Billy-isms:

"We do some pretend making for a bit and as we do it I give Lizzie a running comment tree." (p. 77)

"Goldfish have a very short attention spam, too." (p. 82)

"Then I tell her about silverback gorillas who also have posable thumbs and weigh up to four hundred pounds and are therefore earth's greatest prime-apes." (p. 159)

While hilarious at times, What I Did is also an exercise in frustration for a reader. Billy is an extraordinarily intelligent little boy, with a high interest in animals and the animal world. He understands much about life beyond his years, but at the end of the day, he is still six. He has very definite ideas about right and wrong. These ideas create problems as he struggles to tell the truth, but in a very different way than adults would. If you're like me, you'll find yourself tense beyond belief, wanting only for the truth to come out.

The bottom line: Billy is an unreliable, yet winning narrator. You will fall deeply in love with him and want to shake him in equal parts. Wakling has undertaken a huge risk in allowing a six-year-old to tell this story, but he ultimately wins. What I Did is a fresh way to look at the modern family.

About the author: Christopher Wakling is the author of several other novels that have been published in the UK, with some making the crossover to America. He has dabbled in several career areas, including newspaper writing and law. He has lived in California, England, and Australia. On his website, Wakling discusses his inspiration for What I Did: "When I’m not doing those things, I look after my two small children. Fatherhood is fantastic. It has also exposed some interesting character flaws. Hence WHAT I DID."

You can find out more about the author by visiting his website or by following him on Twitter. You can hear more from Billy's voice by reading Billy's Blog.

TLC Book Tour info: This review is part of the TLC Book Tour for What I Did. For more thoughts on the novel, click over to their tour page for the novel where you will find a complete list of reviews.

Mandy's Book Blogger Club: Discussion Post #1 for America, You Sexy B**** by Michael Ian Black & Meghan McCain

2012-07-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to be participating in Mandy's Book Blogger Club, the brainchild of Mandy at the Well-Read Wife. A couple of months ago, Mandy held a Michael Ian Black Week on her blog, in which she read and reviewed all of comedian Black's previous titles. His latest effort is a partnership between himself and Meghan McCain. Mandy feels so strongly about Black and this book that she purchased 50 copies of the book and distributed them on her own to bloggers who wanted to participate. That's right -- no sponsors! So a huge thank you to Mandy for inventing the Book Club, funding it, and allowing me to participate!

I will be reviewing America, You Sexy B****, the book that resulted from their journey on a month-long cross-country trek to find out how real people in America feel about the state of our nation, later in August. Until then, I'll be posting on some Fridays using Mandy's Discussion Post questions to respond to the book and explore my feelings about it.

[Note: The stars in the title are my own; the authors opted to use the actual word in their book title. I'm toning it down because I think of my blog as friendly to all -- including those who prefer their reading without cursing. From here on out, I'll refer to the book as simply America.. My opinion is that the title should have been a different one, if only for audience purposes. The aim of the book is a good one (see the below paragraph), and I'm afraid there will be people who will dismiss it based on title alone.]

Politics are doubtlessly one of America's "hot topics." You know what they say -- avoid discussions of religion and politics in polite company. It seems that this credo has led us to our current political state: a strongly divided-down-party-lines country, where any discussion results in an argument. One of the aims of the book was to encourage civil discussions between those whose opinions differ, (hopefully) resulting in a little more understanding and a little less tension. If your Facebook friends are anything like mine, I'm sure you've seen this tension played out in comments and posts. It can get downright ugly, with name-calling and mud-slinging rather than honest discussion. We all have a right to our opinions, as we have a right to disagree with others. But can't we be a little more civil about it?

You don't have to be a book blogger or a participant in Mandy's Book Blogger Club to take part in the discussions. Click over to the Well-Read Wife and Mandy's first discussion question post to answer on your own in the comment section. You can also follow the discussion answer the questions on Twitter using the hashtag #MBBCWRW.

The following questions cover pages 1-31 in the book:

1. On page 1 Michael says he feels like America as a nation has lost sight of our “mission statement.” What do you think America’s mission statement should be? Try your hand at writing one!

I would love to believe in the American dream, and in what I believe used to be America's mission statement -- a place where hard work will result in good fortune. Sadly, I'm not sure that's true anymore. When super-wealthy citizens claim that their fortune came from "hard work," I have to disagree -- after all, I doubt they ever worked harder than those breaking their backs doing fieldwork or scrubbing toilets each day. But for them, something clicked. That's not just hard work. It's hard work mixed with lucking into the right circumstances (for more on this, read Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers). It could also be a result of their paying slave wages to the people who worked hard for them, and taking home more for themselves.

And is that the American dream, anyway? I think most Americans would simply like to live their lives comfortably and in relative peace. This means that they have a way to earn money which allows them to eat foods they enjoy, buy gas to drive where they need and want to go, and pay their bills on time. Unfortunately, these (seemingly) simple goals are a daily struggle for some and downright impossible for others -- even among those who "work hard." I don't know that we've lost our mission statement so much as we've made it impossible for regular Americans to achieve the goals set forth in our mission statement.

2. Michael’s Crocs? Hot or not?

What an excellent question! I don't own a pair of regular Crocs, but I do have a leopard print pair of Croc slingbacks and a herringbone print in a ballet flat. I don't wear them often (they kind of make my feet sweat), but when I do, I think they're cute enough -- not to mention comfortable, foot-sweating aside. My dad wears RealTree camouflage Crocs, as well as some with leather tops. If he's happy, I'm happy. And my nephew is absolutely adorable in his dinosaur Crocs. So, with all that being said... I believe there is a time and a place for Crocs. Should Michael have brought a change of shoes for meeting the McCain family? Probably.

3. Were you surprised that the McCain’s Sedona cabins were what many would consider modest?

I suppose I would like to judge the supposed modesty of the cabins for myself. Did it sound like, from the descriptions in the book, they were super-fancy designer cabins? No. Would most Americans consider owning a group of several cabins (note the pluralized version of the word) "modest"? No. Most Americans don't own a single vacation home of their own, much less a compound -- no matter how not-at-all-fancy said cabins were.

4. On guns: Meghan says on pg. 18 “One of the things I was most surprised about when I first moved to New York City was the strange and almost visceral anger a lot of East Coast people have towards both guns and the protection of Second Amendment Rights.” Meghan also says on (page 19) she feels like more restrictions should be placed on just who is able to obtains certain types of firearms. Michael says on page 20, “It seems that we’re more selective about who gets a LinkedIn invitation than we are about the people we let buy firearms.” How do you feel the topic of gun control was handled in the book? How do you feel about guns and gun control in general? Have you ever fired a “zombie killer”?

As for the book, I felt that they both made their points. I'm not sure either listened to the other, although Michael did shoot a gun, showing that he isn't entirely anti-gun. As for myself, I am torn. On one hand, I live in Tennessee, and many of my family members and friends enjoy hunting. That being said, I also know more than one person who has been wounded or killed by a gun -- during an innocent activity such as hunting. Are guns dangerous? Of course they are. Should anyone who wants one be allowed to have one? Absolutely not.

I'm reading Alafair Burke's first Ellie Hatcher series novel right now, and a ballistics expert in the book mentions something interesting. She says that every gun manufactured in the U.S. could technically have ballistics testing done before purchase. These test results would be entered into a database that law enforcement officers could search when a bullet is found at a crime scene. This sounds infinitely reasonable to me. Before a gun is sold, it undergoes ballistics testing so that if it is ever used during a crime, it can be traced immediately. This hasn't been done, the character laments, because anti-gun control people would have a fit. I see this as an enormous problem. Should people be allowed to hunt? Sure, if they do so safely. Should the government be able to trace guns used in crimes? Absolutely. So I suppose I am not entirely anti-guns, but I am definitely pro-gun control.

5. How do you feel about the disagreement Meghan and Michael have in the bar on the fourth of July? “Freedom Doesn’t Come Free” – Trite or Right?

I think they are both 100% correct. Freedom does not come free -- about that Meghan is right. Members of her family have experienced real-life circumstances that reflect the truth of this statement, not the least of whom is her father, Senator John McCain. American soldiers have died or given their time and effort toward keeping the rest of us safe and free. Every American should acknowledge this and be grateful that this is true.

But I think Michael is also right when he feels the saying is trite -- it's too simple. It wraps up a complicated circumstance into a simplistic statement. Because it is a topic so close to her heart, Meghan seems unable to separate people's feelings for war and their feelings for the military. In my mind, the two do not go hand in hand. I believe we can be enormously proud of our military men and women, want nothing but the best for them, yet also believe some military decisions our country has made were in error. In fact, I might just argue that the very reason many people were against the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan was because they love and respect members of the military. They didn't want our military members losing their lives for wars that they deem unnecessary.

Book Review: Shout Her Lovely Name by Natalie Serber

2012-07-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

A bit about the book: Anorexia. Drug use. Mother-daughter relationships. Coming-of-age issues. All of these are themes from Natalie Serber's debut collection of short stories. While Shout Her Lovely Name is a women-centered collection of stories, it is far from typical "chick lit." There are no shopping trips, nary a designer handbag in sight. Although the women in these stories have romantic relationships, neither are they the focus. Intead, Serber has written a smart series of stories focused on women's inner workings -- the meat of what makes a woman a woman.

In the opening story, from which the fabulous title borrows its name, a mother struggles with her daughter's battle to be thin. Told in daring second-person point-of-view (which I usually tell my students almost no one does, or if they do, it's seldom successful), the reader is pulled into the story. Serber does an excellent job of delving into the feelings that wash over the mother as she helplessly watches her daughter become virtually transparent.

The book is broken into three parts; a single story at the beginning, a series of middle stories which star the same two main characters throughout, and a final standalone story. The stories in the middle, and the mother-daughter duo who are featured in them, were favorites of mine. From her birth through daughter Nora's young adult years, Serber describes daily life for the pair. Serber doesn't shy away from getting down and dirty, chronicling both the parting of Nora's parents before her birth and Nora's recreational drug use in her teens.

Why you want to read it: Shout Her Lovely Name is a brave, vivid illustration of all it means to be a woman. Serber's use of the short story genre, rather than her having written a novel, allows her to tackle a wide array of topics. The collection also highlights her immense writing ability, proving that she is someone to watch for in the future. The stories are well-written and full of flawed, engaging characters.

The bottom line: Even if you aren't normally a short story reader, Serber's Shout Her Lovely Name will speak to you. Females especially, even those who aren't mothers, will appreciate her candid descriptions and the truth she brings to the table. Even those without children were daughters of mothers themselves. Serber offers a little something for everyone in this collection.

About the author: Natalie Serber has contributed to two previous collections of writing, Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex, and Work in Our 40s and Air Fare: Stories, Poems, and Essays on Flight. Shout Her Lovely Name is her first singly-published work. She has degrees in English and Education, but stayed at home with her children and wrote while they were in school.

On her website she writes: "Now as my youngest enters college and I teeter on the cusp of an empty nest and a new decade of my life, my collection, SHOUT HER LOVELY NAME is forthcoming with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. There’s a lovely symmetry to my timeline and if I wrote it in a story, no one would believe it."

You can find out more about Serber and the new novel she is in the process of writing by connecting with her on her website, on Facebook, on Pinterest, or on Goodreads.

TLC Book Tour Info: This post is part of the TLC Book Tour for Shout Her Lovely Name. To read more reviews of Natalie Serber's short story collection, click over to TLC's Shout Her Lovely Name page for a full listing of tour stops.

Book Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

2012-07-10T07:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I reviewed Deborah Harkness's first novel A Discovery of Witches. Today, I'm telling you about Shadow of Night, the second book in Harkness's All Souls Trilogy. If you haven't read either title, I suggest you click over to my review from yesterday before continuing to read below. My review of Shadow of Night contains some unavoidable spoilers for the first book. If you don't mind, read on! I just like to give fair warning, as I detest spoilers myself.

A bit about the book: Time travel is a perk of the fantasy genre, and in her latest book Shadow of Night, Deborah Harkness makes excellent use of this convention. At the end of A Discovery of Witches, main characters Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont found themselves under attack by creatures of all sorts. After Diana requested a manuscript linked to the history of witches, vampires, and daemons in the Oxford library, she became an instant target.

In Shadow of Night, Diana and Matthew time travel back to the year 1590 in order to escape their current-world problems. Additionally, they hope to find some clues about Ashmole 782, the much-sought-after manuscript that began it all. As they travel to various locations in Europe, Harkness weaves a tale of love, mystery, and history all bound into one.

Why you want to read it: One reason I hailed A Discovery of Witches as a must-read rather than just another story full of vampires is because of Harkness's highly intelligent storytelling. She is not simply one more author throwing her hat into a genre because it seems like an easy sell. Instead, Harkness is gifting the world with a complex, well-written trilogy of books. Shadow of Night is a fantasy tale on par with The Lord of the Rings, not one of the many poorly-penned vampire series that popped up in the wake of Stephenie Meyer's success. If it seems like I'm repeating myself, I probably am -- but I just don't want these books lumped in with all the others.

Shadow of Night is rich with the European history in which Harkness is an expert. Even the title refers to Matthew's circle of friends, the real-life group called the School of Night. Members (both from history and from Harkness's novel) include explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, playwright Christopher Marlowe, poet George Chapman, and scientist Thomas Harriot, among others. Harkness brings these staid characters to life in the pages of Shadow of Night, no small feat in my opinion. Although historical fiction is never my first choice, in Harkness's hands it becomes fascinating. Harkness also populates her novel with other historical figures, including Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare himself.

The bottom line: History weaving and brilliant writing aside, in Shadow of Night Harkness has spun a tale that would capture the attention of almost any reader. The love between Diana and Matthew becomes much more complicated and deeper on every level. The plot is involved and intertwined delightfully with historical figures and events, including the growing fear surrounding witchcraft that results in trials and persecutions all over the world. And finally, there is the growing mystery surrounding Ashmole 782, which continues with a vengeance in this second book in the series. Harkness hasn't yet set a date for the third novel to be released, but suffice it to say I'll be reading it!

About the author: Deborah Harkness is the author of one previous novel, A Discovery of Witches, and two non-fiction titles. She has been a scholar of history for more than twenty years, working in various college and library settings. She is currently a professor at USC, specializing in European history and the history of science. You can find more information about her books by visiting her website, adding her on Facebook, or following her on Twitter.

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

2012-07-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

A bit about the book: In a world filled with witches, vampires, and daemons, love seems out of reach. However, for one witch it just may come from the most unexpected place.

Diana Bishop (yes, descended from the Bishop you've heard of in connection with the Salem witch trials) is an academic, first and foremost. Although she is technically a witch, she has long denied her heritage, opting to live primarily in the real world rather than the magical one. However, on a work-related sojourn to Oxford as part of her Yale professorship, she is pulled quite unassumingly into the world of other beings. Upon requesting a manuscript from Oxford's library as part of her alchemy research, Diana unleashes a storm of magic too strong for her to ignore.

As creatures of all sorts descend on the library, drawn to the power they feel both from Diana and the manuscript, one particular vampire holds them at bay. Matthew Clairmont, a 1500-year-old vampire, is the only being powerful enough to protect Diana -- and to attempt to get his own hands on the manuscript in question. The mysteries surrounding Ashmole 782, the impenetrable manuscript, create a ripple in the supernatural community that threatens their world.

What are the secrets it holds? And what lengths will other creatures, including Matthew, go to to get what they want from Diana?

Why you want to read it: Although it seems the literary world (crossing over into movies, and television, of course) is already quite full enough of fantasy novels -- especially those featuring vampires -- Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches is the one book everyone still needs to read. For one thing, Harkness's tale is no adolescent romance. Neither does it portray vampires as sex objects to be craved.

Instead, A Discovery of Witches is the thinking man and woman's answer to a new kind of fantasy writing. Harkness, a scholar much like her main character (although, we might presume, without the witch's capabilities), blends intelligent historical fact with fiction in the novel. She not only spins an amazingly good story, but she does so with a good vocabulary and little indulgence in typical vampire fiction feeding scenes. A Discovery of Witches is a well-crafted novel and couldn't be further from the Twilight series and other teen-vampire books.

I listened to the audio version of this book, via Audible.com, and the performance by Jennifer Ikeda was phenomenal. The novel weighed in at a lengthy 24 hours (the print version is almost 600 pages long), but did not bore or disappoint. Although it took me quite a while to listen, hearing the story with Ikeda's narration was worth every second.

The bottom line: At last the world has been given an intelligent vampire novel. With the exception of perhaps Anne Rice's novels (which I haven't read), literature has recently been flooded with sub-par vampire writing, making the entire genre into a bit of a joke. Harkness's A Discovery of Witches, the first in a trilogy, turns that around. The novel makes it possible to enjoy good literature and a vampire-filled tale, all at the same time. Although ostensibly a novel about supernatural creatures and their history, Harkness expertly weaves in a love story, as well.

About the author: Deborah Harkness is a current professor of European history and the history of science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Having previously written two non-fiction titles, A Discovery of Witches is her first novel. It is also the first in the All Souls Trilogy series. You can find more information and connect with the author on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Harkness's second novel will release in stores tomorrow. Check back then for my review of Shadow of Night.

Book Review: Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank

2012-06-28T08:14:00.000-05:00

Southern literature queen Dorothea Benton Frank will be signing Porch Lights in Nashville tonight at Ann Patchett's bookstore Parnassus Books, and I really wish I were going. Last week I missed seeing Mary Kay Andrews at Parnassus, but I was comforted by the fact that I had previously met her. I've longed to meet Frank since adoring her first novel, Sullivan's Island. I'm actually going to be in Nashville tonight, but attending another event. My best girl friends and I are going to see Sarah McLachlan and the Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn. So I suppose I can be soothed by that.

A bit about the book: Army nurse Jackie Britt McMullen is home from multiple tours of duty when her husband, firefighter Jimmy McMullen, is killed while fighting a housefire. She and their ten-year-old son, Charlie, struggle to keep themselves above water in their home in Brooklyn, but Charlie slips further and further from Jackie.

In Porch Lights, Jackie decides that a trip to her family's home on Sullivan's Island is necessary for Charlie's well-being, even if residing in the same home with her mother for weeks on end may kill her. Annie Britt, Jackie's mother and a southern belle to the nth degree, thrills in her new mission -- providing healing for her grandson and daughter. She takes on their visit as her personal mission, redecorating bedrooms and planning menus. But she and Jackie haven't agreed on much of anything for years. How will they survive an entire summer together?

Why you want to read it: Frank is simply one of the best writers of southern lit in the game. Her novels are set in South Carolina's Low Country, a land with a rich history, beautiful sights, and good food. She incorporates all three into her novels, and Porch Lights is no exception. She also incorporates Edgar Allen Poe's time on Sullivan's Island into the pages of the novel, as Annie Britt is a self-taught expert on the subject. The characters visit Poe's Tavern for good eats, as well as Fort Moultrie, where Poe was stationed. Lines from Poe's short story "The Gold-bug" begin each chapter.

Frank is a master storyteller, and part of that skill lies in her ability to create dynamic characters who readers fall for despite their flaws. I enjoy her stories because I care deeply for the characters she creates. Jackie and Annie are main characters with many issues, difficult traits which cement their humanity. Jackie is stubborn when faced with her mother's efforts to help; Annie, for her part, is both stubborn and extraordinarily self-righteous. But the mother-daughter duo is also full of love for one another and for young Charlie. They both want what's best for their family, even while they don't agree on what that is.

The side characters in Porch Lights are delightful, as well. Annie's neighbors add a sense of community to the novel, as Jackie and Charlie are welcomed with open arms to their home-away-from-home. A handsome doctor provides a hint of romance, while best friend Deb shows readers another side of Annie. Buster (or Guster, as Charlie calls him), Annie's estranged husband and Jackie's father, brings comedy to the novel and is the perfect foil for Annie.

The bottom line: Told in alternating voices (Jackie's and Annie's), Porch Lights is a love letter to both complicated family relationships and South Carolina's Low Country. The novel celebrates both equally, in a tale that pulls at readers' heartstrings. I long to meet the characters and visit the beautiful island where they live. At its heart, Porch Lights is a novel that will remind us how important the people and places we love are.

About the author: Dorothea Benton Frank is the author of twelve previous novels, including a Christmas novella, The Christmas Pearl. All twelve are set on various islands and cities up and down the South Carolina coast, and all are a delight to read. She was born on Sullivan's Island, and now resides in both New Jersey and the South Carolina. You can read more about her and sample excerpts from her novels by visiting her website. You can also follow her on Twitter and on Facebook.

Book Review: Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay

2012-06-27T08:50:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, I read Linwood Barclay's thriller Too Close to Home. I liked it, but didn't necessarily love it. Then I had the opportunity to read Barclay's most recent novel, The Accident, and whoa! It was a whole different ballgame. In the ensuing years, Barclay perfected his craft. He is a supreme storyteller, as well as a master of suspense. I loved The Accident (read my review here) and couldn't wait to read more of Barclay's novels.

A bit about the book: David Harwood and his wife Jan have hit a rough patch. As a journalist, times are hard for David as the media world moves from small-town newspapers to nationally-owned news and online journalism. David couldn't be more thrilled when Jan suggests a day at a new local amusement park for them and their four-year-old son Ethan. He sees it as a sign that they're both willing to work on their marriage and save their family.

The day of the visit to the amusement park, however, things go from bad to worse. First, Ethan goes missing. Just after he's found, Jan turns up missing. As police search for his wife, David becomes suspect number one. He conducts his own investigation, trying to stay one step ahead of the police who are after him. Was Jan taken, or did she leave of her own accord? Or did David, in fact, have something to do with her disappearance?

Why you want to read it: Mystery and thriller fans will delight in Barclay's ability to keep readers on their toes. The term "page-turner" was invented for novels like Never Look Away. Barclay creates a sense of understanding in his readers, then yanks the rug out from under them, causing readers to question every truth they believed they knew. As in his previous novels, Barclay throws in enough plot twists to make the novel exciting without causing it to become far-fetched.

Secrets are something Barclay does well in all of his novels. We all have them -- we just don't usually have anyone writing about our deepest mysteries. Barclay uncovers the truth about both David and Jan layer by layer, with a precise method that keeps readers guessing until the last page. As Barclay reveals new truths about his characters, he also causes readers to care more deeply about them -- making each revelation truly surprising.

The bottom line: If you are a lover of mystery or suspense novels, you'll love Linwood Barclay's work. Never Look Away is an excellent example of his expertise. You should also give his other novels a try!

About the author: Linwood Barclay is the author of several other standalone novels, including the new novel Trust Your Eyes, set to release in September. He began his career with a series based around character Zach Walker, then branched out into other novels. Although born in America, Barclay has spent the majority of his life living in Canada. You can connect with the author on Facebook, on Twitter, and even on YouTube.

Book Review: Ocean Beach by Wendy Wax

2012-06-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

A bit about the book: Five women, one baby, and a broken-down mansion that's seen better days. Couple that with difficult living conditions and a bare-bones budget, and you still have nothing these women haven't dealt with before. After all of them fell on hard times last year, the group worked together to restore Bella Flora, a falling-down beach house near Tampa, Florida. The success of that restoration project has led to a new career path for them all -- television stars.

However, there's just one tiny problem. The network hasn't committed quite yet, and none of them have anything to fall back on. Ocean Beach, Wendy Wax's follow-up to last summer's Ten Beach Road, follows Avery, Deidre, Madeline, Kyra, and Nikki as they make one last attempt at get back on their feet financially. There are twists at every turn of the page, starting with the fact that Lifetime wants their show to be more reality-based and less restoration project.

With a camera crew living on-site and following their every move, twenty-four hours a day, the women have a bit more to deal with than they originally bargained for. Couple that with the innate problems of restoring a home built decades ago, and Wax has stirred up a recipe for disaster -- and a truly enjoyable novel.

Why you want to read it: Even without reading Ten Beach Road, the four characters in Ocean Beach are real, and really fun to read. Their problems are real people's issues, even if they differ a bit from those we all face (a Brad-Pitt-like movie star is involved). Avery and Deirdre have a difficult mother-daughter relationship. Kyra's baby Dustin is the result of a complicated relationship with an absent father. Madeline wants to be close to her daughter and grandson, but she has her own marriage issues with Kyra's father to deal with, as well. And Nikki lives under the shadow of her brother's Bernie Madoff-like crimes, causing her to be hated by much of the American population.

In addition to the winning characters and interesting conflicts, Wax also manages to paint Miami and South Beach in a flattering light. The setting couldn't be more perfect for a summer read. There are sunset toasts overlooking the ocean, nights out at beachside restaurants, and jogs along Miami's beautiful beaches.

Although many complaints are made about reality shows taking over our televisions, let's be honest. Most of us watch at least one -- some of us multiple -- reality shows. Taking a look inside the lives of strangers is fascinating much of the time. Wax's inclusion of the reality show slant makes Ocean Beach a timely, interesting novel we can all relate to in this entertainment climate.

The bottom line: While Ocean Beach won't be up for a Pulitzer, Nobel, or other literary prize, it's the perfect chick lit read for summertime. Sometimes books are great books for their entertainment value alone; they don't all have to strive to be extraordinarily "literary." Ocean Beach is highly entertaining, as a book with realistic female characters and a fun and engaging plot. It's the perfect summer paperback to tuck into your beach bag or download for your Kindle. Highly recommended.

About the author: Wendy Wax is the author of eight previous novels. She is from Florida and currently lives in Atlanta. Suffice it to say she knows her way around the south! To learn more about her and her writing, you can visit her website, add her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Summer Reading Giveaway: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

2012-06-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Two great books have gone to two fabulous blog readers so far this summer. First was Karen White's Sea Change, then The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier. This is the third Summer Reading giveaway for 2012, and it is a fantastic piece of fiction. Is is also dramatically different from the other two novels. The first was set on an island in Georgia and incorporated sections of historical fiction. The second was set in the year following September 11, on an island off the coast of Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Haynes' Into the Darkest Corner is also set on an island -- if you consider England an island (it is, or at least Great Britain is). The similarities between it and either of the other two Summer Reading Giveaway titles ends there, though. I read and reviewed Into the Darkest Corner at the beginning of June as part of its TLC book tour, and through a fluke of my moving halfway through its arrival, ended up with two copies of the novel. Thus, my sharing one of them with you!

You can read dozens of excellent reviews of the novel by visiting TLC's page for the novel. Into the Darkest Corner has received rave reviews all around the web, and was Amazon UK's Best Book of the Year for 2011 (the book published earlier there than it did in the U.S.).

Here is a quick summary from the author's website:

Catherine has been enjoying the single life for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic, spontaneous – Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell.

But there is a darker side to Lee. His erratic, controlling and sometimes frightening behaviour means that Catherine is increasingly isolated. Driven into the darkest corner of her world, and trusting no one, she plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, struggling to overcome her demons, Catherine dares to believe she might be safe from harm. Until one phone call changes everything.

Trust me when I say that this is the one novel of suspense you must read this year. To enter the giveaway, fill out the form below. It's that easy! This giveaway is open to those with U.S. mailing addresses only. The contest ends Thursday night at 11:59 pm CST, and I'll email the winner on Friday!

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Book Review: Never Tell by Alafair Burke

2012-06-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

When Julia Whitmire is found dead in her bathroom from what seem to be self-inflicted wounds, NYPD detectives Ellie Hatcher and her partner Rogan are confused at their being summoned to the scene. Hesitation marks are present on the teen's wrists, as is a handwritten suicide note on her bedroom pillow. The case seems to be cut-and-dried.

However, the victim's parents, Bill and Katherine Whitmire, prove determined to force the investigators' hands. Calls are made to supervisors, a private detective is hired, and a tip line is set up, complete with a cash reward for information about their daughter's death. The family's wealth and influence spur the NYPD to continue with a case Hatcher is certain should have long been closed.

However, as secrets about Julia Whitmire's life emerge, both Rogan and Hatcher are forced to change their opinions. Whether or not Julia's death was murder or suicide, there is definitely a need for investigation. What follows is an exciting journey for the truth, one that takes the detectives from a homeless shelter for teens to an upscale Manhattan child psychiatrist's office, and from New York City's parks to a prep school for future CEOs and political leaders.

Never Tell, the fourth installment in Burke's Ellie Hatcher series, released this week. It is a novel that delves into several controversial current issues -- mental health diagnoses and prescription drug use in children and young adults, the treatment of and social stigma attached to homeless adolescents, and the rigorous expectations placed on Ivy League prep-school students. Burke also explores the ever-growing trend of anonymous blogging as therapy for past abuse.

Along with the twists and turns of the death investigation, Burke also continues to reveal the ins-and-outs of Ellie Hatcher's personal life. Never Tell is the first Hatcher series book I've read -- in fact, the first Burke novel I've ever read -- and I became invested in Hatcher's story nonetheless. While Burke is adding to a character she has already created, she does a fine job of introducing new readers to Hatcher, as well. Although my OCD tendencies would have preferred my reading the series in order, Never Tell works without my having done so. It is a strong novel centered around a strong female character who I will definitely be reading more about.

Alafair Burke is no stranger to the world of mystery writing. Her father, James Lee Burke, has written more than two dozen novels, most of which feature Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux. Quite separate from her father's success, Burke has carved a name for herself in the mystery genre, most recently with this series starring NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher.

Burke is the author of seven other books, including three in the Samantha Kincaid series, three in the Ellie Hatcher series, and one standalone novel. She is a former prosecutor and current criminal law professor, a career which enriches her writing. You might say books are in Burke's blood; in addition to her father being a writer, her mother was a school librarian who greatly encouraged her to read. You can find out more about Burke and her books on her website, on Facebook, on Twitter, or by reading her blog.

If you are a mystery reader, you must pop over to Burke's website to explore the 2012 Duffer Awards. The Duffers are zany awards for fictional characters. Last week Marcia Clark's Rachel Knight beat out Linda Fairstein's Alex Cooper as "Most Likely to Beat Judge Judy in a TV Ratings War." Each time you post a comment after you vote, you are entered to win weekly prizes, such as signed copies of Burke's books and $50 gift certificates from booksellers.

Additionally, as part of the promotion for Never Tell, you can purchase the e-book version of Burke's third Ellie Hatcher novel, 212, for only 99 cents! Click here for retailer options.

Never Tell is currently on tour via TLC Book Tours. To read the other reviews of Burke's latest novel, visit their Never Tell page with complete tour information and links.

Book Review: The Girl Below by Bianca Zander

2012-06-20T08:38:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while you happen upon a novel where the main character is simultaneously unlikable yet sympathetic, all at the same time. In her novel The Girl Below, first-time author Bianca Zander has created exactly that character in Suki Piper. At thirty, Suki still doesn't have her stuff together -- she's immature, childish, unemployed, self-pitying. She's had a rough life -- but so have many other people, who seem able to keep their lives in some semblance of order.

For Suki, however, losing first her father (to a new wife and a new continent) and then her mother (to cancer) has proved too much for her to handle. After living in New Zealand for a decade, she's made the long trek back to her hometown of London to try life in Europe once again. Things don't begin quite as Suki would have liked -- perhaps in direct correlation to the effort she gives them.

At last Suki lands back where she needed to be all along, in her family's old apartment building. As she renews a bond to a family she's known since she was young, she is finally able to begin dealing with her demons -- and some of them are doozies.

Zander interjects a supernatural flair into The Girl Below, which creates twists and kinks in Suki's journey to become whole once again. At every step she moves forward, creepy happenings and fears hold her back. I enjoyed most of the haunting feelings the novel evokes, but towards the end, when the supernatural vibe became stronger than ever, I lost Zander's purpose a bit. Some bits are left a bit vague, which some readers like and I happen to not enjoy so much.

In spite of some of its drawbacks, the novel left me turning pages quickly to discover what happens next. Zander does an excellent job of creating the setting; both London and Auckland, New Zealand, fairly jumped off the page. While not always describing a flattering picture of the two cities, Zander seems faithful to building a definite sense of place in the novel. I love when the setting seems to almost be an unnamed character in novels, and Zander accomplished that in The Girl Below.

Although I found myself frustrated with Suki much of the time, she is a character I felt immense sympathy for, and one I ended up rooting for throughout the novel. I wanted desperately for her to find whatever she was seeking -- and although she makes plenty of missteps, I believe in the end she does exactly that. While The Girl Below is dark in many places, in the end it is a book of hope, both for Suki and in general.

Bianca Zander, who has roots both in Britain and New Zealand, has had a successful career as a journalist. She has also been dabbled in radio production work and in writing for film and television. She wrote the film The Handover, which was viewed at the Chicago Film Festival. The Girl Below is her first novel. You can find Zander on Facebook and on Twitter.