Last Day to Enter - Author of the Month Contest

Last Day to Enter Author of the Month Contest.

The author of The Accidental King of Clark Street, Diane Dryden, is giving away 6 personalized copies to 6 winners. 
To enter please click on the link below:  The last day to enter is today until midnight, central time.  This contest is open internationally.  Good Luck!

The Accidental King of Clark Street by Diane Dryden

You can check out my review of the book here:

The Accidental King of Clark Street Book Review

You can read an interview with the author Diane Dryden here:

Interview with author Diane Dryden

Diane's second book is called Double or Nothing on Foster Ave.  She is currently working on her third novel set in Chicago.  The except below is from Good Reads:

Double or Nothing on Foster Ave.
All she wants is a life of her own...and maybe love along the way. Sarah Gold's got roommate problems, but she's not about to admit it to her overbearing parents, who think she can't make any decisions for herself. They weren't crazy about her living alone in the big city of Chicago anyway. "Why not settle down with a nice Jewish boy?" her mother constantly argues. But Sarah longs for something more-to change the world in even a small way. Through a chance encounter at a local diner, she finds a huge Victorian brick boarding house run by the grandmotherly Sophie. Young people come and go, as they make their way in life. Could this makeshift family be what Sarah's been longing for? A place that's safe enough to put the missing piece of her past to rest? A heartwarming, coming-of-age love story. The second book in Diane Dryden's Chicago series. Don't miss Book One, The Accidental King of Clark Street. 

I hope you have enjoyed meeting new author, Diane Dryden, and learning about two great new books on the market.  Please support Diane and read her books.

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

This is the unforgettable true story of Jeannette Walls experience growing up.  Her family is unique and completely crazy and amazing at the same time.  I wondered the whole time how each child managed to survive their childhood physically and mentally intact.  I would label this book memorable, shocking, funny, inspiring, sad and extraordinary.

Memorable:  The most memorable part of the book for me is when the family is  traveling down the road in their car called Elvis and the Jeannette's dad makes a sharp turn and the backseat car door opens and Jeannette falls out of the car and lands on the gravel road.  She has pebbles embedded in her face and on her skin and she begins to pick them out as she sits on the curb to wait for her parents to figure out she is no longer in the car and then make the drive back to get her.  She wonders the whole time if they will come back for her and after a long wait bleeding by the side of the road, she sees their car approach.

Shocking:  Jeannette's Paternal Grandmother shocked me.  She was a large woman who lived in a falling down house, who kept a bottle of hooch in her housecoat dress.  She was smelly, drunk all the time, mean, ugly and abusive to her grandchildren and probably abused Jeannette's Dad when he was a child.

Funny:  There were instances of humor throughout the book but usually they were funny in a sad sort of way.  The part that sticks in my mind is that Jeannette's mother made her father attend church and he hated it.  Because he hated it and was frequently drunk during mass he made crazy comments that got him and the whole family kicked out of church like this one on page 114. The quote comes from Christmas mass.   "Virgin, my ass!" Dad shouted.  "Mary was a sweet Jewish broad who got herself knocked up!"

Inspiring:  All of the kids were gifted and their parents taught them to read by the time they were three years old.  Each of the four children were extremely independent, self-sufficient and smart as they were frequently left to fend for themselves.  Their dad took them on great adventures with his wild imagination and taught them quantum physics.  These children were deeply loved!

Sad:  The saddest part for me pervades the entire book when you realize how hungry these kids were everyday and that their mother and father refused to get welfare or food stamps.   Jeannette and her brother had to dig in the garbage at school for their lunch.  Search for their dinner in the woods.  One time they noticed their mother eating something and hiding it in her bed while everyone was crazy with hunger.  They found her hiding a chocolate bar under the covers.  The kids then split it four ways.

Extraordinary:  This is one extraordinary family and one extraordinary story to engage in.  I encourage you to read it and to find the extraordinary in your everyday existence.

Lucy's Hero. Remembering Paul Wellstone

Lucy's Hero.  Remembering Paul Wellstone by Karen Shragg
Illustrations by Bryan Klotz

Today is October 25th and it marks the anniversary of the deaths of United States Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, daughter Marcia,  three campaign workers, Tom, Will and Mary, and two pilots whose plane went down in Northern Minnesota in 2002. The announcement of their deaths played over the radio at 1pm as I was driving to pick up my kids.  I remember that I had to pull over to the side of the road due to the tears in my eyes.  I did not personally know Paul or Sheila Wellstone but Marcia and I taught high school together at South High in White Bear Lake for a few years.  Paul Wellstone was a great senator and a great man and his loss meant that he would no longer be working for a better future for Minnesotans.  It was such as sad day. 

Lucy's Hero is a children's book that remembers Paul Wellstone as a hero to many Minnesotans.  Lucy is a fictional character but the details of Wellstone's senate race, the little green bus that could, and many other remembrances are real to many people.  Paul is Lucy's hero because when she writes to him to help her and other farmers in need of emergency aid, he follows through and helps her family keep their farm.  Lucy helps Paul campaign and when she learns of his death, heads to Saint Paul to grieve with others at his campaign headquarters.  It really is a lovely story.

Paul Wellstone taught Political Science at Carleton College, in Northfield, MN and his daughter Marcia taught high school Spanish.  Paul's students dared him to run for political office and that is when he bought a little green bus and drove it all over the state to campaign for the U. S. Senate.  It was a grassroots movement that Minnesota hasn't seen since.

I read this book aloud to my junior and senior Government class. Their current assignment is to write a children's book to teach concepts of Government and this book, I hoped, would prove inspiring as well as teach them about Paul Wellstone and his legacy.  Happily, one of my student chose the topic of how to become a U.S. Senator as the subject of her book.  I am going to continue to read this book to my Government classes and I plan to donate a copy to the school library where my own children attend school.  It is a important book that shares a legacy of a man, that all children should know.

Fallout

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Fallout is the heart-wrenching conclusion of Kristina Snow's addiction to meth and its effects on her family.  Told from the point of view of three of her five children, Hopkins dares to drag us where fiction rarely goes.  Hunter, Autumn and Summer's stories interweave in the book with an interpersonal look at the depth of how addiction has shaped their three lives.

Can Kristina's three children break the cycle of addiction or are they doomed to follow in their mother's footsteps?  Footsteps that will lead them to a life doomed with failed relationships, abuse, sex, drugs, arrests and illnesses.  Or will they be able to build a life that is different and learn from their mother's mistakes?  This book is a testament to the power drugs and addiction hold over the lives of our loved ones.
 
The first books in the trilogy are Crank and Glass.  All three of these books are based on the author's personal story of dealing with her daughter's addiction to meth.  These three amazing books have hit their mark in my personal life as well because many of my family members struggle with addictions of one type or another.  As a high school teacher, I see students every day who have been affected by drugs and are experimenting themselves.  I try to help but basically I am rendered powerless with my hands tied behind my back.  It is so frustrating.

This is the first time in my life where I actually went out and bought a book the week it came out and read it within the month.  Most of the time, I wait until a book reaches paperback before I buy it and then it lingers on my shelf awhile.  Fallout was an awesome reading experience and I am glad I didn't wait another few years to pick it up and read it.  Take my advice, read this trilogy!  Don't wait.

Interview with Diane Dryden-Hometown Author in the Spotlight

Interview with Diane Dryden: Hometown Author in the Spotlight.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I lived in Chicago for 28 years and now I live in the little City of Shell Lake, population 1,400. My husband and I have three children and eight grandchildren. I adore reading, gardening and cooking and all the things required of a true country woman.

2. What is the inspiration behind the story of The Accidental King of Clark Street?

The Accidental King of Clark Street oddly enough reflects life in the country. When my family and I moved north, we were lulled with the promise of ‘Five Acres and Freedom,’ or at least that’s what one of the most popular books said we’d have. It was the end of the sixties and many people were leaving city life and going back to the land to be self-sufficient. It was hard work with no money but we made it and I think that’s why many of my homeless people in all three books make it too. There’s just something in the human spirit that steals itself, grits its teeth and makes the worst circumstances work, especially if someone reaches out and gives them a hand up, not just a hand out.

3. Why did you decide to place your novels in Chicago and particularly on Clark Street?

Every Christmas the women in my family would venture to the section of Chicago’s Clark Street that was called Andersonville due to the vast amount of Swedes and Norwegians who settled there after coming over on the boat. I had a great aunt and uncle who lived in the narrow streets behind the shops in Andersonville, and we visited the area to buy the special foods that graced our Swedish Christmas Eve table. I grew up with the sights, the sounds and the smells of Sweden, right there in the city. They always say write what you know, and I knew Chicago.

4. What is Clark Street like today in 2010?

Because Clark Street is located in a large city, it looks pretty much today as it did then because there is no place to build anything new. The last time I was there this past March, all the Swedish shops and bakeries and delis were gone. The area is now replete with Greek and Indian owners. The Swedish Children’s Museum is still there and as much fun as ever. It’s very sad, but the memories are even sweeter now. Kind of like an old boyfriend.

5. Why did you decide to use the issue of Homelessness as a theme or backdrop in your book?

I believe that all some people need is a helping hand to help turn their lives around. Not everybody, but some. There are people who like their troubled circumstances, whatever they are, because it evokes sympathy for a while and some people are not willing to do the hard things to change their lives. Cop out is easy and after a while, no one expects anything of you. It’s a choice to succeed or not and I would imagine everyone knows someone who always acts like the preverbal victim.

6. What are some of the other issues in the book that you hope your readers will interpret as integral to the story?

The most important thing I want to convey in all my books is a sense of companionship. The circumstances of life are constantly changing; fellow employees move on, neighbors come and go and today even family members come and go. But there is something special when you can connect with others, even if it’s just for a short time. Everyone leaves an impression on someone else and small acts of kindness can make a bigger impression than we will ever know.

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

After a life of playing around with writing, stories I never pursued to publish and things written for my own pleasure, our county newspaper, a ma and pa operation, hired me on a story to story basis because they didn’t have time to cover events or interview the public. Shortly thereafter the paper was purchased by a larger paper and they asked if I wanted to stay on. I’ve been writing feature stories full time since then. I also realized that if you delved beneath the surface of others, everyone has a story. I decided that I would like to make up my own people and give them stories of their own.

8. What did you do before your career as an author?

I’ve been one of those people who love working but I like a variety. I’m a certified optician from my Chicago days and I still work in the optical field when a local ophthalmologist’s office needs me. I also owned a catering service for over 20 years and a restaurant for four and I’ve probably made over 400 wedding cakes. This proves I like to cook!

9. Your characters strike me as regular people.  Did you model your characters after people you know?

All the characters in the books are either like people I know or a composite of people I’ve met. Writing also takes a life of its own and sometimes I have characters walk into a book that I don’t like, and I get rid of them as soon as possible, others I keep. The odd balls remind me of people in my own life who drove me nuts. I like regular people’s stories because they’re more interesting that rich people who have the tendency to talk on and on about themselves, while patting themselves on the back. Regular people struggle, and that’s what makes them who and what they are. Because both Mayor Daley’s have played such a huge part in Chicago’s history  for over 40 years, I had to write in Richard J, the first mayor, into the book. I sent a copy to his son, Richard M, and he sent back the nicest note of thanks. I mean, the mayor of Chicago sent me a thank you note? Way cool.

10. Is this book a part of a series or does each of your books stand alone?

There are three books in the series. They all take place in Chicago, the city I still love with a passion and visit as often as I can. The first two books take place on the north side, which are, The Accidental King of Clark Street and Double or Nothing on Foster Avenue, and the last one takes place on the south side and its titled Scott Free in Chinatown. It would be best to read them as a series, but they’re all stand alone books too. Each book ends with a twist, so you might not want to read the last chapter first.

11. Can you tell us a bit about your 2^nd book and give us an idea on what your 3^rd book will be about?

The second book carries through with several of the main characters while adding others. It’s a strange analogy, but the first book was like putting long hair up in a pony tail; grab it in one bunch and tie it up. The second book was more like braiding. Divide the hair into three sections and weave them together. The third book was more like French braiding. Start at the top, weave in some side pieces to the main braid and keep repeating the adding of the side hair to the main braid until you reach the bottom. The books got harder to write because I didn’t want to drop off key characters from the previous book so I kept weaving them in. Believe me; it’s not easy to do. A few key characters were introduced in book one and they are still in book three.

12. Please tell us in one sentence why we should read, The Accidental King of Clark Street.

The nicest compliments I’ve received came from a number of people who all said the same thing when the book was over, they all wanted to stay on Clark Street and live with the characters forever and be a part of their world.

The Book of Unholy Mischief

The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

In the deliciously, creative book of historical fiction, Elle Newmark uses books as theme and backdrop for her chapters.  I am going to try to emulate her style in this book review.

The Book of Culinary Delight
This book made my mouth water as I read about the enticing recipes made by the two main characters in the book.  The chef is Amato Ferrero and his apprentice is Luciano and they work in the palace kitchen.  The chef teaches his apprentice the meaning of life through the food they cook, which enriches the souls and minds of the people they cook for.  The magical chef holds secrets to creating culinary masterpieces.

The Book of  the Five Senses
The story takes place during the Renaissance in Venice, Italy during the year of 1498.  If you are a lover of Venice, then you must read this book to evoke the memory of Venice as it was 500 years ago.  Venice is evoked in sight by the lovely canals, the dank, dark alleys, the beautiful palaces and the rows of food at the market.  Smell is evoked by the scent of salt and fish in the air, as well as the smell of the homeless children who roam the streets. The garbage is swept into the canals while perfumed noble men walk by. Taste the peaches and pomegranates the market has to offer, the delicious food stolen or dug out of garbage cans for the hungry.  Try one of the dishes the palace chef has created.  Touch the juicy peaches and feel the measure of hard work in your palm as you embroider, cook, fish, and carry wood to make a living.  It is so luxurious to have a job and earn your own money.  Hear the seagulls as they cry, listen to the drunks on the street, the meat and onions sizzle in the pan while your mouth waters.  You are hungry again.

The Book of Unholy Mischief
Word on the street is that there is a book hiding in Venice, that holds secrets.  Secrets about the past, about the gospels, about eternal life.  People will pay a lot of money and will give titled positions to anyone who can find it.  No one is safe.  The dungeons are filling up with people who are questioned to death.  Most people cannot read or write and if you do you could be a suspect.  Books are starting to be mass produced on the newly invented printing press.  Ideas can be deadly, new ingredients scary and you need to watch your back.  Beware!

The Book and Booksnob
I started reading this book the week I visited the Renaissance festival here in town.  This really helped me evoke time and place when reading the book.  I started to use some of the author's Italian exclamations in my everyday speech, Marrone! for awhile and I dreamt about lots of delicious food.  As a history teacher, I can't wait to share this book with my class and add it to the reading list. 

The Accidental King of Clark Street

The Accidental King of Clark Street by Diane Dryden

Imagine Chicago in the 1960's, once bustling neighborhoods are now falling into disrepair, new immigrants are moving into the neighborhoods, the U.S. will pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Vietnam war is coming and President Kennedy has been shot.  Amongst the turmoil of the 1960's you have regular people trying to carry on their daily lives.

Meet Leon McKee.  He is a man in his 50's who has just lost his wife and becomes stuck in neutral.  He can't pay his bills, he can't bear to be home along with her memory, he is stagnated.  Thus Leon becomes a homeless man with a home he no longer wants to visit.  He takes a job as a night watchman at a laundry mat on Clark Street.

Leon meets Vivian, the manager of Band Box Cleaners and they form a friendship that transforms their lives as well as the neighborhood of Clark Street.

This book touches on the important issue of Homelessness in the 1960's as well as focusing on how a community can support and transform lives.  I really came away with a strong appreciation for community and how we each have a duty to help others if we can.  The characters were all simple regular people trying to live their lives the best way they knew how, struggling to do what they thought was best and trying to be happy. The characters could really be any one of us.

The Twin Cities Book Festival

The Twin Cities Book Festival

The Twin Cities Book Festival is sponsored by Rain Taxi, a magazine that reviews books.  The Book fair was held yesterday, October 16th, at  Minneapolis Community Technical College.  I found out about this book event through a flyer at Borders bookstore and knew immediately that I wanted to attend.  This is the first time I attended the event and am glad I did.  It was a great time for me to network, meet authors and publishers and promote Booksnob. 

I talked to lots of fabulous authors, visited with some great local presses, received 10 copies of books to review and set up some future authors to be in the Hometown Track Spotlight.  It was a super exciting day!  Very productive.  Unfortunately I ran out of business cards before I made it through the exhibits, so I missed about two rows of authors and publishers but my daughter was ready to go and my hands were full.

Here is a list of authors I talked to and a list of books I received.
Books:
The Cigar Maker by Mark Carlos McGinty
Elvis and Olive by Stephanie Watson
The Butterfly Key by Andrew D. Neudecker
A Hmong Boy's Story by Yakao Yang
Finger Prints by Will Dinski
The Accidental Adult by Colin Sokolowski
Lucy's Hero.  Remembering Paul Wellstone by Karen Shragg
What's on Kolburn's Mind? by Kolburn Kersten
Far Arden by Kevin Cannon
Red Shift, Blue Shift.  The Pendulum of Time by Leslie Peterson

Authors:  I talked to a lot of authors yesterday including almost all of the author above whose books are listed.  Here are a few authors that will be featured in the author spotlight in 2011 not listed above.
Elissa Elliott
Brian Duren

The Sea of Monsters

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is my favorite 7th grade hero right now.  What I love about Percy is that he has ADHD, Dyslexia and is a demi-god.  My son and the author's son also have ADHD and Dyslexia and I think I have my son convinced he is a demi-god. My son faces challenges that other kids don't have to and so when a great character comes along in a book that faces similar challenges with courage, the book earns a big thumbs up.

Percy has just begun 7th grade at a new school and the year starts out great since no one has tried to kill him yet.  During gym class, he ends up playing a death match game of Dodge Ball and is forced to escape to Camp Half Blood for fear of being eaten by Cannibals.  (I loved this chapter).  Camp Half Blood is changed as Thalia's tree is poisoned and dying, Chiron is being blamed and forced to quit, Grover is dressed in a wedding gown ready to be married and eaten by his betrothed Cyclops and Percy must set off with Annabeth to the Sea of Monsters to save Grover and the camp.  It is a rollicking wild adventure and so much fun to read.  I only wish I could go to camp half blood. 

I read this book aloud to my two children this summer and just finished.  So it took me about 4 months to read 279 pages, complete with my unique voices.  I love Greek Mythology and I love that this series includes the myths with modern twist.   My kids are learning a lot and I have paired these books with George O'Connor's graphic novels on Zeus and Athena. 

If Percy Jackson and Harry Potter were to duel, I would be standing behind Percy rooting him on.  I cannot wait to read more of Percy's adventures. 

Contest: The Accidental King of Clark Street

Contest:  The Accidental King of Clark Street by Diane Dryden

Diane Dryden, Hometown Track Author in the Spotlight for the month of October has graciously chosen to give away 6 personalized copies of her first book: The Accidental King of Clark Street to Booksnob followers.

The contest is open internationally and until midnight (central time) on October 31st, 2010. 

Here is the information from the back of the book via Goodreads:

Life, for Leon McKee, was going nowhere. A widower at 50, he began walking the streets of Chicago to take up the lonely hours. Then, answering an ad in the newspaper for a night watchman in a Laundromat, he meets a woman who has accepted her dull life as what she expects to have at her age. But they are both wrong. Their lives and worlds are turned upside down as a series of events change them.and the neighborhood of Clark Street. The Accidental King of Clark Street proves that love can come the second time around. Or is it really the first time, as it blossoms and grows? The most unusual, poignant story of love and transformation you'll ever read! 

Please fill out the form: