Her Book Self

In May I gave a shoutout on Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my life, and I'd like to do the same today for the men.  Whether you have children or not, here's to all the great men out there - fathers, brothers, husbands, sons, uncles, nephews, grandfathers, boyfriends, godfathers, and anyone else who's ever been a part of a bromance - wishing you a very special day!  My father is a huge blessing in my life and I probably owe a great deal of my nerdiness and my love of science-fiction to him.  My parents were both big readers and their eclectic tastes have led me to appreciate many different genres, and I think if they were both into the same authors, my reading tastes might not be as widespread as they are today.

I was trying to think of a good book to tie into talking about Father's Day and it occurred to me that two of my all time favorite novels - arguably two of the best books ever written - both contain key characters that are fathers.  In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, though the story revolves mostly around Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth's father, Mr. Bennet finds himself at the epicenter of many key plot points.  He's not an ideal father figure and seems to take great pleasure in mocking his wife and youngest daughters, but he does have a wonderful relationship of respect with his eldest daughters: Jane and Elizabeth (Lizzy).  Austen also managed to provide Mr. Bennet with some of the wittiest dialog and smartest lines of the entire book.  In one of my favorite scenes, Lizzy - much to the chagrin of Mrs. Bennet - rejects a proposal of marriage from Mr. Collins.  Mrs. Bennet, in quite a tither, tries to persuade her husband to intercede.

She would not give [Mr. Collins] time to reply, but hurrying instantly to her husband, called out as she entered the library, "Oh! Mr. Bennet, you are wanted immediately; we are all in an uproar. You must come and make Lizzy marry Mr. Collins, for she vows she will not have him, and if you do not make haste he will change his mind and not have her."

Mr. Bennet raised his eyes from his book as she entered, and fixed them on her face with a calm unconcern which was not in the least altered by her communication.  "I have not the pleasure of understanding you," said he, when she had finished her speech. "Of what are you talking?"

"Of Mr. Collins and Lizzy. Lizzy declares she will not have Mr. Collins, and Mr. Collins begins to say that he will not have Lizzy."

"And what am I to do on the occasion? It seems an hopeless business."

"Speak to Lizzy about it yourself. Tell her that you insist upon her marrying him."

"Let her be called down. She shall hear my opinion."

Mrs. Bennet rang the bell, and Miss Elizabeth was summoned to the library.

"Come here, child," cried her father as she appeared. "I have sent for you on an affair of importance. I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer of marriage. Is it true?" Elizabeth replied that it was. "Very well—and this offer of marriage you have refused?"

"I have, sir."

"Very well. We now come to the point. Your mother insists upon your accepting it. Is it not so, Mrs. Bennet?"

"Yes, or I will never see her again."

"An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do."

 ~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice excerpt from Chapter 20

I suppose it's a much funnier line in the context of the novel, but essentially Mr. Bennet realizes what a bad match Mr. Collins would be for Lizzy and this is the amusing way he makes his point known. 

I think I'll leave my other favorite fictional father as a guessing game!  I've already given the hint that he is featured in one of my all-time favorite books, a book that many people consider one of the best books ever written.

Guess away!

From The Lightning Thief to The Last Olympian, last year I read through Rick Riordan's entire Percy Jackson series.  I've long been a fan of ancient civilizations so I enjoyed the modern take on Greek mythology, but I was even more excited to dig into The Red Pyramid, Riordan's newest book in which he brings a contemporary spin to another ancient culture.

Carter Kane has spent his life traveling with his Egyptologist father.  For Christmas, Carter and his father head to England to see Sadie, Carter's sister, who lives with her grandparents and only sees her dad and brother twice a year.  Their visit is drastically changed after a trip to the British Museum when Carter's father unleashes a spell that releases five ancient Egyptian gods into the world.  It's up to Sadie and Carter, with the help of some unlikely bodyguards, to stop Set, god of chaos, from destroying the world.  Along the way, they'll have to learn about their father's secret life of magic and the truth of their family heritage.

It's difficult not to draw a comparison between this first installment of The Kane Chronicles with Rick Riordan's hugely popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, but although there are many similarities, The Red Pyramid is a unique and original tale.  This story was told from both Carter's and Sadie's perspectives and both narrators infuse the story with Riordan's signature humor - including witty chapter titles.  The book is filled with action and packed with details and information about Egyptian gods and mythology, encouraging learning alongside entertainment.  

I found the ending of the book to be interesting and unexpected and I'm very curious to read how The Kane Chronicles will continue in the future.  Riordan knows how to weave a great story and fans of his writing will definitely want to pick up this book.

Interestingly enough, I started The Red Pyramid last week when Chicago was in the throes of Stanley Cup fever.  I really enjoyed this story about the Kane family and their connection to magicians of ancient Egypt, and I  also had a smile on my face watching the final game of the hockey playoffs as - in overtime - the Blackhawks #88 scored the winning goal, a shot that only he and the Flyer's goalie saw go into the net, to bring Lord Stanley back to Chicago.  Who was this miracle shot maker?  Who was this Blackhawk winger with a touch of magic up his sleeve?

Why, it was Kane, of course!

I have to admit that I'm a stickler for an intriguing cover.  Something eye-catching will almost always persuade me to read a description of a book with a title I might otherwise overlook.  So it was with A Vintage Affair - a novel I requested from Library Thing's Early Reviewers program earlier this year.  The title alone was one I may have easily dismissed but the cover caught my eye and the description definitely drew me in.  This was the first work I had read by author Isabel Wolff but it was a wonderful introduction to her writing.

Phoebe Swift, reeling after the loss of her childhood friend, leaves her prestigious job at Sotheby's auction house to open her own vintage dress shop. With a keen eye for fashion and an open ear for her customers, Phoebe has a talent for matching people with their ideal dress or accessories. While buying a collection of dresses from an elderly woman, Phoebe comes across a child's antique blue coat in pristine condition and the story behind the garment draws Phoebe into its owner's life. Phoebe soon discovers that only by revisiting the past can she hope to really move forward with her life.

A Vintage Affair was a wonderful book. Multiple story lines are woven together in tale that is as artistic and charming as the garments that provide an anchor to tie them together. The book is a clever mix of family drama, historical fiction, friendship, romance, and fashion. The characters are well-drawn and entirely believable and the supporting cast is equally as interesting as the heroine. Isabel Wolff has taken a couturier's eye in crafting every detail of this beautiful novel.

The author I was most reminded of while reading this work was Katherine Center, and if I had to choose a read-alike title to compare it to I would pick The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  Isabel Wolff's A Vintage Affair is on sale next week, June 22, 2010.  Oddly enough, the Amazon page for this book shows a much different cover for this work (perhaps one is the UK cover and the other is the US edition?) and I much prefer the darker one.  How much do book covers influence your decision to read a book?  Can a great cover pull you to check out an average title?  How about vice versa?

Back when my hometown still had used bookstores, I remember picking out a fantasy novel with an intriguing title and a somewhat familiar author blazing across a cool two page cover - the front page is a two-tone scene with the top displaying a green hued city and below a black bar bearing the title is a sepia picture of a tunnel with the opening cut out to reveal a purple image of the torch lined tunnel on the interior page.  The author's name on the top read "National Bestseller Neil Gaiman" and when I first picked up the novel, the name struck a chord in my memory from a series of graphic novels I read in late high school and college. And across the black bar at the center of the cover lie ten letters in white font reading "Neverwhere".

The story is an urban fantasy of a man named Richard Mayhew who, after stopping to help an injured girl on the street, is pulled into an alternate reality in the world of London Below.  Gaiman's premise is built on the idea that many people in the ordinary London (London Above) have slipped through the cracks into London Below, an underworld of magic and mystery.  Here people can speak to rodents and pigeons and the various London Tube stations have identities of their own: there is an Earl in Earl's Court and there are Friars in Blackfriar's Station.  Richard's fate and chance of survival in London Below comes to depend on the girl he helped, a young woman named Door whose family has been killed, and her companions the Marquis de Carabas and the fierce warrior named Hunter.  Pursuing them all are the villains Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar - hitmen, who are not quite men, with an unknown employer.  And then there's the Beast of London.

I don't want to give too much away about this book, but I will say it's one of my all time favorite novels and the one which first enamored me to Neil Gaiman as a writer (I like his graphic novels, but I love his prose).  Early in chapter one, Gaiman introduces two main characters with the following passage:

"There are four simple ways for the observant to tell Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar apart: first, Mr. Vandemar is two and a half heads taller than Mr. Croup; second, Mr. Croup has eyes of a faded china blue, while Mr. Vandemar's eyes are brown; third, while Mr. Vandemar fashioned the rings he wears on his right hand out of the skulls of four ravens, Mr. Croup has no obvious jewelry; fourth, Mr. Croup likes words, while Mr. Vandemar is always hungry.  Also, they look nothing at all alike."

~Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere p. 7

If that passage incites nothing more than a shoulder shrug from you, I'd recommend not bothering with Gaiman's work.  But if you're like me, you find it highly entertaining.  From the opening words, the reader imagines Gaiman is about to describe slight differences between the individuals.  He continues with some brilliant descriptive writing, revealing both physical and character traits, and closes the paragraph by completely overturning the reader's original perception.  And all of this is done amid a somewhat fearful and suspenseful chapter.  The juxtaposition of humor and darkness is something of a signature in Gaiman's work and I think this passage is a good snapshot of what much of his work contains. 

I read this book years ago, and I'm sure some people are wondering: why blog about it now? 

This weekend I had the opportunity to see a stage production of Neverwhere at Chicago's Lifeline Theatre.  Adapted for stage by Rob Kazlauric (who also takes on the role of Richard with a very believable Scottish accent) and directed by Paul Holmquist, the show follows the novel quite closely and does a wonderful job capturing the humor, adventure and excitement of the story.  The cast was magnificent and each character seemed to have walked right from the pages of Gaiman's work.  The sets, sound, lighting, music, makeup, costumes, puppets, and props were all pulled together with fabulous details, and the love of the source material was evident in every aspect of the production.  For those in the Chicagoland area - or those looking for a reason to take a Windy City vacation - I highly recommend seeing Neverwhere.  The show has been extended to July 18th, but tickets have been selling out, so if you're debating, don't delay.  I should note too that I really liked Lifeline Theatre as well.  They are a venue that specializes in literary adaptations and I'm a little ashamed to admit that this was my first visit - however, as their new season advertises The Moonstone and Watership Down, I certainly plan on returning!

Well I don't know that I'll make it to either, but I want to put a quick spotlight on two Literary events this month for those in the Chicagoland area, featuring authors I've already blogged about!

Summer's a great time for reading and a great time for outdoor festivals, so if you're in the area be sure to check out one or both of these awesome events!

When I started this blog last month, I had something of a pipe dream of including author interviews amid my book reviews and literary quotations.  It is with great pleasure and excitement that I present my first of (hopefully!) many such author interviews.  My esteemed guest is Amanda Flower, author of a soon-to-be-released mystery novel that I really enjoyed Maid of Murder.

*Insert Applause Here*

First off Amanda, how did you get started writing mystery novels? Is it a genre you enjoy reading?

I was a kid in the 1980s and early 1990s at the height of the Baby-sitters Club craze. I too was a huge fan of the series, and my dad would always buy the latest book for me when he was out grocery shopping. At some point, the author Ann M. Martin decided to start a companion series called the Baby-sitters Club Mysteries. The spinoff series had the characters I loved, but they were crime solvers. They found lost dogs, jewelry, and money. It was the mysteries I loved the most, and they started my love of the mystery genre. As a teen and then adult, I gravitated to the mystery section in my local library. When I decided to write my first novel, I knew it would be a mystery because the genre is what I most enjoy reading.

What authors would you say have inspired or influenced you?

I read many different kinds of mysteries, not just funny cozies like I write. One author I particularly love is Nevada Barr. Now, our writing styles have nothing in common aside from the fact that we both write mysteries. However, I find her descriptions of America’s national parks and nature to be inspiring. She has a wonderful talent of evoking a sense of place in her novels.

I loved that Maid of Murder was set in Ohio. With so many books using New York or LA as a backdrop it was great to read something with a Midwest flair. Did you ever consider a different setting for the book? What prompted you to keep Maid Of Murder close to home?

I’ve lived in the Akron area most of my life, and I really love where I live. In my novels, I wanted to show off some of my area’s quirks. For one thing, this part of Ohio is part of the Western Reserve. The Western Reserve is an area that was sold to Connecticut farmers in the early 1800s to entice them to move to present day Ohio. It compromises most of the northeast corner of the state. Because of this, Northeastern Ohio has a little bit of an identity crisis. It’s in the Midwest, but some of the older families living here consider themselves to be more New Englanders than Midwesterners. When I was in college I worked a living history museum, Hale Farm and Village, and had to learn a lot of Western Reserve history as part of my job. I found it fascinating and knew it would be the perfect backdrop for my mystery series.

India Hayes is a multi-faceted heroine and I found her to be easy to relate to and realistic. From your author bio, I see that she shares your background in Library Science - what else do the two of you have in common? How would you say she is different from you?

Admittedly, India and I have a lot in common. She grew up and lives in suburb of Akron, Ohio, I grew up and live in a suburb of Akron, Ohio. She’s a college librarian, I’m a college librarian. Where we differ the most is in our personalities. India is much more phlegmatic than I am. All these crazy things, including murder, happen around her and she takes most of it in stride. If I were in half the situations she finds herself in, I’d have a panic attack.

Are there more adventures in store for India and her friends?

Yes, there will be. In the second book, India, much to her chagrin, is working at a folk art festival as a face painter. She does it as a favor to her older sister, Carmen, and gets tangled up in a murder investigation as a result. I am in the revision stage of this novel and have begun to research the third in the series. If all goes well for the third book, India and her eccentric landlady, Ina, will go to Ireland to find some of Ina’s long lost relatives.

Anything else you'd care to share about your work at this time?

In addition to the India Hayes Mysteries, I have written a middle grade children’s mystery called, The Mystery of the First Andora. I’m currently looking for a publisher for this title. It was important to me to write a mystery for children because I enjoyed them so much as a child.

Where can we find out more about your upcoming work, book signings, etc?

To find out of about my upcoming events, click on the Upcoming Events tab on my website http://amandaflower.com/. You can also follow me on Facebook at http://tiny.cc/ejquq or Twitter at http://twitter.com/aflowerwriter.

Thank you so much to Amanda for agreeing to this blog interview and hopefully plenty of people will check out Maid of Murder on sale June 16th, 2010!  (author photo used with permission)

This past March I was fortunate enough to receive an advance review copy of a mystery novel by an author that I predict has a successful career in front of her.  Here's my review of Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower, on sale June 16th:

Mystery lovers, meet India Hayes: artist, librarian, friend, sister, daughter, bridesmaid, and soon to be amateur detective. After agreeing to serve as a bridesmaid (ugly dress and all) for her childhood friend Olivia, India is torn between family and friendship loyalties, as India's brother Mark still carries a torch for his ex-girlfriend Olivia. When the wedding is canceled and a funeral scheduled instead, the cops cry murder and Mark is the prime suspect. It's up to India to come to her brother's defense when the whole town turns against him...and her.

Author Amanda Flower does a wonderful job of bringing to life the town of Stripling, Ohio. The supporting cast - India's activist parents, the Irish landlady, Olivia's rebellious teen sister, a pair of ill-tempered cats, and many others - creates extensive realism to the backdrop of the novel. Instead of just hearing a story the reader feels introduced to the town's life with hopes that this will be the first of future adventures involving India Hayes. The mystery in the story was well-layered and Flower kept the pacing right to build intrigue throughout the book.

Maid of Murder is a charming and well-written book with a fresh plot and unique characters. It was great to encounter a novel centered around a woman that did not involve her quest for a man, and Amanda Flower has created a winner in the witty, smart heroine India Hayes.

Of course, the book also got me thinking about my own varied wedding experiences.  I've been a bridesmaid four times and though I haven't had any occasions to re-wear the gowns I purchased, I was very thankful that they were all in good taste - if not entirely comfortable.  Does anyone have any India-type wedding-craziness to share?


And coming soon, my blog interview with author Amanda Flower!

"If the riches of the Indies, or the crowns of all the kingdoms of Europe, 

were laid at my feet in exchange for my love of reading,

I would spurn them all."

~ François Fénelon

Well, those are big words and I love the poetry behind them, but I also have to give myself their hypothetical challenge.  If someone were to write me a check in exchange for giving up reading, would I have a price?  Ten-million?  A Billion?  I know money can't buy happiness but if this were a serious proposal, I'd be a fool not to consider the offer.  A hefty sum like that could solve several issues (of both personal and world-wide natures) and I could exchange reading about far off places for actually visiting them... Could your love of reading ever be bought?