The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie

Now she understood the superstitions of ancient cultures, the impetus for séances and Ouija boards, and the necessity of burial, so that the dead might sleep in peace.  She couldn't say which was more troubling -- the state of her husband's soul or the state of her own mind, for she suspected that all those mourners with their mirrors reversed did not dread spirits so much as the look of their own haunted faces.  (from The Widow's Season, page 23)

The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie focuses on Sarah McConnell, a 39-year-old widow haunted by her dead husband.  She had been wallowing in grief for three months when she first saw her husband's ghost.  It happened in the grocery store right around Halloween.  He locked eyes with her for a moment, and he seemed more real than otherworldly.  He is gone before Sarah can approach him, but this vision becomes the first of many.  And given that her husband's death at the hands of a swollen river during a bad storm in the mountains near their home in Jackson, Virginia, is declared without his body having been found, Sarah begins to wonder whether David is really dead or simply trading the life of a busy doctor for one of a simple artist and hermit.

Sarah is haunted not only by David's ghost, but also by their marriage of more than a decade that involved several heartbreaking miscarriages and a slow emotional and physical withdrawal by both of them.  When a spouse dies so unexpectedly, there are so many things left unsaid and undone -- and there isn't a thing the surviving spouse can do to remedy the situtation.  Life must go on for Sarah.  She must decide what to do about the huge house left empty by David's death and her inability to carry a baby to term.  She must prepare David's paintings for an exhibition in a local gallery and later a more prestigious showing in Washington, D.C.  And she must contend with her attraction to Nate, David's handsome-to-the-point-of-perfection (or at least he's described that way, but maybe not in those exact words) younger brother.

The Widow's Season offers a ghost story for readers who like to read about mysterious hauntings but don't like to be scared.  Brodie explores the depths of grief -- how it affects Sarah to her very core; how sadness, depression, and despair can blur the borders of reality; and how surviving spouses cope with feelings of guilt as life goes on.  There isn't a whole lot of plot in The Widow's Season, but Brodie's beautiful prose more than makes up for it.  Her sentences are brilliantly crafted to set a mood, and I felt a heaviness as I read Sarah's story.  I felt her loss, her pain, and her anger, and I loved how Brodie was able to use a handful of words to toy with my emotions.

When it comes to the characters of Sarah, David, and Nate, Sarah is probably the most well developed.  However, Brodie paints a portrait of their true selves, flaws and all, so that readers see their evolution and understand that no one person is to blame for the events that transpire.  I didn't like all of them all of the time, and that made them more authentic to me.

The Widow's Season grabbed me from the first page and kept me guessing until the end.  It's not a novel filled with sunshine and flowers (thank goodness), but there is some hope to cancel out some of the sadness.  Readers who like emotional, character-driven stories should give it a try.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of The Widow's Season from the author for review purposes.

Horrid Henry's Underpants and Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross

Horrid Henry is back...and he's as horrid as ever.  Francesca Simon's beloved U.K. children's series -- which is illustrated by Tony Ross -- has been released in the U.S. by Sourcebooks.  The Girl and I reviewed four of the Horrid Henry books earlier this year, and we were excited to be part of the latest blog tour for Horrid Henry's Underpants and Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter.  Each book contains four hilarious stories about the biggest troublemaker I've ever read in a children's book.  Here's a rundown of the stories:

In Horrid Henry's Underpants:

"Horrid Henry Eats a Vegetable" -- Horrid Henry's parents always wish he was like his younger brother, Perfect Peter.  Peter loves vegetables -- even more than candy.  To persuade Henry to eat his vegetables, his parents bribe him.  If he eats all of his vegetables every day for five days, they'll take him to his favorite restaurant, complete with greasy fried foods and televisions.  Of course, Henry has no plans to eat his vegetables, and he goes beyond the stick-them-in-your-napkin routine I pulled as a kid.

"Horrid Henry's Underpants" -- This is the funniest story in the two books, and of course, kids will get a kick out of the use of the word "underpants" in the title and throughout the story.  Henry's great aunt has always thought he was a girl named Henny, and she sends him a gift -- frilly, flowery girl underpants.  Unfortunately for Henry, he accidentally wears them to school on a day when he overslept, and he has to figure out how to get rid of them before the kids in his class find out.

"Horrid Henry's Sick Day" -- Horrid Henry doesn't like that Perfect Peter is sick and staying home from school.  He'd rather stay home and watch tv, too, so he pretends to be sick.  His plan backfires when his parents fall ill, and they need some TLC.  Of course, Henry doesn't want to help.

"Horrid Henry's Thank You Letter" -- Horrid Henry, the greedy, rude child that he is, obviously has better things to do than write thank you letters for the Christmas gifts he received.  After all, he doesn't like most of them.  So why should he thank the giver?  Henry decides to write some "No, thank you" letters, and figuring that people would pay for his services, he takes on the job of writing "thank you" letters for his classmates.  I bet you can imagine how well that turns out.

In Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter:

"Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats"  -- Henry does a horrid, horrid thing to Perfect Peter and is forced to stay home with his father while his mother and Peter go trick-or-treating.  But when Henry's classmates ring the bell and show up with their bulging bags of candy, Henry has no intention of missing out on the goodies -- especially since his parents are passing out fruit and walnuts as treats.

"Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter" -- It's understandable why Henry's parents can't find a babysitter willing to watch Henry more than once.  Henry is outraged when his parents hire Rabid Rebecca, who expects the boys to be in their pajamas and ready for bed hours before their usual bedtime.  But even though Rebecca is mean and wants the children out of her sight so she can watch ballroom dancing, Henry won't give up until he has her trained -- giving him rule of the house.

"Horrid Henry's Raid" -- Horrid Henry and Perfect Peter's Purple Hand fort is raided by Moody Margaret and Sour Susan, who insist Henry is responsible for emptying the cookie tin in their Secret Club tent.  Thus begins a back-and-forth battle to annihilate their enemies' clubhouses.

"Horrid Henry's Car Journey" -- Horrid Henry would rather attend Rude Ralph's birthday party than the christening of his baby cousin, Vomiting Vera.  So he decides to make the long car trip unbearable for his parents in the hopes that they will turn around and let him attend the birthday party.

Horrid Henry and his antics are amusing to a point.  He truly is the brattiest kid I've ever seen in a children's book, and his actions are funny because they are so outrageous.  However, after reading eight stories of Henry is his horrible glory, I was exhausted and so thankful that my daughter is well behaved and genuinely kind.  I understand that the books are supposed to be funny, but it bothers me that Henry's parents will tell him to stop being horrid and sometimes even send him to his room without doing much else to change his attitude or his behavior.  Some of the things he does are downright unacceptable and truly mean, and while some of his actions backfire, sometimes there are no consequences.

Yet at the same time, the Horrid Henry books are meant to be funny, ridiculous, and entertaining.  If your child, like mine, is mature enough to separate entertainment from appropriate "real life" behavior, that's great.  Because you certainly wouldn't want your kids getting any ideas from Horrid Henry!  While reading these books, The Girl would say "Uh, oh, he's going to be in trouble" or "Henry's really mean" or "I'd never do that.  I'd be grounded forever."  I thought her reactions were funny, and they also made me happy that at least I've successfully taught her right from wrong.

After we finished the books, she went upstairs to jot down her thoughts.  When I read her review, I just about died laughing.  Here are The Girl's (age 9) thoughts on the books:

Perfect Peter is perfect, but I think he's a little tattletale.  My favorite story was "Horrid Henry's Underpants."  His aunt thinks he is a girl so she gets him girly underwear.  My favorite part was when he couldn't get dressed for gym because he was going commando, and the teacher said it was his lucky day because she found some spare underwear in the boy's bathroom, and it's the same underwear he started out with.  I don't like how Henry gets away with everything.  I think he should be punished until he's in college.

Too funny!!  Anyway, if you're interested in seeing for yourself just how horrid Henry is, you're in luck.  Courtesy of Sourcebooks, I have a copy of Horrid Henry and The Mummy's Curse to give away.

I put The Girl in charge of the rules for this giveaway, and because Halloween is coming soon, she wants you to leave a comment telling her your biggest fear.  Please make sure to include your e-mail address with your comment.

Since the publisher is handling shipping, this giveaway is restricted to the United States.  The giveaway will end Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11:59 EST.

Disclosure:  We received free copies of Horrid Henry's Underwear and Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter from Sourcebooks for review purposes.


and

Interview with Michelle Moran, author of Cleopatra's Daughter

So...you've read my review of Cleopatra's Daughter, read the guest post by Michelle Moran, and entered the giveaway for Cleopatra's Daughter, The Heretic Queen, and an authentic ancient Roman coin.  Great (and thank you)!

Now, I have another treat for you.  I had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle about Cleopatra's Daughter, among other things.  Check out my Examiner page to see what she had to say.

Guest post by Michelle Moran (and an awesome giveaway!)

I'm thrilled to welcome Michelle Moran to Diary of an Eccentric to talk about her inspiration for Cleopatra's Daughter (click here to read my review).  Michelle is one of my favorite authors, and it's been a pleasure trading e-mails with her.  If you haven't managed to get your hands on a copy of Cleopatra's Daughter yet, you're in luck!  Michelle is generously offering some goodies to a lucky reader.  Details will follow her guest post.

Why Cleopatra's Daughter?

It began with a dive. Not the kind of dive that people take into swimming pools, but the kind where you squeeze yourself into a wetsuit and wonder just how tasty your rump must appear to passing sharks now that it looks exactly like an elephant seal. My husband and I had taken a trip to Egypt, and at the suggestion of a friend, we decided to go to Alexandria and do a dive to see the remains of Cleopatra’s underwater city. Let it be known that I had never done an underwater dive before, so after four days with an instructor (and countless questions like, Will there be sharks? How about jellyfish? If there is an earthquake, what happens underwater?) we were ready for the real thing.

We drove to the Eastern Harbor in Alexandria. Dozens of other divers were already there, waiting to see what sort of magic lay beneath the waves. I wondered if the real thing could possibly live up to all of the guides and brochures selling this underwater city, lost for thousands of years until now. Then we did the dive, and it was every bit as magical as everyone had promised. You can see the rocks which once formed Marc Antony’s summer palace, come face to face with Cleopatra’s towering sphinx, and take your time floating above ten thousand ancient artifacts, including obelisks, statues, and countless amphorae. By the time we had surfaced, I was Cleopatra-obsessed. I wanted to know what had happened to her city once she and Marc Antony had committed suicide. Where did all of its people go? Were they allowed to remain or were they killed by the Romans? What about her four children? 

It was this last question which surprised me the most. I had always believed that all of Cleopatra’s children had been murdered. But the Roman conqueror Octavian had actually spared the three she bore to Marc Antony: her six-year-old son, Ptolemy, and her ten-year-old twins, Alexander and Selene. As soon as I learned that Octavian had taken the three of them for his Triumph in Rome, I knew at once I had my next book. This is how all of my novels seem to begin – with a journey, then an adventure, and finally, enormous amounts of research for what I hope is an exciting story.

******

Thanks, Michelle!  She's obviously very passionate about history, and it really shows in her novels.

Now for the giveaway:

Michelle is generously offering a hardcover copy of Cleopatra's Daughter, a paperback copy of The Heretic Queen (which I reviewed here), and an ancient Roman coin (like the one here) with a certificate of authenticity.

One lucky winner will receive all three prizes.  However, if you've already read Cleopatra's Daughter or The Heretic Queen, just let me know in your entry; if you're chosen, I can select another winner for the book you already have, and you will receive the book you haven't yet read plus the ancient Roman coin.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address.

This giveaway is open worldwide and will end Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11:59 pm EST.  The winner will be chosen randomly.

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Livia sat forward and fixed me in her gaze.  "My father committed suicide because of your father.  And now your father has killed himself because of my husband.  It's a strange little world, isn't it, Selene?  And I imagine that when your mother came to Rome, she thought it would be only a matter of time before she stood in the Senate and declared herself queen.  But Romans don't accept women who paint their faces, or dress themselves in beads, or swim in rivers.  And they won't accept a little whore from Alexandria who thinks she can come here and take her mother's place.  I know what you want."  She laughed bitterly.  "You think my husband is going to send you back to Egypt, but the Greeks will be settling their debts on the Kalends before that ever happens!"  In Rome, the Kalends was the first day of every month, but the Greeks had no such day.

When Livia sat back, Octavia smiled.  "Charming as always, Livia.  And every afternoon a sweet reminder of why my brother chose you for his wife."  (from Cleopatra's Daughter, pages 139-140)

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran honestly is the best book I've read this year.  (And I've read a lot of good books since January.)  As you can tell from this passage, Moran has a way of bringing history to life.  Despite the contemporary writing style, readers will not forget they have traveled to ancient Rome around 31 B.C. during the reign of Octavian (later known as Augustus).

Moran tells the story of Kleopatra Selene, twin sister of Alexander Helios and daughter of Kleopatra VII and Marc Antony.  Kleopatra and Marc Antony are defeated in 31 B.C. by Octavian and his military adviser Marcus Agrippa, and both commit suicide.  Selene, only 10 years old but highly educated and wise beyond her years, is devastated.  She and her brothers, Alexander and Ptolemy, are taken by Octavian to Rome, where they will be paraded through the streets as part of the victory celebration.  Selene is worried that Octavian plans to have them killed, but after she and Alexander settle in Rome, their lives take on a routine of school and other pursuits.  Selene and Alexander are taken in by Octavia, the sister of Octavian and one of their father's wives before Kleopatra.  Octavia becomes sort of a mother to the twins, and her son and Octavian's heir, Marcellus, becomes their closest friend  -- and despite the fact that he is betrothed to Octavian's daughter, Julia, Selene develops a crush on him.  Julia, as well as Octavia's slave, Gallia, who handles their clothing and accompanies them on their trips around Rome, also become close friends of the twins.

There is a lot going on in Cleopatra's Daughter, and I'm afraid I can't do the book justice.  The twins are always under the watchful eye of Octavian, his bodyguard, Juba -- who was a child when his father's kingdom was defeated and came to live in Rome under circumstances similar to that of Selene's -- and others close to the emperor.  As they wait to turn 15, when Octavian likely will marry them off, the twins try to make themselves useful, and Selene's sketches turn into an apprenticeship under the architect Vitruvius.  Selene and Alexander face the hatred of Octavian's mean and bitter wife, Livia.  Slavery also is a major topic in Cleopatra's Daughter, as a rebel known as "The Red Eagle" takes steps to free slaves and encourages uprisings.  The search for The Red Eagle consumes must of Octavian's time and energy, and his activities arouse the curiosity of the twins and their new friends.

Selene is a wonderfully written character, and as the book is told from her point of view, readers come to know a lot about her.  She is strong, fiercly loyal to her country, intelligent, and free-spirited.  She does not collapse when the rest of her world comes down around her, and even in the midst of crippling grief, it is obvious she is a survivor.

Moran clearly did her homework -- her descriptions of the architecture, academics, culture, clothing, food, and mannerisms of ancient Rome and Egypt bring the setting and the characters to life.  (A glossary at the back of the book helps readers keep things straight.)  She has visited the lands of which she writes, and she has the ability to provide numerous historical details without interrupting the flow of the narrative.  Moran brilliantly constructs complex plots without making the story difficult to follow.  I can't say enough good things about Moran's writing.  I absolutely loved her previous novels, Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen, and Cleopatra's Daughter exceeded my already high expectations.  Even if you don't prefer historical fiction about ancient Rome or Egypt, I recommend these books.  I wasn't sure I would like Nefertiti because ancient Egypt never really interested me, but I found myself glued to the book after reading only a few pages -- and the next two books were even better.  The books were so captivating, I even did some research of my own about the historical figures featured within their pages.  I highly recommend all three, but Cleopatra's Daughter is my favorite of Moran's books so far.

Read an excerpt of Cleopatra's Daughter here, and then get your hands on a copy!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Cleopatra's Daughter from Michelle Moran and Random House/Crown for review purposes.

Mailbox Monday -- October 26

I'm still recovering from Read-a-Thon exhaustion, so I'm a day late in posting Mailbox Monday.  Before I tell you what goodies were in my mailbox last week, I just want to let everyone waiting for a book from one of my BBAW giveaways to know that I'm preparing the packages to be shipped.  My life has been crazy and hectic, and funds have been a bit tight, but they will all be mailed out during the next few weeks.  I apologize and thank you for being so patient.

Anyway...I received several books last week -- only 2 review copies, a gift, and some contest wins.

The Pet Lovers bundle of books from BBAW, courtesy of HarperCollins:



Marley & Me:  Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen







Modoc:  The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer

Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond






Two books for review:

Things We Didn't See Coming by Steven Amsterdam (from Random House)

The Last Furlough:  The Letters of Paul Claudius 1943-1944 by Jack R. Meister and Erika Wolfe (from Erika Wolfe, the daughter of Paul Claudius)






And a gift from my buddy Serena:

Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates





I also received a few goodies from Reading Comfort:  a lap blanket, a book weight, and an elastic bookmark with ribbons to mark my place.  I'll been enjoying them so far, as much as I enjoy my Book Buddy.  Look for my review soon!

The Girl even received a few bookish goodies this week:

I won the James Patterson prize pack from Missy's Book Nook!  I passed the books onto The Girl, who was thrilled.

Maximum Ride:  The Angel Experiment
Maximum Ride:  School's Out -- Forever
Maximum Ride:  Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
Maximum Ride:  The Final Warning
Maximum Ride:  Max
Maximum Ride:  The Manga, Vol. 1
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X
Daniel X:  Watch the Skies



And she also bought two books with a gift card she'd been saving:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

Bone:  Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith

What books did you welcome into your home recently?

Thanks to Marcia from The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday, where bookworms share the books they received in the mail or otherwise obtained over the last week.

The Return by Victoria Hislop

Under the flickering light of the gaslamp he took a long look at this creature and was puzzled by his own reaction to her.  She was a curious mix of child and woman, an adolescent on the brink of adulthood, naive and yet worldly.  He had seen many young flamenco dancers like her, virginal and yet lacking in innocence.  Usually their extravagant sexuality vanished the moment they stopped dancing but with this girl it was different.  She exuded a sensuality, the memory of which would keep him awake that night.  (from The Return, page 125 in the ARC)

In The Return, Victoria Hislop takes readers to Granada, Spain, to a world deeply affected by war and filled with dance, bullfighting, and passion.  There are two stories within its pages.  The book opens in 2001 with Sonia, a young woman unhappy with her marriage to a much older man, a banker for whom marriage was only another task on his to-do list.  He also has a drinking problem and does not like that Sonia takes dancing lessons.  In the first section of the book, Sonia is in Granada to celebrate the birthday of her long-time friend Maggie by taking dancing lessons, mainly salsa with a little flamenco thrown in.  Sonia meets an old man in a cafe, and over coffee, they talk a bit about what Granada was like before the changes brought by war.  After Sonia returns to her home in London, she and James have a falling out, and she finds herself back in Granada meeting the old man from the cafe to discuss the lives of the cafe's previous owners, the Ramirez family, during the Spanish Civil War.

Hislop then takes readers back to the 1930s -- a politically volatile time for Spain -- and introduces the Ramirez family, Pedro and Concha and their children, Antonio, Ignacio, Emilio, and Mercedes.  When Franco and his troops begin taking over cities across Spain, Ignacio -- a new but already renowned bullfighter who sides with the Nationalists -- is at odds with his brothers over politics, and this animosity between them puts the family on a path to destruction.  Meanwhile, Mercedes, a young girl with dancing in her blood, meets a gypsy guitarist, Javier, and the two fall passionately in love.

Before picking up The Return, I didn't know much about the Spanish Civil War, and Hislop does a good job using the story of the Ramirez family to show the complexity of the politics of the period.  Even the people didn't know what was going on much of the time, and they lived in fear of being arrested without cause.  My interest in the impact of war and its place in literature drew me to The Return, but I had to read 100 pages for the story to really take off.  Sonia's story, though interesting, didn't grab my attention as much as the story of the Ramirez family, so the book started a bit slow for me.  But once Sonia returned to Granada and listened to Miguel, the cafe owner, talk about the past over coffee, I was hooked.  While each member of the Ramirez family had an interesting story, I was most captivated by Mercedes.  Hislop beautifully describes Mercedes' love of flamenco, and the scene in which she meets Javier and he plays his guitar just for her was so full of emotion and passion that it felt alive.  Her dancing and his guitar playing are perfectly matched, setting the stage for a heart-wrenching tale of love and loss.

Despite its slow start, I really liked The Return, and at the very least I'd recommend it for the details about the Spanish Civil War.  Hislop shows readers what it was like for the ordinary people of Granada -- the fear, the tension, the fighting among family and friends unsure of which side is right.  But The Return is so much more than a war story.  There's romance, familial tension, and two young women trying to find themselves amidst chaos, and Hislop brilliantly sets the scene so you feel as though you are in Granada with Sonia and the Ramirez family.  Though I wish I hadn't been able to predict the outcome of the more-than-400-page book on page 80, it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

About Victoria Hislop:

Victoria Hislop read English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and writes travel features for The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, House & Garden and Woman & Home.

Her first novel The Island was published by Headline Review and held the number 1 slot in the paperback charts for eight consecutive weeks, selling over a million copies in the UK.

The book has also been published in over twenty languages and has also been a number 1 bestseller in Greece.

Victoria was the Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2007 and won the Richard & Judy Summer Read competition.

She lives in Kent, with her husband and their two children.
Visit Victoria’s website at www.victoriahislop.com.

Check out the rest of the tour stops here.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of The Return from HarperCollins for review purposes. 

Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up

If any of you follow Serena's blog, then you probably saw her update posts throughout Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon.  She was kind enough to write about The Girl's and my progress.  And you can visit her blog to see a picture of me lounging on her couch with her dog, Charlee, who used to be half my dog, too, because we bought him together when we were in college, assuming we'd be old maids who'd have nothing but each other and our dog.  Too funny!  Oh, and there's a video of The Girl dancing to "Thriller" during hour 7.

So before I answer the questions from the end of the Read-a-Thon meme, let me tell you a little about our day.  The Read-a-Thon started at 8 am on Saturday in our neck of the woods, and the hubby, The Girl, and I arrived at Serena's right around then.  She and her husband had cooked a delicious breakfast, which helped get us ready for reading.  Despite some interruptions from the chatty and very-excited-to-participate Girl and the boys playing video games, we had a good time reading.

The boys made us lunch, and we kept reading, periodically checked the Read-a-Thon blog, then did more reading.  My hubby and Serena (thrilled at having finished her second book) made dinner, and there was reading, snacking, and more reading.  The sad thing is that despite all the reading, I didn't finish a single book.  More on that in the meme:

Which hour was most daunting for you?

We left Serena's house about 10 pm and arrived home around 11 pm.  The Girl got ready for bed, but I told her she could read in bed if she wanted, and I found her at 12:30 am lightly snoring and still holding open her book.  The hardest time for me was around 11:30 pm, when I had a splitting headache.  So I put down my book, and for some reason I thought finishing the embroidered crafts for the church fundraiser (they had to be done by the craft meeting at 10 am today anyway) and watching The Painted Veil (I'd been dying to see it since reading the book a few years ago) would help.   I finished the crafts around 2 am, decided to read in bed since I needed to sleep a bit anyway, and remember last checking the clock at about 3 am.

I had every intention of waking up a couple of hours before the Read-a-Thon ended to finish my book, but I forgot to set my alarm clock and woke myself up at 9:15 am (over an hour after it ended).  Remember how I said the craft meeting at church was at 10 am?  Yeah...there was a lot of running around frantically trying to shower and dress and get out of the house.

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I probably am not the right person to answer this because the only book I picked up during the Read-a-Thon was The Return by Victoria Hislop.  I'd started it prior to the Read-a-Thon, and I read off and on for about 19 hours and didn't finish it.

I'd definitely recommend The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, though.  Those are action-packed, quick reads for sure.

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything.  I thought it was a lot of fun, and I want to thank the organizers and the cheerleaders for all their hard work.


What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

It seemed very well organized.  The hourly posts were right on time, and the mini-challenges were well coordinated.

How many books did you read?

I had pulled quite a few books off my shelf, but my top priority was The Return by Victoria Hislop, as my TLC Book Tour date is Monday.  I would have read it much sooner, but a sick child and a broken train earlier in the week really ate into my reading time.  I didn't finish the book during the Read-a-Thon, but I read a good chunk of it, and after I came home from my church meeting, I spent the rest of the day finishing the book.  If I hadn't had a book tour commitment, I would have read the shorter books in my pile, and I would've gone from one book to another and back again to suit my mood.  Even though I didn't complete a book during the Read-a-Thon, I had a lot of fun with Serena and The Girl.  I also really enjoyed having a lot of time to read during the weekend, as most of my reading is done on my work commute.

The Girl finished 1 book, Bone:  Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith.  She also finished half of Bone:  Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith and half of Maximum Ride:  The Manga, Vol. 1 by James Patterson and NaRae Lee.  She was a very dedicated, though chatty, reader, and I'm very proud of her accomplishments and glad she had a wonderful time.

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

The cheerleaders were wonderful!  Thank you guys!

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

As long as there are no other commitments preventing us from participating, we'll probably sign up for the next Read-a-Thon.  I know I'll at least sign up as a reader.  I'll play the rest by ear for now.

One of my goals for the Read-a-Thon was to distance myself from the computer and just read.  During the last Read-a-Thon, I felt like I spent too much time posting updates, etc., and every time I broke away from my book to sit at the computer, I had a hard time getting back to reading.  So I know Google Reader is overflowing with Read-a-Thon posts, and I'll do my best over the next few days to visit your blogs and see how you did.

Before I close and get ready for bed, I want to thank everyone who stopped by Diary of an Eccentric during the Read-a-Thon to cheer us on.  I read each and every one of your comments, and I appreciate them.  You guys totally rock!!

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: We're In (Plus Our Pile of Books)

Thanks for all the well wishes for The Girl!  She's back to her normal self, and thankfully, the husband and I are still feeling fine.  It's a good thing she recovered quickly because she's going to a Halloween dance for the 4th and 5th graders at her school tonight (she's an alien this year) AND we'll be heading to Serena's house in the morning for some readathon fun.

This is our second time participating in Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon, and I think we're better prepared this time around.  Last time, The Girl read a handful of young reader books (SpongeBob was the theme of the day), we finished Coraline together, and I started and finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  I knew we wouldn't get through the entire stack of books we'd set aside, but I'd hoped to do a little more reading than we did.  Of course, Serena, The Girl, and I chatted a lot and participated in several mini-challenges, but this means we didn't get a whole lot of reading done.  However, I prefer the readathon gatherings to the solo readathon because I think I'd get bored really fast.  This time around, I plan to do more reading and distance myself from the computer a bit.  I don't know yet if I'll participate in any of the mini-challenges, and I'm not sure if I'll be posting multiple times.  I'll at least write a wrap-up post.

As for sleeping, that's a given.  Although The Girl is free to stay up late for the readathon, we have a church meeting on Sunday morning (we're making crafts for an upcoming fundraiser) so we have to be rested.  And The Girl has a ton of makeup homework and classwork to finish.  Last year, we fell asleep between 10 pm and 11 pm, and I woke up a couple of hours before the readathon ended to finish my book.  That's probably what will happen this time, too, and I'm okay with that.  It's all about having fun, right?

Anyway, the readathon starts at 8 am in our neck of the woods, and The Girl and I have already pulled out a stack of books.  Sorry I don't have any pictures (I'm doing a quick post before I leave work, and I'm not sure I'll be online tonight due to the Halloween dance), but here are our lists:

My pile:

~The Return by Victoria Hislop -- Finishing this book is my top priority, as my TLC Book Tour date is Monday.  I already would have finished it, but a sick kid and having to drive to work one day because the train was broken really cut into my reading time.

~Fire in the Hills by Donna Jo Napoli.  This is the sequel to Stones in Water, which Ms. Napoli told me about via e-mail.  I was frustrated that first book had an open ending, and she said I wasn't the only one who felt that way, hence the sequel.

~Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi.  This book was written after Floating in My Mother's Palm, but it's set before that book and features some of the same characters.

~Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  This is the November pick for my book club.

~And some kids books for when I need a break:  Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Rodrick Rules, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  The Last Straw, all by Jeff Kinney, and Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell.  The Girl loved these books, and I'm really enjoying Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Dog Days, so why not?

The Girl's pile:

Maximum Ride:  The Manga, Vol 1 by James Patterson and NaRae Lee
Maximum Ride:  The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Bone:  Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
Bone:  Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith (she's already reading this one from the school library, but has to finish it)
Goosebumps:  Welcome to Camp Nightmare by R.L. Stine
Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee

Wish us luck!  And to all the other participants, have a great time!

*Another* Another Faust Contest

I was recently contacted by Daniel Nayeri, who co-authored Another Faust with his sister Dina, about a contest they are hosting.  I admit that I didn't know much about the book, though I did see it at Book Expo America back in May.  But I was drawn to the fact that it's a writing contest, and Daniel said the idea behind the contest is to get young adults interested in the classics, or to make the classics as interesting as they were when they were written.  It sounds like a great idea, so please welcome Daniel Nayeri to Diary of an Eccentric to give you all the contest details:

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Hi everyone. Dina and I are about to kick off a month-long tour for our book, Another Faust, and we want to do it by announcing a contest! We are looking for the most promising writers out there (that’s YOU). And then we want to showcase their work, so that all of the Internet can bask in their awesome writing might (and, you know, give them prizes).

HERE’S HOW IT GOES. 

We want you to write your own short story, re-imagining of the Faustian Bargain. (For inspiration, check out Bedazzled, Simpsons “Tree House of Horrors IV,” and The Little Mermaid). It can be about anything you like (but let’s keep it PG-13, and under 3,000 words), and it’s open to everyone.

All you have to do is send your entry to dviergutz@gmail.com before January 31.


Rules and details can be found here:

http://www.danielanddina.com/site/2009/10/writing-contest-create-another-another-faust/

Make sure to read them so you don’t get DQed.


And the winner gets all kinds of sweetness:

A signed copy of Another Faust
A handwritten deleted scene
A featured article & interview on our site
An author’s galley of the sequel Another Pan

Though we’ll feature the top five on our site for comments, the judging WON’T happen by popular vote (so basically, we don't care which contestant has the most friends). Dina and I will personally read them.

So, spread the word! Tweet, retweet, forward, thread, spread, embed this post.

Good luck!

D&D

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Sounds like a fun contest with some cool prizes.  Good luck to all the entrants!

Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace

The humiliating truth was that she had not succeeded in changing herself.

She had had fun telling Tacy that she was going to change, and even more fun plotting out with the admiring Tib a thrilling glamorous transformation.  But facing the facts in her lonely bed, Betsy realized that it was much easier to plot out something than it was for her to do it.  Just as, when they were younger, she and Tacy had loved to dream up wild deeds but it had usually been Tib who carried them out.  (from Betsy in Spite of Herself, page 553) 

Betsy in Spite of Herself, the sixth Betsy-Tacy book, originally published in 1946, finds our beloved Betsy Ray starting her sophomore year at Deep Valley High and preparing to turn 16.  Betsy has a lot of friends -- a lot of boy friends -- but none of these boys feel anything romantic for her nor she for them.  Like many high school girls now and at the turn of the century, when the book takes place, Betsy wishes she was prettier, more sophisticated, and more mysterious.  When her childhood friend Tib invites her to spent two weeks with her family in Milwaukee -- where she has been living for a few years, much to the disappointment of Betsy and her best friend, Tacy -- Betsy has a chance to remake herself.  Betsy plans a great transformation to "Betsye" -- and she has her eye on the new boy in school, Phil Brandish, a sort of "bad boy" and one of the few people in the small Minnesota town of Deep Valley to own an automobile.

However, Betsy can't fool her friends Cab and Tony (Tony being the "Tall Dark Stranger" she had a crush on in Heaven to Betsy), who don't understand why she puts on airs when Phil is around, and Betsy can't fool herself either.  She is determined to grab Phil's attention, and she succeeds in winning his affections, but when his jealousy pushes away the boys she counts among her closest friends -- never mind the fact that Phil only talks about his car and doesn't understand Betsy's love for writing and her desire to compete against Joe Willard in the yearly essay contest -- Betsy slowly grows unhappy with the relationship.

Maud Hart Lovelace, who began writing the Betsy-Tacy series for her young daughter (born in 1931), truly remembered what it was like to be a young girl navigating the tumultuous emotions of adolescence, and she wrote about it honestly and eloquently.  Lovelace understood the lengths that girls often go to impress a boy, how sometimes they will lose themselves, but that it's important to accept themselves as they are.  This understanding of universal experiences and emotions is what makes the Betsy-Tacy books timeless.

With Betsy's older sister, Julia, graduating from high school, Betsy in Spite of Herself prepares readers for a new chapter in the life of the Ray family.  Having so far accompanied Betsy on the journey from age 5 to 16, she feels real to me, and I can't wait to continue the series.

If you haven't already, you can read my other Betsy-Tacy reviews here:

Betsy-Tacy
Betsy-Tacy and Tib
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
Heaven to Betsy

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Betsy In Spite of Herself from HarperCollins for review purposes.

When It Rains, It Pours

I'm feeling overwhelmed these days, falling behind in blog posting and blog reading.  I was ready to operate in catch-up mode this week, and then The Girl got sick.  I was home from work yesterday with the feverish one, and I'm operating on two nights without much sleep.  Her fever was just under 103 last night, and this morning it was about 100.  She still has an appetite, which is good, and we spent much of the day snuggled on the couch reading and watching tv.  What made her feel better was my reading to her from Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Dog Days by Jeff Kinney -- which she finally received on Monday courtesy of the gift card she saved from her birthday for the sole purpose of buying this book.  My husband is home with her today, but she made a date with me this morning before I left for work to read more of it to her tonight.  She probably won't be going to school tomorrow either, with fever rules and all, and in that case, I'll be working in the morning and rushing home so that my husband can work in the afternoon.  My husband spoke to the doctor last night, and she told us what symptoms to watch for and when an appointment would be necessary, but as long as her fever goes down and stays down, everything should be fine.

Just wanted to let you all know why I've been scarce this week, and it might be a couple more days before I'm back to my regular blogging schedule.  (Hopefully, I'll have a chance to post a review tonight, but I'm beat.)  And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that The Girl keeps the germs to herself...

And the winner is...

According to Randomizer.org, the lucky winner of A Match for Mary Bennet is...

pippirose!

I've passed your address on to the publisher, and you should receive the book soon.  Congratulations and happy reading!

Mailbox Monday -- October 19

Happy Monday!  My mailbox was pretty bare last week, but that's fine by me.  I'm accepting few review copies these days, and I hope to finish the ones sitting patiently on my desk and bookshelves over the next few months.

Here's what I received:





The Sentinels:  Fortunes of War by Gordon Zuckerman from Planned Television Arts for review.

Riddle in the Mountain by Daryl Burkhard from Dogtooth Books/Nomad Press.  The Girl and I will be reading this one for Eco-Libris' green books campaign in November.


Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Marcia from The Printed Page.  Visit Marcia's blog to see what other bookworms received in the mail, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the last week.

What books did you welcome into your home recently?

The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene and Tim Raglin

On the first day of Halloween, my good friend gave to me:  a vulture in a dead tree.  Thus begins The 13 Days of Halloween, a book billed as "A Trick-or-Treat Sing-Along."  And that's just what The Girl did when we read this book together.

The Girl and I absolutely loved this book.  I knew she would, as her favorite Christmas song is "The 12 Days of Christmas."  What really makes The 13 Days of Halloween special is the creativity of author Carol Greene -- who writes of such creepy crawlies as "seven spiders creeping" and "five cooked worms" -- and the brilliant illustrations by Tim Raglin.  The Girl's favorite part of the book is the 10th day of Halloween when "ten goblins gobbling" are introduced.  These goblins are the red-winged Halloween version of Cupid, complete with bow and arrow, and the The Girl burst out laughing and shouted, "Look!  They're only wearing underwear!" 

The 13 Days of Halloween was originally published in 1985, but I don't remember ever reading it as a kid.  I'm grateful that Sourcebooks recently reissued the book.  The story itself is pretty short, but there are many more minutes of entertainment to be found in the illustrations.  After we finished the book, we started from the beginning, paying close attention to each illustration, finding something hilarious we'd missed the first time around.  If you have youngsters who would enjoy a cute Halloween story, with illustrations that make creepy things funny, I highly recommend The 13 Days of Halloween.

Disclosure:  We received a free copy of The 13 Days of Halloween from Sourcebooks for review purposes.



and

Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace

Julia's crowd, after calling out greetings, paid little attention to them.  As for Tony and Betsy they forgot that the others were there.  They did not speak to each other; they were too intent upon their dancing.  Betsy danced on the tips of her toes.  Standing so, she was just about Tony's height, and they moved like one person.

"I believe I like dancing better than anything else in the world," Betsy thought.

The music stopped, but to Betsy's amazement Tony's arms didn't fall away.  Instead they tightened, and she felt a kiss on her cheek.  She looked, confused, into Tony's laughing eyes.

"Wasn't it smart of me to stop under the mistletoe?" he asked.

They were in the doorway between music room and parlor, and there was indeed a mischievous white-berried spray hanging above them.  Blushing, Betsy pulled herself away.  (from Heaven to Betsy, page 210)

I hope you're not all sick of Betsy-Tacy week here at Diary of an Eccentric; I didn't plan it that way, but I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.  As you can see, our little Betsy has become a young woman.  In Heaven to Betsy, the fifth book in the Betsy-Tacy series, originally published in 1945, Betsy Ray is 14 years old and starting her freshman year at Deep Valley High.  As if the changes that come with starting high school weren't enough, Betsy's parents uproot the family from Hill Street to High Street.  Granted, the family still lives in Deep Valley, Minnesota, but Betsy has grown to love living across the street from her best friend, Tacy Kelly, and while the new house has gas lighting and heating (big advances at the turn of the century) and each of the Ray girls has her own bedroom, Betsy isn't ready to leave her life on Hill Street behind.

But that's soon forgotten when she and Tacy start school.  In Heaven to Betsy, Maud Hart Lovelace introduces several new characters -- Betsy's new girlfriends Carney and Bonnie and several boys who befriend Betsy, walk her to and from school and parties, and hang around the Ray house for food and entertainment.  There's Cab, her neighbor; Herbert, a local boy all the girls think is cute; and Tony, a newcomer whom Betsy nicknames "the Tall Dark Stranger."  Tony is Betsy's first real crush, and it takes her on an emotional roller coaster ride.  And we can't forget Joe, the boy she met in a store during a summer trip who ends up being Betsy's academic competitor.

Betsy makes the transition from childhood to young adulthood fairly seamlessly, making friends left and right and having a grand time.  Heaven to Betsy didn't stir up any fond memories of my high school experience (that's a period of my life I'd rather not revisit), but the emotions Betsy experiences with her first crush are universal.  I remember being nervous around boys I liked, and when things didn't go like I'd hoped, I remember not wanting to get out of bed.  Like Betsy, I'm sure every girl has wished she looked like someone else.

I've read five of the Betsy-Tacy books so far, and Lovelace's writing continues to amaze me.  There really isn't anything extraordinary about the characters, the setting, or the events that take place within their pages, but Lovelace brings them to life in a way that readers connect with the characters, feel as though they are part of the Deep Valley community, and remember their own growing-up stories.  And the personal connection is deepened when you flip to the back of the book and see pictures of Lovelace's family and friends who inspired the characters in Heaven to Betsy.

This book has a more grown up feel to it than the previous Betsy Tacy books.  The illustrations by Vera Neville portray a more mature Betsy, and Lovelace also touches upon more serious subjects like religion  (Betsy and her sister Julia feel at home in one church, which is not the church their parents attend) and Betsy and Tacy's desire to do more than just become wives and mothers.  As much as I'm loving the Betsy-Tacy books, I wonder what it would have been like to read them as a child and to have grown up right along with Betsy.  I'm sure I would have found comfort in these books and a friend in Betsy.

Read my other Betsy-Tacy reviews:

Betsy-Tacy
Betsy-Tacy and Tib
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown

To learn more about Maud Hart Lovelace, visit the Betsy-Tacy Society.

There are Betsy-Tacy reissue celebrations planned for certain cities.  Here are the remaining dates:

10/23/09  Bainbridge Island, WA, at the Kitsap Regional Library
11/07/09  Highland Village, TX, at Barnes & Noble
11/08/09  St. Paul, MN, at the Red Balloon Bookshop
04/17/10  Dallas, TX, at Dallas Heritage Village



To check out the rest of the Betsy-Tacy blog tour dates, click here.  And check back here in the near future for reviews of the final five books in the Betsy-Tacy series.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Heaven to Betsy from HarperCollins for review purposes.