Monday, February 28, 2011

EVE contest ends today at Midnight!

The contest for EVE ends today!

Today is the last day to enter the contest to win one of three personalized copies of Eve.  The contest ends at midnight tonight.  The contest is open to U.S. residents and Booksnob followers.  Good Luck and as always thanks for following Booksnob!

Click here to enter:  Eve contest

Please check out my book review of Eve.  I loved this story and want everyone to read it.
 
Eve Book Review

Elissa Elliott wrote an excellent guest post.  Thanks Elissa!!

Elissa Elliott Guest Post

You can check out my interview of Elissa as well.  I asked her some questions that I hoped everyone can relate to. 

Elissa Elliott Author Interview

I really enjoyed working with Elissa.  I would like to thank Elissa for being February's Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.  Please support this emerging and up and coming author by reading her book and checking out her website at www.elissaelliott.com

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Elissa Elliot Author Interview and Giveaway


1.      Hi Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Elissa Eliott.  Her book Eve is an excellent retelling of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve.  Don't forget to enter the contest for the book which ends 2/28.
 
     Hi Elissa,
     1.  Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a former high school math and biology teacher.  I’ve always wanted to write a novel, so when the chance arose, I grabbed it.  Currently, my job description is mother to a four-year-old daughter, although I am working on my second novel as we speak.

      2.      Why did you decide to tell the story of EVE?
It’s funny.  It wasn’t my idea at all.  My agent wrote me an email one day, saying, “What about Eve?”  And of course my response was, “You mean THE Eve?”  After doing much research, I figured out I had a way “into” Eve that no one else had explored—that of her voice and her daughters’ voices during that fateful summer when Cain killed Abel.

3.      What are some of the issues in the book that you hope your readers will interpret as integral to the story?
Certainly, the issues of being a woman and mother, when you’re treated as second best.  Where did that come from?  Also, I wanted to interject questions of suffering (this is Aya’s hurdle) and faith (this is Eve’s struggle).  My guess is that we’ve all dealt with one or more of these issues in our lifetimes.

4.      Most people know the story of Adam and Eve.  What makes your story unique?
Well, frankly, I grew up with Bible stories, and they always seemed a little cleaned up for me.  Believe me, I had lots of questions the Sunday School teachers weren’t willing to answer! 
I view the stories as equivalent to HBO’s Deadwood or Rome or Showtime’s Tudors, not as Disney substitutes.  How can you not?
So I wanted some humanity—in all its darkness and light—in my story.  I wanted reality, in other words.  I think David Maine does this in his books, but he didn’t give much voice to Eve, which is where I thought I could add to the dialogue.

5.      Your book is meticulously researched.  How long did it take you to do the research and write the book?
I started my research in February of 2006 and had an outline ready by September.  I began writing then, and we sold it, based on 80 pages, in October of that year.  Then, of course, I was terrified that my editors could trust me that much, so I wrote like the wind.  I finished the novel in February of 2007.

6.       Usually an author puts some of her own life experiences in the book.  Did you do that?  Do you have anything in common with your characters?
I think what I put into my stories are raw feelings and emotions, not the actual experiences themselves.  I was precocious (as a child) like Aya, but I didn’t have her smarts about what was really going on.  I’ve had doubts like Eve, but I don’t think I’ve let it affect my entire life and wellbeing.  It’s an integral part of my life, but not one that I’ll abandon children over.

7.      This is your first book.  Can you tell us why you decided to become a writer?
Let’s see.  I’ve always been a voracious reader, and the thing I do all the time is figure out how I could have made a story or novel better, or what I would have changed about it.  I do the same thing with movies.  So, it was natural I would try to tell my own story.

8.      Do you like to read?  What authors or books influence you?
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read.  I love Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto, Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River, C.E. Morgan’s All the Living, Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, as a few examples.  I love reading the lilt and cadence of different authors.  It’s astounding what one can do with words.

9.      Are you working on a second book?  If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?
Well, the goal was to have a second book on the women of Noah’s flood, but I’ve written two completely different novels on that subject (that will probably never see the light of day, since they’re not working).  I’ve decided to put that subject on the back burner and work on something completely different.  Right now I’m keeping it under wraps.  I find that if I talk about it, the energy gets sapped out of it. 

10.  Have you had any religious people who have condemned your version of the story of EVE and refused to read it?  Has it been banned?  Any outrageous reactions?
Amazingly, I’ve only received two hateful emails.  I’ve heard through other readers that their friends or family refuse to read it because they think I’ve messed with a sacred story.  Just the simple question of whether or not Adam and Eve were REALLY the first people bothers some people.
I don’t know about any banning, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were going on.

11.  What was the most difficult part of telling EVE’S story and what was the easiest part of the story to convey?
The easiest part was conveying Eve’s emotions and doubts as a mother, wife, and woman.  The hardest part was knowing how much of that second layer to put in there without destroying the “fast read” aspect of it.  I wanted to tell a good story first, then add in a second layer that the reader could absorb and consider if he or she wanted to.

12.  In one sentence, tell us why we should read your book, EVE?
Oh heavens, hmmm.  If you’re a woman, you’ll understand this book.  If you’re a man, well, it will give you deeper insight in what it’s like to be a woman.
After that, I think it’s just a fast and suspenseful read, one that will keep you reading until the end, even though you already know what’s going to happen!
And most importantly, it will create questions about what you were always taught as a child.

Thanks Elissa,

Saturday, February 26, 2011

EVE

Eve by Elissa Elliott

Everyone knows the timeless story of Adam and Eve and the tragic story of their children Cain and Abel.

Get ready to re-imagine and gain a new perspective. 

Eve is an old story told with a creative twist where ancient history and Jewish traditions are woven into the story and the readers learn of what everyday life is like outside of the Garden of Eden.   Elliott's book is told from Eve's perspective on what happened that fateful day in Biblical history and Eve's story interweaves with the stories of her three daughters, Naava, Aya and Dara. 

The Prologue starts with a quote that is instrumental to the story.  "Belief is not always easy.  Even when you have seen and heard the thing you are supposed to believe in".(pg.1)  As a reader and a believer you should seek to understand Eve's story, not blame her for the outcome of events.  Eve is a beautiful, sensual woman who strives to be wise and wants to be loved.  Her fateful choice leads her on a journey of pain and suffering combined with joy and wisdom.  Her family's saga combined with their spiritual choices will keep you turning the pages long into the night.  I could not put it down.

I love books that make me think and add new dimensions to my way of thinking about an event in time.  Every story is multi-dimensional and yet the story in Genesis is told as a one-sided account.  Is the woman's perspective on what happened in the Garden of Eden purposely excluded?  I love that Elliott chose to give Eve and her daughters a voice in Biblical times and that she placed the story in Mesopotamia where the first cities and civilizations are known to emerge.  As a woman, I could relate to Eve on many levels.

This is an excellent book to read with a book club or a Bible study group.  I think there are many questions left unanswered and different scenarios to debate.  As a spiritual being, I found lots to reflect on and am reminded on how much Biblical stories are meant to teach. 

Eve is a timeless gem that will tempt you to read to the sweet and bitter end.  Enjoy this sweet red apple of a book if you dare!

 

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

South High Gets a Visit from Author Peter Geye

February is I Love to Read month!!!
South High Welcomes Author Peter Geye.

In honor of I Love to Read month, South High invited 3 local authors to come in for a visit and speak to a variety of students.  Peter Geye, South High graduate, visited South on Thursday, February 17th, 2011.  He spoke to a variety of classes in the media center and stayed to have lunch with some of the teachers.  Many of the teachers have read Peter's book Safe from the Sea and loved it. 

Peter talked to students about the authors that inspired him when he was in high school.  Hemingway stands out as the writer who influenced him the most.  In fact, Peter read one of Hemingway's short stories to the group assembled.  He also mentioned Melville and that he has read Moby Dick 10 times!

Peter talked about the challenges of school and college and the degrees he has earned.  He wrote his book over a long period of time.  He said he would put the kids to bed, say goodnight to his wife, brew some coffee and write until two in the morning, then get up and go to work.  Peter said you have to write for yourself as a hobby because there is no guarantee you will be published.  We talked about the challenges to writers and the publishing industry now that Borders has filed Chapter 11. 

Peter finished each session by reading from his book Safe from the Sea and then asking for questions from the audience.  Peter donated a copy of his book Safe from the Sea to the media center.  He signed the book for the students and drew a ship inside.  Very cool looking.  It was a great day and a meaningful experience for everyone. 

Thanks Peter!!

A photo of Peter and Booksnob above.  Here is my review of Peter's book and the Author Interview.
Safe from the Sea book review

Peter Geye Author Interview

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

South High Gets a Visit from author Stephanie Watson.


    Did you know February is I Love To Read Month?
       South High Welcomes Author Stephanie Watson

Last week, South High invited three local authors to visit and to speak to classes. Stephanie Watson spoke on Wednesday February 16th, 2011 to an auditorium full of interested students.  Stephanie Watson is a graduate of South High and she was excited to come back and speak at her alma mater.  Initially we had some technical difficulties and couldn't get the laptop to project onto the big screen but eventually we got hooked up and Stephanie's presentation went on without a hitch. 

Stephanie is an engaging speaker and frequently made her audience laugh.  She talked about 10 tips for being a good writer.  These included, reading a lot, accepting failure and participating in a writing group.  She talked about how she writes every day in a notebook, at least three pages.  Sometimes she just clears her mind and writes nonsense but other times good writing exhibits itself in her notebook. 

After the auditorium she spoke to my 4th hour class and showed them the many drafts of her first novel Elvis and Olive.  She started with her 1st notebook, to the 1st and 2nd drafts and then drafts typed by the publisher to final book.  It was very interesting.  Stephanie also mentioned that when she was in high school (at South) she though revising meant spell check.  She encouraged students to re-read and revise their work not just spell check. 

It was great to have Stephanie Watson visit South and speak to students.  What a valuable experience for all!

Thanks Stephanie!

If you would like to read my review of Stephanie's book Elvis and Olive or the author interview I conducted please click on the links provided.

Elvis and Olive Book Review

Stephanie Watson Author Interview

Monday, February 21, 2011

South High Gets a Visit from Andrea Cremer

Did you know that February is I Love to Read month? 
South High Welcomes Andrea Cremer.

On Wednesday February 16th, South High invited three local authors in to speak to classes.  First up was Andrea Cremer, author of Nightshade.   Andrea spoke to the to several classes in the auditorium and answered lots of questions about her new book and about the publishing and writing experience. 
Andrea teaches History at a local college and has just finished her Breathless Reads tour with four authors who write paranormal teen fiction.  My biggest question for Andrea was, How does she write, teach and tour?  Her answer:  Currently she teaches part-time with only two classes this semester and so that leaves more time in her day for writing and touring for her book.  Lucky!  Plus she said she currently has three books finished and is working on the fourth.

Andrea told us some things about herself that resonated with the students.  For one, she likes to play video games and she reads a lot.  She also likes to ride horses and loves teaching.   She says her two classes are really overcrowded this semester because of her book.  Andrea also states they are looking for the right person to make a movie of the book and she hopes there might be a video game in the future. Super exciting.

This is a Elise and Andrea (left).  Elise is a student at South who read Andrea's book Nightshade and couldn't wait to meet her.  The other picture is of Andrea and I (Booksnob).  I was a major planner in the event and was able to introduce Andrea to the students assembled.  
All in all it was a super great day and I am so thankful that Andrea was able to come in to talk and meet the students.

Thanks Andrea!!!

Here is a link to my review of Nightshade.  Andrea's new book "Wolfsbane" comes out in July, 2011.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Lady Matador's Hotel

The Lady Matador's Hotel by Cristina Garcia

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to our beautiful Hotel Miraflor located in South America.  I hope you enjoy your stay with us.  For your convenience we have a Garden Restaurant in the hotel and they serve excellent pork chops.  Aura will be your waitress.  Aura is an ex-guerrilla and has had tragedy in her life.  Be nice to her and she will treat you well.  Don't forget to see our funny parrot who hangs out at the bar.  The bartender teaches him to say such silly phrases.

We have several famous and privileged guests this week including the famous female Matadora, Suki Palacios.  She is quite striking in her beauty.  There is to be a Battle of the Lady Matadors here in our city and we in the hotel feel she has a good chance to win.  We also have Colonel Martin Abel staying with us.  He is a very important high ranking military official and I would stay out of his way if you can.  He is a very, ah, busy man.

Won Kim has rented the honeymoon suite.  His very young mistress is pregnant and quite demanding.  He owns one of the textile factories in town, but despite all this success he seems so unhappy.  He rarely smiles or talks to anyone here.  Did you hear about the fire that killed five Korean businessmen?  Maybe that is what is bothering him.   There is also a famous poet here staying with his wife and they are adopting a daughter from this country.  Lots of adoptive parents stay here to meet their babies before they can take them home.  Perhaps that is why you are here?  No?

Well that is enough gossip about the guests here.  Be careful if you venture outside this hotel.  The presidential race is heating up and I heard there were some bombs in the area.  Probably leftists.  If you do go out I recommend avoiding the strikers and the poor areas.  Visit the Cathedral in town but watch out for that crazy artist Frida. I do hope you can make it to the bullfight, it promises to be good entertainment. 

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Home

Home by Marilynne Robinson

A long time ago someone asked me the question, where do you feel at home?  I thought really hard about this question because I didn't feel at home anywhere or maybe I felt at home everywhere I went.  Home does represent house to me but it represents so much more than just a physical structure.  Home is not a home without the people and things that belong in the house.   Feeling safe and having pleasant memories also play an important part in feeling at home.  My answer to the question, where do you feel at home? was this;  My home is in my heart and body, home is being myself and I always feel at home wherever I am if I am where I'm supposed to be.

Jack Boughton does not feel at home anywhere, nor is he comfortable in his body.  He is restless and has come home after being gone for over 20 years.  Jack is his father's prodigal son, a recovering alcoholic seeking solace and the feeling of home.  When he arrived home Jack found his Reverend father, ill and dying and his youngest sister moved in to care for him.  Jack and his sister forge a careful friendship and begin to rebuild and recreate their moments of Home.

Everyone in the book is searching for personal meaning and redemption.  Jack is searching for forgiveness and understanding, the Reverend is searching for peace and the love of his long lost son, and Glory is searching for solace and solidity.  An underlying it all are deep religious themes and the meaning of home.

Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize for her book Gilead.  Home is the continuation of the story Gilead.  I felt that Home was the more compelling book even though Gilead took the prize.  Both books were slow reads for me as the story line meanders along toward the end. There are no chapters in either book which bothered me sometimes as I like clean breaks in text.  The language style of the book is precise and every word intentional and poetic.  I would describe this book as a slow walk through the park on a sunny day without urgency.  You have time to smell the flowers and think about your destiny or maybe you just want to sit on the park bench, take a nap and dream about home.

Where do you feel at home?



Saturday, February 12, 2011

Author Elissa Elliott Guest Post

Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Elissa Eliott Guest Post!


Hello, sweet readers,

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and we can gab for a while.  There.  Are you all comfy-cozy?

Let’s see…where to begin?

Have you ever wondered how Eve, who’s been both revered and scorned through the centuries, really lived her life, really lived with Adam?  Might she have been written by a scribe who saw her as inferior, as someone lower than her male counterpart?  Why has she shouldered the blame for eating the fruit when Adam was right there, gobbling it down with her?  Why do the texts indicate that she was made for Adam and not with Adam?  Even if you’ve never heard the original stories about her, trust me, you’ll catch up quickly.

I, for one, envision Eve as a woman with all the same passions we modern women experience.  It does not matter that we are separated by so many centuries.  Don’t you get a little irritated when you’re not understood?  When your significant other treats you as “less than?”  When your children’s love isn’t so enduring?  Don’t you experience some sort of sadness when your life isn’t turning out how you had originally intended?  I know I do.

Eve was the smart one.  She noticed the forbidden tree was beautiful.  She recognized that God named it The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  She began to inquire within herself.  Wasn’t knowledge a good thing?  Didn’t she want to know more?   Didn’t she want to become wise?

So she ate.  And when she and Adam were thrown out of the Garden with little explanation, she struggled, immensely, with her direction in life.  Where was God?  Why didn’t He speak to her?  And what was to be done with all her children, skittering from her skirts?  And why were she and Adam so distant from each other?

Eve is a love story of sorts—an earthy, gritty, human story of a woman who has a complex marriage, a troubled relationship with her daughters, and a son who murders the other.  Wow, can you imagine much more than that?  I can’t.  

Oh, I hope you enjoy Eve (although it’s not a requirement).  I think you’ll find much in the book that mirrors your own journey, for I’ve written it for the woman in all of us—the one longing to be free from mundane constraints.

Thanks for joining me.  I’d love to hear from you.  My new website will be launching on Monday, Feb. 21.  So, come on over to www.elissaelliott.com, and we can chat again.  In the meantime, have the loveliest of days, my dear reader.









Friday, February 11, 2011

Author Lou Aronica Guest Post

Guest Post by Author of Blue: Lou Aronica
Read on to learn how he met an author he idolized.  What a lucky man!

When I Grow Up I Want to Be Like You

In one way or another, I’d been planning to be a writer from the time I was a teenager. When I graduated college, though, I needed a job that paid a salary rather than one that had some vague potential for remuneration somewhere down the line. I interviewed with a number of publishing houses and hooked on with Bantam Books as a schlepper (I think the actual job title was “administrative assistant,” but I was decidedly a schlepper). A few years later, though, I got my first meaningful position at Bantam when they charged me with reinventing their science fiction and fantasy program. This became Bantam’s Spectra imprint, which celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary last year. (There’s really no way to say that without making me seem old, is there? Would you believe it if I said I started at Bantam when I was nine?)

Bantam had had a fairly limited presence in science fiction up to this point, but it did have some gems. Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea novels, for instance, and selected titles from Philip K. Dick, Samuel R. Delany, and Frederik Pohl. What shone brightest on the list for me, though, was the work of Ray Bradbury. Bradbury was the first writer I’d ever idolized. In many ways, he was the writer that made me want to be a writer. The simple fact that I was shepherding the list that carried many of his most important paperbacks filled me with more pride than I had any right to feel.

About six months after I took on this assignment, I made a business trip to Southern California. Ray Bradbury lived in Southern California. I decided to roll the dice and call his office to see if he might have a little time to meet with his “publisher.” In reality, I knew that the only publishing I was doing for him was sending him notes when his books went back to press, but I figured it was worth trying to connect with him. This paid off when his office said that he’d meet me for a drink at my hotel.

The day of the meeting, I sat nervously in the hotel bar waiting for this literary icon to arrive. One of the first lessons my colleagues had taught me was that writers are often far less appealing in person than they are on the page, and I’d already had some experience with this. What if the man who’d written so magically about enchanted summers and a fanciful Mars turned out to be an ogre? What if he sneered at my being so young and presuming to be worthy of his time.

By the time he entered, I’d steeled myself for the worst. What happened instead was one of the most precious experiences of my publishing life. Ray handed me a signed hardcover copy of The Martian Chronicles and then took my hand in both of his and said, “Thank you so much for what you’re doing for me.” I’m not the swooning type, but I came very close then. What I was doing for him? That could never compare to what he’d done for me in that moment. Thus began a relationship that lasted for more than fifteen years, one that allowed me to become Ray’s hardcover publisher and to even send him on his first national book tour. Ray Bradbury isn’t the man I idolized on the page; he’s so much more regal than that.

When I finally embarked on my writing career after twenty years in publishing, I wrote relationship novels and collaborated on a number of nonfiction books. However, I always told myself that some day I would try to write a novel in the spirit of Ray Bradbury’s stories. Finally, I started work on the book I’ve just published, Blue. It took me six years to get it where I wanted it, but I can only hope that it has a glimmer of the wonder and openheartedness that Bradbury’s work always has. In many ways, this novel is a tribute to him. I’m not sure I ever would have become a writer if he hadn’t taught me the magic of words.


Thursday, February 10, 2011

Eve Contest

Eve Contest

Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Elissa Elliott, is giving away 3 personalized copies of her book Eve to followers of Booksnob who live in the United States.  The contest is open until February 28th at midnight, MN time.

Here is the synopsis of the novel via Goodreads:

In their world they are alone…a family haunted by banishment, struggling for survival in a harsh new land. A woman who has borne and buried children, Eve sees danger shadowing those she loves, while her husband drifts further and further from the man he was in the Garden, blinded by his need to rebuild a life outside of Eden. One daughter, alluring, self-absorbed Naava, turns away from their beliefs. Another, crippled, ever-faithful Aya, harbors a fateful secret, while brothers Cain and Abel become adversaries, and Dara, the youngest, is chosen for a fate of her own.

In one hot, violent summer, by the shores of the muddy Euphrates, strangers arrive on their land. New gods challenge their own. And for Eve, a time of reckoning is at hand. The woman who once tasted the forbidden fruit of paradise sees her family unraveling as brother turns on brother, culminating in a confrontation that will have far-reaching consequences for them all.


From a woman’s first awakening to a mother’s innermost hopes and fears, from moments of exquisite tenderness to a climax of shocking violence, Eve takes us on a breathtaking journey of the imagination. A novel that has it all romantic love, lust, cruelty, heroism, envy, sacrifice, murder Eve is a work of mesmerizing literary invention.

Rules:
Fill out the form
U.S. Residents only
Must be a follower of Booksnob



Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Blue

Blue by Lou Aronica

Colors represent emotions and illustrate how we feel.  The color of blue could represent illness, sadness, peace, tranquility or hope.   Polly, Chris and Becky are a happy family until Becky is diagnosed with cancer when she is around 5.  Becky and Chris, feeling blue, decide to create a alternate world called Tamarisk and tell each other stories about this place to take their mind off the cancer.  Polly and Chris's marriage falls apart as Becky recovers. 

The story of Blue has alternate story-lines that converge when Becky discovers that Tamarisk is real and in need of help.  Becky herself must face the greatest challenge of her teenaged life.  Tamarisk is a world of great imagination.  In Tamarisk the plants are blue and the unique animals interact with humans.  Life there seems simple, tranquil and full of melody.

This book touched my heart because and I could relate to having a child with cancer.  When my son was seven, he had 12 swollen lymph nodes in his neck and for three long, terrifying months, he endured weekly blood draws, medication and hospital visits.  We were lucky the biopsy came back negative but what we endured as a family during that scary time, I hope never happens again.  It was horrifying and I pray for every family out there that has a sick child for God to give them strength.

Blue is a story about being human and handling all the things that could go wrong in your life.  It is a story of resilience, imagination and courage.  This story brought tears to my eyes and my hope is that I will get to visit a land like Tamarisk someday. 

Blue reminded me of The Neverending Story, one of my favorite films.

I will leave you with my favorite quote from the book.

The whisperer stopped whispering.  Too much pain.  Too much repression.  It did not have enough resources to continue the story, though continuing the story mattered more to her than anything else. (Page 44)



Publish Post

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

NightShade

NightShade by Andrea Cremer

Do you like books with bite?  Well, let me introduce you to Calla, who is the alpha of the Nightshade pack of wolves.  Calla is a sexy teenager, a bit unsure of herself, and she is betrothed to the alpha of another pack whose union will carry on an important tradition that has existed for centuries.  They roam the hills of Colorado by night and go to Mountain school by day.  Calla knows what her destiny is and intends to follow it until she meets a good looking human boy named Shay who literally changes the world as she know it.


Nightshade is a plant that is toxic to humans and animals but this book is not toxic at all, in fact, it was hard to put down.  The storyline moves fast and draws in the reader quickly.  It is intelligently told with history and philosophy intertwined within the reality of wolves who rule over humans.  It is a interesting, adventurous, paranormal read with Calla being an excellent main character.

Thomas Hobbes is a political philosopher mentioned frequently in the book.  Shay studies Hobbes, whereas the students in Calla's school have been forbidden to study his work. Hobbes was censored out of the Mountain school curriculum.   Here is a quote by  Hobbes that I think conveys some of the themes in Nightshade.

Moral philosophy is nothing else but the science of what is good, and evil, in the conversation, and society of mankind. Good, and evil, are names that signify our appetites, and aversions; which in different tempers, customs, and doctrines of men, are different.

Andrea Cremer is a History professor at a college near my home and I will soon have the privilege of meeting her as she has agreed to come to the high school where I teach to talk to students for a couple of hours next week.  Thanks Andrea!

Nightshade is the first book in the trilogy.  Andrea Cremer's new book "Wolfsbane" is being released this summer in July. 

Saturday, February 5, 2011

The Accidental Adult Contest Winners!

The Accidental Adult Contest Winners!

I have three lucky contest winners to announce.
Ann R
Erin B
Kristen from My Bookish Fairy Tale
Congratulations Ladies!

Thanks to everyone who entered and Liked Colin's Facebook Page.

If you didn't win, order your copy now from Booksnob!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Book Blogger Hop

This week's question is:

"What are you reading now and why are you reading it?"


I can never read just one book at a time. So I am reading 5 books right now. 
1.  Blue by Lou Aronica, I am reading this for a book tour and am hoping the author will do a guest post and a interview with me on  my blog next week.
2.  Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.  I am reading this aloud to my two children who love this series.  We are halfway done and I anticipate finishing in May.
3.   Hole in my Life by Jack Gantos.  I am reading this book aloud to my 2nd hour 9th grade class.  Really interesting story about this authors mistakes.  He was caught smuggling drugs and incarcerated.  Then he wrote a book.  Really entertaining.
4.  A Long Way Gone.  Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
  Reading this aloud to 4th hour World Studies class.  It is a really powerful story.
5.  My Name is Number 4.  A True Story from the Cultural Revolution by Ting-Xing Ye 
I am reading this book aloud to my 5th hour World studies class.  It is really shocking and disturbing.  An excellent read-aloud.

My motto:  Always read something.


My Blogging Anniversary with a giveaway!

Book Snob

Hey Everyone Today is my Blog's 1st anniversary! I can't believe it has been a year already. To celebrate I will be hosting some giveaways throughout the month to celebrate. Thanks for following Booksnob, for reading my posts and for your wonderful comments.


My first contest will be a CSN store gift certificate for 35 dollars.  This is available to followers from the U.S.  I love CSN stores and have purchased a ball chair for my computer. CSN stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be swingsets, fitness equipment,  bookshelves or even a cool ball chair like mine!


Contests Ends 2/28
Must be a Booksnob Follower
Must be from U.S. 


Fill out the form below.


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Shadow Tag

Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich

Love is found in the shadows of the story.


Gil and Irene are married with three lively, unique children.  Gil is a successful artist and Irene is frequently caught on the canvas of his representations of her.  Her spirit is slowing dying as it is belongs to Gil and the rest of the world as they view her image called America.  Her fear is that her shadow, as herself, has been taken from her.


Irene keeps two diaries, one red and one blue.  The Red Diary is written for Gil is who reading the diary secretly.  Irene manipulates Gil and the truth in Red Diary while looking for freedom from her oppression.  She keeps the Blue Diary locked in a safe deposit box.  The Blue Diary is just for her and no one knows about it.

Shadow Tag is a game you play when the sun or the moon places shadows on the ground and you try and catch other peoples shadows.  This book is multi-layered like all of Erdrich's novels.  Gil, the main character, is an artist and plays with light and shadows on canvas.  Love is hidden in shadows as well as hatred and fear.  Can you hide in your shadow or behind it?  You are bound and connected to your shadow forever. 


Louise Erdrich is one of my favorite novelists.  This is the fifth book I have read by her and she has never disappointed me.  Louise writes about Native Americans and Native themes.  She always teaches me something.  The themes in this novel are Art, Abuse, Alcoholism and Identity.  The Art backdrop is what I loved the most about it and can't stop thinking about.  Artists like George Catlin, Rembrandt, and Bonnard are represented.  My favorite painting in this world is Lucretia by Rembrandt, it is here in the Minneapolis Institute of Art and I grew up listening to the story and visiting the painting.  Imagine my shock and happiness when Gil, the main character, visits this painting and claims it as his favorite.  Wow.

Louise Erdrich owns a bookstore here in Minneapolis called Birchbark Books and next time you are in the area you need to stop in.  It is a unique bookstore and one of my favorites to visit.  You can order signed copies of Erdrich books off her website www.birchbarkbooks.com

Reading a book by Louise Erdrich is an experience that you will remember.


Hometown Track- MN Author Spotlight #7

Hometown Track- MN Author Spotlight #7

Happy February Everyone!!  I would like to announce February's Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.

Drum roll please......
Welcome to Elissa Elliott author of EVE.





This month you can expect great things from Elissa.  She will be writing a guest post as well as giving away some copies of her wonderful book in a contest held here at Booksnob, there will be a book review and an author interview.

You can visit Elissa's website at www.elissaelliott.com