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

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Hey Presto! by Nadi Shireen

Hey Presto! by Nadia Shireen
Presto, a wide-eyed cat, and Monty, a dog, decide to put on a magic show. The problem is that Monty won't share the spotlight with his friend. Presto eventually gets fed up and leaves Monty to his own devices.

Monty learns he can't do everything by himself. He also learns that team work is better than going solo. A forgiving Presto is glad to have his friend back. Although it is somewhat predictable, Hey Presto! teaches a valuable lesson: "Together...they put on the perfect show."

Shireen's art work easily captures the emotions and the comedy of the situations. For more of Nadia Shireen's art, www.nadiashireen.com.

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

When she and her boyfriend, Dom, move into a crumbling Provencal house, Eve never expects to be drawn into the hamlet's mystery. Charmed by Dom in Switzerland, Eve quickly moves in with him.

Eve never questions her boyfriend's past or why he left his ex-wife Rachel. A mystery woman, Sabine, seems to have some of the answers but Dom wants to force Eve and Sabine apart.

Strange events, flickering lights, strange scents, stones thrown against a window pane and a falling light fixture cause Eve alarm; plus, there is a growing distance between her and Dom.

Under a floorboard, she finds a child's book of Provencal tales and the history of the house's former owners, the Lincels, begisn to unfold. Eve is fascinated by the Lincel's story--Pierre's cruelty and Marthe's determination to become a perfume maker despite her blindness. After creating a famous scent, Lavande du Nuit, Marthe disappears under mysterious circumstances.

The author who spends much of her time in Provence drew inspiration for this book from the fact that the company, L'Occitane en Provence, formed a foundation in 1997 to introduce visually impaired children to perfume creation.

If you like mysteries and books set in Provence, you will love The Lantern. For a similar work, try the equally fascinating, Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes.

The River Wife by Joni Agee

The River Wife by Joni Agee.

The River Wife is a panoramic story--from the 1812 New Madrid quake to the 1930s. Central to the story is the enigmatic, Jacques DuCharme, a one-armed river pirate whose wealth and wild ways become legendary.

Lonely and pregnant, Hedie Ducharmes Rails finds a journal that belongs to Annie Lark, who is married to Jacques Ducharme, a descendant of Jacques DuCharme. Though Hedie does not to hear a sad story, Annie's story quickly becomes a part of her own. According to Hedie, "Annie's voice kept speaking in my head as if it had become my own."

Hedie reads how Jacques rescued Annie, by removing the beam that crushed her legs in the New Madrid quake. They become man and wife but Jacques never allows Annie to become a true wife. He calls her a "queen" but wants her to stay outside of his economic pursuits. He conceals how he makes money--how he operates Jacques Landing, the inn he built along the Mississippi.

What is sad is that Annie Lark never finds the respect and equality she craves from her husband, Jacques. She turns to Audubon because he respects Annie's art work and scientific pursuits. Turning to Audubon, however, leads to tragedy. Annie and Jacques become estranged which indirectly leads to Annie's death.

Omah's story dominates the second part of the book. A free
African-American woman, Omah becomes Jacques' partner in his illicit business. Since she is on a more equal footing with him, she is, in a way, Jacques' true wife.

Omah participates in Jacques' river piracy and accumulates a share of his wealth. The wealth gives her status that she would not have otherwise. When Jacques marries Laura, Omah insists that she is not be called Laura's girl or servant.

Though she participates in his piracy, Omah's bravery and loyalty is admirable. She accompanies Laura to Hot Springs, AK where trouble brews anew. Laura's disloyalty contrasts sharply with Omah's steadfastness. Still, its hard to believe that Jacques lets Laura--the mother of his only child--succumb to the cruel fate that befalls her.

The last part of the novel focuses upon Little Maddie Ducharme who was just a baby when her mother died. Her story is also tinged with sadness. Like her contemporary counterpart, Hedie Ducharme Railes, Maddie is consumed with saving Jacques' Landing. Though her husband wants to return to Montana, she insists on staying and raising her child on her father's land.

The novel can be seen an ancestor tale with the ghosts of the past visiting succeeding generations. Annie Lark's ghost visits Maddie DuCharme in one crucial scene.  Her journal gets into the hands of Hedie DuCharme Rails who, like Maddie, also sets her sights on finding Jacques' ill-gotten wealth.

The River Wife is a fast-paced read filled with adventure, heartache, tragedy, and beauty. If you like family dramas and historical novels, you will enjoy this book.

Agee's most recent novel is The Bones of Paradise. 

Agee is a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
http://www.unl.edu/english/jonis-agee

Swamplandia by Karen Russell

Swamplandia by Karen Russell

The Bigtrees have grown up in the Southwest tip of Florida--in the Ten Thousand Islands--where they have run a unique theme park, Swamplandia. With the exception of Ossie, all of the family members are alligator wrestlers. The star attraction is Ava's mother who dives in a pool of seths, their pet name for alligators.

Their successful business collapses when their star dies of cancer, leaving the business in debt.

Poor Ava Bigtree has been abandoned by her mother; her father; her brother; and her sister, who eloped with a ghost.

No wonder she befriends the Bird Man and jumps at the chance to find Ossie in the Underworld, which coincidently is in the Florida swamplands.

Ava mostly rescues herself by running away from a dangerous situation and the alligator infested swamp. The second rescue in which Kiwi Bigtree, navigating a plane for the first time, rescues Osceola strains credulity. The reunion of the Bigtrees, however, at the Bowl-a-Bed hotel is too good to miss.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Like a literary archaeological expedition, this sparkling crime novel opens up numerous layers of reality. Nick is the ultimate all-American boy and Amy is the coolest girl around. Reading their accounts gives you that view but then each of them offers their own contrasting view. As it turns out, Amy's diaries were not truthful and Nick's persona is an act. Amy has a few dark secrets and the all-American boy is not as perfect as he seems. Nick looks and act suspicious but did he kill Amy and was she pregnant?

Nick and Amy, who both believe they are New York sophisticates, play complicated mind games and there's nothing more fascinating than a novel that pull off that well. Amy gives her spouse a scavenger hunt each year on their anniversary which always leads to quarrels and hurt feelings. Nick believes that on his 5th anniversary Amy has outdone herself, created an elaborate scavenger hunt, gone into hiding and framed him for her murder. The more he finds out about Amy's past lovers, the made-up testimonies, and broken friendships, the more he believes she is a sociopath who has framed him.

Other novels that use mind games:
The Bellwether Revivials by Benjamin Wood

Jonah Lehrer's Downfall and the Boy Who Cried Wolf



How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

 In folklore, a boy cries "Wolf" and loses all credibility. No one believes him the next time he cries "Wolf"  which leads inexorably to him be eaten up.

The boy who cried wolf is a fitting analogy for Jonah Lehrer, author of Proust was a Neuroscientist, How We Decide, and Imagine.

Best-selling author and wunderkind journalist has been called out for self-plagiarizing: that is duplicating material and submitting it to two competing news agencies. Five of Lehrer's New Yorker posts now come with editorial notes regretting "duplication" of material published earlier. Unfortunately for Lehrer, the postings are not a re-spin or an update but an almost verbatim duplication of earlier material.

Lehrer's book Imagine is even more problematic as it contains undocumented quotations and, as it turns out, completely fabricated quotations ascribed to the singer Bob Dylan.

Publisher, Harcourt-Mifflin, has pulled Imagine largely because of the fabricated Dylan quotations.

In How We Decide, an earlier work, Lehrer quotes quarterback, Tom Brady; Plato; Thomas Jefferson; Sigmund Freud; Francisco Goya; MIT professor, Marvin Minsky; neurologist, Antonio Damasio; David Hume; Days of Our Lives director, Herb Stein; NYU neuroscientist, Joseph LeDoux; American philosopher, William James, and many others.

Naturally, any reader would now want to know if any of these quotations were fabricated. Lehrer's publisher Harcourt-Mifflin is reportedly reviewing all of  his books.
As it turns out, Lehrer has fabricated more than just the Dylan quotations. Kevin Breen in The Skeptical Libertarian exposes yet another falsehood.

In Imagine Lehrer describes Teller of the magic duo, Penn and Teller, as ready to quit magic in the early eighties. He quotes Teller as saying, "I was ready to go back home and become a high-school Latin teacher."

Breen of The Skeptical Libertarian tracks Teller down in Las Vegas who purports he never gave Lehrer the quote abou being ready to give up.

The false Teller quote is actually worst than the fabricated Dylan quotations. The Dylan quotations, while false, are not completely out of character with the man.

If you create something that is utterly false (a Wolf), inevitably you will lose credibility. It remains to be seen whether Lehrer's reputation or personal brand will survive but the odds are against him--as they should be.

Review of Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

All Chip Linton wants when he moves to Bethel, New Hampshire is a little peace and quiet for his family. He has already survived the unthinkable, a plane crash. Since he was the pilot, he blames himself for not being able to pull off a "Miracle on the Hudson" type maneuver.

Tragically, Linton is not able to pull off the same type of miracle and 39 of the flight's passengers die. In therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, Chip vows never to fly again.

Emily, Chip's wife, decides the family needs to move away from Philadelphia but she has a difficult time adjusting to the Victorian house. She's grateful for the anonymity; she was tired of fielding questions about the crash.

On the other hand, she finds the house's history creepy. The former inhabitant's twelve-year-old son is rumored to have killed himself in the house. The house's internal structure is strange: each of the three floors is a little narrower than the preceding one, the wallpaper is hideous, and the basement has a bolted door that seemingly leads nowhere.

In addition, why are there so many greenhouses in Bethel? Every house, including the one Chip and Emily have just bought, seem to have one. Why does everyone in the town seem overly interested in the Linton twins.
Bohjalian's narrative most freely back and forth among all the characters but it is actually the twins' impressions which stand out. Despite their father's fragility and nightmares, the twins are face even greater dangers.

This is marvelous, well-researched novel by one of America's best writers. Chris Bohjalian writes that he spoke to countless pilots to get the details right.

The epilogue, however, made me sad. While I didn't expect Chip to become an all-American hero  that Sully Sullenberger was, I thought he could at least save his family from the herbalists. The ending is disturbing, albeit thought-provoking.

If you're reading this for a book club, you may want to discuss what you would do differently if you were Chip or Emily Linton.

Other books by Chris Bohjalian:
Before You Know Kindness
Buffalo Soldier
Double Bind
Idyll Banter
Law of Similars
Midwives
Secrets of Eden
Skeletons at the Feast
Sandcastle Girls
Trans-Sister Radio
Water Witches

Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Karen Thompson Walker imagines a new kind of ecological disaster in Age of Miracles. Instead of earthquakes, a group of Californians--and the rest of the world--are noticing that days are getting longer. The earth is slowing resulting in famine, gravity sickness, disruption of the magnetic fields, and radiation poisoning.

Amidst the disaster, Walker portrays the ordinary travails and triumphs of a twelve-year-old girl, Julia. Julia has noticed that the calamity has also affected relationships with her friends and family. Once popular, she is now the odd girl out who desperately wants to be noticed by the cool boy on the bus, Seth Moreno.

As the days and nights grow longer, everything is thrown into chaos. The children have later and later school start times. Some go off the clock and live in "real time" communities.

This novel definitely made me appreciate the smaller things in life. At one point, Julia and Seth collect the last few blades of grass in the neighborhood. Sunlight, birds, fresh fruit are small "miracles" that are only noticed when they disappear.

This startling debut that raises many questions will interest both adults and teenagers.

Something Magic This Way Comes ed. Martin Greenberg

Something Magic This Way Comes ed. Martin H. Greenberg.

All of the short stories in this collection have the central theme of magic. Some are haunting, "Still Life, with Cats" (Kristine Kathryn Rusch) and "Houdini's Mirror"(Russell Davis) while others verge on the comical with feminist overtones, "Angel in the Cabbages," (Fran LaPlace).

While the magic isn't new (fairies or parallel universes), the circumstances are contemporary. In the best stories the main characters use magic as a transformative force. A jaded war correspondent gains a new perspective when he has a brush with magic in "Still Life, With Cats." An older man with dementia finds a way to convene with his dead wife in "Houdini's Mirror."

In "Winds of Change," (Linda A.B. Davis) a young girl, whose body has been ravaged by disease, saves the town by exhibiting a rare talent--the power to call the wind. In the short story, "In a DarkWood, Dreaming" (Esther Friesner), a boy saves his brother from gangs by calling upon a hunter god, Oxossi. Unfortunately, the hunter god requires "one life for another life."

In "Something Virtual This Way Comes" (Laura Resnick) a woman, who is frustrated by the gremlins in her computer is suprised to learn they can speak to her.

Less successful offerings are "Tears of Gold"(Paul Crilley), "Star Cats"(Charles Edgar Quinn), and "The Thing in the Woods" (Harry Turtledove).

Secret of Lost Things: a Novel by Sheridan Hay

Review of  The Secret of Lost Things: A Novel by Sheridan Hay.

The Secret of Lost Things is a captivating literary who-done-it. After her mother dies, an eighteen-year-old from Tasmania makes a transformative journey to New York. Rosemary takes a job at the Arcade, a bookstore that sells everything from paperbacks to valuable rare books. At the Arcade she begins her unique education.

The Arcade's employees are each eccentric in their own way. Mr. Pike is extremely parsimonious, Mr. Weiss is an albino, Mr. Mitchell looks like a large Australian bird, Pearl is a opera-singing transvestite, and Oscar is an emotionally-distant man who keeps Rosemary under a Svengali-like thrall. Rosemary, however, feels they each have something to teach her.

Like Ahab in Moby-Dick, each of the characters is obsessed with something. Instead of a whale, all seem to be obsessed with finding a lost Herman Melville manuscript, The Isle of the Cross.
 Each of the characters in the Arcade are objects in a Wunderkammen; in fact, Hays has Rosemary visit Peabody's Wunderkammen. Mr. Weiss views Rosemary as a "curiousity" because she comes from Tasmania and because of her wild, red hair.

In Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Pike, Rosemary tries to imagine a benevolent and stern father. She is herself, like Ishmael of Moby Dick, an orphan searching for her identity.

In a subplot, Hays introduces Lilian and her son Sergio, one of the "lost" from Argentina's dirty war.

At his request, Rosemary begins a strange collusion with Oscar Jarno. She also becomes, against her will, an assistant to Mr. Weiss. In a sense, she is their object to do with what they will; that is, until she breaks free from their spell.

Repressed desire, madness, revenge, embezzlement, betrayal, and the lost manuscript by Herman Melville all play a part in this auspicious literary debut.

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf.

These Things Hidden is a powerful, complicated story about the ties that bind us to our families. Completely unpredictable, this novel will have readers guessing about what will unfold next.

Newly released from prison, Alison tries to contact her family without much success. She was their “golden girl” upon whom everyone placed their hopes. No one planned on Alison making a mistake--dating an older student and becoming pregnant. No one planned on "perfect" Alison tossing her newborn baby girl in the Druid River.

The second thread is Claire's story. Faced with infertility, Claire happily adopts a baby boy whom someone has left at the Linden Falls fire station. She and her husband own a bookstore where she meets many members of the community, including Alison. Few people know that Alison is “that girl”—the girl that killed her newborn. 

When Claire hires Alison to work at her bookstore, the truth begins to unravel. Two other women, Charm, a nursing student, and Alison’s sister, Brynn, play an important role in this taut, interconnected drama.

Like Jodi Piccoult, Gudenkauf is great at presenting domestic novels that explore deeper psychological issues. Other novelist who write about troubled families include Anne Rivers Siddons, Michelle Richmond, Elisabeth Hyde, Lauren Groff, Penny Vincenzi, Laura Moriarty, Mary deMuth and Joyce Carol Oates.

Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

A barren couple moves to Alaska to have a fresh start.  The wilderness, they believe, will suit them. When they get there, they find conditions harsher than they expected. Instead of growing closer, the wilderness draws them apart, until they fashion a snowman. Instead of a traditional snowman, they make one that looks like a little girl. Mysteriously, a child appears in the woods wearing the mittens and scarf they had placed on their "snow child."

Will this child be exactly what the lonely couple has always wished for or is this girl a product of their exhaustion and cabin fever?


Their only neighbor, Esther, explains how this can happen in remote places like Alaska:

"...this isn't an easy place to get along. The winters are long, and sometimes it starts to get to you. Around here, they call it cabin fever. You get down in the dumps, everything's off kilter and sometimes your mind starts playing tricks on you...You start seeing things that you're afraid of...or things you've always wished for...Maybe it was an animal, or the wind. All sorts of explanations."


Mabel is certain, however, that she saw a child who can run quickly on the snow. The couple finds small boot prints that further convinces them of the child's existence.

Not wanting to get his wife's hopes up, Jack secretly leaves trinkets on a stump. He had baited deer in this way and perhaps he can get the child to reappear.  

Ivey adds just the right touch of mystery when describing this elusive child.

This lyrical novel is beautifully written. Though the child's terms are hard to accept, Mabel and Jack learn to let Faina live her life as she pleases.

Thought-provoking, this novel also is incredibly poignant. The childless couple discover that they have had a child afterall -- the wild sprite, Faina, is their child. In the same moment, though, they realize that they have lost her.

The novel which mirrors and amplifies the Russian fairytale, the Snow Child, ends sorrowfully, yet there is room for joy.

Book Discussion:
The Snow Child raises many questions and lends itself well to book discussions. What is a parent and to what extent must we let a child find his/her own way in the world? Are we controlled by fate or can we turn sorrow into joy as Mabel's sister indicates in her letter?

Why The Hunger Games Hits Its Mark

Some science fiction fizzles at the box office or fails to capture the public's imagination. In some cases, they simply miss their mark with audiences. Tron didn't find an audience until decades later. Despite spectuacular effects, John Carter failed because viewers did not buy the life-on-Mars premise.

The Hunger Games' novel and movie, a futuristic gladiator fight-to-the-death, hits it mark because readers/viewers want to think about the premise--that injustice surrounds us and pervades our way of life.

While people struggle to survive in District 12, a fence prohibits inhabitants from hunting in gathering the fertile meadow beyond the enclosure. Hunting with a bow and arrow or simply owning a weapon is strictly forbidden. Other districts are wealthy but they offer no help to the coal-mining district.

Even more disturbing are the gladiator-like games that happen randomly. The lottery system in which tributes are chosen for the games may remind readers of two things, the short story "The Lottery," and the system for choosing soldiers for the Vietnam conflict.

The novel is a critique of war and the effects of war. Perhaps even more than this it is a critique of the war machine, the military-industrial complex that profits from the wars.

The soldiers sent to war and the tributes chosen for games have ceded control. They are pawns. Everything that the tributes do is controlled. Balls of fire or other diversions will force them together to fight or force them apart.

Where is the resistance movement you might wonder? The Capitol and the government of Pandem are evil forces and sadly the winners become collaborators with the blood-thirsty Capitol by training the next batch of tributes.

Katniss does engage in small acts of rebellion. She places  flowers around Rue that shows she mourned for her. She refuses to participate in an unexpected rule change that would pit her against Peeta.

The novel/movie hints that the Capitol will make her pay for these rebellious acts and thus sets readers/viewers up for the next installment.

The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates

These stories will not disappoint fans of  Ms. Oates' work. All of them are gothic and live up to the subtitle. The most nuanced story is the first one, "The Corn Maiden" is the most powerful and life-affirming one. 

Ms. Oates is an expert at depicting cruelty. In "The Corn Maiden" a beautiful, learning-disabled, girl finds herself caught in a cruel trap devised by a gang of day school girls. In "Helping Hands" a vulnerable widow befriends an injured Gulf War veteran with disastrous results. An idealistic brother is pitted against a cruel twin in "Fossil-Figures" and "Death-Cup." In the final story, A delusional woman, who thinks trepanning will cure her, finds something else when she visits a plastic surgeon's office.

The Doll: The Lost Short Stories by Daphne du Maurier

The Doll: The Lost Short Stories by Daphne du Maurier

Recently, I came across this series of short stories published by HarperCollins. These stories have appeared only once in publication in mostly British literary magazines.

"The Doll" is a strange story about a woman who keeps a life-sized doll in a hidden room in her apartment in London. She's a mysterious woman and in some ways a precursor to DuMaurier's more famous Rebecca. The story falls flat, though, by contemporary standards. The woman in the story seems to be doing something illicit with the doll, named Julio, and this causes the narrator, who loves her, to go mad.

Though this is the title story the first story in the collection, "East Wind" is much more interesting. The contamination of a protected culture, the inhabitants of St. Hilda, and the resulting madness are the themes of this wonderful story. In isolation the inhabitants are purportedly happy. The East wind, however, brings a ship full of sailors of unknown origin who introduce the islanders to the world beyond the island. They bring music and drink and, most importantly, desire. DuMaurier describes the destruction that desire can bring to a repressed or isolated group.

"Piccadilly" is a dramatic monologue, a narrative technique rarely used among short story writers, but one that Du Maurier uses well. Du Maurier's affiliation with drama and theater is clearly evident in this story.

The antagonist of "Tame Cat" is possibly a thinly disguised reference to J.M. Barrie whom DuMaurier knew well. For more information on the J.M. Barrie connection, see my post on Piers Dudgeon's Neverland.

"Week-End" is a chronicle of the demise of one couple's love. Like a one-act play, we hear the intimate dialogue, the small bickerings, and witness the final dissolution.

Though "East Wind" is the most accomplished story, "Happy Valley" comes in at a close second. A woman has a strange ability to see her future even if she is unable to fully remember or change it.

Review: Chantal

Sew Iconic by Liz Gregory

Sew Iconic by Liz Gregory

Great for movie fans and for sewing enthusiasts alike, Sew Iconic is a great addition to your personal bookshelf. Gregory explains in great detail how to make a look-alike dresses from ten famous movies. For each dress Gregory lists the materials that are needed, cutting instructions, a description of the sewing techniques, and layout diagrams.

Learn how to make Julia Robert's (Pretty Woman) brown-and-white polka dot dress, Audrey Hepburn's little black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Jennifer Grey's pink mambo dress (Dirty Dancing), Marilyn Monroe's ivory dress (The Seven Year Itch), Kiera Knightley's green evening gown (Atonement), Catherine Zeta Jones' black showgirl dress (Chicago), Grace Kelly's blue chiffon gown (To Catch a Thief), Rita Hayworth's black sheath (Gilda), Faye Dunaway's Fawn Coat (The Thomas Crowne Affair), and Kate Winslet's lace evening gown (Titanic).

The author gives a brief history of each dress' history like how costumer designer, Marilyn Vance, found the fabric for Julia Robert brown and white polka dot dress from Pretty Woman.

A table gives you a quick look at which sewing techniques you will need to use for each iconic dress. Some techniques (e.g. pleating) are specific to a certain dress (e.g. the Marilyn Monroe dress) while other techniques are used for all of the dresses.

Overall, the book is nicely organized, with the simplest project (Julia's dress) appearing first. While beginners will have trouble with some of these outfits, the explanation of each technique will benefit them.

Finally, Gregory describes how to get the movie star "look" in your new dress and how to modernize the dress for a new audience.

The one quibble is with the green evening dress which does not look nearly as fabulous on the model as it does on Keira Knightly. Fabric choice is important and, in this case, the green fabric does not look nearly as lustrous on the model as it did on the big screen.

As a book blogger, I had the chance to preview the galley for this title at no charge at netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review.

Your Child's Writing Life by Pam Allyn

Pam Allyn, a literacy educator and founder of LitLife and LitWorld, aims to teach parents how to develop their children's writing skills in Your Child's Writing Life.

The focus, she argues, has been on teaching kids to read when, in actuality, reading and writing go together. Writing fosters emotional growth and critical thinking in even very young children but parents often do not actively encourage the very young to write.

She offer practical, inexpensive tips for getting children of all ages to write. She gives, tips, for instance for setting up a "writing corner." While this is not essential, creating a space as well as providing writing tools (a variety of markers, pens, pencils) will encourage writers.

She offers a variety of writing prompts for each age group and lists what's developmentally appropriate for each age level.

Allyn encourage parents not to discourage their children from using "new media" tools such as internet, e-mail and ipads.

Lastly, in chapter 5 she lists 20 great books that can serve as "mentors." Children will often emulate their "mentors" until they find their own writing voice.

Allyn's book will remind parents that all children are "writers." Using her five writing "pillars," parents can help their children develop their writing skills.

VTech Hatches Switch & Go Dinos in New Toy Aisle

VTech Hatches Switch & Go Dinos in New Toy Aisle

Here's more "pink" brain and "blue" brain thinking. Why is this advertised "for boys aged 3-8" and not "for kids aged 3-8?"

Why wouldn't girls like this just as much as boys?

Hemingway

"All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know."
--Ernest Hemingway.

Recently, a former classmate from highschool passed away. She ended her own life. I wonder why so few people talk about suicide. In highschool, our literature teacher didn't want to talk about Hemingway's death because he killed himself.

I remember this former classmate of mine asking back then, "how come Hemingway was so interested in "courage" but he killed himself?"

The literature teacher refused to discuss it. It may not have made any difference one way or the other but who knows?

I think Mariel Hemingway is right. There needs to be more suicide awareness.

Time Travel Contest from Books on Tape

If you could write to yourself in the Past or Future, across Time and Space—what would that message be? Submit a postcard with a message to your future or past self to enter to win a digital camera!
Answer the question for a chance at a digital camera.

13 years and up.

Contest winners chosen by Rebecca Stead.

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