Interview with Barbara Worton, author of Too Tall Alice

Today is a special day for The Girl at Diary of an Eccentric! She is thrilled to welcome Barbara Worton, author of Too Tall Alice. (You can read our joint review here.) This is her very first author interview, and she's very excited.

The Girl: Is Alice based on a real person?

Well, Alice is a little bit of me. I was kind of tall when I was little, and even as a grown-up I can remember feeling really uncomfortable about being tall. Alice is also a little bit of a little girl I once knew. She was kind of tall and skinny and had that crazy curly hair like Alice. And Alice is also a little bit of every little girl or boy who thinks they're different than everyone else. It can be tough to feel like you're different, and I just wanted everyone who read Too Tall Alice to know that they are absolutely great just the way they are.

The Girl: How did you get the idea for this book?

I was feeling sad one day. I wasn't having fun at my job, which is writing, and I told a friend. She suggested that I write a story just for the joy of writing, so I did. The story and Alice just popped into my head, and it made me feel happy again. It made me feel really happy when I read it to other people and they liked the story and liked Alice and the message she had for them.


The Girl: How long did it take you to write this book?

It only took me a few days to write Too Tall Alice. It took many months for Dom Rodi to do the illustrations and for us to work together to figure out which words went on each page and what all the characters would look like. It took a very long time to get Too Tall Alice published--years, in fact, but now she's out there, and people are loving her, and that is making me very happy.

The Girl: What is your favorite children's book?

I have many, many favorite children's books, but here are those that are at the top of my list: Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Stinky Cheese Man, Where the Wild Things Are, Wind in the Willows, and all the Harry Potter books. I think they're great.

Thank you so much for your questions and for reading my book. It really means a lot to me that people like what I write and understand the message that I'm trying to communicate.

Thank you for your time, Ms. Worton!

Too Tall Alice by Barbara Worton and Dom Rodi

Too Tall Alice written by Barbara Worton and illustrated by Dom Rodi is about an 8-year-old girl who is the tallest in her class. Alice isn't happy about towering over all the other kids by four inches, and she isn't happy to overhear her parents and their friends talking about how tall and thin she is and how she could be a supermodel and make a lot of money. Alice cries herself to sleep, dreams about a world where she isn't the tallest girl, and learns that her height doesn't define her.

I thought this was a good book to share with The Girl, as she is the same age as Alice and also the tallest girl in her class. She seemed to identify with Alice right away, especially since someone is always making a comment about her height. (She's a full head taller than one of her best friends, who's actually older than she is.) The illustrations are fun and very colorful, and I think Too Tall Alice has a good message about loving yourself as you are.

*****

Here's what The Girl (age 8) has to say about Too Tall Alice:

Too Tall Alice is about Alice, who's tall. I'm also the tallest girl in my class. It kind of makes me feel different than kids who aren't as tall as me. My favorite part was when she [Alice] had a dream and went to where a lot of taller people were. It made me feel good that there are taller kids than me. Also the pictures showed me what the paragraphs were about. When the author showed how tall Alice was in a class photo, that looks like me. I loved the book, and I think if you're tall, you should read this book.

******

The Girl was able to ask Barbara Worton, author of Too Tall Alice, a few questions and hopes you will stop by tomorrow to read her very first author interview!

Disclosure:  We received a free copy of Too Tall Alice from the author for review purposes.

Guest post by Sharon Lathan, author of Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One (with giveaway)

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Sharon Lathan, author of Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One (which I reviewed here) to Diary of an Eccentric. I appreciate that Sharon took time out of her busy schedule to answer a question I had about why she chose to add to the numerous Pride and Prejudice sequels out there.

Here's what Sharon had to say:


Ignorance Is Bliss

All of us are familiar with the phrase and I bet could point to at least once in our life where the adage proved fortuitous for one reason or another. When Anna graciously invited me to be a guest blogger to promote my debut novel Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One and then requested I address what motivated me to write another Pride and Prejudice sequel -- this common saying popped into my mind.

My journey down the long road of writing Jane Austen fan-fiction (JAFF) and then publishing is a tale all its own and can be read about on my website: The Darcy Saga. In a nutshell, and why the Thomas Gray quote applies to me, it was largely ignorance that started me on the blissful path of writing in the first place! I saw the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden -- loved it immensely -- and while the visions of 'what-happened-next' swirled through my head (as they always do after a romantic movie) I did what everyone does these days: hit the Internet! Lo and behold, I discovered JAFF! I was fairly stoked, scouring through a couple websites looking for the romantic account of Lizzy and Darcy married that met my dreams. I quickly gave up -- adding impatience to the ignorance, I suppose -- and decided if it wasn't out there, then I would just write it myself!

My whimsical lark ruled for over a year as the words flowed into chapter upon chapter, a saga of epic proportions evolving before I lifted my head above the water. So immersed was I in historical research, creative writing, and maintaining a website that I rarely expended my precious time trolling Austen websites or entering discussion forums. Gradually I became aware of the endless Austen-related debates, the plethora of websites, and the increasingly prolific Darcy-themed novels -- but by then it was too late.

The bliss portion of the maxim had consumed me. My personal joy in living life with the Darcys and their friends was augmented substantially by the happiness expressed in constant feedback from my readers. As my ignorance waned and my bliss was challenged, the encouragement from my fans strengthened me to press on. But, to be honest, I did have to answer the valid question: What makes my story unique? Ignorant I may have been going in, but now I knew what I was up against.

So I looked at it subjectively and realized several facts --

1. My initial desire, what I had vainly searched for, had not altered. I offer the romantic, happy marriage that we dream of. Not just for ourselves, but for all our favorite literary/movie couples. I present a marriage as it should be; as maybe it could be if lovers devoted themselves to each other completely. Portray the ideal! Reach for the stars! Give Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth that perfect union that few ever attain, but we all wish we could. Having them actually triumph in marriage, talk to each other, overcome their difficulties, and grow to love each other more is, sadly, somewhat revolutionary nowadays.

2. My saga is about life as it would historically be lived in the early 1800s. I want my reader to be the fly-on-the-wall who shares in the joys, sorrows, entertainments, annoyances, humor, and daily happenings both mundane and extraordinary as life progresses. There are wild incidents, dramas and traumas, conflicts to be resolved, etc. But the focus is on how the characters deal with it, grow stronger, and move on.

3. I am largely inspired by the 2005 movie -- and proud of it! I loved the passion, the highly romantic tones, the gritty realism, the characterization, the drama, and the actors. That is where the love of Austen was birthed for me, and my heart is still captured by Joe Wright's masterpiece.

4. My story is fun and positive! Wouldn't we rather laugh than cry? Don't we want to be filled with hope? Isn't humor, wild passion, and joyfulness a refreshing read now and again? Aren't you read to devour a book that puts a smile on your face and tender feelings in your heart?

I hope I have answered Anna's question sufficiently. I appreciate the opportunity to do so. And I pray I have inspired you to pick up Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One. That is just the beginning! More novels in my Darcy Saga series are forthcoming, all designed to warm the cockles of your heart.

Thanks, Sharon! I look forward to the next installment in the Darcy Saga, and I wish you much success.

******

Danielle Jackson from Sourcebooks would like to offer a copy of Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One to one lucky reader.

To enter:

1. Tell me what book or movie you wish would have a sequel.

2. Leave your email address or blog URL so I can contact you if you win.

Since the publisher is handling shipment, this giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada addresses only. The giveaway will end at midnight EST on Sunday, March 1.

Good luck!

Guest post by Michelle Moran, author of The Heretic Queen (with giveaway)

I'm thrilled to welcome one of my favorite writers, Michelle Moran, author of Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen (read my reviews here and here) to Diary of an Eccentric! Michelle is here to talk about one of my favorite topics: writing spaces!

Welcome, Michelle!

One of the questions I am asked most frequently has to do with my writing space. Every author has a place that is sacred; a place where reality stops and the world the author has created begins. For me, I write in an office on my first floor, looking out of my window onto a garden of over two hundred roses and eight fruit trees (none of which I can take credit for, by the way. The woman who sold the house to us had retired and spent her life gardening!). I have a variety of images hanging in my office. One is a black and white photograph of the Wright Brothers taking flight, the other is a beautiful Didier Lourenco whose paintings evoke life on the Mediterranean better than any other artist I know. But there has always been a space to the right of my desk that has gone unfilled since we bought our house, and back when Random House commissioned a painting for the cover of Nefertiti: A Novel, I had the brilliant idea of purchasing it. After all, what better image could fill my empty wall than one that represented my first success?

So immediately, I contacted the representative for the artist Doug Fryer, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted the painting. I told myself that I would purchase the original at whatever-the-cost, imagining that whatever-the-cost would probably mean around $500. Or maybe $600. When Doug’s agent emailed back, however, I discovered that for the ten by fifteen inch oil painting, I would need to fork over several thousand dollars (the agent also mentioned that this was a bargain, and that the artist’s other paintings go for thirty thousand). So I looked at my husband, and he looked at me, and to my great surprise he said, “Well, there will only ever be one debut novel.” So now I sit beneath the gaze of Egypt’s most fascinating queen, and it’s worth every dollar!

Thank you, Michelle, for taking time out of your busy schedule to stop by my blog! I'm so looking forward to your next book!

******

Michelle is generously offering 2 hardcover copies of The Heretic Queen to my readers!

To enter:

1. To make things interesting, you must answer a question:

If you are a writer, what would be your ideal writing space?

If you're not a writer, tell me your favorite place to curl up with a good book.


2. You must leave your email address so I know how to contact you if you win!


This contest is open internationally and will end at midnight EST on Sunday, March 1.

Good luck!

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

Having named Nefertiti my favorite book of 2008 (read my review here), I'll admit I had high expectations for the sequel, The Heretic Queen. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, Michelle Moran went far beyond my expectations with this latest offering, and I know it'll be a top contender for my favorite of the books read in 2009.

Moran's take on the story of Queen Nefertari--wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, daughter of Queen Mutnodjmet and General Nakhtmin, and niece of the heretic Queen Nefertiti--is captivating from the very beginning. After her mother dies in childbirth, Nefertari is a young princess without a family or a real place in the palace of Malkata, the rest of her relatives dead in a fire and Nefertiti long dead at the hands of the priests of Aten. Nefertari and Ramesses have been close friends since childhood, but her status is in jeopardy when he is crowned coregent and is set to rule alongside his father, Pharaoh Seti.

Though a princess, Nefertari is despised by most of the people in the palace and the people of Egypt because of her familial connections to the heretics Nefertiti and Akhenaten, who replaced Egypt's polytheistic religion with a single god, Aten. She also resembles Nefertiti in her looks. General Horemheb erased her family history (aside from a few images of her mother) when he forced Mutnodjmet to marry him after the fire and became pharaoh.

When Ramesses marries a harem girl, Isetnofret, Nefertari is devastated, but his aunt, Woserit, the high priestess of Hathor, befriends Nefertari and grooms her to become Ramesses' chief wife. Nefertari will have nothing unless she becomes chief wife, but with Henuttawy, the priestess of Isis and Woserit's sister, and Rahotep, the high priest of Amun, out to get her, there are few people she can trust. Moran chronicles Nefertari's fight to become chief wife, her struggle to overcome her family's past, earn the love and respect of the people of Egypt, and rise above the tensions in the palace. Moran is an expert at making historical figures come to life. Nefertari's intelligence, determination, and good heart immediately elicited my compassion for her plight. The book was full of other strong, well-rounded characters that grabbed and held my attention, including Woserit.

Though I burned through the pages to learn how the story plays out, The Heretic Queen is one book that should be savored. Moran includes a lot of detail about Egyptian culture and the politics of the time, and she gives you just enough; she never wastes a word, and not once does the story slow down. Although the ending of the book is more than sufficient, I finished it wishing there was more to the story, sad that my time in the palace was over. Moran does such a wonderful job with her descriptions of Egypt and the palace, as well as the characters' dialogue, that I felt like I was in the scene. When I think about books I wish I'd written myself (if I had that kind of writing talent), you can bet Moran's novels make the list.

**Tomorrow at Diary of an Eccentric, Michelle Moran will stop by to talk about her favorite writing space. Also, learn how you can get your hands on a copy of The Heretic Queen!**

The Heretic Queen also was reviewed by:

A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...
S. Krishna's Books
Devourer of Books
The Eclectic Reader
Book Addiction

If you've also reviewed it, let me know in the comments, and I'll add your link!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of The Heretic Queen from the author for review purposes.

Mailbox Monday -- February 23

Hope you all had a great weekend! I spent 90 percent of it on the couch in a zombie-like state. Yup, I'm sick again. This time a bad cold (which I'll take any day of the week over the stomach flu). So I didn't really read anything this weekend.

But I did have a pretty good week book-wise, which brings me to yet another Mailbox Monday.

Here's what I received:

The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higganbotham (from Sourcebooks--I actually received two copies, so there will be a giveaway at some point in April)

The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone (from Sourcebooks)

Willing Spirits by Phyllis Schieber (for a book tour next month)

Everyone Is Beautiful by Katherine Center (for a book tour next month)

Thanks to Marcia from The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday! What books did you welcome into your home last week?

Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek

In Tomato Girl, Jayne Pupek writes from the point of view of a young girl, Ellie Sanders, whose life is falling apart. Her mother has "moods," which is a nice way to say she is mentally ill and getting worse every day. Ellie usually knows what her mother needs and how to calm her, but when her mother falls down the stairs, badly injures herself and her unborn baby, and her father brings home a local girl who sells tomatoes in the general store to care for the house, her mother is furious and sinks deeper into insanity. Ellie might be young, but she's very wise and quickly understands that her father is in love/lust with the beautiful, teenage tomato girl.

The book starts at nearly the end of the story. Ellie's mother is lost in another world, and her father has run away with Tess, the tomato girl, leaving Ellie responsible for things back home. From there, Pupek takes us back to the time of the accident, and through Ellie's eyes, we see her mother's thin ties to sanity break and her father--the one person she felt she could always count on--abandon his family emotionally and physically for a girl not much older than his daughter.

Pupek's writing is exceptional, making it impossible to turn away from the scenes that I can only describe as haunting. She brings Ellie to life--her insecurities, her vulnerability, her strength, her unconditional love for her parents, her loyalty to her mother--and I loved her from the first page. I felt sympathetic toward Ellie's mother because she seemed to love Ellie, and the hurt she caused her daughter was tied to her illness. I felt bad for Tess, too, when I read about the home life she escaped, which eventually pushes Ellie's father to action and out of his daughter's life. But I wish I was able to reach into the book and give Ellie's father a serious slap in the face and kick in the rear. On one hand, I understand the pain and loneliness he must have felt being married to a mentally ill woman, but he seemed to make one bad choice after another without showing any signs of realizing that his actions were wrong. He was so taken by Tess that he put her needs ahead of his own daughter, and most of the time he was more like a father to Tess than a lover. His relationship with her was wrong on so many levels, and his ultimate betrayal of Ellie had me near tears.

Here's a passage from Tomato Girl that showcases Pupek's beautiful writing and her ability to perfectly capture Ellie's guilt and heartache.

I don't know how long I cried, but it felt like hours. For the first time in days, I felt clean inside. It had taken so much of me, trying to be good for God and to keep Mama from sinking into her sad mood. I'd held so much inside, I couldn't hold it any longer. I needed somewhere to let my worries go. Clara's arms was just the place.

When my sobs slowed, Clara wrapped me in a heavy blue quilt covered in stars. My fingers traced the gold stitches. 'This quilt belonged to my mother,' she said. 'Whenever I have a hard day, I curl up in Mama's quilt and dream my troubles away. You give each worry you have to one of the stars. Remember that. Don't matter how many worries you got because there are always more stars than worries. (pages 212-213)

Ellie's friends Clara and Jericho are bright spots in a dark book. Ellie is forced to deal with things most adults couldn't handle, and to hear the events that transpire in the voice of an innocent child makes Tomato Girl a difficult read. But Pupek's strong writing and captivating characters make it impossible to put the book down. Tomato Girl will make you cry, it will make you angry, it will make your heart hurt, but it's well worth the emotional roller coaster.

Tomato Girl also was reviewed by:

bookgirl's nightstand
Jackets & Covers
Redlady's Reading Room
She Is Too Fond of Books
A Season to Read
Book Addiction
Peeking Between the Pages

If you've also reviewed it, let me know in the comments, and I'll add your link!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Tomato Girl from the author for review purposes.

Interview with Susan Helene Gottfried, author of ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes (Year 1)

I'm thrilled to welcome my friend Susan Helene Gottfried to Diary of an Eccentric today! Susan is the author of ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes (Year 1) (read my review here), and you can find her at West of Mars, West of Mars--the Meet and Greet, and West of Mars--Win a Book. Since this probably is my favorite of all the reviews I've done (Susan is a lot of fun to talk to, even if it's through email), I'm just going to jump right in.

How long have you been working on Trevor's Song?

ForEVER. Seriously. I came up with the idea for Trevor, Kerri, and Mitchell back in March of 2000. Yes, you read that right. Two Thousand.

I have pictures of me holding my infant son and writing Trevor's Song on the laptop.

How did the idea of ShapeShifter and the West of Mars site come about?

Now you're talking about two different things. Let me start with West of Mars first -- it's where I live. West of Mars. The people who live in my community always laugh when I give them my e-mail address. They get the joke -- Mars, PA isn't far from us. To the East, in fact.

And then there's the whole Men are from Mars thing. Anyone who spends time at my blog will see almost immediately that I'm a bit left of center. Left of center, West of Mars...

West of Mars is meant to be the portal to my world. I always envisioned something bigger than JUST an author's site. At some point, I'll be folding my Win a Book blog into the site, but I'd love to expand even further. We'll see what opportunities present themselves.

As for ShapeShifter... wow. Go back to March 2000 again, please. I was three months pregnant with my first kid. I'd recently broken up with my literary agent, and I'd not as recently given up my freelance copy editing career to concentrate on my fiction. So there I am. It's a Thursday night and the Tour Manager is out at his bowling league. It's me and VH1 -- and Metallica doing their S&M thing with the San Francisco Symphony.

I caught sight of the wedding band of one of the guys and my mind started spinning... who could love someone who lives the way they do? What would she be like, to be able to hang with them?

Then my brain took it a few steps farther: what if they are each other's muses?

And Mitchell and Kerri were born.

Trevor, however, sprang to life on his own, fully formed, cantankerous, and ready for mischief.


Can you describe ShapeShifter's sound and/or their musical influences?

They cite this band called Rat Catcher as one of Mitchell's main influences, but Rat Catcher's made up. That doesn't help, so let me use real-life bands. Mix together Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden... all the classics that a kid growing up in the late seventies and early eighties would be into.

As for their sound, it's a cross between Justice-era Metallica (I love that guitar sound) and Godsmack. Mitchell definitely has that deeper voice that Godsmack's Sully has. No offense to Hetfield, who is one of the great frontmen of all time, but ShapeShifter is their own beast, despite their wedding ring origins. Mitchell is moody -- or pretends to be -- and the baritone fits him better. Those deeper tones fit his perma-scowl and contrast nicely with his nudist tendencies.

I've always had a thing for guitarists. What's your preference?

Definitely guitarists, but I have a soft spot for drummers. That might get back to my own failure to be one; my musical talents are definitely NOT in the arena of producing music, just listening to it and writing about it.

So how and why I've managed to create this bass player -- Trevor -- who steals every scene he's in -- and some he's not in -- I don't know, unless it's that whole thing of working on a character and having almost no preconceived notions of who he should be.

What do you do when you're not writing about Trevor and the band?

Try to tame my Google reader! Man, that thing is out of control. I blame it on Blabbermouth.net, my source for musical news and inspiration. Otherwise, I'm a Mom. That ties up a good chunk of my day. Quizzing my kids on their math facts. And I've got these really weird orthopedic issues, so my mornings are generally spent working out, trying to minimize that. Good thing I get off on the endorphin rush of a good workout.

As the weather turns to spring... one day, maybe ... I'll be back outside. I've got two bicycles that feel neglected about this time of year. We love to camp and go hiking. For two people as plugged in as my husband and I are, we love to unplug and get out there. You should see the masterpieces we can create over a campfire! (for real. It's not uncommon for us to go camping and make chicken fajitas or beef kabobs while everyone else is heating up hot dogs. Then we toss the vegetables on the griddle, stick the apple cobbler in the dutch oven... I swear, I eat better around a campfire than I do at home with a stove and two ovens!)

Of course, I love to read. I'm off my high of 144 books per year and I miss that, but it's a worthwhile trade-off. Whenever I hear of someone reading The Demo Tapes, I get a chill -- the good kind. The kind that says I was right to follow my gut and release something that, convention says, has no commercial value.

Thanks to everyone who's helping me prove that convention doesn't know it all!

Do you have a playlist you listen to when you write? What are some of the songs? If you don't have one, what songs would be on it if you were to create one?

You know, I don't get playlists. Repetition drives me bananas -- ask my kids. I can't be in my office and not have the XM radio playing. I flip through probably four or five of my preset stations, hiding from bands I don't like. I've found a lot of new stuff that I dig this way, so that's even better than having a playlist. I love to have my horizons constantly expanded.

So what would I put on a playlist? Probably the stuff on my MP3 player -- Metallica, Disturbed, Godsmack. I need to get my hands on some Korn and Slipknot. I love Apocalyptica's latest. There's some Pantera, some Alice in Chains, some Judas Priest. Evanesence and Flyleaf and a local band called Brownie Mary bring the women.

Any other projects in the works?

Of course! There's Demo Tapes: Year 2, which will encompass all the fiction I posted on the Meet and Greet between April 2007 and March 2008. And I'm working on two different novels, one of which is the follow-up to Trevor's Song, and one of which features a woman who you may not have noticed much over at The Meet and Greet, but that's all I'm saying right now...It needs a LOT of editing.

Thanks, Susan! I'd love to have you back here to talk about The Demo Tapes (Year 2) and one day Trevor's Song!

What are you waiting for? Click here to buy a copy of The Demo Tapes (Year 1).

ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes (Year 1) by Susan Helene Gottfried

You all know Susan Helene Gottfried as the brains and beauty behind West of Mars, West of Mars--the Meet and Greet, and West of Mars--Win a Book. We began "talking" through email several months ago after I contacted her about some book giveaways, and it's been a pleasure to get to know her. (Well, as much as you can "know" someone online. But she's one of those online buddies I'd love to know in real life, too!) I was a newbie to the Meet and Greet, where she posts short pieces about her fictional band ShapeShifter. I honestly didn't know where to begin, but the few pieces I'd read of these characters made me want more. So when she asked me to read The Demo Tapes (Year 1) I was ecstatic!

The Demo Tapes features the short pieces posted on the Meet and Greet during its first year. These stories were written by Susan as a way to introduce readers to the characters in Trevor's Song, a novel she's been working on for awhile, and to drum up interest in the book. For newbies and old followers alike, The Demo Tapes is a great way to get a feel for the many characters, the band, and the setting Susan has created. She presents the stories in chronological order (which was a big help for me), including a little blurb about her inspiration for each piece and the original publication date.

I hadn't read many of the stories on the Meet and Greet prior to reading The Demo Tapes, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I enjoy Susan's humor and sarcasm, and I was happy to see them on the pages of The Demo Tapes. I also love heavy metal, particularly the stuff from the late 1970s through early 1990s. (Seriously, about 85 percent of my iPod is full of the hair bands I grew up with like Poison and Bon Jovi mixed in with Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Metallica, etc.) I've probably seen every heavy metal documentary on VH1-Classic, laughing at the behind-the-scenes band fighting, ego wars, and antics I didn't understand when I bought my first metal album in 1987 when I was just 10. In this respect, The Demo Tapes doesn't disappoint.

You've got bad boy Trevor Wolff, who formed the band with Mitchell Voss. Mitchell first encounters Trevor when he accompanies his sister, Amy, on her date with Trevor. Trevor's had a hard life by the time he reaches his teens, and Mitchell's family gains legal custody of him. The Demo Tapes follows them from their first meeting to ShapeShifter's stardom to Mitchell's marriage. Though there's no clear timeline, you can tell a lot of time has passed and the characters have matured. There's some boys-will-be-boys stories, some antics that only those boys with rock star status can enjoy, and some great interactions between Trevor and Mitchell and Mitchell and Amy, among others.

My favorite pieces are from "Green Hair Week," when the band spends too much time partying in the pool and the chemicals turn Mitchell's white-blonde hair green. The list of things they use to get rid of the green is laugh-out-loud funny. Here's my favorite passage, with Mitchell, the "long-haired rock god" in a shower cap.

'You should see yourself right now,' Amy told him. His hair was piled on top of his head like a turban, drips of mayonnaise-colored conditioner had spattered his bare arms and chest, and for some reason known only to him, he'd tucked a towel into the waistband of his jeans, as if to keep them clean. 'You know, Mom wanted me to take pictures.'

'You told her?'

Amy wanted to laugh at his scared look. Mitchell, ever the little boy who was terrified of being caught--even when he'd been bad on purpose. 'Of course I told Mom about it,' she said. 'I needed a ride to the airport, remember?'

He covered his face with his hands and stomped in a circle, moaning 'no' over and over again. Amy actually felt a little sorry for him.

'C'mere and let's get this one you,' she said, taking the clear plastic cap from him. 'At least it's not pink.' (pages 89-90)

And here's a passage from my other favorite piece, "Hearts," which is about Kerri watching Mitchell on the beach during their honeymoon.

Mitchell got up, left his Vans by the patio's edge, and wandered down the beach. Kerri cocked her head as she watched him, itching for a sketch pad. There seemed to be a light wind near the shore; it blew his silvery-white hair across the back of his black tank in a tantalizing way. Add in his camoflage cargo shorts and he was a hell of a vision as he bent to play in the sand near the surf. Nothing at all like a powerful rock star. Just a regular guy. (page 111)

I've never been in a band or hung out with a band, but Susan's portrayal seems real. Her characters are real, at times vulnerable, rebellious, funny, annoying, misguided, etc. She easily shifts from humorous scenes to romantic scenes without losing this authenticity. I finished The Demo Tapes in one sitting, and I can't wait until a publisher recognizes Susan's talent so I can get my hands on Trevor's Song. If you're a fan of Susan's blog, a fan of rock 'n roll, or someone looking for engaging characters and a quick read, check out The Demo Tapes. (Be warned--The Demo Tapes contains some sex, drugs, rock 'n roll, and foul language. It's about a band after all.)

**Susan Helene Gottfried, author of ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes (Year 1) will stop by Diary of an Eccentric for an interview. I hope you're all as excited as I am!**

ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes (Year 1) also was reviewed by:

She Is Too Fond of Books
The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness

If you've also reviewed it, let me know in the comments, and I'll add your link!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of ShapeShifter:  The Demo Tapes (Year 1) from the author for review purposes.

Gold Dust on His Shirt by Irene Howard

Gold Dust on His Shirt: The True Story of an Immigrant Mining Family is Irene Howard's story of the Nelson family, particularly her Swedish father Alfred and her Norwegian mother Ingeborg. The story follows the family from the early 1900s through the end of World War II, moving from mine to mine as Irene's father and later her older brothers do their best to make a living. Much of the book takes place in British Columbia, Canada, though her father did work at a mine in Idaho for a time. Howard provides a map in the beginning of the book to helps readers keep track of the family's travels. Alfred began blasting rock to make way for the railroad, then ended his working days at various gold mines.

The mining life was not an easy one, especially in the days when wages were barely enough to stay alive and there were few safety regulations in place. Howard discusses the politics of the railroads and the development of mining towns, as well as workers' attempts to form a union to receive a fair wage and safer working conditions. She provides plenty of descriptions of how gold is harvested from the rock and how mining towns came about, and she keeps the story interesting by mixing facts gathered from years of research with interviews with her brothers and others she knew from the mines. I especially enjoyed her descriptions of events that happened when she was just a child, hearing the talk of the miners in her kitchen not knowing until years later that they were discussing strikes and unionization. She doesn't recall all of the details of the cabin she spent a lot of time in as a child, but she recalls the smells and the sounds of rowdy children.

I was worried that descriptions of mining and the lives of the workers and their families would be dull at times, but Howard writes with such affection for her parents and siblings that the Nelson family comes alive. Each chapter begins with photos, many of her family, and it was nice to put a face to her descriptions. The chapter about her mother and how she was always pregnant or with a baby in her arms every time the family moved captured my attention. Though just a child at the time, Howard understood what it was like to be a woman, giving a description of how laundry was a back-breaking task and reminding us that it was illegal at that time to distribute information about birth control.

As the daughter of an immigrant, I've always been interested in stories about people who leave their lives behind in their country of birth to begin anew in a strange country. This passage toward the end really caught my eye:

He [Alfred, Irene's father] had been breathing rock dust for most of his working life, perhaps even in Sweden when he worked at Kiruna, an iron mine in Northern Sweden. Breathing rock dust wasn't what he planned to do in Canada. After all, the first thing he did when he came to Canada was pre-empt a parcel of land in Kenora. For whatever reason, he was not destined to be a farmer in Northern Ontario, and he ended up moving on west with the railway, and in Prince Rupert working for years drilling with sledgehammer and steel and blasting out the rock cuts of Kaien Island to build the city streets. He breathed rock dust, but he was still young. And he got married to a beautiful, young Norwegian widow. They had a house of their own that he himself built on English Hill--a house with a verandah where he and Ingeborg posed for the camera, his first-born in a sailor suit, holding his hand, a second son in christening robe in his mother's arms. They were part of the Scandinavian community in Price Rupert, they knew the Norwegian Consul, they played Caruso on their gramophone.

It was when Alfred became a miner that he began learning rock dust, learning quartz dust. He was breathing sharp little particles of silica that bit into his lungs, microscopic particles that didn't settle because ventilation systems and stoper-drilling with water only partially cleared the air. He would have liked to find other work, but he had to earn a living and times were hard. He had to move his family from camp to camp, and everywhere they went my father went down in the mine and breathed quartz dust. (page 214)

I think this passage sums up what it was like to be an immigrant during this time. These were people looking for a better life who did the best they could as the nations of North America were industrialized. In a time when most jobs are completed using computers, I think we forget how tough it was for our ancestors, who depended on their hands and the strength of their bodies to support their families. If you're looking to learn about this time in history from the perspective of an insider or you find immigrant stories interesting, Gold Dust on His Shirt is definitely worth your time.


Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Gold Dust on His Shirt from Between the Lines for review purposes.

The Girl's thoughts on The Suburban Dragon by Garasamo Maccagnone

The Suburban Dragon by Garasamo Maccagnone (Illustrated by Al Ochsner)

Reviewed by The Girl (age 8)

This book is about three kids who want to save their mom when a dragon pops up and kidnaps her. The kids think up ways to rescue their mom. I liked this book because it has action, with the kids pretending to be knights and princesses. The illustrations are colorful and do a good job showing the action. I read this book to my mom, and it was easy for me to read. I enjoyed the book, but I think younger kids would enjoy it even more.

Disclosure:  We received a free copy of The Suburban Dragon for review purposes.

Mailbox Monday -- February 16

It's time for another Mailbox Monday!

Well, last week was a slow one for me. I received only one book, but that's okay since I have enough books to keep me occupied for years. Here's what I got:

Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie (an ARC from Bell Bridge Books)

What books did you welcome into your home last week?

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia from The Printed Page. Thanks, Marcia!

Interview with Erica Bauermeister, author of The School of Essential Ingredients

The School of Essential Ingredients is a gem of a book and one I know I will read again in the future. (Read my review here) I'm thrilled to welcome author Erica Bauermeister to Diary of an Eccentric today to answer a few questions.

The School of Essential Ingredients gives new meaning to the term "comfort food." What is your favorite comfort food?

I think comfort food is different for each person. For my son, Annie's boxed macaroni and cheese meant home when he was a child. When we moved to Italy in 1997, we actually took the flavor packets out of the boxes and packed them in our suitcases. We felt a little silly, but it eased the transition for a homesick seven year old.

As for me, comfort food will always be part-preparation, part-eating. In Seattle, it gets dark early in the evenings in the winter, and at the end of a hectic day one of my favorite things to do is to make risotto, standing at the stove, stirring the chicken broth into the rice, smelling the salt and starch and butter and sauteed onions, listening to my family talking at the kitchen table. Lillian's experience with the mashed potatoes in The School of Essential Ingredients comes from that feeling.

Lillian prepares numerous dishes with the class throughout the book. Are these dishes you created?

Some of the dishes – the roasted crab, the pasta sauce, Antonia's Thanksgiving dinner – are variations on dishes I learned in two different cooking classes, one in Seattle and the other in the Napa Valley of California. Others were ideas I picked up from friends, magazines, and cookbooks and then played with. There was a lot of kitchen experimenting, though, because I wanted to feel that in the end the dishes were Lillian's and that I had been true to her approach to cooking.

How did the characters in The School of Essential Ingredients come about? Do you have a favorite? There is much diversity in the characters and their experiences, and by the time I finished the book, I loved each of them--flaws and all!

Ahhh.... favorites. You know, something I promised myself when I was writing this book was that I would never write a character I couldn't feel compassion for. Part of what made the writing so interesting was putting myself into the shoes of all these different people – trying to see a marriage from both sides, trying to understand what it's like to be a foreigner in the United States, or to lose your spouse, or to need precision in order to feel safe. But if I had to choose a favorite it would be Isabelle. Perhaps because I feel protective of her, perhaps because one of the reasons I wrote her was to understand better what my father was going through as his own brilliant mind faded.

Something I have found intriguing since the book was published, however, is how people respond to the characters. So many have a favorite and it's almost always different from person to person. But at this point every character has been someone's favorite - and I know that would make them all happy.

How long did it take to write the book?

I started the book when we returned from Italy in 1999; I took a cooking class and got the inspiration. So, off and on, it has taken almost ten years. But that time included raising children, renovating a house (filled with six and a half tons of trash), writing about the house (no, that wasn't published), doing real estate for five years to build up the kids' college funds – and all the etc that makes up a mother's life. I like to think that the detours created a better book – at the very least, I know the book was radically different in the end than when I started writing it at the age of 40.

Do you have a special place where you write?

I'm writing from there right now. It's the house we renovated, in a Victorian seaport called Port Townsend about two hours outside of Seattle. It's an old four-square-style house, up on a hill, looking out over the town to the water. In the winter, the winds come blasting right at you and it feels as if you are in the crow's nest of a ship. When I am out here, my job is to write.

But it's not the house that's important, it's the mind-set. This house had renters in it during the time I was writing The School of Essential Ingredients. That book was written in Seattle, in coffee shops and in bed, at the kitchen table on weekend mornings while everyone else was still asleep. What was important was that in those places, during those times, I thought of myself as a writer first.

Are you working on another book right now?

Yup. Unless I am stalling by answering more interesting questions. :-)

Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists with regard to the craft itself and publication?

For a while there, I wrote for money and renovated houses for free. And I realized that writing for money was changing how I wrote, and not in a good way. At one point I thought – what if I do houses for money and write for free? How would I write then? So I did real estate. In the process, I learned an amazing amount about people and took all the restrictions off my writing. That was a good choice for me, even if it took me longer to get the book finished.

But really, I think every writer needs to do what feels right for them. You don't HAVE to get up every morning at 5 a.m. and not leave your seat until you have 2,000 words (lord knows I don't). There are many days when I know my writing will be much better served by running errands, or cooking, or getting my hands in dirt. I write a lot when I am walking (my new favorite toy is a dictaphone, which saves me from stopping in the middle of the street to write down a thought). But if you ARE one of those writers who thrives on structure, then claim it. Tell your husband to walk the dog. Let the kids do the dishes. Shut the door (of the closet, if that's what it takes – that's where Sara Gruen wrote Water for Elephants) and write.

Thanks, Erica, for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. I wish you much success, and I can't wait for your next book to be published!

This Post Is Brought to You by the Letter N

After seeing Serena's post about 10 things she loves beginning with the letter W, I figured I'd give it a shot. She gave me the letter N. I'm not sure if I had a brain freeze or the letter N is too hard for me, but it took awhile.

10 Things I Love Beginning With the Letter N

1. Novels--I think this one is pretty obvious.

2. Night--I'm a night owl and do a lot of my writing when I'm the only one awake in the house.

3. Newkirk--I love Hogan's Heroes, and Newkirk (played by Richard Dawson) is my favorite character. I'm a sucker for a handsome man with a British accent.

4. New England--I lived most of my life in CT and moved to MA for my last two years of college. I know I'll move back there someday.

5. New Hampshire--My father always took us on vacation to the White Mountains when my sister and I were little. The last time I went was when The Girl was just a baby, and I thought of my dad the whole time.

6. Nefertiti--This historical fiction novel by Michelle Moran was my favorite of the books I read in 2008.

7. Noodles--I hate to admit it, but I'm a carb junkie.

8. Naps--If I don't take one at some point during the weekend, I'm grumpy. And then when I wake up on the couch with a pain in my neck or back, I'm grumpy anyway.

9. Neiman Marcus--I can't afford to shop there, but Serena and I certainly have fun browsing and making fun of some of the hideous, overpriced merchandise.

10. Nephew--My sister had a baby in October, and I finally get to meet him next month at his baptism. Living so far from family is hard, which is why I want to eventually move back north.

So there you have it. If anyone wants a letter, let me know in the comments, and I'll give you one.

The Girl's thoughts on Let's Find Pokémon! by Kazunori Aihara

The Girl has had this book in her collection for some time now. The cover is barely attached, that's how much she loves it. It's sort of like a Where's Waldo? or I Spy but with Pokemon characters. The Girl is crazy about Pokemon; she collects the cards, has a couple Pokemon DS games, and watches the cartoons every now and then. So when she came to me with a piece of paper with a review she wrote during her break at school and begged me to post it here, I just couldn't refuse.

Let's Find Pokemon! by Kazunori Aihara
Reviewed by The Girl (age 8)

Let's Find Pokemon! is one of my favorite books. It is such a cool book because cover to cover, there are 384 Pokemon. It has a few mazes in it. Also, it has some funny pictures in it. My favorite maze is Lost Inside Mt. Moon. That's my favorite maze because it has funny pictures and is underground. The hardest maze is Diglett's Cave because it has do not enter signs, and where it has do not enter signs you can't go that way because the way is blocked.



[Though I can't say I'm a big fan of Pokemon, I enjoy doing the activities with The Girl. They really exercise your eyes with pages of one particular Pokemon in various poses, and you have to pick out certain ones. The illustrations are colorful, and every time she opens the book with me, I see something I'd missed previously.]

Disclosure:  The Girl purchased her copy of Let's Find Pokemon!

And the winners are...

There were 45 entries to win the 5 copies of To My Senses. The author, Alexandrea Weis, was blown away by the response and offered up another 5 copies! With the help of Randomizer.org, I've chosen the 10 lucky winners:

Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit
Janel from Janel's Jumble
Carol from Carol's Notebook
Valorie from Morbid Romantic
Erika Lynn from Kiss My Book
MJ
AmandaSue
nhertel85
Christine
Diana D.

Thank you all for your quick responses to my emails! I've passed your addresses on to Alexandrea. Happy reading!

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

'My sweet lawyer,' she said, her voice deep and slow as the bottom of a river. 'I don't think you have a choice.' She paused, and took another sip of wine. 'We're all just ingredients, Tom. What matters is the grace with which you cook the meal.' (from The School of Essential Ingredients, page 130)

The School of Essential Ingredients has made my list of all-time favorite books. This is a story to be savored, yet it begs to be devoured in one sitting. Erica Bauermeister's first novel is the story of Lillian, a restaurant owner who learned to cook as a child when her father left and her mother used books to escape what her life had become. Each chapter focuses on a member of the latest session of Lillian's cooking class, The School of Essential Ingredients: Claire, a young wife and mother whose identity seems lost within her family; Carl and Helen, a husband and wife renewed in the face of betrayal; Tom, a lawyer drowning in grief after the loss of his wife; Antonia, an Italian immigrant who knows the comforts of home; Isabelle, an older woman struggling with the early stages of Alzheimer's; Ian, the son of a painter who turns to computers to satisfy his need for precision; and Chloe, a clumsy girl looking to find her place in the world. Lillian senses the needs of these individuals and shows them how to heal and to find love or themselves through cooking, and for Lillian, cooking is about smells and textures and emotions--not recipes.

Bauermeister is a master of words, using simple sentences with descriptions so rich you can actually smell, feel, and taste the food along with whatever emotion the character is feeling. Only a little bit of time is spent on each character, but Bauermeister never wastes a single word so the reader is left full and satisfied. (Satisfied with the story anyway...This book made me so hungry!) Nearly every page features sensual descriptions of food--the aroma of spices, the silky texture of a cake batter--and they made me look at ingredients differently and recognize their power to evoke emotions and repair wounds.

I'm always rummaging through cupboards and creating new recipes, though nothing as fancy as in the book. I think my love of food and willingness to experiment in the kitchen enhanced my enjoyment of the book, but the beauty of Bauermeister's writing, the realistic characters, and the strength of each of their stories taken as a whole makes The School of Essential Ingredients an all-around must-read.

Thanks to Penguin and MotherTalk for giving me the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for The School of Essential Ingredients.

The School of Essential Ingredients also was reviewed by:

Devourer of Books
Bermudaonion's Weblog
Breaking the Spine
Books on the Brain
A Reader's Respite
Leafing Through Life
A Book Blogger's Diary
Books and Cooks
Booking Mama
Fyrefly's Book Blog
Peeking Between the Pages
Life in the Thumb
Book Room Reviews
A Mom Speaks
S. Krishna's Books
Caribousmom

If you've also reviewed it, let me know in the comments, and I'll add your link!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of The School of Essential Ingredients from the publisher for review purposes as part of a MotherTalk blog tour.

Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan

Sharon Lathan's Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One picks up where Jane Austen left off in Pride and Prejudice. The book begins at the start of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy's marriage. Lathan's writing is beautiful, slowly unfolding the Darcy's love story. From the nervousness of the wedding night to the making of a routine that would mark their days at Pemberley, Lathan captures it all in a voice that transports the reader to Regency England.

Lathan does a great job with the characters of Elizabeth and Darcy, staying true to the mannerisms and thoughts of Austen's beloved couple. Elizabeth's captivating personality and wit shines through, and it's nice to see the transformed Darcy and his romantic, sentimental side. However, as the book went on, the endearments expressed by the newlyweds were a bit overwhelming. Here and there, a "darling" or "my love" is perfectly fine, but there were paragraphs in a single scene of the two expressing their love for one another. I think it slowed the narrative.

The only other problem I had with the book was the excessive number of sex scenes. They were beautifully written as far as such scenes go, and what transpires in each scene fits the portrayal of Elizabeth and Darcy. But it seemed as though 90 percent of the book took place in the bedroom, detailing almost every time the pair made love during the early days of their marriage. Given that they are newlyweds, I think the reader can figure it out for themselves that much of their free time will be spent in the bedroom. I loved when Darcy escorted Elizabeth to the Masque Ball, with all the talk about Darcy's new bride and what happens when a certain guest is aggressive toward Elizabeth, and I wish the book had more scenes like that one.

Even though the only bit of tension in the book occurs toward the end, Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One kept my attention throughout. Lathan's addition to the numerous Pride and Prejudice sequels should stand out due to top-notch writing and an Austen-esque voice. If you love Elizabeth and Darcy, you won't want to miss this one.

**Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One author Sharon Lathan will stop by Diary of an Eccentric on Feb. 25 for a guest post and giveaway. Stay tuned!**

Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One also was reviewed by:

Savvy Verse & Wit
Becky's Book Reviews
The Book Nest

If you've also reviewed it, let me know in the comments, and I'll add your link!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy:  Two Shall Become One from Sourcebooks for review purposes.

Mailbox Monday -- February 9

It's time for another Mailbox Monday, hosted by Marcia from The Printed Page. Thanks, Marcia!

Last week, I received two books I requested for The Girl via Bostick Communications:

The Suburban Dragon by Garasamo Maccagnone (The review should be coming soon, as she read the book the day it came in the mail!)

Too Tall Alice by Barbara Worton

I also received a box of books from Soho Press that will be perfect for the WWII Reading Challenge at War Through the Generations:

A Deadly Paradise by Grace Brophy

Kiyo's Story: A Japanese-American Family's Quest for the American Dream by Kiyo Sato

Zoo Station by David Downing

Silesian Station by David Downing

Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery by James R. Benn

The First Wave: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery by James R. Benn

Blood Alone: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery by James R. Benn

I can't wait to get started on these!

What books did you welcome into your home last week?

The Holocaust: The Nazis Seize Power, 1933-1941 by Stuart A. Kallen

In The Holocaust: The Nazis Seize Power, 1933-1941, one of a series of children's books on the Holocaust, Stuart A. Kallen touches on the core beliefs of the Nazis and how anti-Semitism was around long before Adolf Hitler. Kallen discusses how Hitler's rise to power was dependent on anti-Semitism. Germany was in a depression following World War I, and Hitler, as the leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazis), said the Jews were responsible for the country losing the war. People were desperate without jobs and/or food, and Hitler promised these things. It's crazy what people will believe when struggling to survive, and oftentimes people aren't satisfied unless they have someone to blame.

Kallen goes back to 1873 when Wilheim Marr, the German author, coined the term "anti-Semitism." He writes, "Marr started the idea of Jews as a separate race, the Semites. This was a turning point. Before Marr, Jews were considered dangerous because of their religion . . . They could change their beliefs, convert to Christianity, and be considered better. But if they were a race, they simply could not change. This was the cornerstone of Nazi anti-Semitism." (page 11) From here, Kallen talks about Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which spells out his anti-Semitic beliefs but was largely ignored due to poor writing; the numerous laws passed by Hitler after he became chancellor of Germany, which paved the way for the concentration camps; and the horrible crimes committed against Jews that were only the beginning of the atrocities that would occur under the Nazi regime.

Though designed for children, I learned a few things from the book. I know I shouldn't be surprised after all of the documentaries I've seen about the Nazis and the Holocaust, but I was shocked to learn of the children's board game, "Get the Jews Out!," which sold more than a million copies by 1938. I was saddened (but also not surprised) that the U.S. government thought cutting off trade with Germany was a sufficient reaction to attacks against Jews. I knew many laws were passed to restrict the freedom of Jews in Germany, but I didn't know approximately 400 were passed from 1933 to 1939.

I was a little confused because the book The Girl took out of the library listed the dates 1933-1939 on the cover, but the inside title page and everything I've seen online lists the dates as 1933-1941. Regardless, this volume ends in 1939, so it doesn't touch upon the horrors of the concentration camps. But it shows that life was so hard for the Jews under Nazi rule that more than 300,000 of the 500,000 Jews in Germany as of 1933 had left by 1939.

I thought this was a great book to share with The Girl, and I was glad she wanted to share it with me when she brought it home from school. (She specifically asked the librarian for a book that would qualify for the WWII reading challenge!) Kallen explains Nazi politics and ideology in easy-to-understand terms and doesn't offer so many details that young readers are bored or confused. (Of course, you can understand the facts about Nazi politics, but I don't think you could ever truly comprehend the reason behind them.)

I was touched by Kallen's words in the foreword: "When a child is born it has no prejudices. Bias must be learned and someone has to display it. The goal of this series is to enlighten children and help them recognize the ignorance of prejudice so that future generations will be tolerant, understanding, compassionate, and free of prejudice." (page 4)

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Here's what The Girl (age 8) had to say about The Holocaust: The Nazis Seize Power, 1933-1941:

This non-fiction history of the Holocaust talks about the Nazis and their rise to power. It also talks about how the Nazis felt about Jewish people. I learned how Jewish shops were destroyed by the Nazis. This book taught me a lot. It made me feel sad about how Jewish people were treated. I think people should read this book if they don't know a lot about the Nazis and the start of World War II.

******

We read The Holocaust: The Nazis Seize Power, 1933-1941 by Stuart A. Kallen as part of the WWII reading challenge at War Through the Generations.

Disclosure:  We borrowed The Holocaust:  The Nazis Seize Power, 1933-1941 from the library.