Book Snob

March-Hometown Track Author in the Spotlight

2012-03-01T20:09:00.000-06:00

March-Hometown Track Author in the Spotlight

Welcome to March and the start of Spring! Many people are snow weary and ready for sunshine and warm air. I'm totally looking forward to time by the lake and reading outside in the sun on my porch swing.

March's author, Danielle Sosin, wrote a book called The Long-Shining Waters and it is up for the Minnesota Book Award in the Fiction category. The ceremony is next month on April 14th. Good Luck Danielle!

Here is the synopsis on The Long Shining Waters from Goodreads:

Lake Superior, the North Country, the great freshwater expanse. Frigid. Lethal. Wildly beautiful. "The Long-Shining Waters" presents three stories whose characters are separated by centuries and circumstance, yet connected across time by a shared geography.

This month you can expect a book review, a contest, an author interview and if we are lucky a guest post by Danielle. I really love the cover of The Long-Shining Waters, it just reminds me of warm weather. You can also expect Spring, St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break and lots of good book reviews from Booksnob. Enjoy the month of March.

February Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up + Giveaway

2012-02-29T20:19:00.000-06:00

February - Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up + Giveaway

Kara, Lost Giveaway Ends tonight at midnight!

Guess What? It is the end of February already. Can you believe it? It is time for me to wrap-up the month of February book love by highlighting Minnesota author, Susan Niz.

Today is the last day to enter the contest to win a copy of Kara, Lost. The contest ends at midnight tonight. The contest is open to people living in the U.S. and Canada that are current Booksnob followers. Good Luck and as always thanks for following Booksnob!

Click here to enter: Kara, Lost Contest

Please check out my review of Kara, Lost. Kara is a runaway teenager fending for herself on the streets of Minneapolis. The story is based on the author's real life experience as a runaway in the 1990's. It is a gritty, raw look at life on the streets.

Kara, Lost Book Review

Be sure to check out the interview with Susan Niz. She talks about how she finds time to write with a young daughter. She also talks about her favorite authors and how she was inspired to write Kara, Lost. She also has some great advice for teenagers going through tough times at home or on the streets.

Susan Niz Author Interview

Susan took time out her busy day to write a guest post. It is titled "Finding Your Voice as a Writer" and offers great advice to aspiring writers.

Susan Niz Guest Post

As February comes to a close I would like to thank Susan for being the February Minnesota Author in the Spotlight here on Booksnob. She is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more interesting titles from her and working with her in the near future. Please visit Susan's Niz's blog susannizfiction.blogspot.com and website here. susanniz.com and support her by reading her book, Kara, Lost.

Where Are You Reading Challenge Update

2012-02-28T20:31:00.001-06:00

February Update: Where are you Reading Challenge? Challenge 2012

February is "I Love to Read" month and so I was very busy helping to bring authors to the South High to speak and promote life long reading. It was fun and rewarding. Regarding my reading progress, I actually read some books that take place in the United States this month. Yeah!

I've read 5 books this month so far and have traveled far and wide.
Here are my books, review links and locations for February:
1. Tinkers by Paul Harding. Takes place mainly in New England.
2. Entwined by Heather Dixon. This is a fairy tale and takes place in a fictional location. I labeled it Utah because the author lives there.
3. Kara, Lost by Susan Niz. Takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
4. The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy. Takes place in Germany and Texas. I used Germany because I felt the majority of the book focused around the events that take place in Germany.
5. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Goodness this book covers 14 different states and if I could use all 14 of them I would be almost half way done with the challenge. Instead, I chose the state New Hampshire because the Appalachian Trail runs though it and that is where the author lives.

Check out my map on Google Maps.
View Where are you reading challenge 2012 in a larger map

So far I have traveled to four continents, four states and six countries. I can't wait to see where my reading adventures take me in March.
Where are you reading?

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

2012-02-27T18:13:00.000-06:00

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

At age 44, Bill Bryson decided he wanted to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail spans fourteen states and some 2200 miles. Bill is a first time backpacker who needs to get set up with equipment, check out maps and make a plan. Hiking this distance takes time, preparation and skill. Bryson is inexperienced and has no idea how to survive in the wilderness. He spells out his goals, (to see a rare salamander) and his fears, (getting eaten by a bear) and sets off on the trail in Georgia with his friend Katz.

Katz, is Bill's over weight, out of shape, friend from 20 years ago, who agrees to hike the first part of the trail. This "walk" will be a good way to invigorate their long lost friendship. Georgia happens to be experiencing a record cold Spring as the two walk north to Maine. The two survive by their wits, eating noodles, snickers, and slim jims. They meet some interesting and annoying people along the way as they hike through snow, fog, rain, heat and humidity carrying everything they need on their backs.

A Walk in the Woods is a hilarious romp through the Appalachian wilderness. Bryson details the history and geography of the trail. He talks about landmarks, National Parks, the park service and describes the joys of a bed, warm showers, clean clothes and good food after the stress and hard work of back packing.

I loved this book and could really relate to it as I am a backpacker. I have only backpacked on The Superior Hiking Trail in Northern Minnesota which follows the ridge line of Lake Superior. It is about 286 miles and I personally have backpacked about 60 miles of it. It is so beautiful. Last summer, I turned 44 and I took my 13 year old son and introduced him to the joys of hiking on the trail. He loved it! After reading A Walk in the Woods, I am seriously thinking I need to backpack a part of the Appalachian Trail. It sounds so amazing and beautiful.

A Walk in the Woods is a great way to participate in a journey into nature from your comfy chair. I felt like I was right there with Bill and Katz as they experienced the trail for the first time and then became veteran backpackers. A Walk in the Woods is a journey worth taking and one that will have you laughing all the way to your front porch swing. Happy Hiking and Reading!

Susan Niz Guest Post + Giveaway

2012-02-25T16:11:00.002-06:00

Susan Niz Guest Post + Giveaway

Welcome to Susan Niz, February Author in the Spotlight here on Booksnob.

Finding your voice as a writer

Susan Niz

We are often told that drawing from personal experiences is the way to create writing that is authentic and meaningful. “Write what you know.” But many writers successfully create imaginary worlds or write from a point of view that is drastically different from what they have lived. I propose that we should write what our instinct tells us to write, we should write without a preset idea of what we envision for the final product, and we should let the journey of the writing process take us where it may. When developing voice as a writer, the idea of ‘final product’ is secondary to the process itself.

For me personally, writing is, at times, a process driven by underlying psychological forces. I am working through past traumatic experiences, creating ‘scripts’ with different outcomes, or reliving moments that need to be revisited in order to be resolved. When writers talk about ‘the pen taking over,’ I believe this is the subconscious taking control and doing what it feels it needs to do. We can make sense of an outer, interpersonal world as well as the intrapersonal relationship we have with our sense of self and our past. Perhaps this is why writing can be so emotionally painful at times, and also so gratifying. For others, writing may be less personal, a journey of creative spirit not so closely tied to one’s own history.

Whatever drives you to want to write, let the process be natural. Make attempts with different genres, different forms—whether traditional or experimental. We can try to imitate other authors. What comes of this is an appreciation for the voice of another writer as well as the development of our own voice. But when it comes to creating our own, original work, let the voice guiding you be strong. Believe in it. It is yours. Emerson said, “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” You may be amazed where you can go and what you can create if you release yourself from your own expectations.

Write what you need to write. Create a world you’ve never seen before, transport yourself to a different time period, or just a younger you. Just write and trust yourself. Revision and final product? That’s a different story. Voice is like the melody behind the narrative, the soundtrack we can’t live without.

Thanks Susan!

If you are interested in winning a copy of Susan's book Kara, Lost please click on the link:

Kara, Lost Contest

Susan Niz Author Interview + Giveaway

2012-02-21T16:54:00.001-06:00

   Susan Niz Author Interview + Giveaway

     Welcome Booksnob followers. Susan Niz is February's Author in the Spotlight and she agreed to answer some questions about her life and her book, Kara, Lost. Welcome Susan!



1.       Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live in Eagan and my favorite thing about it is being near parks where I can go for nature walks. I love the peace and quiet. I enjoy being close to nature, while still close enough to civilization that I can get a latté! My favorite meal ever is curried mock duck with steamed vegetables and white rice. My guilty pleasure is a certain reality TV series and I will break out dancing with my daughter anywhere that music is playing.

2. What inspired you to write to Kara, Lost?

I was still haunted by my experiences of running away as a teenager. It was a life-changing decision at critical, formative time of my life. I wanted to make sense of that course of events.

3. Can you tell us why or when you decided to become a writer?

I’ve been drawn to writing for as long as I can remember. When I was three, I would staple together scrap paper, scribble on the cover, and call it a book. In school, I loved writing stories. It was in second grade when I declared that I would publish a book someday.

4. Usually an author puts some of his own life experiences in the book. Did you do that?

My book has many of my own experiences in it, but it is definitely fiction.

5. Do you like to read? What authors or books influence you?

Of course! My favorite books are ones that have a strong, intimate, narrative voice—like when you feel like the story is being whispered in your ear by a friend. Wally Lamb and Frank McCourt are favorites. Earlier, I really enjoyed Tom Robbins and Barbara Kingsolver. I also like Alexander McCall Smith and David Housewright. Recently, I’ve been reading more young adult and Sara Zarr and Julie Schumacher are a couple favorites in that genre.

6. How do carve out time in your day to write? Are you writing another book?

It’s difficult. Before my daughter, I would just write all weekend. But now, I have to do it very early in the morning, late at night, or catch an hour here and there. I am writing another book. It’s a more traditional YA novel about a fifteen-year-old named Chelly who is struggling with her parents’ divorce, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and behind the wheel practice. She gets better through exposure therapy, a type of cognitive behavioral therapy.

7. What is the most important lesson/idea you want readers to take away from your book?

I hope that Kara, Lost is open to multiple interpretations and that it doesn’t aim to teach a lesson. That being said, I really want readers to feel what Kara feels on her journey without judgment of what came before or after. I have come to realize that my book does not fit neatly into the YA genre and therefore needs to be read with an open mind.

8. Do you have any advice you would like to offer teenagers who are struggling at home or on the streets?

Be open to help. Going outside the system and isolating yourself makes life extremely difficult and is also very dangerous. Be brave and find strength within yourself to make decisions that will not be self-destructive.

9. In one sentence tell readers why they should read Kara, Lost?

You should read Kara, Lost because Kara is complex, flawed, human, resourceful, well intentioned, and messes up a lot and you can go along with her on her journey rather than ever having to live it firsthand.

Thanks Susan

If you like to win a copy of Kara, Lost please click the link: Kara, Lost Contest

Ms. Nique Visits South High

2012-02-17T20:19:00.000-06:00

Ms. Nique Visits South High

In honor of "I Love to Read" month, South High invited several local authors in to speak about their books. The second author to share her story and her book is author Ms. Nique. She visited South High School on Monday, February 13th to inspire students and to talk about her biography, If My Past Wasn't So Dark...MY Future Wouldn't Shine So Bright.

Ms. Nique told her personal story to a crowded auditorium. She talked about the fact that she was a survivor of abuse, a young teenage mother and how writing was the way she coped through the pain of her childhood. She inspired the crowd, made us laugh and think about how to be positive and happy.

Ms. Nique is a poet and a spoken word artist. She enjoys acting and inspiring others. She is a positive young author and has published two books. Her poetry book is called The Definition of Me.

Ms. Nique kept it real. She quoted her auntie saying "What you do today, affects tomorrow!" Of course, no one thinks tomorrow as in Saturday but yeah what you do today does affect the day after.

Thanks Ms. Nique for an inspiring visit!

The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy

2012-02-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy

The Baker's Daughter is a novel that will warm your heart and tease your palate. Germany is a country of people with mountains of pride and a somewhat painful past. It is a country of beer, bratwurst, bread and war. Elsie, the baker's daughter lives in Garmisch, Germany during the second world war. Elsie is young and naive and becomes a witness to shocking horrors that she didn't believe Germans capable of.

Fast forward to El Paso, Texas in 2007 where we meet Elsie and her daughter Jane, as they are interviewed by local reporter, Reba Adams. Reba is drawn to these two women, their stories and of course their delicious baked goods. A picture hangs on the wall of Elsie and her mother on Christmas Eve, 1944, in Germany, and Reba is curious is about what really happened that night all those years ago. Reba has her own secrets that Elsie and Jane work to pry loose as they wonder why she wears her engagement ring around her neck.

In this amazing parellel storyline, we learn Elsie's and Reba's story and how their two histories intertwine. My grandmother was 100 percent German and Elsie reminded me of her. My grandmother was not a baker by trade but she did bake. Her cinnamon bread was the best. The Baker's Daughter contains some recipes for the delicious bread mentioned throughout the story and I can't wait to try one of them. I loved the German words, the culture, the historical setting and time period in the book, all of which made me long for my lost German heritage.

My grandfather flew in Ninth Army Air Force during the war and McCoy mentions the Ninth in the book as a group who visited Garmisch, Germany. It makes me wonder if my grandpa was stationed there or visited after the war. This book contained a lot of personal connections for me.

The Baker's Daughter is a multi-layered book with themes of war, immigration, and human cruelty. It is also a story of full of love, food, compassion and survival. This is a book you will definitely want to savor.
Gutenacht.

Kara, Lost by Susan Niz

2012-02-13T21:29:00.001-06:00

Kara, Lost by Susan Niz

Kara is sixteen and she is a runaway living on the streets of Minneapolis. Kara runs, partly because her family doesn't understand her. She turns to her older sister for help but she has a controlling boyfriend who won't let Kara stay there. She has no choice but to try and make it on her own. She doesn't have an ID of any kind, therefore getting a job or a place to live will prove difficult.

There are predators that prey on young vulnerable teens on the streets. Kara is naive and isolated and that makes her vulnerable. Kara is very trusting and yet has some street smarts as she is able to procure a job washing dishes and a small apartment in a really bad neighborhood. She makes friends and dreams of returning to school so she can get off the streets. She is lonely and unsure of herself. Kara struggles to be self sufficient.

Kara's story is based on the author's real life experience as a runaway teen on the streets. Kara, Lost is well-written and believable. Reading the book reminding me of my own story as a runaway for one week, living in my car, which I parked in front of my boyfriends house. It was January, bitter cold and my boyfriend's mother refused to let me sleep in the house. I brushed my teeth and washed up at the local Perkins then drove to work or school. I went back home. Kara didn't.

The ending of the book was so powerful and scary, it seriously took my breath away. No teen should have to endure the streets alone. I couldn't sleep after reading the ending of the book and spent most of my night thinking about it. Kara, Lost does not read as a typical Young Adult novel. Susan Niz penned each word with precision and fore thought and what emerged is a gritty, raw novel that takes time to absorb. Kara, Lost is not cheesecake, it is torte of magnificent proportions.

Note: I am not sure why I used this analogy but it seriously works. There aren't any cheesecakes or tortes mentioned in the book. But there are egg rolls. LOL.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

2012-02-12T16:54:00.000-06:00

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Azalea is the oldest of twelve sisters, all princesses, each named for a letter of the alphabet. Entwined begins on Christmas Eve, the day of Azalea's first ball and the day her youngest sister is born. It is also the last night Azalea will speak to her mother as she dies during the night. Before she dies, she makes Azalea promise to take care of her sisters and she gives her a special silver handkerchief.

The death of the Queen sends the whole household into a miserable period of mourning. Dancing is not allowed. Every one must wear black and the house is darkened, clocks stop ticking and the girls are forbidden to go outside. Since dancing is their favorite adventure, they search for a way to dance. The palace is a fortress of hidden magical places and Azalea finds a secret dancing pavilion which they enter through their fireplace. The pavilion is guarded by a strange and handsome man whom they call the Keeper. The Keeper is not what he seems and the girls are to trusting.

The Entwine is a style of dance also known as the Gentleman's Catch. It is similar to a waltz and danced with a long sash or ribbon. Each partner must hold the sash. The object of the dance is for the gentleman to try to entwine the ribbon about the lady's wrists while she tries to evade capture. Azalea excels at avoiding capture.

Entwined is the first ebook I bought for my Nook. I was attracted by the beautiful cover design. Little did I know, Entwined was a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I have never read The Twelve Dancing Princesses however, and enjoyed the book immensely. Entwined appealed to my inner princess, my wish to dance all day with handsome men and whirl away the day with adventures in magical places. Entwined gave me a chance to escape and to dance in my dreams.

Susan Niz Visits South High

2012-02-10T22:03:00.000-06:00

Susan Niz Visits South High

In honor of "I Love to Read" month, South High invited several local authors in to speak about their books. The first author to share her story and her book is author and Minneapolis native, Susan Niz. She visited South High School on Tuesday to talk to students about her book Kara, Lost.

Susan is a ELL teacher at a local elementary school and she wrote a compelling Young Adult novel about Kara, a teenage runaway. Kara, Lost is based on Susan Niz's personal story as she herself was a teenage runaway in the early 1990's.

Susan prepared a compelling speech as she detailed her experience as a teenage runaway. She talked about how she took a fiction writing class at the Loft Literary Center taught by author, David Housewright. He gave her book a full length critique and believed in her novel. This gave her the confidence she needed to finish her book and find a publisher.

After her speech, Susan let students ask questions. One student asked her a question that was sort of rude and Susan handled it with grace. He asked her What is the worst thing that happened to you on the streets? She responded with, "Read the book". After reading Kara, Lost, I firmly agree with Susan's answer, if you want to know what happened to her on the streets as a teenage runaway, read the book!

Susan has been working with runaway youth at Lincoln Place in Eagan, Minnesota and handed out information to students in case they wanted to volunteer. Susan also works with a teen writing group after school and invited South students to join.

Here is a picture of Susan Niz and I. I am holding Susan's book, Kara, Lost.
Thanks Susan, for a memorable visit.

Kara, Lost Contest

2012-02-06T19:40:00.000-06:00

Contest for Kara, Lost by Susan Niz

Hey Everyone, Susan Niz, Minnesota author in the spotlight, here on Booksnob is giving away two copies of her Young Adult book, Kara, Lost. The contest is open to followers in the United States and Canada and ends on 2/29.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD KARA FLEES THE SUFFOCATION OF HER SUBURBAN LIFE, TRADING IN HER HOME AND FAMILY FOR A GRITTY, ANONYMOUS EXISTENCE ON THE STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS. SHE BEGINS A PERILOUS JOURNEY, NAÏVE, WELL-INTENTIONED, AND ISOLATED AS SHE STRUGGLES TO RECONNECT WITH HER OLDER SISTER.

Contest Rules:
Leave a comment
Fill out the Form.
Must be a U.S./Canada resident
Must be a Booksnob follower.
Contest ends 2/29 at midnight.

Good Luck!

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Tinkers by Paul Harding

2012-02-05T19:17:00.000-06:00

Tinkers by Paul Harding

Tinkers is a story about George Crosby who is lying on his death bed with eight days of his life remaining. He fades in and out of consciousness while his family surrounds his sick bed with around the clock visitations. George revisits his past as his memory and body plan their imminent escape.

As George fades, his memory of his father and his childhood emerge to paint a complicated and impoverished upbringing in New England. George lives a full life with a wife, children and grandchildren. He built his house with his own hands, retires to tinker with outdated clocks and slowly grows old.

Tinkers is a novel of the senses with detailed descriptions of just about everything. The clocks are a metaphor for life that runs continually throughout the book, as Harding meditates on nature, clocks, life, family, birds nests, lightning, death and more. At times the book moves forward slowly as the reader's mind wanders. So then, the reader must re-read.

I was drawn to this book for it's beautiful cover, it's Pulitzer Prize winning status and my perception of it as being a quick read. At 191 pages, it took me longer to read it than I thought it would, and as the story progressed, my mind had trouble focusing during the long digressions on nature and life. I found Tinkers worthwhile and meaningful but wished I was able to focus my mind on its complexities and fully comprehend its unique subtleties.

Tinkers is a intimate, beautiful look at how death comes to each of us. Each word is purposeful. Tinkers is a reminder that life is slowly unwinding and ticking away, tick, tock, tick, tock.

A Discovery of Witches Contest

2012-02-04T17:40:00.000-06:00

A Discovery of Witches Contest

Today is my anniversary of being a book blogger. I have been blogging for two years now and continue to love it. It has changed my life for the better and I treasure all the friendships I have made with fellow bloggers and have enjoyed working with multiple authors. Book Blogging is such a great experience. I only wish I could make a living doing it.

In honor of my 2 year blogging anniversary, I have a signed copy of A Discovery of Witches to giveaway to one my followers. I had the chance to hear Deborah Harkness speak a couple of weeks ago and as I have not read her book yet, I found the talk really fascinating.

Deborah states the book began entirely by accident while she thought about the question "If you were a vampire, what would you do for a living?" She is a Historian of Science and specializes in the 16 century. She is currently teaching college in California as well as writing books. Deborah says her goal is to write one to two pages a day which takes her about two hours and if she accomplishes this, it is a good day. She states that writing fiction is a form of alchemy.

Deborah Harkness describes her book as a fairy tale for grownups. She states A Discovery of Witches is a love letter to books, libraries and librarians. She has also included little treasure hunts for the discerning reader, eggs of knowledge to seek and find. A Discovery of Witches is the first book in a trilogy and has already been optioned for a movie. I can hardly wait to read it, what about you?

Contest Rules:
1. Leave a comment
2. Fill out the form
3. Open internationally
4. Must be a BookSnob follower

Contest Ends 2/29
Good Luck! Spread the Word.

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The Fantasic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

2012-02-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

This is beautiful and Magical. If you love books and reading you will love this animated short. It is up for an Academy Award. Watch it with your kids! It is simply breathtaking.

Between Light and Shadow Contest Winner!

2012-02-03T18:12:00.000-06:00

Between Light and Shadow Contest Winner!!

I am happy to announce the winner of a personalized and signed copy of Between Light and Shadow from Jacob Wheeler, January's Minnesota author in the spotlight.

Congratulations Steph from Stephthebookworm!

If you didn't win you can still order a copy of Jacob's book from Amazon.
This is such a great story.

Check out Jacob's website at www.betweenlightandshadow.com

February-Hometown Track Author in the Spotlight

2012-02-01T20:24:00.001-06:00

February-Hometown Track Author in the Spotlight

Welcome to the great month of February. The month of love, black history and books. Did you know it is I love to read month? It is also the anniversary of my second year of blogging. So let's celebrate with a new young adult author from Minnesota. I met February's author at the MN book fair in October and her book about a teenage runaway based on the authors personal story intrigued me. So without further adieu, meet Susan Niz author of Kara, Lost.

Here is the synopsis of Kara Lost from Goodreads:
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD KARA FLEES THE SUFFOCATION OF HER SUBURBAN LIFE, TRADING IN HER HOME AND FAMILY FOR A GRITTY, ANONYMOUS EXISTENCE ON THE STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS. SHE BEGINS A PERILOUS JOURNEY, NAÏVE, WELL-INTENTIONED, AND ISOLATED AS SHE STRUGGLES TO RECONNECT WITH HER OLDER SISTER.

This month you can expect a book review, a author interview, a contest and a guest post. You can also check out Susan Niz's blog susannizfiction.blogspot.com and website here. susanniz.com Check back often this month as you can expect great things to happen on Booksnob!

January-Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up and Giveaway

2012-01-31T18:46:00.000-06:00

January-Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up and Giveaway

Between Light and Shadow Giveaway Ends tonight at Midnight!

Guess What? It is the end of January already. Can you believe it? So it is time for me to wrap-up the special month of January with a treat by highlighting Minnesota author Jacob Wheeler. Jacob is currently in the Middle East and plans to run across Palestine to raise awareness to issues in the area.

Today is the last day to enter the contest to win a copy of Between Light and Shadow. The contest ends at midnight tonight. The contest is open to people living in the U.S. and Canada that are current Booksnob followers. Good Luck and as always thanks for following Booksnob!

Click here to enter: Between Light and Shadow Contest

Please check out my review of Between Light and Shadow. This book is entertaining and timely as it details international adoption and the personal story of a special teenage girl named Ellie. Ellie is loved by two families from two different countries, Guatemala and the United States, and she touches the heart of all who read this book. I highly recommend this non-fiction book, it is an intriguing story and educational too.

Between Light and Shadow Book Review

I was lucky to be able to interview Jacob. He is one busy man. He is a journalist for The Uptake, and is busy covering important events while getting ready for his life changing trip to Palestine. Read his interview to learn more about Ellie who is the focus of the book and the world wide issue of international adoption. So interesting!

Jacob Wheeler Author Interview

Jacob's guest post details the back story behind his book, Between Light and Shadow. He talks about his experience in Guatemala and so much more.

Jacob Wheeler Guest Post

As January comes to a close I would like to thank Jacob for being the January Minnesota Author in the Spotlight here on Booksnob. He is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more interesting titles from him and working with him in the near future. Please visit Jacob's website at http://betweenlightandshadow.com/ and support him by reading his book, Between Light and Shadow.

Where Are You Reading Challenge Update

2012-01-30T21:13:00.001-06:00

January Update: Where Are You Reading? Challenge 2012.

This month I have read some really good books but none of them happen to take place in the United States. Usually one person or character from the book is from somewhere in the U. S. but the majority of the book takes place in a foreign country. I love learning about places in the world and as a world history teacher I must be drawn to books that teach me something new about the world.

I read one book that takes place 400 years into the future and another book that didn't give the exact location. These two books are not included.

Here are my books, review links and locations for January:
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Takes place in FRANCE
Little Princes by Conor Grennan. Takes place in NEPAL
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Takes place in BRAZIL
Between Light and Shadow by Jacob Wheeler. Takes place in GUATEMALA

Check out my map on Google Maps.
View Where are you reading challenge 2012 in a larger map

Basically I am not planning to win this challenge, I just want to see where I am reading and record the fabulous places I get to visit in my mind.
I'm loving it!

Party in the Rec Room with Lorna Landvik

2012-01-29T17:19:00.000-06:00

Party in the Rec Room
Presented by author, Lorna Landvik

Last night I went to see author and comedic actor, Lorna Landvik's show, Party in the Rec Room. It runs for the month of January in Minneapolis and yesterday was the last party for 2012. I went with my friend Mary and it was the first time we had seen the show.

Lorna wildly enters the Rec Room with a crazy black curly wig and funky glasses, singing Ride, Sally, Ride. She then mixes up a big blender full of margaritas and passes them out to select people in the crowd. A great start to the party. The music was fun as Lorna asked 3 questions of the audience, then went behind the screen to change. Out comes a wigged persona, a new character created just for the audience. It is a laugh out loud evening of fun. Landvik is a great improvisation actor and every show is unique tailored to the audience's instructions.

The crowd was getting wild on a skit about Michele Bachman, it was my favorite of the night. Politics seem to be the theme of choice from the crowd. Then Landvik suggested the audience ought to sing a song, we tried a few, and no one could remember the words, so I shouted out You've lost that lovin' feeling. Everyone knows that song and so we all sang the song in a moment of camaraderie. Later she called out a question and asked the audience for their favorite TV show theme song, and my friend Mary, called out The Brady Bunch. The crowd started singing and just couldn't stop, Landvik played along and did a great skit as Marcia's weed smokin boyfriend.

Landvik has written several books, of which my favorite is Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. One of her daughters attended the high school where I currently teach. And since my name is very similar to Landvik, people frequently mistake me for the famous author. Her name is Lorna Landvik and mine is Laura Lanik. Pretty close.

If you are ever in Minneapolis in January, I recommend you go to the Party in the Rec Room. Get there early and sit near the front. Take your favorite friend and enjoy the show!

Between Light and Shadow by Jacob Wheeler

2012-01-28T10:30:00.003-06:00

Between Light and Shadow. A Guatemalan Girl's Journey through Adoption by Jacob Wheeler

Between Light and Shadow is a poignant journey through Guatemala's landscape, international adoption and the effect adoption has had on its people. The focus of the story is a beautiful 14 year old girl named Ellie who was adopted by a family from Michigan when she was seven.

Wheeler is a journalist who follows 14 year old Ellie and her family as they make the decision to reunite with Ellie's birth mother and her siblings in Guatemala. Ellie was given up by her mother, Antonia, when she was seven years old and she has vivid memories of love and loss. The last time she saw her brothers, they were chasing after the car she was riding in, Ellie turned to wave goodbye, tears steaming down her cheeks, not knowing if she would ever see them again.

Her adoptive parents, Judy and Bob, make a daring decision, against everyone's advice, to try and find Ellie's family. Wheeler is there to support, guide and record the process. Wheeler is a veteran journalist who speaks fluent Spanish and lived in Guatemala for several years. His book Between Light and Shadow evolved from a journalistic look into international adoption to a very personal story between two families, one American and one Guatemalan, who share the love on one very special girl.

Currently, adoption in Guatemala is no longer possible. Wheeler takes a deep look at the Guatemalan adoption economy and explores all the possible aspects of a system that had good intentions and made a lot of U.S. families complete. He delves into Guatemalan's violent and racist past to discover that extreme poverty has manipulated the adoption process. We have all heard the horror stories of babies being sold and stolen and Wheeler investigates these claims and more.

Ellie's personal story intrigued me. I felt myself caught up in the story between Guatemala and the United States and between two sets of parents. I know several people who have been adopted and several sets of parents who have adopted from the countries of Guatemala, China, Korea and Russia. This is a story that everyone can relate to and enjoy. You will laugh and cry and cherish the moments of Between Light and Shadow.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

2012-01-24T20:58:00.000-06:00

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

State of Wonder takes you on a journey through the Amazon river basin, deep into the jungle to explore the mysteries of science and self. The main character, Dr. Marina Singh is a scientist who lives in Minnesota and works for a pharmaceutical company. Her work partner, Anders, went to Brazil to check on the progress of a new fertility drug being tested and produced, deep in the Amazon jungle. He ends up dying there and Marina is notified of it in the form of a blue airmail letter. She and her boss, Mr Fox, deliver the devastating news to Anders wife and sons with great difficulty.

Karen and Mr. Fox encourage Marina to make the journey to Brazil for their own purposes. Marina embarks on this life changing personal journey into the unknown to meet up with her former mentor, the formidable Dr. Swenson. She must face her fears to travel to a place that is the polar opposite of Minnesota. She enters a zone of heat, humidity, bugs, snakes and meets a variety of unique cultures that have their own unique customs. Marina has no instruction manual on the Amazon and its people and enters a world unto itself.

Ann Patchett is a really great writer. She brings the reader to a place and holds their attention. State of Wonder is a modern re-invention of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. It is a story of polar opposites where you have frigid cold, and humid heat. You have man crushing snakes and cannibals, combined with beautiful birds and life giving trees. There is birth and death, dark and light, love and hate, all of which leave the reader in a State of Wonder.

This is the third book I have read by Patchett. The first was Bel Canto, the second Truth and Beauty, both of which I highly recommend. I really wanted to love State of Wonder but sadly, I didn't. It is definitely a worthwhile read, with potential for great thoughts and discussion. Some parts of the book seemed contrived to me, like how her phone disappeared twice conveniently. Other parts of the book were amazing and I had tears in my eyes at the end. Patchett has great multi-dimensional characters that you won't easily forgot. My advice: Don't listen to me, make up your own mind.

Enter the State of Wonder at your own risk, it may just be the adventure of a lifetime or a trip to hell. It's all about perspective.

Jacob Wheeler Author Interview + Giveaway

2012-01-22T17:48:00.000-06:00

Jacob Wheeler Author Interview + a Giveaway of his book.

Welcome Booksnob followers. Jacob Wheeler is January's Author in the Spotlight and he agreed to answer some questions about his life, his book, Between Light and Shadow, and international adoption.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a journalist, videographer and editor who juggles multiple jobs and digs them all. I was born in Denmark, grew up in northern Michigan, and consider about six different places “home”. I’ve been in Minnesota for almost two years, and continue to dig the lakes, all the bike paths, and these days the cross-country skiing. We moved here from Chicago because my wife Sarah is completing her Master’s in Public Health. We live in Prospect Park and nearly understand the expression “Minnesota nice”.

2. What inspired you to write to Between Light and Shadow?

I fell in love with Guatemala while living there in 2003-05 learning Spanish at an activist language school in the mountains. I fell for the people, their customs, languages, beautiful volcanoes and lakes — and I felt that, as an empowered, middle-class American journalist, I wanted to help tell the next chapter and the painful U.S.-Guatemalan history. International adoption was a big and controversial topic when I lived there, and it was a story that I realized I could tell from the perspectives of people on both sides of the border.

3. Can you tell us why or when you decided to become a writer?

When did I decide I needed to breath air into my lungs to live? I can’t remember that either. It’s just always been so. I’ve always written, I’ve always communicated. I’ve always imagined myself a journalist and a world traveler, and that evolved into an editor and an author too.

4. Do you like to read? What authors or books influence you?

Hah! I like to read so much that sometimes I forget to eat. Even though I also love food. I read incessantly. The news, and blogs, and Facebook feeds, and online magazines, are usually consumed with coffee. But the fleeting time to lie in bed and read a novel, now that’s special.

What books influenced me in writing Between Light and Shadow? Rigoberta Menchu’s autobiography; Daniel Wilkinson’s Silence on the Mountain; Francisco Goldman’s The Long Night of White Chickens. Russell Banks’ novels too, the way he alternates between settings and then has his characters collide in the end.

5. How did you meet Ellie and make the decision to include her story in your book?

I met Ellie and Judy through mutual friends in northern Michigan in summer 2005. I was particularly attracted to their story because she had been abandoned and adopted at age 7, which is incredibly late in life, and she still had vivid memories of her birth village and her biological family. The three of us met, and Judy in particular was amicable to the idea of me helping retrace Ellie’s steps.

6. Since you have visited Guatemala, can you tell people who have never been there why they should visit and why you love Guatemala?

It’s the land of eternal spring, which ought to prompt any Minnesotan in January to buy a plane ticket. Guatemala is beautiful and raw, complex and heartbreaking, majestic and delicious. Mountainous and blessed with the most beautiful lake in the world. She’s like a novel, a tragic one sometimes, but one that doesn’t follow the hum-drum of predictable daily life up here in El Norte.

7. How has the adoption/adopted community reacted to your book?

The community has reacted well, and many — both adoptive parents and those who have studied this issue — interpreted the book as a complex and nuanced look at a subject that should never be judged in absolutes. To be sure, I’m sure that my categorizing of Guatemalan adoption as “an industry” has turned some off, but they haven’t reached out to me and told me so. My ultimate hope is that people read this story and learn something new about childhood, parenthood, and sense of self and place.

8. Were you adopted or do you have people in your immediate familial circle who were adopted?

Ironically, no, and I don’t have any real close friends that were adopted — at least not that I know of (except for Ellie, of course). My path to writing this book was through Guatemala, more than the subject of adoption.

9. What is the most important lesson/idea you want readers to take away from your book?

That childhood, parenthood, and sibling relationships are an open mystery, perhaps as voluminous as an ocean. And we can’t judge what a destitute and desperate mother in a poor country like Guatemala would do based on our own skewed understanding of motherhood and love.

10. In one sentence tell readers why they should read Between Light and Shadow?

Read Between Light and Shadow because you feel strongly that a mother should never sell her children into adoption, or because you feel strongly that she’s justified in doing whatever might be best for their survival, and I hope that the complexity of this subject erodes your ability to think in absolutes.

Thanks Jacob.
If you are interested in winning a copy of Jacob's book Between Light and Shadow please click the contest link: Between Light and Shadow Contest

Contest: The Western Lit Survival Kit

2012-01-21T10:52:00.000-06:00

Contest: The Western Lit Survival Kit. An Irreverent Guide to the Classics from Homer to Faullkner by Sandra Newman.

The publishers have graciously offered to giveaway one copy of The Western Lit Survival Kit to a BookSnob follower. Yeah! You will love this hilarious romp through the history of western literature.

Here is the synopsis from GoodReads:
A side-splitting tour that makes it a blast to read the Western literary canon, from the ancient Greeks to the Modernists.

To many, the Great Books evoke angst: the complicated Renaissance dramas we bluffed our way through in college, the dusty Everyman’s Library editions that look classy on the shelf but make us feel guilty because they’ve never been opened. On a mission to restore the West’s great works to their rightful place (they were intended to be entertaining!), Sandra Newman has produced a reading guide like no other. Beginning with Greek and Roman literature, she takes readers through hilarious detours and captivating historical tidbits on the road to Modernism. Along the way, we find parallels between Rabelais and South Park, Jane Austen and Sex and the City, Jonathan Swift and Jon Stewart, uncovering the original humor and riskiness that propelled great authors to celebrity.

Packed with pop culture gems, stories of literary hoaxes, ironic day jobs for authors, bad reviews of books that would later become classics, and more.

Contest Rules:
Leave a comment
Fill out the form
Contest Ends 1/29 at midnight
Must be a U.S. Resident

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The Western Lit Survival Kit by Sandra Newman

2012-01-20T22:32:00.000-06:00

The Western Lit Survival Kit. An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner by Sandra Newman

Have you ever read a book, touted and revered as great, and wondered what made people "back in the day" want to read a book like that, much less deem it a classic? Year after year, high school and college English students read Western Lit and are not always sure why. The Western Lit Survival Kit is a reading guide to the historical and entertaining reasons why a book achieved greatness and with it, a long shelf life.

You can use The Western Lit Survival Kit as a reference guide to look up interesting facts about a particular book or to look up books written in a certain time period. Or if you are a serious bibliophile, like me, and love to read a book about books, than you can read it cover to cover for the peer enjoyment of learning the history of literature.

The Western Lit Survival Kit is a hilarious romp through time and the great moments of western literature. I laughed out loud multiple times and have learned about some Classic books I have never heard of. Along the way Newman tackles the boredom threshold, the fun factor and rates the importance and accessibility of the books.

So come, take my hand and walk, I mean read, through the history of literature. Did I mention there are swear words, zombies, a St. Lady GAGA and a trip to hell? People, wise up! Who needs a date Friday night when you can read this book!

My Reading Buddy

2012-01-16T13:30:00.000-06:00

Meet my Reading Buddy!

Hi Everyone, a few weeks ago, Steph from Steph the Bookworm put out a call for a reading buddy for 2012. She wanted a friendly reading competition, reading support and friendship throughout the year. I loved this idea so I contacted Steph and the adventure in reading has started. Steph and I have agreed to be non-competitive reading buddies and we will reward each other with the gift of a book if we accomplish our goals at the end of 2012. We have both agreed to try and read 100 books this year but secretly I will be happy if I make it to 80. Every Sunday we send an update by e-mail with the number of books and titles we have read with details on how our week went. We have had two Sunday updates so far and I love it. Steph made up some interview questions and we both agreed to answer them and post on our blogs. So here is my interview of Steph.

1.Can you tell me about your job?

I am a library clerk at my local library. It is a civil service job. I work on the circulation desk and also process the new incoming books for adult services. I always find way too many new books to read at work! I am working on my Master's in Library Science and will finish in about a year. Then I will be a librarian!

2. What do you like to do when you're not reading?

I love to hang out with my dog, Dakota! I also love playing games with my friends. We love board games and Singstar! There are some TV shows I also DVR every single week and love to watch: Dexter, Glee, Revenge, Desperate Housewives... just to name a few!

3. What do you think about books being turned into movies?

I usually like the book better! I always HAVE to read the book before I see the movie, and I always make sure to tell everyone "that was a book first, did you know?!" "The Notebook" was one of the only movies I thought was as good as the book. I now have to read One For the Money since my mom loves the series and is dying to go see the movie, though she insists Katherine Heigl should NOT be Stephanie. I guess I'll find out after I read it!

4. What was your favorite book you read in 2011?

I have a few: Exposure by Therese Fowler, Things We Didn't Say by Kristina Riggle, Simply From Scratch by Alicia Bessette, 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter, and a few others.

5. What three books are you most excited to read this year?
The Hunger Games - gotta read it before the movie! Keepsake by Kristina Riggle because she is an amazing writer. Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey because I loved the first one!

Stop by Steph's blog at http://www.stephthebookworm.blogspot.com to say HI and check her out.
Have a great day!

Jacob Wheeler Guest Post + Giveaway

2012-01-15T12:56:00.000-06:00

Jacob Wheeler Guest Post + Giveaway

Jacob Wheeler is Booksnob's Minnesota Author in the Spotlight for January. His guest post reveals some of the background and inspiration for writing his book Between Light and Shadow.

Guest Post.

In 2005, while improving my Spanish at a language school in Quetzaltenango, in Guatemala’s western highlands, I found myself falling head over heels in love with that country, its mountains and lakes, its people, their languages and indigenous cultures. The writer, and activist, in me felt drawn in too by Guatemala’s narrative — that of a tragic and bloody modern history, and complicated relationship with my home, the United States.
I wanted to contribute to that story. As I was working toward a Master’s degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing through Goucher College in Baltimore, I wanted to write about Guatemala in the context of its relationship with El Norte. I thought seriously about documenting overland immigration stories — the daring and painful journeys across Mexico to sneak into the United States to work illegally. But that story was already being told.
It so happened that by the middle of last decade, international adoption from Guatemala had exploded. More than 4,000 children per year were heading to baby cribs in America — 1 percent of all children born in Guatemala in 2007 — and, as I write in my book Between Light and Shadow: A Guatemalan Girl’s Journey through Adoption, which the University of Nebraska Press published on April 1, nearly every flight leaving Guatemala City for the United States carried a joyous family with their new adoptee in tow.
Why Guatemala, and not China, Korea or former Soviet countries? Guatemala’s “notary” adoption system was unique, in that it was largely privatized, free of governmental bureaucracy, and facilitated by attorneys in the capital who took steps to ease the adoption process for American parents. The infusion of cash in the system meant shorter waits, and better care during the interim. In short, Guatemala’s adoption system was faster, more efficient, and more tailor-made than anywhere else to the needs and desires of American families.
But that process also birthed allegations of baby buying, coercion of birth mothers, even baby theft. UNICEF, some nonprofits in Guatemala, and certain players within the Guatemalan aristocracy, dragged the issue out of the crib and into the international spotlight. Before it ground to a halt in 2008, foreign adoption became one of the most heated topics of debate within that country, and one that prompted a strong opinion from just about everyone.
All this dizzying political drama, and my desire to write a book that captured people’s lives in both the United States and Guatemala — two threads woven together into one colorful huipil, or traditional Mayan dress — birthed Between Light and Shadow.
When I set out to write a book on “the journey” of Guatemalan adoption, I hoped to tell the story from both ends. I wanted to capture the words of the poor, desperate birth mother who relinquishes her child, as well as those of the American family that embraces that same boy or girl and welcomes him or her into their home, opening up a whole new world of opportunity: airplane trips, iPods, high school proms, even a college education — unfathomable to anyone wandering the dirt paths of an impoverished Guatemalan village — but also identity crises, anger and longing for their roots. In the spirit of the great odyssey, I also wanted to retell the events, both tragic and beautiful in their own right, of how these children lose a mother, a family, a home, everything they have known, and then how the doors of fortune miraculously open the day the child is whisked off to the United States.
Little did I know when I began canvassing Midwestern families who had adopted from Guatemala that I would get to accompany a teenage girl and her adoptive mother on a cataclysmic reunion in February 2006 with the woman who had relinquished her as a mature seven year old. Ellie’s return to Guatemala, equal parts beautiful and tragic, and the way she intimately bonded with her biological brothers — despite language, cultural and national barriers — taught me so much about the unbreakable bond of family.
Writing the chapter about her reunion seemed almost too weighty an undertaking, and yet I felt that Ellie’s joyous experience in lavish Antigua and humbling episode in Guatemala’s desolate southern coast could offer so much to the adoption community, and to literature about international adoption.
What do I hope that adoptees, birth families and adoptive parents take away from this book? Each of you will relate to elements of this story in your own separate way. But what I learned was that this particular adoptee, an interloper between two distinct worlds — past and present, poor and rich, familial and acquired — has something to teach us all about our own humanity.

To enter to win a copy of Between Light and Shadow click the link: Between Light and Shadow contest

Jacob Wheeler

• Editor/Videographer,

TheUpTake.org

• Glen Arbor Sun, founding editor & publisher, www.GlenArbor.com

• Author, "Between Light and Shadow: A Guatemalan Girl's Journey through Adoption"

(www.betweenlightandshadow.com)

Thanks Jacob!

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

2012-01-14T10:34:00.000-06:00

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Paris is the city of love and lights and on the fateful day of July 16, 1942, it became a city of unspeakable horrors. On July 16th, 1942, Jewish families were forcibly removed from their home by the French police. The police came for Sarah's family in the middle of the night and Sarah made a decision that would affect generations. She locked her little brother in a cupboard in their bedroom and promised to release him when she got home. The Jewish families were brought to the Velerdrome d'Hiver, to await transportation to a nearby camp and then many continued to Auschwitz. Sarah was not going home.

Fast forward to 2002, the 60th commemeration of the Jewish roundup. Julia is assigned to write a news article about the roundup that most French people would rather forget. As Julia begins investigating the past, she discovers a story that will change her life. Sarah's story.

In this amazing duel storyline, every other chapter switches narrators from Sarah to Julia. Half way through the book Sarah's narration ends as Julia tries to solve the mystery of what happened to Sarah. Julia becomes consumed by Sarah's story and unraveling her husband's family secrets.

Sarah's Key is a compelling historical drama that had me riveted from the first page. I was also consumed by Sarah's story and was hopeful for a positive outcome. The personal tragedies that people suffer and overcome are a testament to the resilience of humanity. Sarah's Key is haunting, compelling, emotional and mesmerizing. I couldn't tear my eyes or my heart away from this remarkable novel. Make sure you have a handful of tissue for the ending.

Little Princes by Conor Grennan

2012-01-10T20:15:00.000-06:00

Little Princes. One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal By Conor Grennan

Little Princes is the name of the orphanage in Nepal where Conor Grennan volunteered in 2004. Nepal was in the midst of a 10 year long civil war when Conor arrived. Conor's intention was to stay three months and then spend a year traveling around the world. The children and the people he met in Nepal changed his life in ways he did not expect and when he left to fulfill his lifelong dream of traveling he vowed to return to the children in a year. He kept his promise but Conor was out of money and the war was coming to a dramatic and dangerous conclusion. Conor flew home to New Jersey but left his heart in Nepal.

Before Grennan returned home he met seven children whom were abandoned by a notorious child trafficker. They were scared, starving and deprived of human touch and emotion. All of the children were from the remote village of Humla, located in the mountains in the northeast corner of Nepal. This part of the country was greatly affected by the civil war and many children were conscripted in the Maoist army. Desperate parents paid people to bring their children to safety, hoping they would have a better life and an education in Kathmandu. What the parents didn't know was that their children were being forced to beg, lived in horrible conditions, were starved, beaten, and sometimes sold into slavery.

Conor arranged for an orphanage to take the seven children but then the war became dangerous and the people from the orphanage couldn't get the children. They were too late, the children had disappeared. Conor was very distressed by this news and with his friend Farid, vowed to find these children and set up a permanent home for them. Thus Grennan begins his nonprofit organization called Next Generation Nepal. It's mission is to set up a home for trafficked children and try to return them to their parents.

Little Princes had me smiling from the very first page. I was laughing by page eight when Brennan talks about toilets. If you have ever traveled you will understand that the toilets of the United States "are the Bentleys of toilets, at the cutting edge of toilet technology and comfort" while the rest of the world's toilet system is quite inadequate. I know exactly what he means and could definitely relate to being in a country that lacked toilets or knowledge of how the sanitary system should work. Hilarious!

Little Princes is about kids, lots of them, in need of love and encouragement. Grennan takes the sad and sometimes difficult subject of child trafficking and child slavery and paints a picture of hope for everyone. I laughed and cried and couldn't put the book down. Little Princes is a journey into the cultural villages and rural life in Nepal where wild monkeys hang on the power lines and cut off your internet connection. It is where the Buddhist culture meets the Hindu culture and prayer flags fly in the wind. The Nepalese tend to have the same food for dinner every night and buses never come to a complete stop. In short, Little Princes is a glimpse into another country far away from home and into the complex childhood of children stolen from their parents.

Little Princes made me smile.

I am an action reader and so I am going to make a small donation to Grennan's nonprofit:
Next Generation Nepal.

Tortured by Caragh O'Brien

2012-01-09T19:45:00.000-06:00

Tortured by Caragh O'Brien

Tortured is a bridge story in the Birthmarked series. It falls between Birthmarked and Prized and explains what happened to Leon. Do not read this book first as it will spoil the ending of Birthmarked.
This story comes in Ebook format only and its FREE.

Tortured is told from the point of view of Leon and it details his escape and his determination to find Gaia in the wasteland. It also explains some of Leon's family dynamics and the torture he suffered under the direction of his father.

Tortured is short at 16 pages but if you are a fan of the series it is an entertaining quick read to keep you involved in the story. I wish more authors would do this. Sometimes it is nice to read the story told by a different narrator with a different perspective.

Tortured will forever hold the distinction of being the first ebook I have ever read. It was a fun way to introduce myself to the world of digital books. Did I mention that it's free?

Between Light and Shadow Contest

2012-01-08T11:46:00.000-06:00

Contest: Between Light and Shadow. A Guatemalan Girl's Journey Through Adoption by Jacob Wheeler

January's Hometown Track, Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Jacob Wheeler is giving away one copy of his nonfiction book to a Booksnob follower who lives in the United States or Canada.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
“An adoption professional once told me, ‘At its best, there is no adoption system as good as Guatemala’s. At its worst, there is none worse.’”—from the foreword by Kevin Kreutner

In Between Light and Shadow veteran journalist Jacob Wheeler puts a human face on the Guatemalan adoption industry, which has exploited, embraced, and sincerely sought to improve the lives of the Central American nation’s poorest children. Fourteen-year-old Ellie, abandoned at age seven and adopted by a middle-class family from Michigan, is at the center of this story. Wheeler re-creates the painful circumstances of Ellie’s abandonment, her adoption and Americanization, her search for her birth mother, and her joyous and haunting return to Guatemala, where she finds her teenage brothers—unleashing a bond that transcends language and national borders.

Between Light and Shadow Contest Rules:
Fill out the form
Leave a comment
Must be a Booksnob follower
U.S./Canada only (publisher rules)
Contest Ends 1/31 at midnight.
Good Luck!!!

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Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

2012-01-06T11:13:00.000-06:00

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

A satisfying conclusion to The Hunger Games Trilogy, Mockingjay takes the reader on a tour of duty in the war between the Thirteen districts and the Capitol. Katniss becomes the face of the Revolution as she tries to reconcile the evils of war on the people she loves. Katniss inevitably becomes a pawn in a lethal battle of wills between two giant forces and her personal consequences are devastating.

Mockingjay is full of surprises, twists and turns that leave the reader shocked and surprised. I think this is what I like best about The Hunger Games Trilogy is that the storyline of each book leads me on a nail biting adventure I wasn't expecting. I loved the ending of Mockgingjay and that the author kept the reader guessing until the very end. There is no way you could predict the ending.

This is the only trilogy I read in 2011. I read frantically the last week of the year to complete Mockingjay before 2011 ran out. If you haven't started this series yet, I would say it is time to jump on the bandwagon.

Another thing I love about The Hunger Games Trilogy is that is a multi-generational series of books that appeal to a wide variety of people. My mom and my son have read all three books as well as countless nieces, nephews, teaching colleagues and my book club. Now the movie versions are beginning in March of 2012 and I will be lined up to see them with my son on opening night. Forget Twilight, these books are Hot, burning hot, like Katniss, The Girl on Fire!

Reading and Writing goals for 2012

2012-01-05T09:00:00.002-06:00

Reading and Writing goals for 2012

This year I have decided to branch out and try something new. My New Year's resolution is to join a writing group and to write at least one page a day in the novel I have begun. I would like to blog everyday but that seems impossible with my teaching schedule, my mommy schedule, not to mention my wifely responsibilities. Life is impossibly busy around here so I intend to post at least 15 times a month.

My reading goals include reading 76 books in 2012. I have joined 3 reading challenges this year and even created one of my own. I am looking forward to a great adventure in reading this year.

1. I plan to read 12 Pulitzer Prize winning books for the Pulitzer Prize challenge that I created. This is considered the Gold Medal level. It has always been a goal of mine to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winners in the novel category and so this year I have decided to tackle it. I hope some of you will join me on this challenge.

2. I am joining the War Through the Generations challenge on World War One, The Great War. I plan to read at the wade level which is 4-10 books. Incidentally my grandma was born on Armistice Day in 1918.

3. I decided to try the What's In a Name 5 Challenge. This one is going to be fun. You have to try and read according to a category and the name of a book. A creative challenge I am looking forward to. I almost have a book done for this challenge already.

4. The last reading challenge I am doing is Where Are You Reading? challenge where you try a read a book that takes place in every state in the United States. I don't really plan to change my reading habits for this but plan to track the places I read about on the google map. I really read a lot of World Literature so it will be interesting to see the places I visited in my books.

If you are interested in joining any of these challenges, the buttons in my sidebar link to the hosting website.

What are your reading and writing goals? What interesting challenges are you tackling?

Prized Contest Winners

2012-01-04T15:15:00.000-06:00

Prized by Caragh O'Brien contest winners!

I am happy to announce the three winners of a hardcover copy of Hometown Track's Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Caragh O'Brien's new young adult novel, Prized.

1. Melora from West Virginia
2. Jessica from Minnesota (http://jessicagriffith.com/)
3. Carol from Pennslyvania

All of you have been e-mailed and the books should be mailed out shortly.

Congratulations Everyone and thanks for being a loyal Booksnob follower.

If you didn't win, you can order a copy of Caragh's book from Amazon. It would make an excellent gift for the teenager in your life. You can check out Caragh's website at http://www.caraghobrien.com

Best 11 books of 2011

2012-01-02T14:54:00.000-06:00

The Best 11 Books of 2011

I am proud to say I read 75 books in 2011. It was an eclectic mix of Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Literature, World Lit, Nonfiction, Memoir and more. I love to read and enjoy reading across different genres. I belong to three different book clubs, read and promote local authors, and enjoy reading from a list. My bookshelves are currently at capacity and I just got an ereader to fill. So choosing only 11 books to highlight for 2011 was difficult. The following books I read in 2011, they were not necessarily published in 2011. Each book was reviewed by me in 2011 and each book cover has a link so you can connect and purchase it off Amazon if you wish. They are in no particular order.

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. These three books occupied my mind and brought me heart stopping entertainment. I couldn't stop reading them. I read at stoplights, in the copy room, the bathroom, and everywhere in between. My 13 year old son has deemed them his favorites and we are both eagerly awaiting the first movie in March 2012.

2. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This is an amazing book about the cells of a woman named Henrietta Lacks. All of us owe a huge debt to this woman who, unbeknownst to her, is responsible for amazing medical advances. I seriously learned a lot from this book and recommend it often.

3. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann. I read this book while on my trip in New York City. It is about the man who walked between the two towers on a tightrope and about New York and its people, attitudes, neighborhoods and the tragedy of 9/11. Words cannot describe how good this book is.

4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. This story has lived on in my mind. Sepetys got me to think about a part of World War II that I didn't know about. The Baltic States, of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, were in the middle of two evil giants (USSR and Germany) trying to conquer the innocent people there. So powerful, moving and utterly beautiful.

5. The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine. I read this book aloud to one of my ninth grade World Studies classes and it changed my class, from wild and crazy to a group that wanted me to read the whole hour. This book is about a young girl sold by her father in India into sexual slavery. It is really realistic of what is happening in India today and I highly recommend it. We need to help these young girls escape and we must educate ourselves to help them. This is an important story that everyone should read.

6. Roots by Alex Haley. I think this should be required reading for every American citizen. Roots chronicles the journey of Kunta Kinte from free man to captured slave. Alex Haley researched his family tree and traces his roots through the stories of the people found with the pages of this African American saga. It is about 900 pages and I spent some of my summer reading it. It is well worth your time and energy. Don't forget about the movie either!

7. Crazy by Han Nolan. This is probably one of the most unique, creative books I read all year. It is told by 5 different voices inside the head of one young man who believes he is crazy. The reader also has a voice in the drama. What more can I say? It is an awesome book and you need to put in on your radar for a future read.

8. Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield. This book is told from the point of view of a child in Afghanistan after 9/11. I liked the uniqueness of the story and the fact that it explores many different points of view. Afghanistan is a complicated place with a complicated history and Busfield incorporates an understanding of the country I didn't have before I read the book.

9. Sugar Changed the World: A story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science by Marc Aronson. Another great book that taught me about the power sugar held on the world and how it is really responsible for the massive need for African slaves. 96% of slaves were needed to produce sugar for the world. Very interesting, informative and entertaining. I love it when a book teaches me something and this book taught me a lot.

10. The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo by Tom Feeling. It took the author 20 years to create the story board and artwork for this amazing book. It is wordless but speaks volumes. Utterly Powerful!

11. Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. Alexie is a great writer and if you haven't read any of his books, Reservation Blues is a good place to start. The story is gritty, full of the blues, music, Native American mysticism, and life. It is will make you want to sing, cry, laugh and read all of Alexie's books.

There you have it, the top 11 of 2011. What are the best books you read in 2011? Have you read any of the books on my list?
Have a great 2012!

January-Hometown Track Author in the Spotlight

2012-01-01T10:58:00.001-06:00

January-Hometown Track Author in the Spotlight

Happy New Year!!
Happy January!

This month I am featuring a very interesting author, whom I met at the Minnesota Book Fair. His name is Jacob Wheeler and he wrote an investigative, special interest book on the adoption process in Guatemala. Do you know anyone who has adopted kids from Guatemala?? I do and I think this book will prove to be valuable for anyone interested in international adoption and world wide issues.

Jacob's book is: Between Light and Shadow. A Guatemalan Girl's Journey Through Adoption.
Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

“An adoption professional once told me, ‘At its best, there is no adoption system as good as Guatemala’s. At its worst, there is none worse.’”—from the foreword by Kevin Kreutner

In Between Light and Shadow veteran journalist Jacob Wheeler puts a human face on the Guatemalan adoption industry, which has exploited, embraced, and sincerely sought to improve the lives of the Central American nation’s poorest children. Fourteen-year-old Ellie, abandoned at age seven and adopted by a middle-class family from Michigan, is at the center of this story. Wheeler re-creates the painful circumstances of Ellie’s abandonment, her adoption and Americanization, her search for her birth mother, and her joyous and haunting return to Guatemala, where she finds her teenage brothers—unleashing a bond that transcends language and national borders.

In January you can expect a book review of Between Light and Shadow, an author interview, a guest post and a contest.

I hope you have a great start to the New Year.
Looking forward to reading Great books this year!

December- Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up + Giveaway.

2011-12-31T14:50:00.001-06:00

December- Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up + Giveaway.

PRIZED Giveaway ends tonight at Midnight!!

December is coming to an end and so is the year of 2011. So it is time for me to wrap-up the special month of December with a treat by highlighting Minnesota author Caragh O'Brien and her young adult novels.

Today is the last day to enter the contest to win a copy of Prized. The contest ends at midnight tonight. The contest is open to people living in the U.S. that are current Booksnob followers. Good Luck and as always thanks for following Booksnob!

Click here to enter: Prized Contest

Please check out my book reviews of Birthmarked and Prized below. They are the beginning of a young adult dystopian trilogy and the third novel Promised is set to be released in the fall of 2012. I heartily enjoyed living in the inventive, alternative world that O'Brien creates. The lead character is Gaia, a strong, 16 year old midwife who faces many trials and tribulations in the unequal societies she lives in. I highly recommend these two books and am excited to add them to my classroom bookshelf for my students to borrow.

Birthmarked Book Review
Prized Book Review

I was also lucky to be able to interview Caragh. Caragh grew up in St. Paul and eventually became a high school English teacher. She has since quit her teaching job to keep up with her writing schedule. Caragh currently lives in Connecticut with her immediate family. Check out the interview for more specific information on her books.

Caragh O'Brien Author Interview

As December comes to a close I would like to thank Caragh for being the December Minnesota Author in the Spotlight here on Booksnob. She is a talented writer and I look forward to reading her next book, Promised and working with her in the near future. Please visit Caragh's website at http://caraghobrien.com and support her by reading one of her books.

Pulitzer Prize Challenge 2012

2011-12-29T18:46:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone, Happy New Year. In 2012 I am hosting The Pulitzer Prize Challenge for the first time. There are several genres of books that have won the Pulitzer dating back as far as 1917 and as long as I can remember I have been wanting to read ALL the books in the fiction category. Although I do like to read some of the winners from other categories as well. I never seem to advance far in my goal because there are so many great books out there, so to encourage and challenge myself to reach this goal, I decided to host the challenge. I hope you will join me.
Below are the categories or genres with a link to the list of winners.

Biography or Autobiography
1917-present

Drama
1917-present

Fiction
1948-present

General Nonfiction
1962-present

History
1917-present

Music
1943-present

Novel
1917-1947

Poetry
1922-present

There will be 3 levels to attain.i
Gold Medal: Read 12 Pulitzer Prize winning books from any genre equaling 1 book per month.
Silver Medal: Read 6 Pulitzer Prize winning books from any genre. This equals 1 book every other month.
Bronze Medal: Read 4 Pulitzer Prize winning books from any genre. This equals 1 book per season or quarter.
I am hoping to achieve the Gold Medal level.

Rules: Anyone can participate, you do not need to have a blog.
Create an intro post, choose your Medal level and sign up.
To join in, sign up with Mr. Linky below. If you aren't a blogger, just add a comment. You may also twitter and facebook about the challenge.
To use Mr. Linky: put your name or your blog's name in the top box and the URL (web address) of your blog in the bottom box. If you don't have a blog, use your Twitter account, your Facebook page or simply mention your intent to join the challenge in the comments.

I have created a new page on my blog where you can add your book review in Mr. Linky or comments on your progress on the challenge.

You are free to join this challenge at any time in 2012. If you sign up for this challenge in January you are eligible to win a 15 dollar gift certificate to Amazon.

Thanks for participating!!
End of the year prize: You will be eligible to win a prize for a 15 dollar gift certificate to amazon for all who complete the challenge by 12/31.

Prized by Caragh O'Brien

2011-12-28T19:53:00.000-06:00

Prized by Caragh O'Brien

Gaia Stone, carrying her baby sister in her arms, leaves the only home she knows to search for a better life. Weeks later, Gaia and Maya are found by a rider from Sylum, near death in the Wasteland. They are taken to Sylum, a society ruled by a minority of women who outnumber the men, three to one. Upon arriving Gaia is forced to give up Maya permanently and made to submit to the strict lifestyle of Sylum where kissing is a crime punishable by a week in prison. No one ever leaves Sylum and those who do, die trying.

Gaia meets a master of wills in the Matrarc, female ruler of Sylum. The Matrarc, is a blind mother of seven, who cares deeply for her people and will not see her rules broken and since Gaia lives life by her own rules, these two butt heads. The Matrarc seeks to break Gaia's power in a strategic battle of wills.

This dystopian trilogy is unique because the first two books place the reader in two entirely different societies. This first society in Birthmarked, is The Enclave near the unlake Superior and the second society in Prized is Sylum, across the wasteland near the dead forest. The two societies are vastly different while only 100 kilometers apart. One society is controlled by men, technology and the lack of water and where infertility rates are high, the other society is ruled by women, with little technology, a abundance of water and addictive qualities.

Prized is a contest of wills, a game of survival of the fittest where no man really wins and women reign as queens. Sylum is a matriarchal society where names, traditions and property pass to the next generation through the mother. Gaia will fight, with the help of the men she loves and admires, to change laws and help men get the right to vote. Prized endures as a story worthy of your time and imagination.

Prized will take you on a creative, imaginative journey to another time and place where members of two societies meet and change. To enter into a alternative world through a good book is a entertaining way to spend your day.

Caragh O'Brien Author Interview + Giveaway

2011-12-27T17:50:00.000-06:00

Caragh O'Brien Author Interview
Hey Booksnob followers, December's author in the spotlight is Caragh O'Brien and I am happy to feature an interview with her about her Young Adult Trilogy. The first book is Birthmarked, the second is Prized and the third book Promised will be released in the fall of 2012. If you are interested in reading a copy of Prized from this fabulous Minnesota author, read on.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

First, Laura, let me say how pleased I am to be invited by. You’re so kind to feature my novels this month.

My life is simple. I grew up in St. Paul back before the Mall of America, and spent summers with my family at our lake place up north. After attending the Visitation and SPA/SS, I went east for college and graduate school. My husband and I started a family, and we’ve lived in a small town in Connecticut for seventeen years now. I recently resigned from teaching high school English to write full-time, so I spend most of my days on my couch, working. I’m now in the last stages of revising the third book in the Birthmarked trilogy.

2. What inspired you to write to a Young Adult trilogy?

My aim was to write the best story I could, and since Birthmarked was about a 16-year-old midwife, that put it squarely in the young adult category. It has crossed over to adults since then, too. I began to think of the story as a trilogy only after my publisher offered me a three-book contract. That was a happy shock.

3. Usually an author puts some of his own life experiences in the book. Did you do that? Do you have anything in common with your characters?

It’s rare for me to draw consciously and directly from my own experiences for my fiction, but my ideas must be based in me somehow. I think we have many common, human emotions, so if for example my character is feeling impulsive or lonely, I draw from that inside myself. Gaia from Birthmarked and Prized is much stronger and braver than I ever was, but I’m trying to be more like her.

4. Can you tell us why or when you decided to become a writer?

Writing has helped me think through ideas clearly since I was a seventh grader and began keeping a journal, so I’ve been writing most of my life. I decided to write as my job last year when I realized I could no longer teach full-time and also meet my deadlines for the Birthmarked trilogy.

5. Do you like to read? What authors or books influence you in the writing of the Birthmarked trilogy?

I enjoy reading, and lately I’m reading quite a few young adult dystopian novels, some by friends of mine, like Hall’s Away, DeStefano’s Wither, and Johnson’s Possession. I’ve been influenced by Rand’s Anthem, Miller’s The Crucible, Meyer’s Twilight, and Collins’s The Trouble with Poetry.

6. When is the third book in the series set to be released? Can you give us a little hint or preview of what it is about?

The third novel, Promised, is due out in the fall of 2012. It’s hard to describe a book without spoilers, but I can say it’s clearly set up by events at the end of Prized, so it shouldn’t be a total surprise to readers.

7. In one sentence tell readers why they should read the Birthmarked series.

If readers would like to try a fast-paced, twisted adventure story about a teen midwife who has to turn over a quota of babies each month to authorities inside the wall, they might like Birthmarked.

Thanks again, Laura, for having me by. I hope you and your blog followers have a lovely time in the New Year.

If you are interested in winning a copy of Prized, enter by clicking the link: Prized Contest

Thanks Caragh!

Laura

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

2011-12-21T22:10:00.001-06:00

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

One of the best things about science fiction is the reader gets to enter into a alternative world created just for them. You know you have left your current state of mind when you start adapting words or phrases into your everyday vocabulary or dreaming of a time and place you can visit only while lost in a good book. The best stories transport you and let you forget your current reality for awhile.

Birthmarked transported me to a place called Wharfton located outside of the walled fortress called the Enclave. The year is around A.D. 2400 and water is scarce. Un-lake Superior is near and dried up like the wombs of many of the infertile women within the Enclave. On the outside of the wall, lives Gaia Stone, a sixteen year old midwife whose duty is to advance the first 3 babies of the month to be adopted by the privileged families within The Enclave.

Gaia's life begins to unravel when her parents are arrested by the very community they serve. Gaia learns they are sentenced to death and bravely sneaks inside the wall to try and save them. Gaia witnesses an execution of a pregnant mother and does the only thing she can, she saves the baby. Soon Gaia is arrested but she is not your typical girl, she has a scar on her face. The scar at once marks Gaia as an outsider as well as a fugitive but Gaia is strong, resourceful, hopeful and a smart young woman. What ensues is a roller coaster adventure story full of twists and turns and an amazing young heroine who stands up for her parents and what she believes in.

Birthmarked touches on economic and environmental issues as well as problems of infertility and hemophilia that result from a society that closes its doors. The wall of the Enclave reminds me of the type of walls we self-impose on ourselves as well as the walls who purpose is to keep people in their place, like the Berlin Wall. Birthmarked is reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Masister and Mabrother, you have provided a great service to The Enclave. We are now raising the quota to five babies a month.

I wonder, is it time to rebel?
Looking forward to the second book in the series PRIZED.

The Report. A Novel by Jessica Francis Kane

2011-12-19T11:11:00.000-06:00

The Report. A Novel by Jessica Francis Kane

In 1943, a horrible accident takes place in a London air-raid shelter. No bombs fell the night of March 3, when 173 people died in a deadly crush in Bethnal Green. The accident leaves a grieving community in the midst of wartime without any answers and lots of questions. If there were no bombs, how did 173 people die in an air-raid shelter?

One person makes a misstep or a temporary fault in judgement on that fateful night and the ramifications cause the community to demand a investigation. The Report is the fictional investigation into the possible details of the accident.

Kane uses the actual report written by Laurence Dunne in 1943 and writes a novel that probes the tragedy with style and grace. The Report is told in two interconnecting story lines, one takes place 30 years after the accident, where a film maker who was a child in the tragedy, interviews the aging Laurie Dunn. The other is of The Report being written and interviews with survivors being conducted so Dunn can piece together the small events that led to the culminating tragedy and release his findings to the community.

The Report draws the reader in with intensity and keeps the reader involved throughout the story. The investigation and interviews with the survivors are well done and intriguing. The changes within the Bethnal Green community are reflected in the lives of the survivors as the story unfolds leading the reader to think about how our personal tragedies change us.

Look closely at the cover of the book. Both the front and back covers show pictures of people underground in the air-raid Tube station shelter. I love the cover and the details about the shelter in The Report. The story of the book is fascinating on so many different levels.
The Report is published by a local Minnesota press called Graywolf Press.

Germ Warfare edited by Lupi McGinty

2011-12-14T21:23:00.000-06:00

Germ Warfare edited by Lupi McGinty
An Anthology of Comics for Germs and Their Generous Human Hosts.

Germs are so disgusting they make us all sick. Literally. The best way to combat germs this season is to read Germ Warfare and laugh your way to health. This Anthology, edited by Lupi McGinty, contains 12 different comics by Minnesota writers including two by Lupi herself. Some of them are laugh-out funny, a couple of them were just OK and others I thought were pure genius.

The first comic starts the war, with germs trying to infiltrate a human host and the humans fighting back with anti-bacterial napalm. Which leads us to another comedic war during The Great Penicillin where many germs lost their lives. Eventually the good bacteria are being destroyed by humans because of their fear of germs. I loved the comic where the parents have to sterilize everything to keep their baby safe and you see them sinking into the madness of germaphobia. The war concludes with the building of a germ town on its deceased human host.

The artwork and comedic styles are creative and fun and all related to the common theme of the war between germs and humans. This is a theme everyone can relate to because we have all been sick or tried in some way to avoid being sick. Germ Warfare is appropriate for comic readers of all ages.

My advice is to arm yourself with tissue, cough medicine, anti-bacterial napalm, vitamins and whatever else you can think of to stay well. Don't forget to wash your hands before you touch any germ infested surfaces and then pick up a copy of Germ Warfare. You are armed and ready to read!

What's in a Name Challenge

2011-12-12T17:53:00.000-06:00

What's in a Name Challenge

I see lots of Book Bloggers participate in this challenge and so I thought this year, is my year, to join the fun. It is the 5th year of the challenge but the first year I am joining in and I am super excited. I looked at the categories and then on my book shelves and found lots of possibilities. I think now I am totally obsessing about filling my categories and am trying to find a creepy crawly book on my shelf and it is totally in hiding. Feel free to leave book suggestions.

If you are interested the challenge is run by Beth at www.BethFishReads.com

Here are the categories:
Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, read one book in each of the following categories:

A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know

Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

Contest: The Personal History of Rachel Dupree

2011-12-10T17:20:00.000-06:00

Contest: The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber

Yesterday, I reviewed The Personal History of Rachel Dupree and the publisher has graciously offered, through TLC book tours, to give away one copy of Ann Weisgarber's book to a lucky Booksnob follower.

You can check out my review here: The Personal History of Rachel Dupree Book Review

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
An award-winning novel with incredible heart, about life on the prairie as it's rarely been seen

When Rachel, hired help in a Chicago boardinghouse, falls in love with Isaac, the boardinghouse owner's son, he makes her a bargain: he'll marry her, but only if she gives up her 160 acres from the Homestead Act so he can double his share. She agrees, and together they stake their claim in the forebodingly beautiful South Dakota Badlands.

Fourteen years later, in the summer of 1917, the cattle are bellowing with thirst. It hasn't rained in months, and supplies have dwindled. Pregnant, and struggling to feed her family, Rachel is isolated by more than just geography. She is determined to give her surviving children the life they deserve, but she knows that her husband, a fiercely proud former Buffalo Soldier, will never leave his ranch: black families are rare in the West, and land means a measure of equality with the white man. Somehow Rachel must find the strength to do what is right-for herself, and for her children.

Reminiscent of The Color Purple as well as the frontier novels of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Willa Cather, The Personal History of Rachel DuPree opens a window on the little-known history of African American homesteaders and gives voice to an extraordinary heroine who embodies the spirit that built America.

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The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber

2011-12-09T16:37:00.000-06:00

The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber

Let me introduce you to Rachel Dupree. Rachel is living in Chicago, working as a cook in a boarding house. She is a strong minded African American woman who knows what she wants. She refuses to marry a slaughter house man with no future and instead sets her sights on Issac, the son of her employer. Issac is a buffalo soldier who has big dreams ranching in South Dakota. Rachel and Issac make a bargain. He agrees to marry her and live together for one year, and she agrees to give up her 160 acres share from The Homestead Act.

The story is set in the harsh landscape of South Dakota badlands during a severe summer drought during the year of 1917. Rachel is pregnant with her seventh child. Many African Americans became homesteaders but it is a story often not told and rarely heard of. Rachel and her family faced hardships like any other homesteaders of the time but they also suffered greatly from the racism of the time. They lived in a sod house, had little or no neighbors and struggled day to day with the challenges of owning large tracks of land. If you lived on your land for 5 years, you paid for it with your hardships.

The History of Rachel Dupree is a predictable, easy read. The parts I was most drawn to were the parts where Rachel is starting to piece together the realities of her life and is discovering that she unhappy with what she sees. Throughout the book she wrestles with a life-changing decision and I found myself rooting for her to stand up for herself. The frontier reeks havoc on the heartiest of souls and Rachel has many regrets. The ending of the book is bittersweet and will have you on your toes cheering for this woman and her bravery. Then you will find yourself hoping there is going to be a
sequel.

So Ms. Weisgarber, will there be a sequel?

Prized by Caragh O'Brien Contest

2011-12-07T21:29:00.000-06:00

Prized by Caragh O'Brien Contest

Hometown Track, Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Caragh O'Brien and her publisher, Roaring Brook Press are giving away THREE hardcover copies of Prized to Booksnob followers. Prized is the long awaited second book in the Birthmarked trilogy.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

Prized Contest Rules:
Fill out the form
Leave a comment
Must be a Booksnob follower
Must be a U.S. resident (publisher rules)
Contest Ends 12/31 at midnight.
Good Luck!!!

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2012 Reading Challenges

2011-12-06T20:47:00.000-06:00

2012 Reading Challenges

I have been giving some serious thought to what kind of reading I want to do in 2012 and the types of books I want to challenge myself to read more of.

My personal reading challenge this year will be to read 12 Pulitzer prize winning novels, one Pulitzer book a month. It has been a goal of mine to read all of these books for awhile now and every year they add a new winner and I find myself not able to keep up. Maybe I will create a button and add a page to my blog in case other bloggers and readers want to join me. What do you think? Would you consider this as a reading goal in 2012? Please let me know if you are interested.

I am also going to join Sheila from Book Journey for her Where Are You Reading? challenge. This entails trying to read books that take place in each of all the 50 states. You set up a map in google maps and pinpoint your books location. You also upload a picture of the book to picassa web albums. Since I only read about 75 books a year, 50 states may be hard to complete. I am not planning to alter my reading plans but am curious to see what my reading map looks like at the end of 2012. It must be the map loving, geography teacher part of me that is so excited for this interesting challenge.

So far that is my plan for 2012. I am still debating with myself on whether or not to add other reading challenges to my plate.

Looking forward to reading in the New Year.

Fatal Incident Contest Winners

2011-12-05T20:04:00.000-06:00

Fatal Incident Contest Winners

I am happy to announce the three winners of a hardcover copy of Hometown Track's Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Jim Proebstle's new novel, Fatal Incident.

1. Lexi from Apple Valley, MN
2. Danielle from Alexandria, VA
3. Chris from Princeton, MN

All of you have been e-mailed and the books should be mailed out shortly.

Congratulations Everyone and thanks for being a loyal Booksnob follower.

If you didn't win, you can order a copy of Jim's book from Amazon. It would make an excellent gift for the man - reader in your life. You can check out Jim's website at http://www.jimproebstle.com

December-Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.

2011-12-01T07:00:00.008-06:00

December Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.

I discovered December's author this summer when I went to Camp Read-a-Lot and one of the participants had read her book and was raving about it. She passed the book around and I noticed the author was from St. Paul and so I took a chance and e-mailed her and thankfully she replied.

Without further adieu, December's author is....Caragh O'Brien. Caragh is a well-known, young adult author as well as a high school English teacher. I am thrilled she agreed to be the featured author this month on Booksnob.

Caragh O'Brien has written two novels, Birthmarked and Prized with the third novel on its way. Here is the synopsis from Goodreads for each of her books.

Birthmarked

In the Enclave, your scars set you apart, and the newly born will change the future.

Sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone and her mother faithfully deliver their quota of three infants every month. But when Gaia's mother is brutally taken away by the very people she serves, Gaia must question whether the Enclave deserves such loyalty. A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

Prized

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

This month you can expect an author interview with Caragh O'Brien, a contest to win a hardcover copy of Prized and a book review of Birthmarked and Prized.

December in Minnesota is cold and the snow has decided to stay, so it such a great time to curl up by the fire with a good book. I guess any time of year is a good time to curl up with a good book so I hope you will check out Caragh O'Brien's website and her books at http://www.caraghobrien.com/ and add them to your To Be Read list. Have a great month!

November-Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up and Giveaway

2011-11-30T17:37:00.000-06:00

November-Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up and Giveaway

Fatal Incident Giveaway Ends Today at Midnight!!!

November- Author in the Spotlight Wrap-Up.

November is coming to an end and that means that there are only 24 shopping days until Christmas. It also means I would like to end November with a treat by highlighting Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Jim Proebstle.

Today is the last day to enter the contest to win a copy of Fatal Incident. The contest ends at midnight tonight. The contest is open to people living in the U.S. that are current Booksnob followers. Good Luck and as always thanks for following Booksnob!

Click here to enter: Fatal Incident Contest

Check out my book review of Fatal Incident. Fatal Incident is Proebstle's second novel that he bases on a personal story within his family history. It is a historical fiction novel that takes place during World War II and highlights the army air transport that happened in Alaska. Jim has created memorable characters, an intense spy game and different possibilities to what really could have happened on that fateful day when his uncle's plane crashed in the Mount McKinley range.

Fatal Incident Book Review

Be sure to read the Author Interview with Jim Proebstle, he describes the personal back story behind his book and he describes how he keeps writing. He even tells a funny story.

Jim Proebstle Author Interview

Jim presented me with THREE guest posts to share with my readers. They were all very enjoyable to read and insightful for all who enjoy the craft of writing and reading.

Guest Post #1
Guest Post #2
Guest Post #3

As November comes to a close I would like to thank Jim for being the November Minnesota Author in the Spotlight here on Booksnob. He is a talented writer and I look forward to reading his next book and working with him in the future. Please visit Jim's website at http://jimproebstle.com/ and support him by reading one of his books.

The Lady Of The Rivers by Philippa Gregory

2011-11-29T21:23:00.000-06:00

The Lady Of The Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Women in history walked a fine line and could rarely step outside of the bounds of the control of men. Women learned to represent themselves as men wanted them to be and to hide their true nature of self. If they chose to venture outside of the rule of men, they would face the consequences that were designed to destroy the will of women.

The Lady Of The Rivers begins with Jacquetta meeting Joan of Arc who is being held prisoner on her uncle's farm. Jacquetta has the wisdom of sight but conforms to live within the confines of her society. Joan of Arc is burned as a heretic before Jacquetta's eyes and it changes the way she lives her life. Eventually Jacquetta is arranged to marry an old English duke, The Duke of Bedford, who controls most of France. He doesn't want a wife so much as a prize and someone who can foretell the future. This marriage is not destined to last long as the Duke dies after a short while and Jacquetta falls in love with her squire, re-marries and has lots of children.

Jacquetta, The Duchess of Bedford, lives in England with her family and serves King Henry VI and his young French wife Margaret. The Lady of the Rivers serves an unpopular king who is self-serving and naive. The heir to the throne is the Duke of York but the King won't speak to him and instead appoints others to advise him causing a rift in the family. The book, The Lady of the Rivers, marks the historical beginnings of the cousins war and chronicles the life of the mother to Elizabeth, Jacquetta's first born, who becomes known as The White Queen.

I love history, especially the little known history of women. Our history books have pretty much forgotten the importance of the female gender and women are under represented. Gregory is a historian of women and all her books herald the power of women and their importance in history. I love to recommend her books to students and pass on the knowledge and perspective she has taught me as a history teacher. History stands for His Story. If you want to learn Her Story, you have to read some of Philippa Gregory's novels and revel in the knowledge of women throughout time.

There is a quote I love that says "Well behaved women never make history" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and Philippa Gregory always writes about women who defy the odds and break the rules. Go and venture into the realm of possibilities.

Jim Proebstle Author Interview + Giveaway

2011-11-28T19:53:00.000-06:00

Author Interview with Jim Proebstle

Read on to find out the personal back story behind Jim Proebstle's new book Fatal Incident. Jim took his uncle's story and wrote an entertaining book about what might have happened. Jim also offers good advice to writers.

Hi Jim,

· 1. Why did you decide to write this Fatal Incident?

Growing up in Massillon, Ohio, I always remembered the picture of Roy Proebstle, Uncle Curly, on my dad’s chest of drawers in the bedroom. He was a handsome man in his Captain’s dress uniform flashing a warm smile that reached out to me every time I entered the room. The story about Curly’s death, however, was always buried deep in my father’s heart. Occasionally, I would hear comments between him and my mom, but they were always shrouded in the sad tone invoked in the loss of a best friend. Part of my experience in writing Fatal Incident was the thrill of vicariously participating in that period of my dad’s and Curly’s (Bud and Nick Morgan in the book) life, prior to World War II, when aviation shaped their future paths.

It was after my father’s death when I started digging deeper that I realized the story we

were told didn’t hold water. My cousins, Bob and Jack, agreed. Since no one knew what

really happened I wanted to write about what could have happened. All accounts of why

the crash took place in Fatal Incident are fictional, to be sure, but several possibilities

could exist. I wanted to present one of them in order to establish a credible alternative.

2. Do you have any secret writing tips you'd like to share?

Utilizing personality profile instruments, like the Myers-Briggs or Temperament, isn’t new but is very helpful in developing characters that are diverse. I find that if I spend time developing the character with their individual profile, before I start writing the story, my ability to place them into a scene with better dialogue is enriched.

3. Tell us a quirky or funny story about you!

I didn’t know what to expect at my first book signing, a small B. Dalton bookstore in Bemidji, MN. I noticed that people were hesitant to approach the table. It seemed like they didn’t know what to say or how to initiate the introduction. I’m pretty outgoing, so I get out of my chair and greet people with a solid handshake and warm smile, and asked about their interests in reading. Things took off and books started to sell.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a very attractive lady in her forties approaching. She was very direct and initiated the introduction completely under her own control, and with a handshake that was unbelievable. “Unbelievable,” like “all is right with the world unbelievable.” Her eye contact was clear, smile friendly…I was caught in the headlights. I managed to acknowledge her remarkable handshake, as she had yet to release her grip, by asking what kind of work she did. She responded, “Well, I’m a dairy farmer.” There was a twinkle in her eye.

4. Have you ever battled writer's block? How do you deal with it?

Since Fatal Incident is based on true events experienced by my family, I do have a lot of original pictures, letters, newspaper articles, etc. that can quickly get you into the setting of what happened. My Aunt Millie, Uncle Curly’s wife at the time of the crash is still living and had saved all of the postcards he had sent as a normal part of their correspondence. Following Uncle Curly’s thoughts gave me the feeling of being there as each postcard identified the various writing locations from Bethel, Alaska to Edmonton, Alberta. This allowed me to construct a flight map to follow his assignments. These first-hand resources of the players involved were like listening through a wall with your ear to a glass.

5. What's your favorite quote?

“If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter.” Benjamin Franklin

6. Who writer inspires you the most?

As a writer, Larry McMurtry inspires me most. I never tire of the incredible characters he creates and develops. His unique talent of bringing characters to life happens with an interconnecting chapter structure that approaches one scene many times from multiple character perspectives. The collision is very exciting.

Thanks JIM!!!

If you would like to win a copy of Jim's book, please enter this contest by clicking the link.

Fatal Incident Contest

Books into Movies

2011-11-27T15:38:00.000-06:00

On Thanksgiving I had about 30 people over for dinner. The last person left about 8pm and you can imagine how tired I was. So this weekend became a weekend where I watched movies and TV shows that were initially books. My family enjoyed this and I think it will become a future tradition in my household. I commonly read the book and then forget about the movie because I don't have time or the book is always better, in my opinion, so why go see it, right?

First we watched Howl's Moving Castle. I have been wanting to see this for a long time as I loved the director's previous film Spirited Away. Howl's Moving Castle was an entertaining film for the family as everyone enjoyed the entertaining tale and visuals were beautiful. The film is based on the book, Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones. I haven't read it yet but it looks really good.

The second movie we watched at the movie theater. We went to see Hugo Cabret since both my son, daughter and I have all read the book and were eagerly awaiting the film. I loved the film! We spent the extra money and saw it in 3D and I am glad we did. I laughed, I cried and I fell in love with film all over again. Take your family to see Hugo and don't forget to read the book, it is awesome.

Next we saw New Moon. I know I am behind on this and since I read the book I wasn't in a hurry to see the film but my 11 year old daughter has been begging me to see it for the last couple of weeks and so I caved in. The film was OK. The book is better of course but for pre-teen and teenage kids, they were totally into it and so I am glad we watched it together as a family. Now she is going to start begging me to see Eclipse.

After we put the kids to bed my husband and I started watching the AMC series The Walking Dead. It is based on a series of graphic novels by Robert Kirkman. I have not read his books but I am thinking of checking them out. There are about 15 volumes in the series so far, enough to keep fans reading for
a long time. OMG, this is a good TV series and the zombies are so gross and scary. It is TV 14 but I wouldn't let my kids watch it as they would definitely have bad dreams. SO good, you have to check it out.

So that is my movie weekend. What movies did you watch this weekend that started out as books?

Jim Proebstle Guest Post + Giveaway

2011-11-26T18:39:00.000-06:00

Hometown Track MN Author in the Spotlight for November has written another thought provoking guest post. Jim Proebstle has written a book called Fatal Incident and he and his publisher are giving away 3 copies to Booksnob followers who live in the United States. To enter the contest, click the link: Fatal Incident Contest

Enjoy!

These Boys Have to Grow Up Sometime by Jim Proebstle

There is a lot of concern about raising kids today, especially with drugs, weirdoes and perverts that may bring harm to our most precious gifts. It’s understandable.

“Back in the day,” God, do I sound old, but things were different then. We grew up more quickly with an emphasis on independence and being able to take care of yourself. Take this story, for example, and try to find it’s equivalent in 2011.

In May of 1960, myself and most of my buddies were about to turn sixteen. We were men, or so we thought, fresh off a successful football season at Central Catholic in Canton, OH. At the time we were a little out of control, pushing the envelope with mishaps and trouble, but basically good kids. Most importantly, we were about to get our licenses. There were no formalities, just pass the written and driving tests and you were “good to go.”

This whole idea of driving had nothing but adventure written all over it from my point of view, so Bill, Bruce, Larry and I decided to capitalize. We wanted to take a road trip—three fifteen year olds about to turn sixteen and one sixteen year old. Fortunate for us, I grew up with a father who, while stern, loved adventure. His love for camping and the outdoors put him in the league of Crockett and Boone. Our plan was simple. I would make an appeal to my dad that we wanted to go camping. I knew in later years, like sixteen or seventeen, that if I used the word camping in any sentence with my dad, I was likely to get a “Yes.” For example, if I asked to go to Cleveland and raise hell with my friends for the weekend I was very likely to get a “No” and not see the light of day for the rest of the weekend. If, however, I asked to borrow the second car and family tent to go camping with my buddies at a state park on Lake Erie near Port Clinton, this would pass muster all day. He was a good father, just not always tuned into the big picture—namely the campground was ten miles away from Catawba and Cedar Point where we could raise hell and chase girls.

Back to the story—in Ohio you needed to have a permanent driver, namely one who was licensed and sixteen, in the car with you as a fifteen year-old driver with a temporary permit. Armed with this knowledge I approached my dad.

“Dad, some of my buddies on the football team and I have an idea that sounds like fun.”

“What is it, Jimmy?”

“Well, it involves camping, but our plan is to be gone until a week from Sunday.” That was when my mom stopped washing the dishes to give full attention to our little talk.

“That’s ten days from now.” He paused, but I could see the gleam in his eye. He continued. “What’s your plan?”

I explained that we had picked out a state park named Raccoon Creek in WV about one hundred and twenty miles away, closer to Pittsburg than he calculated.

“Who’s going to drive?”

“Well, that’s why Bill, Bruce and I need your permission to use our car.” We were the only ones to have two cars so the request made sense.

“None of you have turned sixteen, yet…you need a driver with a permanent permit.”

It was time to play my ace-in-the-hole. “Larry is sixteen. He’s going, too,” I said. Larry happened to be the one kid that every parent trusted—what a great cover.

“I don’t think this is a very good idea, Len,” my mother interrupted with an authoritative tone.

He paused, and then looked me straight in the eye. Paused again and turned to my mom and said, “These boys have to grow up sometime.”

Can you imagine today (2011) giving a car to four kids of our age for a ten day “camping trip” with no contact, cell phone check-ins, or adult supervision? Nuts, right? Maybe, but that’s when we started to grow up. That’s when I started to imagine possibilities, not just with the girls we met, but with everything around me. I was lucky enough to have parents that encouraged me to take responsibility for growing up. The freedom of thinking that I was encouraged to develop as a teenager definitely helps me be a better writer today!

THANKS JIM!!!

Fatal Incident by Jim Proebstle

2011-11-25T16:13:00.000-06:00

Fatal Incident by Jim Proebstle

Based on true events, Fatal Incident is a World War II historical novel that highlights the Army's Air Transport command in Alaska. In 1943 Captain Roy Proebstle's plane, a C-47, crashed in the Mount McKinley Range. 20 serviceman were lost in the crash and a rescue mission was never attempted. Fatal Incident is Jim Proebstle's fictional account of what might have happened to his uncle on that fateful day so long ago.

Captain Nick Morgan is a pilot on loan from Northwest airlines in Minnesota where his pregnant wife Martha lives, while Nick is stationed to fly in the Alaskan wilderness for the U.S. army. Nick trains to fly in one of America's most dangerous landscapes and transports soldiers from place to place, while writing letters to his dear wife.

The Lend-Lease program trains Soviet pilots in Alaska and sends them home with U.S. planes to fight the Germans. Russia was a U.S ally during WWII but that doesn't mean they didn't have spies in place in the U.S. at that time.

The two story lines intersect as Captain Nick Morgan's plane disappears and everyone is left with questions as to what happened and why. The Russians just may hold the secret to unlocking the mystery of the Fatal Incident.

Fatal Incident is a novel of WWII that contains great character development, an entertaining storyline and real events from history. There is a great espionage element to the story as well as romance and intrigue. If you are a WWII buff, a historical fiction reader or someone who loves planes and spies, this is a novel for you.

I love the cover art of Fatal Incident and the end pages contain maps of Alaska and flight routes. I learned a lot about the strategic importance of Alaska during World War II and enjoyed the backdrop of the author's personal story. My grandfather flew in WWII in Normandy and in Europe and so I am always attracted to books like these. I am going to share my copy of Fatal Incident with my father in law. He will love it!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

2011-11-23T12:52:00.000-06:00

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

A visual masterpiece, The Invention of Hugo Cabret is sure to delight readers of all ages. Hugo Cabret is an orphan who lives in the train station in Paris and keeps all the clocks running. Hugo is an inventor, a creative thinker and a thief who needs to steal to eat and create. He is on a mission to restore a automaton (mechanical man) that his dad found in hopes that his secret wish will come true. Along the way he meets a old man who runs a toy booth and his granddaughter, Iabelle, who becomes his only friend. What begins for Hugo as a secret desire becomes a mystery waiting to be solved and he and Isabelle set off on a quest.

The book is a visual tour de force and will have you turning the pages at a fast pace as you read the text and absorb the 284 original drawings and images. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not a typical book as it is like a cinematic film on paper. The storyline contains some cinematic history and includes visuals from early French films. The book will leave you with the impressions of a graphic novel combined with a children's picture book. The text is enjoyable to read in combination with the artwork and the result is a timeless, innovative piece of literature that will leave a lasting impression on the reader.

While I was reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, my 11 year daughter was peering over my shoulder. When I set the book down, I came back and noticed she had started reading it in tandem with me and for a few days we had two bookmarks in the book and had to fight over who was reading it first. Now my 13 year old son is in the midst of reading it and our plan is to see the movie version of the book this weekend. The film version is called Hugo and is directed by Martin Scorsese.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a book for families to read, cherish and treasure. You must leave a special place for it on your bookshelf and re-visit the reading experience again and again.

Jim Proebstle Guest Post and Contest

2011-11-20T21:29:00.000-06:00

Jim Proebstle Guest Post

While I am getting ready to have 30 people over for dinner on Thanksgiving (I'm crazy, I know) Jim was gracious enough to write a few guest posts for this month as my Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.

If you are interested in reading/winning a copy of Jim's new book Fatal Incident please click the link: Fatal Incident Contest

Engage, don’t Sell at Book signings by Jim Proebstle

I’m new as an author, so I’m reluctant to give advice. I am not new, however, in professional selling. My entire career in corporations, like Xerox, involved responsibilities with customers, both as a salesman and as an executive. For the last twenty years I have offered consulting advice to large and small corporations in their sales management practices through Prodyne, Inc., a consulting firm I founded in 1991. The following observations and suggestions are rooted in that experience.

My first book signing was in a small B. Dalton store in Bemidji, MN. The longer I sat behind the table, the more people felt awkward in approaching me. I also knew that being a large man can make it harder for some people to warm up. It seemed intuitively obvious that day that the people who were “hovering” in the store wanted to talk to me, but didn’t know how. Being a Rotarian and sharing that value of friendship with others helped. I didn’t have to sell them the book—they knew I was selling books. I needed to engage them in the topic of reading, something we both shared as an interest.

This is where the professional selling model of listening 75% of the time comes in. But the dilemma is “How do I do that?” It starts with a smile, getting out from behind the table, shaking hands, making clear eye contact, introducing yourself and engaging them in a conversation with questions. What kinds of books do you like to read? Are you a frequent customer of the store? Have you found what you’re looking for? Is that t-shirt from the college you went to? Can I help you with a recommendation? Would you like to know more about my book? You get the picture—the list goes on. Within minutes this first book signing went from a flop to a success and, more importantly, everybody had fun.

As I gained additional exposure at book signings, the concept of being paired with other authors presented itself. Many authors, by nature, are more on the introverted side of the personality spectrum. As a result, they sit there waiting. A lady next to me fit this mode at a book signing at the Sister Wolf Bookstore in Dorset, MN. It was crowded so the prospect of getting up and wandering around wouldn’t work. She asked me what to do. I suggested that if she had a broken leg and someone came to visit at her home, what would she do? She wouldn’t sit there and say nothing. “Of course not,” she said. Think of this as the same thing. No. 1, believe they are coming to see you. No. 2, they may, or may not, buy your book. No. 3, they will buy or refer your book based on the experience they have with you, as a person. Be welcoming, be friendly, and be inquisitive. Take the pressure off them and you by engaging, not selling. They are more likely to remember your book if they have a pleasant experience to attach it to.

She asked, “How do I get people to come to my table in the first place?”

“Let me show you.” With that the next person into the store had a Michigan State University hat on. This was too easy as I am green and white clear through. I said, “Go green,” just loud enough for the person to hear.

He stopped, looked in my direction and said, “Go white.” He came to my table and bought a book. When I was done I admitted to the lady that it’s not always that easy, but she got the point. Engage people in a friendly way.

The dark side of this method is that you will occasionally attract the person who wants to tell you their life story, or about the book they want to write. Control the discussion by offering to talk more after the book signing or by simply excusing yourself to transfer the discussion as another interested reader arrives. If my wife, Carole, is with me and senses that this is happening she’ll come to my aid at the table and engage the “talker,” luring them away so I can focus my attention on others. As in every case, however, the person needs to feel good about the experience through a pleasant enjoyable dialogue.

I’m still new at this, but I don’t look at book signings the same anymore. It’s really an opportunity to meet a lot of nice people who share my interest in books. Sales of your book will be an enjoyable byproduct.

Thanks JIM!!!

Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

2011-11-16T19:50:00.002-06:00

Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

Parallel lines never intersect but the lines of Triangles do intersect inside this steamy, no holds barred look at three women during their midlife crises. Each of these women celebrate a birthday and major life changes as they embark on a journey that forever alters their future.

Hopkins alternates the stories of the three women and she uses her unique style of poetry. Each section is like a play or vignette that builds into a crescendo as each story intertwines and delves into issues such as extramarital affairs, sex, parenting a gay or pregnant teen, AIDS, terminal illness of a child and betrayal. Some scenes will take your breath away, others will make your heart ache.

This is Hopkins first novel for adults and it is a whopper. Ellen Hopkins young adult books are daring and delve into risky topics that most authors don't attempt to write about. Triangles is no exception except it contains adult themes and x-rated scenes.

This is my fourth book by Hopkins. I have read the Crank, Glass and Fallout trilogy. It is absolutely a set of books I adore and while I really liked this book, I enjoyed her young adult series better. I think Hopkins has attempted to find a new adult audience and I believe new and old readers will enjoy this book.

Currently, I am in my 40's, just like two of the women in Triangles and yet I don't feel I have encountered a mid-life crises. I am not sure if everyone experiences a mid-life cycle of change and if so, is it always negative and life-changing or can it be so small as to not be noticeable? Have you experienced a mid-life crises? What is your opinion?

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

2011-11-14T19:59:00.000-06:00

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

Reservation Blues takes place on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. Three young men with nothing better to do form a band called Coyote Springs and begin to feel the pride and pain of success. One plays an enchanted guitar and with virtually no experience this band takes off. Later two women join the band and so begins their mystical, rock n' roll odyssey as they travel wide and far in their blue van from bar to bar.

Every chapter begins with a song, lyrics included, and you can download the originals off of itunes. The songs are Thomas-Build-the-Fire's lyrical original songs for Coyote Springs. They are also poignant songs that highlight the Indian experience, history and reservation life.

Reservation Blues is a multi-layered story that mimics life and our connections with the past. There are ancestral dreams and nightmares that connect the past with the present. Mysticism, storytelling, blues singing, magic, are what kept me reading and so very interested in the unique storyline. Sherman does not sugar coat the Indian experience in Reservation Blues as alcoholism, abuse, suicide, unemployment and other important issues come up often in the book. This is one powerful book. Reservation Blues had me enchanted from the first page and when the story ended, I was literally singing the blues.

Here is my song: You add the guitar solo please and the baby. baby's.
I call it The Reading Blues.

Late at night,
when I finished the book,
I stared at my nook (I don't really have a nook but it rhymed)
and started to sing,
the reading blues

Chorus:
Baby, I got the reading blues.
I loved that story
now it is over
I must move on
what is a girl to do
I've got the reading blues.

Sherman
you had my heart, my eyes, my time,
my toe is tapping double time,
to the beat of my soul
wondering what book I will read next,
will it pass the test.

(Back to chorus).

This is an original copyrighted song by Laura from Booksnob

The River Between Us by Richard Peck

2011-11-11T20:22:00.000-06:00

The River Between Us by Richard Peck

The Mississippi river is the longest river in North America. During the Civil War the river was fought over by the North and South to gain control of ports and shipping routes. The River Between Us is about people from Grand Tower, Illinois. A town divided between the North and South with boys leaving to fight on either side.

In 1961, one of the last steamboats arrives in Grand Tower before the blockade and carries two mysterious southern women, Delphine and Calinda. These two ladies disembark to find a ramshackle town curious and suspicious about the strangers. The Pruitt family is nice enough to board the strangers and they settle into an easy rapport for awhile. The Pruitt family consists of Tilly, the main narrator of the story , her twin brother Noah, who is itching to go to war, the younger sister Cass, who sees into the future, and their mother, Mrs. Pruitt, who is trying hard to hold onto her son and keep him out of the war. Mr. Pruitt is absent from the family.

Mr. Peck has created an entertaining work of historical fiction for teen readers. There is a mystery to solve, a war to fight, sick to be healed, dead to be buried and stories to tell. The River Between Us starts out slow and gains speed like a steam engine train.

I read this book because my son is reading it in his 7th grade American History class and I wanted to read it with him. The Civil War is one of my favorite periods in history to read about. The River Between Us tells a unique story that taught me a thing or two. The Battle of Belmont is the first battle fought on the Mississippi River. The North may have lost the battle but it propelled U.S. Grant forward as a person to contend with and within a year the Union army had made it to New Orleans. New Orleans was unique as a Southern city because it contained many free people of color. The free women of color were forbidden to wear hats in 1786 so they chose to wear a tignon otherwise known as kerchief.

The reason I love historical fiction is because I always learn something new.
What is your favorite period in history to read about?

Jim Proebstle Guest Post

2011-11-10T21:09:00.000-06:00

Guest Post: A Writer's Motivation by Jim Proebstle

Jim Proebstle is the Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight for November. To enter a contest to win a copy of Fatal Incident click on the Contest link: Fatal Incident Contest

A Writer’s Motivation by Jim Proebstle

As a young boy in the 1950’s it seemed like adults were still very focused on The War, as everyone called it. My best friend was Tim and his dad served as a Major in the US Army. Everyone called him, Pete. He had an endless supply of paraphernalia from his tour of duty—sleeping bags, cool belts, hats, canteens, field glasses, etc. Tim and I used to “play war” endlessly in the back yard and the woods nearby using every prop we could. Great fun! The one thing we were forbidden to touch was his service revolver, a .45 caliber pistol, issued to officers. We shot the gun once under Pete’s supervision to see just how destructive the weapon could be. It was scary, but still exciting because my dad didn’t serve in the war, at least not in the armed services.

My dad held an exempt status deferment due to his aeronautical engineering degree and job with Goodyear Aerospace. In our house, my brothers and I never talked about the war the way Pete did…you know, first hand stories about army buddies and how this war was the last one we’d ever fight. The closest we got to war stories was how the neighbors would tell my mom that some men in suits stopped by asking about us; “Did my dad keep regular hours?—Did we get lots of visitors?—Were there lights on in our house at strange hours?”— stuff like that.

The only obvious family connection to the war in our house with men in uniforms was the picture of Curly, my dad’s brother, in his pilot uniform. It was an 8 x 10 portrait sitting on my parent’s chest of drawers in their bedroom. Uncle Curly seemed like a nice man. His big smile always greeted me when I went into the room. His eyes seemed to make the picture come alive, which I would learn was not the case. He died in a plane crash during the war. My mom told us boys not to ask questions, since my dad and Curly were very close growing up and it hurt my dad very much to discuss what happened. That was basically Curly’s existence in our family, other than the occasional reference to how much my older brother looked like Curly.

As an adult myself, I learned little more of Uncle Curly other than the fact that he was the pilot of that flight and all sixteen passengers and three crew died in Alaska on September 14, 1944. The hurt inside my father continued until his death in 1990. My mother died shortly afterwards. Part of my inheritance was an old cabin in northern Minnesota. Not much of a place, but important to my parents. Our visits there over the years made it important to our family as well, so we decided to rebuild, keeping just enough of the old design to preserve the tradition of the “old cabin” alive.

Before the reconstruction could begin we needed to clean things out. I’ll never forget my wife, Carole, calling to me from one of the upstairs bedrooms, “Do you want to keep this old box of your dad’s?”

My dad was a packrat so my normal reply was, “You decide.”

Carole continued, “You might want to look at this before throwing it out.”

I trudged upstairs and she handed me a box. It was a cardboard box with broken corners, maybe from a department store. It was hand labeled, Curly’s Clippings. I was stunned. We had never seen the box buried amongst so much stuff. In it were pictures, newspaper articles, letters of condolence, letters of correspondence from the Army chain of command responsible for the search and rescue, letters written by my grandparents demanding more information, flight aviation maps of Alaska, postcards and many published stories of the unusual crash that took eighteen lives. All of these documents were from 1944-1945 and in perfect condition.

As a new author with my first book under my wings, In the Absence of Honor, the box was a treasure trove of motivation, research, passion and creativity all rolled up into one idea, “I need to finish Uncle Curly’s story.”

Thanks Jim,

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

2011-11-09T15:35:00.000-06:00

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

I have never proclaimed to be fan of Jane Austen and her books. I find her books (the two I have read at least) hard to swallow as a modern woman. OK, I did actually like Northhanger Abbey but I have never read Pride and Prejudice (Shocker, I know) and Sense and Sensibility drove my senses out of bounds. So when my book club chose Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I thought OMG, I have to read Jane Austen, ugh. My second thought enjoyed the idea of Jane Austen's characters kicking some zombie butt. The juxtaposition of sweet, tame, proper society girls from the 1800's battling zombies almost made me gleeful. Maybe one of them would get eaten. Fat chance.

So if you know the story of Pride and Prejudice, you pretty much know the story. Mrs. Bennet has five girls all trained in China, in the art of zombie killing, at the insistence of their practical father. Mrs. Bennet's dream is to see her daughters properly married to a man with a good income. It is the Bennet girls duty to defend their town against the frequent zombie attacks. Lizzy has exceptional killing skills and can behead a zombie in a single swing of her sword. When she first meets Mr. Darcy at a ball, he offends her with an off handed remark and Lizzy prepares to slit his throat with a dagger. Unfortunately zombies interrupt the party and the Bennet girls form Pentagram of Death, a 5 pointed star and with daggers in hand decapitate every zombie in the room. I think this is when Mr. Darcy began to fall in love with Lizzy and I began to love the book.

I hate zombies, they are gross, probably smelly and they just kind of freak me out. The Bennet girls don't like them either and that made me enjoy this girl power, zombie butt kicking story. Seth Grahame-Smith has created a strong cast of female characters while still keeping them in Austen's traditional society roles. I heartily embraced the re-creation of this "great" book and am even a little bit tempted to read Austen's original. I laughed out loud several times, enjoyed the word play and puns and loved the artwork included of Lizzy and her sisters slaying the undead. I have to say that I had a darn good time reading this story. Adding a modern twist, like zombies, to a piece of classic literature is a creative way to get people interested in reading the original. Do you agree?

Seth Grahame-Smith also has a graphic novel version of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as well.

Note: I am not sure if die hard Austen fans and scholars will enjoy this parody.

The Library of Congress

2011-11-07T20:20:00.000-06:00

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. with my family and our unanimous favorite place in all of D.C. turned out to be The Library of Congress. I highly recommend you visit this library, it is definitely awe-inspiring and beautiful. In fact it makes me want to be elected to Congress just so I could use the library and spend time in the Reading Room whenever I wanted.

When Washington burned in 1814, many of the books in the library were destroyed. Jefferson gave Congress his collection of books that numbered about 6000 volumes for whatever price they deemed appropriate. In 1851 the library again caught on fire and some of Jefferson's library was destroyed. The library is currently displaying Jefferson's library and they are in the process of restoring his collection. It is amazing to see and you are not allowed to take pictures! In 1815, Thomas Jefferson said to John Adams, "I cannot live without books." And neither can I. I wonder what Jefferson would think about electronic books.

There are many beautiful quotes that align the ceiling of the second floor. My family and I walked the perimeter and read every quote in the building. Here are some of them.

"Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers."
"The true university these days is a collection of books."
"Give instruction unto those who cannot procure it for themselves."
"The inquiry, knowledge and belief of truth is the sovereign good of human nature."
"Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding."

The Reading room is stunning and only people doing research and members of Congress are allowed access to it. There is a viewing room where you can look down upon the room and take pictures. It was closed because of a tour but I couldn't miss the opportunity to see the reading room and so, we joined the tour. There are 24 statues that represent Knowledge and its heroes. SO, so beautiful.

The Library also houses two very famous Bibles that are on display for visitors to see. One is the Gutenberg Bible, one of the first to come off the printing press and the other Bible, The Mainz Bible, is hand written and predates the Gutenberg by about 100 years. Both are beautiful books.

Fatal Incident Contest

2011-11-05T09:30:00.001-05:00

Fatal Incident Contest

Hometown Track Minnesota Author, Jim Proebstle and his publisher are giving away 3 copies of his book to Booksnob followers from the United States. This is an entertaining historical fiction novel that takes place during World War II. The Contest will end on November 30th.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
Minnesotan Nick Morgan overcomes the hardships of life during the Depression with the thrill of flying. The rush he shares with his soon-to-be wife, Martha, as they barnstorm small Midwestern towns offering plane rides for a dollar, forges a love for each other and a sense of freedom to last a lifetime. But in 1943, Nick must leave Martha, now pregnant, to become a WWII pilot in Alaska for the army's newly formed Air Transport Command. In this uncharted and inaccessible landscape, Nick joins U.S. forces, who have set up a strategic defense position against Japan, and an Lend-Lease supply program that trains Soviet pilots with U.S. aircraft for their war with Germany. The remoteness of Alaska also draws the attention of Manhattan Project scientists in New Mexico as a possible site for atomic bomb testing. When Nick Morgan and his Okie crop-duster copilot, Red, are tapped by the Manhattan Project for classified flying duty over the isolated Yukon Flats region, they have no idea that they will be caught up in a Soviet plot aimed at stealing top-secret bomb and test site development documents. After Nick's plane goes down in a botched hijacking attempt by a Russian agent, all three crewmembers and eighteen military passengers are presumed dead by the U.S. military.
A much-delayed recovery effort, however, reveals there to be at least one survivor, with many bodies missing from the crash site. This sparks a massive search to find the person who escaped with the documents, but a CIA cover-up to conceal the potentially disastrous breach in national security blocks all communication with survivor families in their need for information. Inspired by the true events of an Air Transport Command aircraft disaster in Alaska in 1944, Fatal Incident will attract any reader interested in conspiracy, espionage, and stories of love during wartime.

Contest Rules:
Fill out the form.
Leave a comment (I really love comments)
Must be a Booksnob follower
Must be a resident of the United States
Contest ends 11/30
Good Luck!!!
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The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis

2011-11-02T21:22:00.001-05:00

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis

Peter Sis is an acclaimed and award winning children's book author and illustrator. The Conference of the Birds is Peter Sis's first book for adults. Sis has adapted the 12th century epic poem written by Farid Ud-Din Attar from Persia and given it meaning for modern readers. Attar's original poem was published in A.D. 1177.

This is the first time I have ever read or heard of the Persian epic poem, The Conference of the Birds. This version of the poem is a visual masterpiece. The words are sparse but the artwork speaks volumes. The story begins when Attar dreams he is a hoopoe bird and calls a gathering of all the birds in the world. At the bird conference he tells them to look at all the troubles in the world and proposes a solution. The birds must go to find the true king, Simorgh, who has all the answers but he lives far away on the mountain of Kaf. The journey is perilous and beautiful as the birds struggle and strive to finish their story of flight. They travel through seven valleys: quest, love, understanding, detachment, unity, amazement, and death. The story of the journey of the birds mimics the human journey of life. For those that choose to read this book, it will deepen your understanding of the human mysteries, the joys and sorrows, and the lessons life has to offer.

The Conference of the Birds is a book that is timeless, a beautiful work of literary art. It is the type of book that collectors will want to keep on their shelf or coffee table and share with future generations. I plan to keep my copy in a special place and reread it from time to time. The illustrations are so beautiful and the images of birds compiled with the love of flight and feathers is so gratifying to me. Of course I am a huge fan of Peter Sis and his work, his children books are some of my favorites.

Quote by Hoopoe bird: When you feel empty, you have to open up your heart and let the wind sweep through it.

November - Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight

2011-11-01T17:54:00.000-05:00

November - Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.

I met this month's Minnesota author in a bookstore near my house, where Jim Proebstle was signing his books and talking to readers. Of course I was excited to learn that he is an author of historical fiction, MY Favorite genre and so I stood in line to meet him and see if he would agree to participate in the monthly author spotlight on my blog and thankfully he agreed. Yes!

Jim has two published novels, In The Absence of Honor and Fatal Incident.

Here are the synopsis from Goodreads:
In The Absence of Honor
When Jake Lorenz retreats to his family's cabin in the North Minnesota woods for the winter, he s looking for peace, quiet, and time to reflect on the loss of his wife and his job. But instead, he finds destruction and death--a gruesome murder scene on his very doorstep. The more he discovers about the death, the deeper he is drawn into a shadowy struggle for land, wealth, and power. There are forceful men who don t want him to search any further: the corrupt tribal council that controls the nearby Ojibwe casino, the secretive and antisocial plutocrat who owns half the peninsula, and the ruthless Indian Mafia, to name a few. But to save the community he loves, which is set in this harsh and lovely wilderness, Jake must battle personal demons and the deadly forces of man and nature to learn the truth. With origins dating back 200 years and outcomes that could appear in tomorrow's newspaper, In the Absence of Honor whisks readers through a tale of conspiracy, fraud, deception, and betrayal--that reverberate from a small northern community and Indian reservation to powerful forces in Washington, D.C.

Fatal Incident
Minnesotan Nick Morgan overcomes the hardships of life during the Depression with the thrill of flying. The rush he shares with his soon-to-be wife, Martha, as they barnstorm small Midwestern towns offering plane rides for a dollar, forges a love for each other and a sense of freedom to last a lifetime. But in 1943, Nick must leave Martha, now pregnant, to become a WWII pilot in Alaska for the army's newly formed Air Transport Command. In this uncharted and inaccessible landscape, Nick joins U.S. forces, who have set up a strategic defense position against Japan, and an Lend-Lease supply program that trains Soviet pilots with U.S. aircraft for their war with Germany. The remoteness of Alaska also draws the attention of Manhattan Project scientists in New Mexico as a possible site for atomic bomb testing. When Nick Morgan and his Okie crop-duster copilot, Red, are tapped by the Manhattan Project for classified flying duty over the isolated Yukon Flats region, they have no idea that they will be caught up in a Soviet plot aimed at stealing top-secret bomb and test site development documents. After Nick's plane goes down in a botched hijacking attempt by a Russian agent, all three crew members and eighteen military passengers are presumed dead by the U.S. military.
A much-delayed recovery effort, however, reveals there to be at least one survivor, with many bodies missing from the crash site. This sparks a massive search to find the person who escaped with the documents, but a CIA cover-up to conceal the potentially disastrous breach in national security blocks all communication with survivor families in their need for information. Inspired by the true events of an Air Transport Command aircraft disaster in Alaska in 1944, Fatal Incident will attract any reader interested in conspiracy, espionage, and stories of love during wartime.

This month you can expect an author interview with Jim Proebstle, a few guest posts, a contest and a book review of Fatal Incident. November in Minnesota is frequently cold and the snow has started to fall, it is also such a great time to curl up by the fire with a good book. I hope you will check out Jim Proebstle's website and his books at http://jimproebstle.com and add them to your To Be Read list. Have a great month!

October Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up and Giveaway

2011-10-31T20:39:00.000-05:00

October Author in the Spotlight Wrap-up and Giveaway.

The Tale of Halcyon Crane Giveaway Ends Today at Midnight!!!

October - Author in the Spotlight Wrap-Up.

October is coming to an end and tonight is All Hallows Eve. I would like to end October with a treat by highlighting Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight, Wendy Webb.

Today is the last day to enter the contest to win a copy of The Tale of Halcyon Crane. The contest ends at midnight tonight. The contest is open to people living in the U.S. that are current Booksnob followers. Good Luck and as always thanks for following Booksnob!

Click here to enter: The Tale of Halcyon Crane Contest

Check out my book review of The Tale of Halcyon Crane. The Tale of Halcyon Crane is Webb's first novel about a woman and her journey to uncover the truth about her past. The Tale of Halcyon Crane won the Minnesota Book Award for genre fiction in 2011. This is a good old fashioned ghost story, complete with witches, seances, family secrets and murder. It will definitely tingle your spine and keep you reading late into the night.

Book Review: The Tale of Halcyon Crane Book Review

Be sure to read the Author Interview with Wendy Webb, she describes why she believes in ghosts and the experiences of many of her readers. She also describes her experience winning the MN book award. She just finished the new novel she is writing and I can't wait to read it!

Author Interview: Wendy Webb Author Interview

As October comes to a close I would like to thank Wendy for being the October Minnesota Author in the Spotlight here on Booksnob. She is a talented writer and I look forward to reading her next book and working with her in the future. Please visit Wendy's website at http://www.wendykwebb.com and support her by reading her award winning book The Tale of Halcyon Crane.

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

2011-10-29T22:30:00.001-05:00

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

Anyone in the mood for a good ghost story and a giveaway?

Halcyon Crane grew up believing the story that her mother and all their belongings perished in a fire when she was five. He father alone raised her and she led a fairly ideal life. Jump ahead 30 years and she has just received a letter in the mail confirming her whole life has been a lie. Her mother has only recently died and sent a letter to her through her lawyer. Hallie is in shock and doesn't know what to believe and when her dad confirms her worst suspicions, she decides to investigate and go to her childhood home, a home she has no memory of.

Halcyon travels to a remote island in Great Lakes area and it is like traveling back in time. There are no motorized vehicles on the island and the place seems shrouded in mystery. Everyone keep staring at her and she keeps having visions of people that aren't there. Eventually Hallie begins to question what is real as she learns her true identity and the history of her family.

The Tale of Halcyon Crane is a good old fashioned ghost story complete with witches, graveyards, seances, secrets and murder. It is the perfect book for a bone chilling evening that will at once captivate you and transport you to another dimension. You may become so immersed in the story you might even see a ghost out of the corner of your eye and then question what you see, like Hallie.

Do you believe in ghosts? I do. I grew up in a haunted house and felt the presence of many different ghosts. I usually get a chill that travels from the tip of my toe to the top of my head when I am in the presence of one. It is an errie feeling to have and it doesn't happen very often. My favorite story to tell of the ghost in my house took place on my 13th birthday party sleepover. I told my friends the house was haunted and they didn't believe me. Immediately the lights in the room popped on and every girl screamed. The lights went off and on for several minutes. I think everyone believed me after that.

What about you? I would love to hear your ghost story or your opinion on ghosts. Do you believe we are surrounded by spirits?

If you would like to win a copy of this book please visit the contest link: The Tale of Halycon Crane Contest

The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris

2011-10-26T21:12:00.001-05:00

The Grace of Silence. A Family Memoir by Michele Norris

Every family keeps secrets that are hidden from the next generation. Whether intentional or not, some secrets are stories that never get told. These stories may explain or define who we are but stay hidden beneath layers of memory.

Michele Norris started out writing a book to explore hidden conversations about race and what she found were painful secrets her parents kept hidden from their children. This is Michele's journey to unearth the secrets of her past and find meaning and grace in her parent's choice to remain silent.

First Michele introduces us to her family and her life growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She then tells her grandmother's story and investigates her job as a traveling Aunt Jemima in the Midwest. Then Norris travels south to Alabama to learn why her father, a World War II veteran, was shot weeks after he arrived home by a white police officer in Birmingham.

Have you ever traced your family roots? Have you sat down with the elder generation of your family to ask questions? Each of us has a family story to tell and a generation of memories that make us who we are. After reading The Grace of Silence, I thought about the secrets my family has, the ones I've heard, the secrets I've told and the secrets I myself still keep. And I thought about race.

My grandfather had a secret that he took to his grave and I learned of it 13 years after his death. My grandfather fought in World War II and was in the 9th Army Air Force. He was in Belgium, occupying a castle with the Germans about 2 miles away. There was a bar many of the soldiers frequented during their time off and it was not segregated, so black and white soldiers could drink in the space together. This was normal for my grandpa because he lived in Minnesota where public places were not segregated. A fight broke out between a white soldier and a black soldier. The white soldier pulled out his gun and pointed it at the African American soldier and pulled the trigger. My grandpa happened to be near the area and I am not sure if he knew either man but he pushed the hand of the soldier with the gun away as the gun fired two shots. Both shots landed in the ceiling of the bar. My grandpa took this story, a heroic story in my opinion, to his grave. Why?

I learned this story from the women whose parents owned that bar in Belgium and who remained one of my grandfather's friends. My mom and I visited Maggie in 2004, about 13 years after my grandfather's death and she told us this story.

The Grace of Silence is a book that will get you thinking about race. Now is the time to take the initiative and start talking about race and break down the barriers and secrets that hold all of us in place.
It is time for change.

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

2011-10-24T19:33:00.000-05:00

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and The Olympians. Book Three.

Another riveting story from Rick Riordan. The Titan's Curse is the third book in the Percy Jackson series and it will not disappoint avid fans. Percy and his friends, Grover, Thalia and Annabeth meet up with Artemis and her virgin hunters to save the world. Annabeth disappears early in the story and it becomes Percy's mission to save his best friend from peril at the hands of his nemesis Luke. Several new characters and Greek gods enter the story and continue the drama as the Titan Lord sets his trap. Will Percy be the demigod that will fulfill the prophecy of Kronos's curse?

The ending is full of interesting surprises to keep young and mature readers up late into the night turning the pages. I read The Titan's Curse aloud to my children and enjoyed every minute of this action packed adventure. What I love about Percy is that he is an unlikely hero. He has ADHD and dyslexia, like both of my kids, and doesn't perform well at school but he has a gift to protect those that he loves and fights to keep them safe. Percy may not be the best student in school but he is a wonderful teenager with many gifts including a kind heart. Percy is the kind of character every mom loves.

Percy Jackson and The Olympians is one of my favorite series to read aloud to my kids. My kids are 13 and 10 now and we have read the series for the last three years. Next year we will start Book Four The Battle of the Labyrinth. It has been empowering for my children to read about a character that has ADHD and dyslexia and who faces the same challenges they do on a daily basis. My kids couldn't read a book this large quickly due to dyslexia and reading aloud is a positive alternative and makes for excellent listeners. My son and daughter have recently started taking on more challenging books and even thought it takes them a long time to finish, they persevere and they have built confidence much like the characters who have overcome challenges in the Olympian books. Thanks Rick Riordan for writing great books that kids love.

What books have you read aloud to your kids and would recommend?

Wendy Webb Author Interview and Giveaway

2011-10-18T22:54:00.001-05:00

Hey Booksnob Followers,
Do you like spooky ghost stories? Well, Wendy Webb, Minnesota Author in the Spotlight this month on Booksnob has answered some questions about her book, The Tale of Halcyon Crane, that will interest you. Readers, I am wondering, Do you believe in ghosts? Be sure to read Wendy Webb's answer.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m from Minneapolis and currently live in Duluth with my husband and our 100-pound Malamute, Molly. My son, Ben, is off to college this year. We also have a cabin on the Gunflint Trail, where we love to spend time.

What inspired you to write The Tale of Halcyon Crane?

We took a trip to Mackinac Island, which I find to be a very lovely place that’s also extremely eerie. Old, Victorian mansions, an ancient, crumbling cemetery, horse-drawn carriages clopping through the streets — it’s the perfect setting for a ghost story.

Usually an author puts some of his own life experiences in the book. Did you do that? Do you have anything in common with your characters?

I put my two dogs, Tundra and Tika, into the book as Madlyn’s dogs. They never met in life, Tika died before we got Tundra, and now both of them have passed away, but they’ll live together forever in the pages of my book.

This is your first book. Can you tell us why or when you decided to become a writer?

I’ve been a writer my whole life and I’ve spent my career as a journalist (I’m currently the editor of Duluth~Superior Magazine), but I’ve wanted to be an author since I was about 13 years old. To have that lifelong dream come true is quite a thrill for me.

Do you like to read? What authors or books influence you?

I’m reading all the time. Currently, it’s Louise Penney’s series of mysteries set in Quebec featuring the elegant and courtly chief inspector Armand Gamache. I highly recommend them! The book that has had the greatest influence on me is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle. I read it when I was a child, and it made me realize that I wanted to be a writer.

Are you currently working on a second novel and will you share part of the plot with us?

I just finished it! It’s similar in tone to Halcyon — it’s a mystery set in a big old house that’s filled with all sorts of secrets and strangeness.

Do you believe that ghosts are real or are they the work of a creative imagination?

I’ve always believed they were real, but now I’m certain of it. On my travels promoting this book over the past year, I found that the book discussion would often turn to the topic of ghosts. Countless numbers of people have told me their stories of ghostly encounters, visits from relatives who had passed away, and strange occurrences.

Your book contains the discovery of old family secrets. Do you feel some secrets are best kept silent or do you feel the truth must be told regardless the consequences?

This is an interesting question. I believe that some things are best left hidden, especially if there is nothing to gain and much to lose by bringing them to light. In a case like that, truth for truth’s sake is harmful.

The Tale of Halcyon Crane won the Minnesota Book Award for genre fiction this year. Can you describe your initial reaction when they called your name at the awards ceremony?

I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. My parents, my husband, my son and my closest friends were there with me, and when the presenter announced my name, they all erupted in shrieks and applause and more than a few tears. I’m truly grateful to have received such a prestigious honor for my first book, and the fact that the most important people in my life were there to experience it with me made it all the more special.

In one sentence tell readers why they should read The Tale of Halcyon Crane?

People should read it if they enjoy the chills that come from an eerie mystery, old family secrets long buried, and ghosts.

Thanks Wendy,

Booksnob followers if you are interested in winning a copy of Webb's book The Tale of Halcyon Crane please click here: The Tale of Halcyon Crane Contest

Laura

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

2011-10-14T21:44:00.001-05:00

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Before I go on a trip, I like to read a book or two that takes place in the area I am visiting. It helps me get to know the city, country or place from a literate point of view.

The Lost Symbol takes place in Washington D.C. and I am fortunate to be visiting there soon. The Lost Symbol is literally a tour of the D.C. area and it includes the symbolic history of the monuments complete with connections to the ancient world. This book has introduced me to places I now want to visit and awakened my excitement for traveling. Places like The Library of Congress, The National Cathedral (Darth Vader gargoyle), National Archives, Alexandria, Virginia and so much more.

The Lost Symbol is the 3rd book in the Robert Langdon series. The first two are Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code. This book continues the saga of Langdon, with murder, mystery, misconceptions, and the race to save the world from an unknown fate. It includes ancient languages, history, religion with particular focus on the founding fathers and Masonry. Brown never fails to surprise me with his plot twists and turns. Just when I think I figure the mystery out, something unexpected happens. Love him or hate him, a book by Dan Brown is an entertaining read especially if Robert Langdon is the main character.

I read the special illustrated edition of The Lost Symbol and it is beautifully done with real photos that enhance the learning and understanding of the reader. I wish more books were illustrated, so readers could see the connection to the real world the novel contains. Brown is an excellent teacher of hidden history and this book is a gem waiting to be discovered by those who love adventures in reading.

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margot Theis Raven

2011-10-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot. A True Story of the Berlin Airlift and The Candy that Dropped from the Sky by Margot Theis Raven
Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

This is a true story about a American pilot named Col. Gail S. Halvorson USAF and a little German girl named Mercedes Wild.

World War II has ended and the four allies, Russia, Great Britain, France and the United States all controlled parts of Berlin. Russia controlled East Berlin, while the three remaining countries controlled the three sectors of West Berlin. On June 24th, 1948 Stalin tried to take over control of all of Berlin, thereby creating a blockade of West Berlin by cutting off all routes to the city. The Allies did not want to start World War three and so they created a sky bridge and flew supplies day and night into West Berlin, known as The Berlin Airlift.

Mercedes is seven years old and lives in a bombed out section of West Berlin. Airplanes continuously roared overhead and her chickens were so scared they wouldn't lay the eggs her family desperately needed. The planes rained down supplies, like flour, clothing, coal and candy. One day, Mercedes mother read a story in the newspaper of the American pilot, Lt. Gail Halvorson who parachuted candy to the children of Berlin. He earned the nickname The Chocolate Pilot and people from all over America donated handkerchiefs for parachutes and candy for the children of Berlin. Mercedes decides to write him a letter.

Lt. Halvorson and the people of America who donated supplies to the Berlin Airlift brought hope to the people of Berlin. Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot is a beautiful work of art and a testament to the kindness and civility of people after World War II. President Truman said on that fateful day on June 24th, 1948 "There is no discussion. We stay in Berlin. Period." The Berlin Airlift lasted from June 26, 1948 to September 30, 1949.

I never knew this piece of history until I read this story and I am so glad I did. Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot was very moving and inspirational. It is a true story about the kindness of others that we all hope will be extended to us in our time of need. You need to buy some candy, read this book together with your family and enjoy this sweet and delicious story. Children's books are not just for kids.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2011-10-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire caught me by surprise several times with the many twists and unexpected turns it takes, leading the reader on a continuous adventure. The second book in The Hunger Games series starts out at a mild pace but quickly gains speed as Katniss and Peeta head out on their victory tour. President Snow has told Katniss to calm the people in the districts but they see Katniss as an inspiration and the mockingjay has become their symbol of rebellion. Katniss just wants to protect her family and do as she is told but things quickly spiral out of control and Katniss finds herself back in competition fighting for her life.

My son and I read this book in tandem, each with our own copy, talking about it everyday. My favorite memory reading Catching Fire is sitting on the patio swing with my son on a Sunday afternoon reading it quietly together. Another fun memory is when he was reading it in the car and at a stoplight I was reading over his shoulder, when the book revealed a secret I hadn't yet read. I love that this series by Collins reaches across generations and I can't wait to read the third book, Mockingjay, with my son. This book is not just for teenagers!

Katniss is one powerful young woman, capable of more than she gives herself credit for. Peeta is a inspiring, selfless young man who is smart on his feet. Suzanne Collins has created a unique cast of characters who instantly challenge you to search for their particular attributes and not judge them by their appearance. Catching Fire has a lot to offer to its readers as it is packed full of adventure, suspense, tainted love, confusion, violence and survival. It is Survivor reality show meets Ancient Roman Gladiators wrapped up in a novel that is sure to keep you reading late into the night.