The Introverted Reader

Friday Flashback Review: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

2012-01-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

Chicago wins a bid to be the host of the World's Fair in 1892, the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America. The city's top architects immediately swing into gear to make this a fair to remember. Paris had hosted a world's fair a few years earlier and everyone said that it couldn't be beaten. So of course Chicago feels like they have to "out-Eiffel Eiffel." At the same time, charming psychopath Dr. H.H. Holmes sets up a pharmacy/hotel/restaurant in the city. Women and children who enter his sphere are never heard from again. The Devil in the White City weaves these stories together.

I'm not a non-fiction reader, but I liked this book. It was interesting to see what Burnham, the lead architect for the fair, went through to get everything together on time. I also enjoyed reading about the odd bits of trivia associated with the fair. For example, did you know that the Pledge of Allegiance was written for the dedication of the fair? It was also fun to see how everyone who was anyone knew each other in a much smaller America back then. The book is full of names that I recognize and I'm not a history buff.

There were some things that I wasn't crazy about though. The serial killer stuff could have been better. It was never suspenseful. It was just, "Well, he made this girl fall in love with him, and then she disappeared, but they think they found her footprint on the inside of his crematorium." I know it's non-fiction and the author was trying to stick to facts, but I kind of like some sensationalism. It could have been played up more for my taste. The very end of the World's Fair started dragging for me. We had lost the thread of the serial killer and were focused entirely on the fair. I think the alternating chapters about the fair and Dr. Holmes helped keeped my interest. When that stopped, my interest flagged. But then it picked back up again when the focus shifted almost entirely to Dr. Holmes. And, finally, I would have liked more pictures. Maybe there weren't more available, but if there were, I would have liked to have seen them. I would prefer to see the picture showing me how big the main building of the fair was rather than just giving me raw numbers.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I wouldn't mind reading more by this author.

Reviewed November 17, 2008

Read an excerpt.

Find author Erik Larson on his website, his blog, and Facebook.

Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement!

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Review: Elliot and the Goblin War by Jennifer A. Nielsen

2012-01-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

Elliot somehow finds himself appointed King of the Brownies (not the kind you eat--the kind that likes to clean your house as you sleep. I'd be happy with either of them in my house). He first came to the Brownies' attention after he saved one of them from some evil Goblins on Halloween night. That night, Elliot also started a war between the Brownies and the Goblins, so I guess it's only fair that he has to lead the Brownies. The problem is that the Brownies have no concept of how war should work. They just go about their business as usual, expecting to be eaten or scared to death by a Goblin at any minute. Well, Elliot might be young, but he knows that something has to change.

This was cute. It really was. My biggest problem was the frequent breaks for "Now, Reader, if you don't like to read about people being scared to death, you might want to stop reading right here. For serious. You've been warned. The last person who continued reading was eaten by a platypus." (Not an actual quote) It was kind of funny the first time or two, but it seemed like there was one of these in every chapter. Kids might like it, but I thought it got tedious.

Other than that, it was a fun little story. Elliott and the Brownies (sounds like a pop group from the '50's) got themselves into some tight spots, but it was amusing to see how the Goblins mostly managed to defeat themselves. I have to own up to a very juvenile sense of humor when it comes to smelly feet jokes and the like, so I actually thought it was pretty funny in parts.

I really liked that hidden inside this fun little story was a message about bullies and finding the strength to stand up for yourself. That doesn't mean fighting, but it does mean drawing the line. There's even a bit about forgiveness and second chances.

Recommended for the 9-12 year olds who can appreciate the humor.

Read an excerpt.

Find author Jennifer A. Nielsen on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Buy Elliot and the Goblin War at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

Review: Empire Falls by Richard Russo

2012-01-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Miles Roby is the manager of The Empire Grill in the heart of Empire Falls, Maine--or what's left of it, anyway. This once-thriving industrial town is dying now that the factories have all closed. Empire Falls still has a tightly-knit, optimistic community though. There are constantly rumors about new buyers for the factories. Miles feels as if he's the only skeptic, watching from behind his counter as his town is slowly sinking.

I'm finding this to be a really hard review to write. That's because as I read the book, I didn't really feel like I was reading fiction. It seems like a new factory closes somewhere in my area weekly (not really, but it's not been great) and these characters felt like neighbors. None of them are perfect, and they're all struggling with things that we can relate to. I feel like I'm trying to write a review of small-town, blue-collar American life, and that's not something that I review, that's just something that we live.

And I guess that I couldn't really give Russo a higher compliment than that. Sure, there are things that I didn't necessarily enjoy, but when a book is so spot-on that you feel like you're reading about the next town over, there's not much else to say.

There were times when I laughed (Father Tom and Max Roby were always good for that), there were times when I was a little heart-broken, there were times when I felt victorious, and there were times when I was beyond horrified. I really did not see the stuff at the end coming. It was one of those things that always happens "somewhere else," so when I had lost myself enough to feel that I was a part of Empire Falls, it was shocking that it happened "right here at home."

I really like Miles and his daughter, Tick, but they weren't perfect by any means. They were funny and doing their best. Miles adores Tick and would do anything for her. I never knew quite what to think of Mrs. Whiting, the rich old woman who practically owns the whole town. She came across as heartless because she really was, but she also saw with a clarity that few of us possess. I have to give her credit for saying what she thinks. Otto Meyer was another character that I really liked, but I wish he'd had a bigger part. I like the way the relationships between characters were constantly shifting, the way they actually do in real life. I liked how Miles' relationship with his mother is echoed in his relationship with Tick.

There was at least one big revelation that I saw coming from a long way off. I obviously didn't see everything coming though, or I wouldn't have been shocked at the end.

I recommend this if you're in the mood for a good look at life in a small, dying town. I've made it sound depressing, but that constant thread of hope never quite fades away.

Read an excerpt.

Buy Empire Falls at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2012-01-22T22:26:00.000-05:00

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Posted:

Review: The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss

Review: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

Review: The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Saturdays in the South with author Olivia deBelle Byrd: Southern Funerals or He Just Woke Up Dead

Read:

Um, nothing. Short lunches at work combined with a surprisingly busy (for me--the introvert) social life last week, meant that I didn't get much reading done. But I had a good time and met some new friends!

Currently Reading:

The same as last week.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell--I admit it. I am loving this. You are all right; I'm kicking myself for not reading it earlier.

The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson--I like it. I'm mostly withholding judgement at this point. I will say that one chapter so far has been absolutely perfect.

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer--Fun fluff. It's easy to read while I sweat away on the elliptical machine.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, read by Jim Dale--I have to say that I was sort of not really seeing what all the fuss is about. But things are starting to finally come together and make sense for me.

Up Next:

I might finish The Night Circus and The Bookseller of Kabul, so I'll be looking for new audio and non-fiction picks. Right now, I'm thinking about Room by Emma Donoghue on audio and On Writing by Stephen King. Any opinions on either of these?

What do you think of the new look? I remodeled today as a way to avoid the baleful stares of the many, many, many books that are waiting to be reviewed.

What are you reading this week?

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Saturdays in the South with Olivia deBelle Byrd

2012-01-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

I was fortunate to see Olivia deBelle Byrd speak at the Decatur Book Festival in 2010 and I just loved listening to her stories. She is very charming and funny and she graciously agreed to guest post on the blog today! Please welcome her!

SOUTHERN FUNERALS OR HE JUST WOKE UP DEAD

Funerals in the South are a serious business. They entail prodigious amounts of food, flowers, and family and no shortage of humorous tales. My friend from the charming town of Eufaula, Alabama, tells of going to visit her elderly mother each morning, where the first thing her mother does is peruse the obituaries. Her mother mentioned an acquaintance that had died with the explanation, “He just woke up dead.” It reminded me of the time I called my niece, who also resides in a small Alabama town. When I inquired how things were she replied, “I’ve never seen anything like it, Aunt Olivia. People are dying who have never died before!”

As Southern women we do tend to obsess about our own funerals no matter how hale and hearty we are. We are just sure our children are not going to get it right. My friend, Louise, was telling me about a conversation she had with her daughter who lives up North. Apparently this daughter has lived up North too long. Louise was reminding her about some funeral detail she desired when her daughter said, “Mother, why don’t you just get cremated? It is very common up North.”

“Honey,” Louise exclaimed, “have you lost your mind? This is the one time in my life when I will be all laid out and every friend I have will come to see me. Each hair will be in place, it won’t matter whether my dress will zip, and there won’t be a chip on my nail polish—plus my stomach will be flat because I will be lying down.”

“Louise,” I said, “you’re the only person I know who can make an open casket sound like a fashion show!”

Speaking of fashion shows, my friend Lou Ellen had a stroke of bad luck. When her grandmother died, Lou Ellen did not have an appropriate dress in her closet so she went out and purchased the perfect funeral dress. As it turned out, it was a mite too perfect. When Lou Ellen viewed the open casket, there was Granny wearing the exact same dress. There was not a Southern woman in that funeral home who could come up with the correct compliment for that one.

Not long ago, I committed a terrible faux pas. Louise called to tell me about our mutual friend, Anna Mae, whose mother-in-law had passed away. Not listening as well as I should, I processed it as Anna Mae’s mother dying. Being the efficient Southern Belle that I am, I immediately wrote a very nice condolence note. I even mentioned how sweet and beautiful her mother looked the last time we visited and that would be my last remembrance of her.

I soon discovered my error albeit too late to retrieve the errant condolence note. I had no choice but to call Anna Mae and admit my error. I told her that when she received my very nice note to just strike out her mother’s name and insert her mother-in-law’s. I also mentioned, since her mother is eighty-six years old, she might not want to tell her that she had died.

Just the other day, Louise was lamenting that it is too bad we have to die to look our best. “Look at it this way, Louise,” I replied, “it beats being cremated.”

Olivia deBelle Byrd is a self-proclaimed Southern Belle who resides in Panama City, Florida, with her husband, Tommy. She is the author of Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle, which is her first collection of humorous essays. Like many Southerners, Olivia has a penchant for turning ordinary happenings into entertainment. Visit her website at www.oliviadebellebyrd.com

Thank you for stopping by with a laugh for the day! I just pray I never show up at a funeral wearing the same dress as the deceased.

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Friday Flashback Review: The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

2012-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

It's only been about a week since I read this book, but I'm already hazy on the details, so this will be vague.

Basically, this super-rich guy hires an engineering firm with a perfect record of doing the "impossible" to extract a meteorite from the ground of a Chilean island off of Cape Horn. In the wintertime. Without Chile's government officials finding out about it. Of course things go wrong.

This was an odd mixture of a book that I couldn't put down and a book that felt like it was creeping along. I could have done without a lot of the day-to-day engineering feats they pulled off. They didn't all add to the story's plot.

I was pretty conflicted about who the bad guys and good guys were. This isn't a very black-and-white book.

I saw where it was going. Overall, I think anyone who reads the back cover has a good idea what's going to happen. But there's a sudden twist in the very last sentence, and I even saw that coming from a little way out. Maybe because I've read both Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything and Dan Brown's Deception Point recently. In fairness, without those, I would have been clueless and maybe a little more weirded out.

And that brings up the fact that I couldn't help comparing this book with Deception Point. The plots weren't all that similar, but they do both involve unique meteorites. I would recommend Deception Point instead of this one. I read it much more quickly, heavy foreshadowing and all, and just overall enjoyed it more.

This book wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. I've only read one other Preston/Child book, Thunderhead, and I would recommend it instead of this one too. I enjoyed it. I will keep reading these guys, though.

Reviewed December 21, 2008

Read an excerpt.

Find authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child on their website and Facebook.

Buy The Ice Limit at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement!

Review: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

2012-01-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Kendra and Seth are nearing the end of the school year when a new guy joins Kendra's class. The other girls talk about how cute he is, but all Kendra sees is a disgusting goblin who plays cruel tricks on people. A mysterious stranger offers to help them get rid of the goblin (or kobold, as they find out the creature is truly called). All they have to do is steal an object that will get rid of the creature.

Things are never that easy for Kendra and Seth, so eventually they wind up back at Fablehaven, where they find out the Society of the Evening Star is intent on infiltrating the preserve and finding a powerful artifact.

Seth has calmed down a lot since the first book, thank goodness. He's still crazy, foolhardy, courageous Seth, but he's a little more aware that his actions have consequences. Since Seth has changed for the better, I actually enjoyed this a little more than the first book in the series.

I like what's going on with Kendra. Her brush with the Fairy Queen in Fablehaven has left her with some unusual abilities, and I have a feeling that we haven't even seen the beginning of what she can do. I like her a lot as a character, so this story arc has me intrigued.

The ending--! I had a sneaking suspicion something like that might be coming, but I have a feeling that younger readers might be a little blindsided by the sudden twist.

The characters suffer a lot of bad injuries, and that surprised me a little in a book that I personally would consider to be aimed at 9-12 year olds. I didn't find it to be anything over the top, but parents might want to keep that in mind for younger readers. At my age, I kind of liked how all of that raised the stakes.

I still love this world that Mull has created. I think that boys and girls will both love this action-packed book.

My review of Fablehaven.

Find author Brandon Mull on his website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

Review: The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss

2012-01-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have to start with this actual physical book. If you read my blog, you might be aware that I don't accept books for review. Reading on a schedule was starting to feel like work, so I decided to just say no to free books and read what I want when I want. It works better for me. I still get the occasional pitch and I will glance through them but I ultimately move on.

The pitch I got for The Thorn and the Blossom was different. "As for the unique format, The Thorn and the Blossom intertwines Evelyn’s and Brendan’s stories in an accordion-fold binding so that readers can choose whose perspective to read first, his or hers. Either way, the other will bring a surprise."

I couldn't picture it. Luckily, a link to the book trailer was included for me. I was curious; I had to watch. Then I knew I had to have this book. Go ahead. Watch it. I'll wait.

I got it in the mail, ripped it open, and fell in love. It is just a gorgeous book. There are a few illustrations and I loved those. The covers (Evelyn's, Brendan's, and the box that holds the book together) are well-matched and elegant. It's a smaller "hardcover" and I am drawn to those. I like the way they fit in my hands.

When I started reading, it did take a little while for me to get used to the format. I am a one-handed reader, and I tend to read while eating or drinking, or just keeping one hand warm under the blankets. That was a bit of a problem. This is definitely more of a two-handed book. When I forgot and held it at the middle with one hand, I could feel one side or the other wanting to go flopping over. As long as I remembered to hold it with two hands, it handled basically like a regular book.

My friend Julie was possibly even more excited than I was when I showed her this book trailer. She almost pre-ordered it right there, but she decided to use her gift card for more immediate gratification. When I received my copy, I told her that it was fairly short at 39 pages on each side. "Well, I'm glad I didn't pre-order it then. Something that short isn't worth the price of a novel." But then.

Oh, but then. I remembered to take it in to work so she could actually experience it herself. After much oohing, aahing, and petting, she finally managed to get out, "I should have ordered it when I had the gift card." So there you have it. It is worth the cost.

That should have sold you, but I'll go ahead and tell you about the story itself.

I've come across author Theodora Goss before, when I read her short story, "The Princess and the Hound of the Moon" and loved it. She's been on my radar ever since, but I haven't actually read any more of her work. When I saw this beautiful, unique book was written by an author whose work I had enjoyed, I knew this had to be a win.

My expectations for the story may have been a little too high. I'm not saying that there was anything wrong with it at all. I really liked it. I was hoping to be blown away, but that didn't happen.

I read Evelyn's story first. I was a little disappointed at the end. That was it? I wanted to know more! I was rooting for these star-crossed lovers. I needed to know what happened next. Then it dawned on me. Oh, wait. There is more. So I flipped to the other side and read Brendan's story.

The concept was familiar to me. I kept thinking of Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle, a book that did blow me away. A short story, where there just couldn't be the same level of detail and involvement with the characters, suffered a little in comparison with a novel.

But just a little. I do enjoy short stories, and I've learned to enjoy chewing over the ones that aren't neatly wrapped up. For a book with two stories of 39 pages each, I got pretty involved with the characters, and even got a gigantic surprise or three. It's hard to pull that off in a short story.

Reading the same story from two different perspectives definitely enriched the experience for me. However, reading them both back to back got a little repetitive. I found myself skipping chunks of dialog in Brendan's story that I had just read in Evelyn's story. I don't think there was a way around this from a writing/editing standpoint, but if you're reading, I would recommend trying to wait a day or two in between the stories.

Highly recommended, primarily because of the unique format of the book, but also for an enjoyable story of star-crossed lovers.

Find author Thedora Goss on her website, her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Buy The Thorn and the Blossom at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2012-01-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Posted:

Review: Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde

A very thoughtful Saturdays in the South guest post from author Susan Kelly

Read:

Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

Currently Reading:

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, read by Jim Dale

Up Next:

I don't really expect to finish any of these this week.

What are you reading this week?

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Winner of Amazon Gift Card!

2012-01-15T19:12:00.001-05:00

The winner of the $10 Amazon gift card that Kathryn Lively offered in her guest post is

Charity/CC!

Congratulations!

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Author Susan Kelly: Saturdays in the South

2012-01-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Today, please welcome author Susan Kelly to The Introverted Reader. She's a fellow North Carolinian!

As a senior in boarding school, in the very Southern city of Richmond, Virginia, I took a course titled “Southern Fiction,” and, as my teacher later described it, “fell into a hole,” which she intended as a high compliment. The hole wasn’t The Confessions of Nat Turner, but Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! I can still quote chunks of it. Two decades later, my own Southern fiction was being published.

What makes fiction Southern? Is it references to grits and K-Marts and “mama’n’em,” what I like to term red clay realism? Am I a Southern author because I wrote in How Close We Come, that “the discarded Christmas trees in the curb look like tipped over Southern belles, upended, with their underwear and petticoats showing”? An audience member once told me she was certain I was Midwestern, because my characters are candid, if not downright blunt. (If Midwesterners are blunt, that was news to me.)

Al Hirschfield, the pen-and-ink illustrator, famously includes his daughter’s name, Nina, in every drawing he creates. You have to search for it within his strokes. In each of my novels, I’ve included the phrase “necessary sadness,” and for me, that’s the essence of Southern fiction. How to define “necessary sadness”? Well, it’s a bit like looking for new wallpaper: you might not be able to describe it, but you’ll know it when you see it.

Necessary sadness is the current of bittersweet, of rue, if you will, that runs through our lives. It’s about letting go while holding fast. Knowing what to keep from something—a memory, a death, a way of life, a loss of innocence – and knowing what must be yielded to, or discarded. Think of To Kill A Mockingbird, the novels of Lewis Nordan, Robb Forman Dew, Elizabeth Spencer, even the early works of Capote, and yes, yes, William Faulkner. And, humbly my own. Twin themes of regret and soldiering on thread through them all.

Perhaps it’s cultural, this necessary sadness; endemic to our our history, our mannerisms, our memories, our expectations, our very geography of tobacco and cotton and kudzu. In Absalom, Absalom! Shreve McCannon demands of his roommate Quentin Compson, Tell about the South. What’s it like there. What do they do there. Why do they live there. Why do they live at all.

But we keep on keeping on. And writing about it.

About Susan Kelly

Susan Stafford Kelly graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College. She is the author of By Accident and the novels Now You Know, The Last of Something, Even Now, and How Close We Come, winner of the Carolina Novel Award and an alternate selection of Book-of-the-Month Club. Susan lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband and three children.

Thank you, Susan! I enjoyed your thoughtful post!

I'm still looking for authors of Southern Literature to participate in this feature. Please click the button for details if you're interested!

Review: Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde

2012-01-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Vida is 19 years old and dying. She's been dying her entire life. Not in the vague way that we are all destined to die, but in a way that has led her through multiple heart surgeries in her short life. This time, it's for real. Her doctors are talking weeks if she's lucky. She's been bumped to the top of the waiting list for heart transplants. And then she gets a new heart and she's able to start living.

On the flip side, Richard has everything. A job and a wife that he loves. Until he loses Lorrie in a tragic car accident. He chooses to donate her organs and Vida gets her heart. Vida's and Richard's lives are forever entwined after that. The first time Richard walks into her hospital room after the transplant, Vida tells him that she loves him. She's never met him before, but she feels a deep, romantic love for him.

At my old job, I was the tiniest of tiny cogs in the transplant process. I did electrocardiograms on the donors so that doctors could make sure the heart was in good working order from an "electrical" standpoint. I was glad that the families had chosen to donate their loved ones' organs, but I hated that part of the job. I never saw the recipients (the actual transplant happened in larger hospitals), so I only saw the donors, and I knew that this beautiful child, wife, father, loved one would not be going home to his or her family. They were all beautiful and they were all young. I didn't do it often, but I was never able to detach myself from the sadness on that end. It was hard for me, to say the least.

It was nice to read a book where I could really sort of experience the life that comes out of such a tragic loss/beautiful gift. Vida, meaning life in Spanish, is a perfect mix of wisdom and innocence. She's led a very sheltered life by necessity. She hasn't been able to get out and run around and play, simply because her weak heart wouldn't let her. She's experienced most of her life from the inside of her house, looking out at the world through a window. Staring the reality of death down daily has led her to realize what is important in life though. Relationships, fairness, and honesty are always important to her. After the transplant, she wants to see as much of the world as she can and face everything on her own terms. She knows how much she's missed and she's making up for lost time.

Richard says something that really made me think. Vida's mother asks him why he decided to donate, and his first response is a stock reply of "Wouldn't anybody?" He talks through it a little and eventually comes to a reason that feels real. "I know why I donated. I wanted people to never forget her. As many as possible. This way I knew you would never forget her, and neither would Vida. And anybody who loved Vida. And the woman in Tiburon who got her corneas, she'll never forget Lorrie, and neither will her family and everybody who loves her. And I could go on with the other organs, but ... I wanted as big a group of people as possible to think about Lorrie on an ongoing basis. Not just get over it and forget." That's possibly one of the most compelling reasons I've ever come across for organ donation. Sure, saving a stranger's life should be the best reason, but in the throes of grief, it's got to be hard to think about that. Something that helps others remember your loved one? That might get through.

Vida's best friend is her neighbor, Ethel, a 90-ish concentration camp survivor. You know I'm drawn to concentration camp stories, so I liked the element. There was a reason for it though. After Vida's transplant, they have a thoughtful conversation about the purpose of a life that came so close to death. Ethel has lived her life in a bubble, almost afraid to live. Vida is choosing to seize the opportunity she's been given and squeeze everything she can out of it.

The biggest part of the book revolves around cellular memory. I don't think I've ever heard about this, but I'm curious. Apparently there's a hypothesis that our memories do not reside solely in our brain; our very cells might retain memories. Think about what that would mean in organ donation. Scientists are studying recipients who suddenly develop traits similar to the donors whose organs they've received, or even "remember" things that never happened to them but did happen to the donor. It was pretty fascinating. There's a brief overview at the San Francisco Medical Society page.

I liked the way things turned out. I won't go into it, I just wasn't sure that I was very happy with the obvious ending, but there was a twist that made me very happy.

I was expecting sort of a light chick-lit book when I started this. I'm left with a lot to think over, and I'm very happy about that. There's a lot going on in this short-ish novel. I recommend it. My thanks to the author for providing me a copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Read an excerpt.

Find author Catherine Ryan Hyde on her website, her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Buy Second Hand Heart at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2012-01-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Giveaway!

Stop by author Kathryn Lively's Guest Post and comment for a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

Challenges

I'm hosting the Dewey Decimal, Books in Translation, and Southern Literature Reading Challenges this year. I'd love to have you join in. Click the links for more details!

Posted:

Signed up for the 2nds Challenge

Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Review: Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop

Review: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Read:

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss

Currently Reading:

Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, read by Jim Dale

Up Next:

I have committed to a Gone With the Wind readalong with my aunt starting around January 15. It will be my first time reading it. Go ahead. Get your exclamations of disbelief out of the way. :-) It's one of my aunt's favorite books (possibly even her very favorite), so hopefully she'll keep me on track.

What are you reading this week?

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Books in Translation Reading Challenge

2012-01-07T19:49:00.000-05:00

I've decided to host one more challenge, the Books in Translation Reading Challenge. I think this one's pretty self-explanatory. The goal is to read translations of books. They don't have to be in English; whatever language(s) you're comfortable reading in is good.

You can read any genre and any age range. Crossovers with other challenges are fine. Any format that you choose is also acceptable. The challenge will run from today, January 7, through December 31, 2012.

Looking for suggestions? I have a shelf on GoodReads you can check out. There's also a Listopia list on GoodReads.

I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers. You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing.

Levels:
Beginner: Read 1-3 books in translation
Conversationalist: 4-6
Bilingual: 7-9
Linguist: 10-12

I'm committing to the Conversationalist level at 4-6 books. I'll track my progress here.

I hope you'll join me! Sign up anytime throughout the year by linking below!

Post your reviews here as well. Enter your name or your blog name and the title of the book in parentheses. Example: The Introverted Reader (The Bookseller of Kabul)

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Author Kathryn Lively: Guest Post and Giveaway!

2012-01-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

Today I welcome Kathryn Lively, author of Little Flowers, to the blog for the first post in my new Saturdays in the South feature!

Hello, and thank you for joining me today. My name is Kathryn Lively and I guess you can say I am a Southerner. I have lived in the South all of my life - born in Florida, present in Virginia after several years in Georgia. As an English major in college and assistant librarian in Georgia, I became exposed to some of the best Southern literature written. While I read pretty much everything, there is a special place in my heart for the classics: McCullers, Welty, Faulkner, Harper Lee, etc.

My first love genre, however, is mystery, and I've spent many years tearing through all manner of Southern stories, from the gothic to the genteel to the downright bizarre. Anne Rice and Carl Hiaasen were two early favorites, and one would think I'd end up emulating the styles of some of these writers. In truth, when I sat down to write my first novel, Little Flowers, I decided to work on my own voice rather than attempt a poor imitation of another's. I feel when an author is able to do that, the actual writing comes easier, and the passion for the story is evident in the final product.

I've been flattered over the years to receive notes from aspiring authors requesting tips. Bottom line, if you want to write, you simply do it. If you have time to cook dinner, exercise, work, etc., you have the time to write. You don't have to complete the entire novel in a day, but even a thousand words a day puts you a step closer to your goals. Getting back to Little Flowers, this was a project I undertook during Lent. For the forty days, I gave up self-doubt and committed myself to writing five pages a days. Some days went easier than others, but even during the times I had to struggle to finish the goal I did it. The book doesn't finish itself - even writing two pages of disjointed dialogue is something. Remember, you can always go back and edit.

Little Flowers, like most of my novels and mysteries, is set in the South. Some people hang onto the old maxim "Write what you know," and I suppose I am more comfortable with Southern settings because I have traveled through much of the South over the last four decades. I can envision a sense of place easily based on my memory, and being a Southern girl there's no other place I'd want to live. :)

Little Flowers is available at Amazon in Kindle format and print, and you are welcome to visit me online at www.KathrynLively.com to see my other available titles. I invite you to comment on this post and enter to win a $10 GC from Amazon, too. Thanks for reading!

Thanks so much for stopping by, Kathryn! I know my readers appreciate your insight and your generosity!

Readers, comment below for a chance to win the $10 Amazon Gift Card. Make sure that I have a way to contact you, either through your Blogger profile or by leaving your email address in your comment. The contest will end on January 13, 2012. Good luck!

I'm still looking for authors of Southern Literature to participate in this feature. Please click the button for details if you're interested!

Friday Flashback Review: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

2012-01-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Meggie Folchart and her father, Mo, find themselves on the run from a mysterious man that Meggie knows only as "Capricorn." Capricorn is chasing after them, trying to steal a book that they own, and he won't stop at anything to get it.

First off, let me say that I'm about 20 years older than the reader this book is written for. I enjoyed it, but I didn't fall in love with it. The big thing that kept me from giving it five stars was that I felt a little bit like the plot moved around in circles. I found myself thinking, "Are we really back here again?" It seems to me that with some creative editing/storytelling the plot would have moved along nicer and the book wouldn't have been quite so big. That was really the only bad thing for me though.

This was the first of a trilogy, but it tied up everything pretty well. There weren't any major cliffhangers that left me feeling like I will never be able to wait to find out what happens next.

The translator did a fantastic job. If I hadn't known that this was originally written in German, I would never have guessed. Everything flowed along very smoothly.

I really liked the characters. The bad guys were really bad, but the good guys were a little more complicated. Meggie and Mo could be a little cranky, and Elinor was always cranky, but she had a softer side too. This all made them seem real and more likeable.

There were tons of quotes in here that I loved:

"Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly."

"If you take a book with you on a journey...an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it...yes, books are like flypaper--memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.

And these quotes included from other books:

"What do those children do without storybooks?" Naftali asked.
And Rob Zebulun replied: "They have to make do. Storybooks aren't bread. You can live without them."
"I couldn't live without them," Naftali said.
Isaac Bashevis Singer--Naftalie the Storyteller and His Horse, Sus

"For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not, this book from its owner, let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him. Let him be struck with palsy, and all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain, crying aloud for mercy, and let there be no surcease to this agony till he sing in dissolution. Let bookworms gnaw his entrails...and when at last he goeth to his last punishment, let the flames of hell consume him for ever."
Curse on book thieves, from the monastery of San Pedro, Barcelona, Spain.

I think young booklovers will love this book, and older booklovers will enjoy it.

Reviewed January 15, 2009

Read an excerpt.

Buy Inkheart at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement!

Review: Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

Dreams Made Flesh is a collection of four short stories/novellas centered around Jaenelle and her court. One of the events takes place immediately after the third in the Black Jewels series, so anyone reading this should keep that in mind. It definitely has spoilers for the previous books.

My favorite story by far, was "The Prince of Ebon Rih." How I grinned as I read it! I've always liked Lucivar, but he really is cast as the older brother in the series. There is definitely more to him than that, so it was great to see him as a powerful ruler in his own right and a sexy-as-hell man. Watching him deal with that bitch Roxie was a pleasure. Seeing his insecurity in dealing with Marian was delightful. He didn't know what hit him. Absolutely loved it.

My sister, who shoved this book into my hands saying only, "Read. This. Now." loves "Zuulaman." This is an event from Saetan's younger years that made him a legend. I liked it, but somehow couldn't help comparing it to Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana. You probably have to be inside my head to see how that happened. I loved Tigana and this story suffered for the comparison. And probably from my sister's buildup. Still, it was a very cool showcase of Saetan's raw power.

"Kaeleer's Heart" would have been good, but it was a little too much like "The Prince of Ebon Rih." It was nice to see Daemon and Jaenelle together, but I felt like I had pretty much read the story already, just a few pages earlier. It is sexy to see the lengths that Daemon is willing to go to in order to protect Jaenelle though.

"Weaver of Dreams" was just a confusing little legend and that's all I have to say about that.

If you enjoy the Black Jewels books, read this one. It was mostly a very cool addition.

Read an excerpt.

My reviews of Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, and Queen of the Darkness.

Find author Anne Bishop on her website.

Buy Dreams Made Flesh at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

Fire lives in a country known as the Dells, and she is a human monster. There's a strain of wildness in the country that leaves some of the animals and people with impossibly seductive beauty and power. Fire is so named because of her hair. She can enter minds and control people and animals. But she is constantly in danger because other monsters want to prey on her and other people either love her or hate her too much.

She does have a small group of friends that are like family though, and her world, while small, is as safe as she can make it. Yet she chafes against it. When she is invited to King's City to discuss how her power could be used to prevent a civil war from erupting, she jumps at the chance to go, despite the personal danger she puts herself in.

I'll get my complaints out of the way first.

Leck (from Graceling) is worked into this story and he does not fit. I don't see any purpose to his character at all. I kept expecting something more from that storyline but it just fizzled out. It is entirely possible though that I've forgotten something from Graceling that would have made it apparent why he needed to be in this story.

The other thing is about Fire herself. I loved her as a character. She has almost limitless power yet she's afraid of herself. She has not had an easy life by any means, yet she does try her best to help where she can. She loves those in her circle with a love so intense that it's almost scary. She is willing to lay her own life on the line for them.

But about three-quarters of the way through the book, she has a melt-down. Mind you, I understand exactly where she's coming from when I sit back to think about what brought it on. But it came on so quickly that my initial, and lasting, reaction, is more of a "What the heck? Have you lost your mind, girl? Pull on the big girl panties and deal." Had there been a little more buildup to it, I wouldn't have reacted as badly, but I never quite got back to the same place with her.

But Brigan is another matter altogeter. I wish that he'd had a more fortuitous entry to the story, because it was so bad that it keeps niggling at me, but he is just...wow. It's worth reading just for him alone.

I wasn't fully aware of any parts dragging out, but my attention definitely wandered through a few sections. I would find myself checking Twitter on my phone or glancing at emails while I had the book open in front of me.

Those things aside, I did really like this. The characters who were likeable weren't too perfect and the bad guys were mostly bad with only a couple who were more complicated. I liked how twisted up all the relationships became, and I liked seeing Fire grow into herself. Well, at least I did until that meltdown I mentioned earlier.

Oh, one thing I feel like I have to mention. If you're bothered by premarital sex and birth control of all kinds, you're going to dislike this book. It's not anything graphic by any means, but I know there was some kerfuffle over Graceling. I didn't mind it at all, but it's there, so avoid this one if you don't want to read that kind of thing.

Fans of Graceling, obviously, and other fantasy books with strong central women, will enjoy this one.

Read an excerpt.

My review of Graceling.

Find author Kristin Cashore on her blog.

Buy Fire at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

2nds Challenge

2012-01-02T23:29:00.001-05:00

"Have you read a book by an author that you really enjoyed and felt moved to read another of the author’s works? Or are you thinking to give an author another try even if you didn’t like your first taste of their work? If yes, then this challenge is for you! You’re going to go back for seconds of an author that you’ve only read once. The great thing about this challenge is that it’s not just for your second in a series books, but the second time you’ve read an author as well."

I am really bad about this. I will find an author whose work I enjoy, swear I'm going to read more by him or her, then never get back to them. I do this with series books as well. So this one might actually be a real challenge for me! I'm signing up for A Few More Bites--6 books.

Visit A Few More (Reading) Challenges to sign up.

I'll track my progress here.

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Winners of the 2011 Southern Literature Challenge Giveaway!

2012-01-02T19:37:00.000-05:00

glitter-graphics.com

Finally! The moment we've been waiting a year for! I promised those who signed up for my 2011 Southern Literature Challenge that I would give "one Southern lit book of your choice (up to $15) to two randomly-drawn readers at the end of the challenge. Each review you link will give you one entry, with a limit of four entries per person. This part will be open to anyone who lives in an area where Book Depository offers free shipping."

It's time to choose! Using random.org the winners are...

Quixotic Magpie

and

Seaside Book Corner!

Congratulations!

I'll send out emails shortly.

I was interested to see who the most popular author of the challenge was. That honor goes to Sarah Addison Allen. Yay! I just love her books. The most widely read book was The Help by Kathryn Stockett! Another fantastic book!

View the spreadsheet with all the book titles and authors. You'll notice that I included all the books that were linked, but I only used the first four from any challenge participant in choosing the winners. I just wanted this to be a resource for readers looking for recommendations in Southern Literature.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated! I hope you enjoyed your books and found some new favorite authors!

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Sign Ups for Dewey Decimal Challenge

2012-01-02T12:41:00.000-05:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to host this challenge again. I just don't feel that I read enough non-fiction to be hosting it, but since I still don't see anyone hosting a general non-fiction challenge, it's once more into the breach for me!

The levels last year seemed to be entirely too easy for some of you, so I've revamped them a bit. Don't worry; I've still kept the lower numbers.

The Challenge: Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult. That's it. You can choose anything. Poetry? Yes. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge.

I always like levels in my challenges, so here are mine:

Dilettante--Read 1-5 non-fiction books

Explorer--Read 6-10

Seeker--Read 11-15

Master--Read 16-20

This challenge will last from January 1 to December 31, 2012. You can sign up anytime throughout the year.

I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers. You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing.

Crossovers with other challenges are acceptable, and feel free to read your books in any format you like.

I'm signing up at the Seeker level. I'll track my progress here.

Sign up below!

Post your reviews here as well. Use your name or blog name and the title of the book in parentheses. Example: The Introverted Reader (The Bookseller of Kabul)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2012-01-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I didn't find time to post last week with the holiday and all, so here's what I've done over the past two weeks.

Posted:

Signed up for the Immigrant Stories Challenge

Review: The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir by Ken Harmon

Review: When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke, read by the author

Character Connection featuring Deryn Sharp from the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld

Review: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

Review: Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, read by the author

My Bookish Christmas Gifts

Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, read by David Warner

Review: Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

Character Connection featuring Major Pettigrew from the novel by Helen Simonson, read by Peter Altschuler

Review: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

My Top Ten Books of 2011

2011 Reading in Review

Read:

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

Currently Reading:

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, read by Jim Dale

Up Next:

I have to review The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss in a couple of weeks, so I need to actually read it soon! I've been itching to start since I got it in the mail. It is an absolutely gorgeous book, unlike anything I've ever even heard of. Click through the link and watch the book trailer. You will be amazed!

What are you reading this week?

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

2011 in Review

2012-01-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

I posted my top ten books read in 2011 yesterday, but there's still quite a bit left to say. Bear with me.

The Stats

My goal was to read 75 books. That felt wimpy, but knowing that I had recently started a new job when I was setting my goal for this year, it felt realistic. I do not have any reading time at my current job and that was all I did at my old one!

I read 104 books and chose not to finish an additional four. Woo hoo! I'm very happy I'm managed this!

I finished 20 audio books.

I read only 5 ebooks. That somehow doesn't sound right, but that's all I've shelved on GoodReads.

I read 15 young adult books and 18 middle grade books.

According to GoodReads, I read 28,872 pages.

Longest book: A Storm of Swords, by George R. R. Martin, weighing in at 973 pages.

I read 50 books by men (48%) and 54 books by women (52%). I am surprised by this. I thought I would lean more heavily toward the women. Huh!

Reading Challenges

Southern Literature Challenge (Hosted by me)--I read 12 books and my goal was only 4.

Dewey Decimal Challenge (Also hosted by me)--I read 15 books and my goal for this one was also 4.

Immigrant Stories Challenge--4 books read and a goal of 1-3. Two of my favorite books of the year counted for this challenge.

Fairy Tale Challenge--Read 8 books, read 2 original tales, watched 1 movie, with a goal of 1 each. Two of my favorite books of the year also counted for this one!

Off the Shelf Challenge--I squeaked by with 17 and a goal of 15.

Graphic Novel Challenge--Breezed through with 8 books read and a goal of 3.

Page to Screen Challenge--11 books read and a goal of 5

Read Me Baby, 1 More Time--6 books read with a goal of 3

Gothic Novel Challenge--1 book read and a goal of 1. I was panicking a little about this one; it kind of came down to the wire. Then I realized The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is very gothic. Whew.

Heroine's Bookshelf Challenge--I technically met the challenge (1-5 books) by reading two, but I was hoping to get to three. Scarlett O'Hara, you are going down soon. I mean it.

Genres
There is some overlap, and these are fairly arbitrary based on my own thoughts.

Audio
Read: 20
Favorite: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, read by Peter Altschuler

Banned Book
Read: 5
Favorite: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Chick Lit
Read: 3
Favorite: The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig

Classics
Read: 2
Favorite: East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Ebook
Read: 5
Favorite: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Fairy Tale
Read: 8
Favorite: Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' Stardust

Fantasy
Read: 30
Favorite: I can't choose between Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint and A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. So I'm not. It's a tie.

General Fiction
Read: 6
Favorite: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, read by Peter Altschuler

Graphic Novel
Read: 8
Favorite: The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Historical Fiction
Read: 13
Favorite: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Horror
Read: 5
Favorite: 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Humor
Read: 6
Favorite: Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore, read by Bill Irwin

Middle Grade
Read: 18
Favorite: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Mystery
Read: 8
Favorite: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, read by Jayne Entwistle

Non-fiction
Read: 19
Favorite: Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

Science Fiction
Read: 3
Favorite: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Southern Literature
Read: 12
Favorite: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Young Adult
Read: 15
Favorite: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Books Read in 2011

JG (The Introverted Reader)'s favorite books »

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The Top Ten Books I Read in 2011

2011-12-31T13:17:00.000-05:00

First let me clarify that these are books I read in 2011; I don't believe any of them were actually published this year.

I noticed that I have gotten ridiculously stingy with my 5-star ratings. Four! That's all I gave out! And two of those were re-reads! I'll be changing one or two ratings because some books that really stand out as I think back over the year only got 4.5 stars.

Anyway, on to the list! They're in a fairly random order. Some blurbs are from my reviews and some are new.

Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint--I love Charles de Lint's Newford books and this is where it started. I can't remember how many times I've read this one. It stood up just as well this time around.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly--I love Calpurnia Tate. She is a childhood heroine for the ages, joining the likes of Anne Shirley in my heart. I do not say that lightly. I have loved Anne for about 20 years, but now she has good company with Callie.

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin--This series is amazing. I've given each of the first three books 5 stars. The way Martin twists and turns this story around is unbelievable. It's nerve-wracking that he doesn't hesitate to kill anyone who needs killing--whether you love them or not. My perceptions of some characters have turned completely upside down and I don't have a clue how that happened.

Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' Stardust--I have loved this book for years, but I read the illustrated version for the first time this summer. I loved it even more. I love Neil Gaiman's fairy tale and Vess' artwork is the perfect accompaniment.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, read by Peter Altschuler--I only gave this 4.5 stars at the time of my review, but when I think back on my best books of the year, this is the first one I think of. I absolutely adored this book! I can't say if it was Peter Altschuler's fabulous narration, the Major's dry wit, or the unexpected relationships that made this book a gem, so it must be the whole package.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale--Another fairy tale! I loved this. I finished it with a huge smile on my face and that contentment that comes from a story well told. It's like enjoying a feast for the reader's soul.

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons--I read the last several chapters with a huge smile on my face. This was just a feel-good book about community, remembrance, and accepting yourself.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder--This is an elegantly-written novel. There aren't any wasted words, but it is still beautifully written....These are characters that I learned to care about....They are both lonely and they find each other and they form their own unique kind of family. It's a beautiful story and I loved it.

Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach--I genuinely liked the Alice Steinbach I found in these pages. She is intelligent, educated, and interested. My copy is littered with post-it flags marking books she mentions that I have to read or artists whose work I want to look up. She is curious and she is friendly and she is a traveler, not a tourist.

Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand--I was amazed at what a page-turner this was for me....I was doing the "one more chapter" thing quite a bit....It was just a perfect mix of an underdog story and excellent writing. Hillenbrand has a gift for putting you right into the action.

So, that's my top ten! The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, read by Jayne Entwistle, gets an honorable mention. There were five books to choose from for my last four spots, so I took the easy way out and chose the four that I have already reviewed.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Friday Flashback Review: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

2011-12-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hanna Heath studies and restores rare books. She is offered the chance of a lifetime when she is contacted by the United Nations to restore a rare illuminated Haggadah at the end of the Bosnian War. Hanna manages to pull out a few clues to the book's history. As she follows up on the clues, we glide back and forth through time, visiting first Hanna, and then the story of the book's owners and saviors backwards through a long, tumultuous history.

Hanna's story was almost just filler to me. I wasn't bored by any means, but I couldn't wait to see where and when the book would take me next. The characters in the book's history were fascinating and only at the end did I really get a good sense of how everything fit together. The hints were there, they were just so subtle that I didn't quite catch them. But the author wrapped everything up beautifully. None of this is a complaint, by the way. I found the whole thing intriguing.

I loved the fact that there was a theme running throughout of people saving the book who weren't necessarily Jewish. Muslims and Christians living during times when everyone was fighting saw the value of the book and saved it. It just seems that so often, history and books seem to focus on the negative; it's nice to see that there are always people out there who are able to overcome prevailing prejudice and do what is right.

I recommend this one to just about anyone.

Reviewed January 15, 2009

Read an excerpt.

Find author Geraldine Brooks on her website.

Buy People of the Book at

Malaprop’s | Better World Books

Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement!