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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Sherlock Holmes quotes

"That cold, incisive, ironical voice could belong to but one man in all the world."
Watson on Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles.


Monday, December 16, 2013

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Imagine a ruined house, an inheritance, a mysterious set of feral twins, a topiary garden, a murder, a ghost--these are just some of the Gothic elements that permeate The Thirteenth Tale.
 
Vida Winter, a successful novelist, contacts the bookish narrator, Margaret Lea, because she has one more tale to tell--the titular 13th tale. For years she has created falsehoods rather than reveal her past. She tell Margaret Lea she intends to tell the truth, at last, before the "wolf" catches her.

The Thirteenth Tale is a Gothic novel that explores how secrets and dark obsessions can destroy a family. More than that, however, it playfully looks at the slippery notion of self-hood--the small and cataclysmic changes that affect us and shake our identity.

If the novel is about abandonment--there's more than one abandoned child; it is, joyfully, also about reclaiming your family and your place in the world. 

Fans of this novel might enjoy seeing BBC a mini-series adaptation starring Olivia Holman and Lynn Redgrave. Setterfield's latest novel is Bellman and Black: a Ghost Story.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

The Lost City of Z

The Lost City of Z by David Grann.

Soon to be a motion picture, this non-fiction narrative gives a detailed account of Col. Fawcett's last perilous trek into the Amazons. Fawcett, his son, and a friend mysteriously disappeared while searching for a lost civilization.

Grann, a journalist, interposes Fawcett's tale with his own adventures (and those of others) who sought answers about Fawcett's disappearance.

Fawcett was an accomplished amateur explorer who had been trained by the Royal Geographic Society.

Grann strikes the right balance between describing Fawcett's accomplishments and his romanticism and obsessions. Though early expeditions were focused on map-making, Fawcett became convinced of the existence of advanced Amazonian city lost in the jungle.

Though many people searched for the missing explorer, he disappeared in 1925. Some of his effects were found among various Indian tribes but it was his custom to give gifts as peace-making offerings. 

Unlike other explorers, Fawcett approached Indians unarmed and cultivated friendships with the most dangerous tribes. His tactics required great courage and specialized knowledge.

Fawcett's actions led the way for archaeologists to discover pre-Columbian settlements. While these were settlement  were different from the stone ruins he pictured, they quite possibly may have been the civilization Fawcett was searching for all along.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The Real World of Sherlock Holmes

The Real World of Sherlock Holmes by Peter Costello.

Front Cover

Costello gives a fascinating look at Sherlock Holmes' creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the real mysteries he investigated. Trained as a doctor, Doyle became fascinated by forensics of the day as taught by Dr. Joseph Bell. What is lesser known, however, is that average citizens contacted Doyle to help solve cases. Just like his legendary literary counterpart, Sherlock Holmes, Doyle solved cases and vindicated the innocent.

Sherlock Holmes is more popular than ever in movies and miniseries. PBS has a Fall 2013 two-hour special, How Sherlock Changed the World and the BBC has the popular Sherlock set in contemporary times.

Forensic magazine

For those interesting in writing crime fiction, here is a must read!
http://www.forensicmag.com/

I just discovered this magazine recently and its filled with useful information for the would-be crime writer.

 Latest issue below:
October/November 2013

Thursday, October 24, 2013

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker


The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic is an enjoyable, comic fantasy. During a particularly low point in her life, Graduate student, Nora Fischer, finds herself accidentally transported to a magical world.

Among the Faitoren, Nora feels happy and loved but this is just an illusion. The Faitoren use magic to con and betray her. Fortunately, she is rescued by Aruendiel, a magician, and the two develop a complicated friendship.

In Aruendiel's domain and in other non-Faitoren places, women have traditional roles, much like they did in 18th-century England. Women cook, clean, bear children but aren't expected to get an education or learn magic. This leaves Nora, who is highly educated and naturally curious, in a quandary.

In addition, no one seems to know what Nora's role should be. She's not humble enough to be a servant. Conversely, she's not wealthy or well-connected enough to become a lady-at-court. Unfit for marriage in her own world, Nora finds that she is also unfit for marriage in this magical place.

Nora continually challeges the the treatment of women and rules about social status. She does this all the while studying magic and even returning the favor Areundiel once did for her. When a passage opens, however, that allows her to return to her own world, Nora once again feels conflicted. Should she return to her family or stay in this magical world where she is beginning to feel accepted?

Many questions are left unanswered in this magical adaption of Pride and Prejudice. Hopefully, Barker intends to write a sequel.

Similar titles: The Magician by Lev Grossman and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke. 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession



The Bookman's Tale is a literary mystery that spans centuries. As its core, the books explores the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. Most concur that Shakespeare is the single author but anti-Stratfordists claim that Francis Bacon or that Christopher Marlowe authored the plays. 

To its credit, The Bookman's Tale unmasks several additional puzzles. In the present century, Peter who is still grieving for his late wife, discovers a watercolor portrait of her in a rare book. What puzzles him is the watercolor portrait was taken during the Victorian era and it bears the initials "B.B."

A second thread, interwoven with the contemporary story, involves seventeenth century London characters.  A particularly avaricious bookseller acquires a rare edition of Pandosto--a source for Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale.

Binding these two stories together is a Victorian mystery involving the proper ownership of the Pandosto and other rare documents, some of which are cleverly forged.

A divisive feud among the Aldersons and Gardners results in animosity and vengeance. Hanging in the balance, is the Victorian era portrait of a woman brushing her hair and her mysterious connection to Peter's deceased wife.

Verdict:
The novel is tailor made for bibliophiles and mystery fans. If you like The Bookman's Tale, try Possession by A.S. Byatt.






Related books:
Byatt, A.S. Possession.
Cook, Judith. Roaring Boys: Shakespeare's Rat Pack.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World.
Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare.


Sunday, October 13, 2013

New! Writing Contest.

Believe it or not, there's no entry fee.

Deadline: 7 January 2014

2013 RRofihe Trophy for an unpublished short story is now accepting entries. Minimum word count: 3,500; maximum to 5,000 words. Winner receives $500 cash and a trophy. Announcement and publication on anderbo.com.

2013 CONTEST READER: JEAN HARTIG

Jean Hartig is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. She is former associate editor of Poets & Writers Magazine and has served on the editorial staff of A Public Space and Lumina, published by Sarah Lawrence College, where she earned her MFA.

GUIDELINES:
  • Stories should be typed, double-spaced, with the author’s name, the story's title, and contact information on the first page
  • Submissions must be received by January 7th, 2014
  • Limit one submission per author
  • Author must not have been previously published in Open City Magazine or on Anderbo
  • E-mail submissions to editors@anderbo.com with RROFIHE TROPHY in the subject line
  • You must submit your story-manuscript entry within the body of the e-mail—no attachments!
  • There is no reading fee and all literary rights will remain with the author
CONTEST JUDGE: RICK ROFIHE

Contest Judge Rick Rofihe is the author of FATHER MUST, a collection of short stories published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Grand Street, Open City, Swink, Unsaid, and on epiphanyzine, slushpilemag, and fictionaut. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, SPY, and The East Hampton Star, and on mrbellersneighborhood. A recipient of the Whiting Writers’ Award, he has taught MFA writing at Columbia University. He currently teaches privately in New York City, and was an advisor to the Vilcek Foundation for their 2011 prizes in the field of literature. Rick is the Editor of Anderbo.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Questions/ submissions: editors@anderbo.com

Website: http://www.anderbo.com

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

Gaiman is a master at creating magical stories and this novel is no exception. In this sad, but enchanting story there are "fleas," "varmints," and a diabolical babysitter.

 A "flea" is a monster who embeds a path into its victims that allows it to escape from its own world. Though the boy does not realize it, imprinted on his heart is a portal. The "flea" uses him to gain access to him and his family, nearly destroying them in the process. A "varmint" is a large bird-like creature that is essentially a scavenger. 

George puts his trust in Lettie and her pond, which she calls an ocean. Together they battle the "flea" and the "varmints" that hunt them. Will Lettie's magic and the healing powers of the ocean be enough to save them?


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt

Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt.
A car wreck nearly ruins a young photographer's life in this riveting novel. A runaway at 15, Isabelle becomes a successful photographer. She marries but never has what she yearns for--a child.
 
When her she learns her husband has been cheating on her, she runs away again. Unfortunately, Isabel's car collides with an approaching car while driving down a lonely, fog-filled backroad near Hartford.

Pictures of You offers a tantalizing mystery. What was April, the other driver, running away from? Why was her car faced in the wrong direction? Why was she standing in the middle of the road? 

Horrified that a young mother has died, Isabelle tries to make a connection with the victim's family. Slowly, as they heal, Charlie and Sam, grow to love Isabelle. Complicating matters, however, is Sam's asthma and his tendency to romanticize the ordinary. Sam is conviced that Isabelle is an angel who can help him reconnect with his deceased mother.

Pictures of You is A bittersweet story about second chances, overcoming fear, and finding love.

http://carolineleavitt.com/
 


 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Advice for Writers

Advice for Writers:
http://blogs.douglascountylibraries.org/thewire/

Friday, September 13, 2013

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth. Cold Light is an amazing book that takes readers for a dark ride. Primarily a mystery, Cold Light is also a psychological exploration into the minds and psyches of three British school girls.

Lola is friends with a much more popular girl, Chloe, who often gets in trouble. Lola, also known as Laura, has to clean up all of Chloe's messes. Even though Lola knows she's being played, she thinks it beats the
alternative--being thrown down the stairs and bullied by the other teenagers in her form.

Meanwhile another girl, Emma, is rallying to take Lola's place as Chloe's best friend. Chloe has already been distancing herself from Lola by spending time with an older man, her boyfriend, Carl.

Lola does not like Carl or Emma's intrusions but what disturbs her most is what happens in the park on Boxing Day. Add to the mix, a flasher tormenting the community and a missing person who may or may not be the flasher. 

A novel about friendship, secrets, trust, betrayal, and misplaced loyalty. The novel surprises with many reversals. Those who appear guileless are actually crafty and those who seem sophisticated are actually naïve. The young girl at the center of the story, Lola, feels responsible for two deaths. In fact, she is not culpable for these deaths but is quite possibly responsible for the demise of two others.
 
When asked what she wants to do for a science project, Lola responds without thinking too much about it, "Ice." Ice will play an important part in this story as will light. Lola's father's who displays early signs of dementia is enthralled by bioluminescent sea animals. Lola's father suffers from the delusion that he is a scientific researcher and readies himself to go on a scientific expedition. 
 
This is in a sense what Ashworth puts readers on--a scientific expedition to discover the truth of how Chloe died. Ashworth has written a surprising, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking novel.

If you like this novel, you may also enjoy Alex Marwood's Wicked Girls. 
 

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

A Certain Slant of Light

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.


Whitcomb begins with an intriguing premise. What if, after you died, your spirit continues to linger among those living on earth for years to come? What if one of the ones called Light found a recently abandoned body and decided to inhabit it?

After a boy overdoses on drugs, James enters Billy's body. Though James is far older than a teenager, he becomes "Billy" to all those around him. As Billy, James can "see" Helen in his high school classroom, even though no one else can.

Helen is a first flustered and then delighted to be able to communicate with someone. For 130 years, she has simply lived as Light, haunting people she calls Hosts. Her last host was Billy's teacher, Mr. Brown, but everything changes after Billy/James can see her.

Helen and James become romantically involved, with James urging Helen to borrow a body, too. Though she has qualms about it, she borrows the body of a teenage girl. With their borrowed bodies each of them begins to have memories of their previous lives. James had been a soldier and Helen had been a mother of a two-year-old.

Helen and James both know they cannot keep the bodies they inhabit, so they devise a way to help the departed return.

This a young adult novel with a lot to offer to adults and teenagers. Characters, especially James, are well-developed and believable. The premise, though far-fetched, is one that intrigues and, in the end, delights.





Monday, August 19, 2013

Formatting for Short Stories

Here's a quick and easy way to find the proper format. Article was written by William Shunn.
http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

In a decidedly different novel, Bohjalian seems to continue the Gatsby story where Fitzgerald left off. Gatsby has been dead for decades but his presence still looms large. His house on the cove, that looks like a castle, has been converted to a swim club.

In a book that explores mental illness, nothing is as it seems. Bobbie Crocker, a homeless man, is convinced that people are after him for his collection of photographs. 

After his death, a young social worker examines the photographs and determines that they have artistic value. Before Bobbie Crocker was homeless he worked off and on for Life magazine. No one recognizes the humanity of the homeless but Bobby's collection might changes their minds. Recognizing this, Laurel aims to curate a show of Bobby's photographs.

Laurel spends all of her free time in University of Vermont's dark room printing negatives and hiding the collection from those who want to steal it. But is all as it seems? Laurel's friends began to worry about her sanity as she begins her solitary trek to resolve the mystery of Bobbie Crocker. 

While this is a novel that challenges readers and offers a unique point of view, I'm not sure that Bohjalian really pulls it off. For the most part, we are told about Bobby but do not really seem him interact with the characters. Readers do not know much about him as a person. 

Bohjalian uses real photographs from a real homeless persons' collection  (Bob "Soupy" Campbell). While that is an interesting blend of fiction with real circumstances, the narrative falls short. 



Monday, July 22, 2013

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans.

A man reduces his life to the basics, by selling everything and taking a walk across the country, after his wife dies. He hears tales from various people living in Washington State, including a woman, who runs a Bed and Breakfast, who has had out-of-body experiences.

After being attacked by thugs, Alan has an out-of-body experience himself. Will he find what he's looking for? Will a woman he meets by chance, nicknamed Angel, help him?



Miles to Go is the second book in the series.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Shirley Jackson Award Winners

Almost everyone is familiar with the chilling short story penned by Shirley Jackson, "The Lottery." In May of 2013, the author's estate has established an award for outstanding achievement in the suspense and horror genres.

Shirley Jackson Award Winners for outstanding novels:
 
Evenson, Brian. Immobility.
Flynn, Gillian. Gone Girl.
Kiernan, Caitlin. The Drowning Girl.
LaValle, Victor. The Devil in Silver.
Suzuki, Koji. Edge.




Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Book of Someday

The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon.

The lives of three women, Livvi, Micah, and AnnaLee, collide in this fascinating, fast-paced novel by Dianne Dixon. One object--a photograph of a woman in a silver dress and pearl-button shoes--holds a clue about their past and future.  

Broken and needy, Livvi, seeks love that she never received from her father and absent mother. As a child, the most loving family was the family she viewed through a telescope across the street. Will she find love and acceptance with Andrew or is he selling her a bunch of lies?

Beautiful and ambitious, Micah is a famous photographer with a guilty conscience. Diagnosed with a life threatening illness, Micah makes a point of revisiting everyone she has hurt in the past. She hopes to make amends but her journey takes her on an unexpected collision course.

AnnaLee is a stay-at-home mother who desperately wants to launch her husband's career. AnnaLee has to sell her valuables bit by bit to stay financially afloat. Is opening her heart to a rebellious teen who needs direction a mistake?

This is a satisfying read -- one that makes readers think about the conscious and unconscious choices they make in their lives. For some, life is shaped entirely by the past, but for a courageous few, the putty of life can be shaped by their own choices. The Book of Someday makes readers think about the big questions.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto

Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto.

In Eight Girls Taking Pictures, Whitney Otto experiments with a new kind of fiction--a fictional portrait of real-life personalities. Though she changes their names and some details about their lives, what develops is a collage of fiction and non-fiction that tells the truth of the lives of eight innovative photographers.

In eight somewhat interconnected stories, Otto tell the stories of Imogen Cunningham, Madame Yevonde, Tina Modotti, Lee Miller, Grete Stern, Ruth Orkin, Judy Dater, and Sally Mann.

Though these women lived in different time periods and cultures, one constant emerges. Despite feminism that emerges in the 1970s, all of the women feel conflicted about their role as artist which conflicts greatly with other areas in their life. For most of these women, their roles as artist conflicts with motherhood, but for some, their work interferes with politics or other deeply held beliefs.

In the first story, Cymbeline faces the perplexing problem of wanting both a career (as a photographer) and a family. She first become enamored of her professor, Julius, while he and she photograph the "Procession of Princes," in Dresden.

Her time in Berlin both opens and closes doors for her. Cymbeline is a fictional version of Imogen Cunningham, a trailblazing photographer, who was once an apprentice at Edward Curtis' famous portrait studio in Seattle.

Other fictional portraits are those of Madame Yevonde whom Otto renames Madame Amadora. Madame Amadora feels conflicted between her life's work, photography, and motherhood.

Clara Argento, a fictional character based on the life of Tina Modotti, also feels conflicted. While she has no children, she feels torn between her role as artist and revolutionary. 

Charlotte Blum, a fictional version of Grete Stern, sums up best the conflicts these female artists feel:


"She didn't hate being a wife any more than she hated being a mother. What she hated was the way that wife, mother, and photographer created an unsolvable equation. What she hated was trying to solve the mathematics of her various roles."

Torn between her family in Argentina and her loves for Ines and photography, Clare laments that, "a woman always has to choose."

According to Clare, women, cannot have career and family and love; they must choose one role at the expense of another--a theme that repeats itself throughout Eight Girls Taking Pictures.

Miri Max (Ruth Orkin), for instance, laments that she cannot be in,

 "two places at once, two people at the same time. If she could split herself one Miri would be happy spending all day with her toddling children...Her other self would be making movies with David. Or possible taking pictures on her own..."

Eight Girls Taking Pictures does not shy away from the issues that have been tackled often--issues of women's rights, marriage, and work. Otto, however, delves further by looking at the way motherhood conflicts with a woman's role as artist. She distinguishes work from fulfilling work that involves creativity and a sense of achievement.

In the last chapter, Jenny can work as a photographer by taking wedding or debutante photographs but she wants something more. Though she is criticized for it, she takes intimate photographs of her children. The photographs are not merely family snapshots as they show the viewer both childhood and motherhood in the abstract. 



Characters and their real life counterparts:

Cymbeline Kelley--Imogen Cunningham
Madame Amadora--Madame Yevonde
Clara Argento--Tina Modotti
Lenny Van Pelt--Lee Miller
Charlotte Blum--Grete Stern
Miri Marx--Ruth Orkin
Jessie Berlin--(partly-based on Judy Dater)
Jenny Lux--Sally Mann



A "Select bibliography" at the end of the novel is an unexpected  gift to readers eager to learn more about the women portrayed in this work of historical fiction.



For more information about Whitney Otto, www.whitneyotto.com

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Bloodroot by Amy Greene.

The minute the baby opened her eyes Byrdie knew that LouAnn's curse has been lifted. Angry about a relative's will that left her out, LouAnn put a curse on the family until someone in the family was born with haint blue eyes. 

Haint blue is supposed to ward off evil spirits and curses in the Appalachian subculture but its also a rare eye color in some families. Byrdie's Grandmaw said, "That old devil knows ain't nobody been born with blue eyes in our family for generations." 

So begin Amy Greene's captivating Appalachian tale. Folk medicine, witch craft, fortune-telling are major components of Greene's story. Doug soon learns that his beloved Myra is a member of a family rumored to be witches.

Douglas' doomed love for Myra is a familiar story--a backwoods version of Jay Gatsby and Daisy--yet it also remarkably unique.  Unlike Gatsby, Doug is remarkably self-aware and besotted at the same time.

"That night I was so dizzy and sick...thinking about what Tina Cutshaw had said in fifth grade, that bad things would happen to me if I kept on loving Myra. I guess I knew even back then how things would turn out."

The second half of the book documents Myra's sad decline and the tragic fate of her children, John and Laura. Like her mother and her granny before that, Myra has made terrible choices in exchange for blood-red love.


The man Myra most desires and marries turns out to be cruel and possessive. Just like Wild Rose, the Cotters' paint horse, Myra craves freedom. Lacking an education, except for a deep and abiding love for Wordsworth's poetry, Myra lacks the ability to secure the independence and freedom she craves.


Myra makes one terrible choice after another until she is forced to leave her beloved mountain. The twins are left to scramble on their own, even if the blood-red ring and memories of happier times bind them together.

Tightly woven into the plot is the superstitions and beliefs that Appalachian subculture is known for. Mountain people believe in signs, curses, love potions, revenge, and miracles. They believe that some have special gifts e.g. the gift of vision or the healing touch.

Myra herself has a disturbing vision when she first enters the rented home--a ramshackle home near railroad tracks--that she and her new husband share.

A turning point in the novel occurs when John and Laura no longer believe in the curse that has seemingly darkened their family's life. While parts of  Bloodroot are incredibly sad and troubling, the novel ends on a hopeful note. This is an inter-generational story about love, madness, resentment and forgiveness.



Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan

Short Nights: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Edward Curtis.

Even though this is non-fiction, because of Curtis' superb writing, it reads like an impossible-to-put-down novel.

Almost immediately readers are drawn into Curtis' world and are fascinated by the odds of a subsistence farmer rising to ranks of super celebrity: all due to Curtis' skill with a camera and business acumen.


After a fall out with his younger brother, Curtis befriends Bird Grinell and launches the "big idea." His idea is to record the vanishing Native American tribes on film and wax recorder, an early recording device.

Curtis gained the trust of Native Americans and given some access to their world. He was not permitted to participate or photograph the Sundance or snake ceremonies (until late in life).
Nonetheless, Curtis was well-liked and given a variety of Indian names and nicknames, including "The Man Who Sleeps on His Breath" because he slept on an air mattress.

Egan offers a fascinating portrait of an ambitious, energetic man who tried to improve perceptions of Native Americans with his camera. 

A digital library of Curtis' life's work, The North American Indian, may be found at, http://curtis.library.northwestern.edu/


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

British author, Alex Marwood, delivers a riveting and tantalizing mystery. After two British girls meet by chance in a park, they commit a crime that completely alters the course of their lives.

Each girl is sent to a different detention center and told not to ever meet again. Upper class Annabel Oldacre is sent to Blackdown Hills while lower class Jade Walker is sent to Exmouth--the better of the two juvenile detention facilities.

Twenty-five years later or so, after both have painfully rebuilt their lives, the two women accidently meet again at the Funnland's hall of mirrors.

Though "Bel" who is, now Amber, resents Jade's better placement, Bel finds that she needs Jade now more than ever. A serial killer is on the loose in the resort town of Whitmouth. Kirsty/Jade, who is now a reporter, is sent to investigate the crimes, all the while hoping her own criminal past is not uncovered.

The killer is dangerously close to both of them. Will they be able to save each other from harm? from the press? from the idle curiosity of the public?

Incredibly astute psychological portraits, break-neck plotting, and a well crafted narrative, The Wicked Girls is a must read for anyone who enjoys psychological mysteries. The Wicked Girls would also be good for book discussions because of the rich content and unanswered questions.

Marwood seems to be asking what would drive someone to kill--how can two school girls be involved in a murder? How can a popular studio club manager or how can a down-on-his-luck type be drawn to it as well? What would cause a middle class woman to become unhinged and violent?

If you like Marwood, you may also like:
Kate Atkinson
Gillian Flynn

Full disclosure: I received a galley of this book in the mail from Penguin. So far, its the best book I've read all year.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Coincidence in Darkness, My Old Friend by Lisa Unger


The Hollows in Darkness, My Old Friend is a unique place, a growing community outside of New York with plenty of woods, hiding places, and left over mining shafts for teenagers to explore. Willow Graves hates the Hollows because it pales in comparison to New York City. Ex-Detective, Jones, who hates coincidences, feels out-of-sorts:


The Hollows was a small place. And it had its ways, this town. Jones Cooper wasn't a superstitious guy, but sometimes it seemed like The Hollows had a way of encouraging paths to cross. 

Jones is not the only one who experiences coincidences. When Willow runs away from New York, she walks through China town, Soho, and ends up at a park she used to visit at a child. By then, she's desperate to go home but is too proud to call her mother. If she ever got lost, while playing in the park as a child, her mother instructed her to go to the gate. 

By sheer coincidence, she finds her mother, who had looked every where else, at the same gate.

What makes Jones uncomfortable, though, (and what seems like a disconcerting coincidence to Willow), is actually what makes both novels about The Hollows so enjoyable.

People interact and their lives intersect in interesting ways. The psychic, who does not yet have second sight, is a babysitter for the woman who disappears under mysterious circumstances. 

The ex-cop and the local principal are both in love with the same woman. The local principal later becomes enamored of Bethany Graves, the mother of Willow Graves. 

Paula Carr hires the ex-cop to find the mother of the boy who becomes infatuated with Willow Graves.

The teenager who finds a man digging in the woods has a connection with another teen whose mother has gone missing. The man digging has also had a mother gone missing.

While so many coincidence can collapse under the weight of a less capable writer,  Unger provides the right amount tension to keep the plot tight.



Similar titles
Jackson, Lisa. Wicked Game.
Coben, Harlan. Stay Close.
Gardner, Lisa. Say Goodbye.
Gardner, Lisa, Catch Me.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Poison Eaters and Other Tales by Holly Black

The Poison Eaters by Holly Black

So many good stories can be found in this collection, it makes me want to read Holly Black's other works. She co-authored The SpiderWick chronicles with Tony deTerlizzi which, for some reason, I have never read.

Many of Black's other books are for YA, including the Modern Faerie Tale series and Curse Workers series. The Poison Eaters which was written for YA can be read and enjoyed by adults. Some of the best YA literature today has this cross audience appeal.

"Reversal of Fortune," is my favorite story in The Poison Eaters because it reminds me of the best Twilight Zone stories. A girl makes a bargain with the Devil in a modern day setting. Returning home from her terrible mall job,  Nikki meets a smelly, old man who promises to give her what she wants. Naturally, she does not believe he has any power but when her beloved dog dies she contacts the old man. I won't say how she bests the devil but I will say it involves eating a lot of candy frogs.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

In the Water They Can't See You Cry by Amanda Beard

In her memoir, In the Water They Can't SEe You Cry, Amanda Beard shares her love for the sport of swimming as well as the daily struggles she faced over the years.

Winning her first two medals at fourteen, Amanda struggled in highschool to regain her competitive edge.

Feeling inadequate, despite her early success, Amanda continues to spiral downward. Her boyfriend who is also a swimmer turns out to jealous and possessive.

Unable to find a love or obliterate what she calls a "negative loop," she turns to cutting, bulimia, drugs, and alcohol. Despite all of this, she still manages to do well at the next Olympics.

The memoir shines when Amanda finds her way back from the abyss. She finds a way to balance professional swimming with her new family obligations--a husband and baby.

By coming forward, she also believes she is helping other women in the sport who suffer from some of the same body image problems. Unfortunately, she just skims over her dyslexia and does not address that fully.

Written in a honest and engaging style, this book is a must read for all who enjoy competitive swimming; its also a must read for those who enjoy a good comeback story.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

New Year

As we begin a  New Year, I thought it would be fun to look at New Year traditions in books. In Book of Madness and Cures, Gabriella describes the traditions in Venice which involve huge bonfires in which everyone tosses old things into the fire.

This practice is discontinued but it was celebrated in Renaissance Venice. 

I sort of like the idea of literally tossing out the old--old furniture, old love letters--but it is sort of fire hazard today. 

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