Her Book Self

The winner of one paperback copy of Vessel: The Advent by Tominda Adkins is...


On roadtrips and traveling, Nora had this to say:

Road trips in my family are usually pretty chaotic. My sister complains the whole time, my mom tries to make it a ton more exciting than it actually is, and my dad complains the whole time. But somehow, I usually have a ton of fun! We usually go via car, but sometimes we fly. My favorite destination we've been to was Niagara Falls, but we went during a record heatwave and it was above 100 degrees the entire week. Just our luck :]

Congratulations and hope you enjoy the book!  For Nora and all those who took advantage of the free download, feel free to stop back to my review and share your thoughts on Vessel when you finish it!  And thank you again to Tominda Adkins for sponsoring this giveaway!

 I've been digging into a lot of books for younger readers lately.  Though I frequently find as much depth and substance in YA books as I do in those written for mature readers, sometimes my reason for turning to tween shelves is that I just need something shorter.  And so a lightweight-finish-in-a-day-or-two book was exactly what I was looking for when I pulled Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves off my TBR shelf.  

Joey Harker is an average student who has never been praised for having a good sense of direction.  He boasts that he could get lost in his own house, so when a class assignment drops him in the middle of his town with the challenge to find his way back to school, trouble is sure to follow. 

But where Joey's orienteering skills falter, a hidden talent is uncovered.  Though he frequently gets lost in familiar places, Joey is a Walker - a unique individual with a talent for walking between parallel dimensions.  Joey soon finds himself in the Interworld, a strange world-between-worlds, surrounded by various versions of himself.  Some of the other realities are ruled by magic and others by science while still others exist with a balance between the two, yet all are threatened by HEX and Binary, two sinister forces out to destroy universes and those that Walk between them.

I admit that I was drawn to Interworld because Neil Gaiman co-authored it (with screen-writer Michael Reaves), and because the cover really caught my eye with its almost graphic novel type illustration.  I know these aren't the best reasons for purchasing a book (the almost free price may have been) but I ended up really enjoying this story.   There's a decent amount of science-y stuff thrown in - some physics to sound clever but nothing technical enough to be distracting - but also some thought-provoking situational philosophy.  Rather than skimming over character decisions quickly for the sake of advancing the story, choice and consequence are reflected upon and some of the conversations ended up adding to the intensity of the otherwise cliche battle between good and evil.  The fast-paced action-oriented plot make it a great introduction to science fiction for younger audiences; but Gaiman's signature wit and creative characters ensure that fans of his writing of any age will enjoy the novel.  I may have picked this one up simply for a lighter read but it was definitely a worthwhile choice!

Colin Singleton has a strange habit of falling for girls named Katherine and after nineteen failed relationships with girls of the same name, the now-grown child prodigy decides to determine why.  To rid him of his latest episode of heartbreak, his best friend Hassan brings Colin along on a post-graduation road trip, but Colin's mind is wrapped around a mathematical equation to predict the success of his future relationships - The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability - in an effort to end his streak of getting dumped. 


An Abundance of Katherines was the first book by John Green that I have read, and I was really impressed with the writing.  The dialog was witty and the plot was unique and clever.  Though I didn't find myself really relating to any of the main characters, I still found myself fully drawn into the story and quite captured by this novel.  Colin was a bizarre protagonist, but I ended up rather charmed by his quirkiness.  I also really enjoyed how seemingly unrelated details of the story ended up tied together.   I'll definitely be checking out more of John Green's work in the future! 

One of the joys that book blogging has brought me is the opportunity to reflect and discuss my reading with other people.  I find that as much as I enjoy reading, a book shared is a pleasure multiplied.  The downside to this is finding the balance between reading and discussing books.  I've realized that my book consumption has slightly diminished since I began blogging, but it's a trade-off with which I'm perfectly okay.  But I'd love to have other book bloggers and book lovers chime in - do ever have a hard time balancing time for reading with time to discuss your reading?  Does book blogging ever come between you and a great read?

Sometimes a book makes you laugh.  Sometimes a book makes you cry.  But sometimes a book just leaves you speechless.  It's no surprise that these types of books are the ones I most want to tell the world about but also those with which I have the hardest time finding words to communicate their impact.  It could be that "impacting" might be the best description for a book I read a few weeks but still find myself reflecting on.  I'm always impressed by books that can haunt me in this manner and Still Alice by Lisa Genova was definitely one such work.

Alice Howland is a fifty-year-old psychology professor at Harvard who begins having problems with her memory.  The episodes range from forgetting words to mild disorientation but the diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease comes as a devastating blow to her active and successful professional and family life.  From her husband's refusal to accept the truth to her children fearing for their own futures and her coworkers uncertainty of how to deal with her illness a range of characters in Alice's life convey the difficulties of seeing a loved one cope with dementia but it is the narration of the story - told through Alice's eyes - that make this book so stunning.

Up close and personal in the face of Alzheimer's Disease Lisa Genova's writing doesn't shy away from her protagonist's raw feelings.  Alice deals with fear, frustration, embarrassment, and anger while narrating the story in such a way that the reader is painfully aware of her failing memory.  Each chapter is marked as a month and as the pages turn the young professor loses more and more of her self, struggling with the fact that she is - as the title suggests - Still Alice. 

Genova's book is by no means a "feel-good story" or a "comfort read".  I have a hard time recommending books to others when I know how challenging the subject matter can be, but Still Alice is what I would call an important book.  It might not be a book that people will want to read, but is a book that people should read.  The novel paints a portrait of the heartbreaking reality of life with Early Onset Alzheimer's and this is a book of understanding and empathy for anyone dealing with the disease directly or anyone with a loved one with dementia.  

I know I heard a lot about this book before I finally picked it up - more accurately before a bus-riding friend placed it in my hands with the command "Read this!" (thanks Sue!) - and if anyone else is on the fence about diving into Still Alice, don't hesitate, just read it.  Yes, the subject matter is difficult; yes, it will likely tug at the heartstrings and tear ducts; but it will also lend readers admiration for the bravery of Alzheimer's patients, multiple perspectives on coping with disease, and a new appreciation for the fragility of life in general. My words can't do this book justice, you really will just have to read it for yourself. 

Seattle couple Sarah and David finally admit that their marriage is on the rocks, and counseling seems to be the option to save their rocky relationship.  However, when their therapist tries to eat them, they realize that keeping each other alive in the midst of a zombie apocalypse might be the common goal they needed to rekindle their love for each other. 

Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen was a great book that took a humorous spin in blending zombie horror into a story about a young couple trying to make their marriage succeed.  A straight up zombie story or relationship novel would have been easy to pass by, but in combining the two - and poking fun and the stereotypes in each - Petersen weaves a unique and amusing tale.  David and Sarah were well-drawn characters and came across as very real people.  They're an everyday man and wife armed with knowledge from a heap of Hollywood slasher films that happen to do an above average job at battling the undead. 

One of my favorite parts of this novel was the chapter headings.  Each one combined cliche relationship adages with tips for surviving zombie attacks.  A few examples were, "Balance the workload in your relationship.  No one person should be responsible for killing all the zombies," and "Put the small stuff into perspective.  It's better to be wrong and alive than right but eating brains."   This offbeat humor might not appeal to everyone, but for those that are amused, Married with Zombies is definitely a fun book to read!

Happy April Fool's Day!  For those unfamiliar with the "holiday" or at least the American take on it, April 1st is referred to as April Fool's Day and is generally considered a day for people to play lighthearted jokes or pranks on others.  Though some people will use the day for malicious endeavors, I've always enjoyed it as a time for silliness and make it a point to try to fool people - if even for a brief moment.  Sometimes it can be something as silly as declaring, "It's snowing outside!" to see how many recently risen sleepyheads will rush to the window in search of late winter flurries.  Other times I've pretended to lose something important - "I lost my keys!" in a panicked voice before pulling them out of my purse.  My family has always found laughs in funny little "Gotcha!" moments and I will even admit that it's just as fun when the joke is on me!

But the name "April Fool's Day" also got me thinking about the word "fool" as a noun rather than a verb, and I've been reflecting on how often the character of a fool comes up in fairy tales.  The first one that comes to my mind is Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk fame.  The young boy who sells his cow for magic beans is an obvious answer of a gullible character despite the fact that the beans he buys truly are magic.    There are also plenty of examples of fairy tale heroes and heroines playing the trickster and the fool is their rival in the story.  Examples of this are the Anansi stories of folk lore and Uncle Remus' Brer Rabbit tales (many of which were inspired by the spider god).

The story I want to bring up this week though is one that I encountered for the first time in high school.  As a teenager, I probably considered myself too old for fairy tales, but as I was learning Spanish, one of my instructors frequently gave us folk tales from Latin America to read - often featuring a character named Juan Bobo.  (I know folk tales and fairy tales aren't quite the same thing, but I guess this could be considered me fooling all of those who thought this would be a true fairy tale post.)  The name Juan Bobo roughly translates to Dumb John and the stories of his adventures are mostly silly tales with shenanigans involving misinterpreted instructions.  At first I thought this concept was somewhat unjust in making fun of someone with a mental disability, but culturally, these stories are not intended to poke fun at those with actual mental problems, rather just run-of-the-mill lack of common sense.   An apt comparison would be the practice of telling "blond jokes" - few people believe that individuals with blond hair are less intelligent that others, the group just serves as a target for the joke telling platform. 

I had a difficult time finding an online version of any of the Juan Bobo stories (especially translated to English) but one I was able to find - that I remember reading in high school - is La Puerca de Juan Bobo, or Juan Bobo's Pig.  In this story, Juan Bobo is told by his mother to wash their pig before selling it in the market.  The mother instructs him to make the pig "look as beautiful as [he] can."  To most people this would just involve washing the mud off the animal, but to Juan Bobo it goes much further.

"Juan Bobo went to his mother's closet and got out her red taffeta skirt with the elastic waist band, and he slipped that around the pig's waist...He borrowed a blouse and a bright red wig, and he fit those onto the pig.  He outlined the pig's eyes as best he could with black eyeliner and a touch of blue eyeshadow; he put bright red lipstick on the pig's lips; and he got two pairs of his mother's high-heeled pumps and strapped those onto her trotters.

"Now the pig looked really beautiful to Juan Bobo!"

Of course, Juan Bobo runs into trouble on the way to the market when the pig decides it would much rather wear mud than makeup and heels.  There's not much of a moral to the story outside of the fact that animals will follow their instincts and it is futile to try to make them what they are not; but the true purpose of this and most of the Juan Bobo stories are laughter and silliness.  It is the image of a pig dressed up in fancy clothes, a wig, and high heels that gives the tale entertainment value and the phrase "como la puerca de Juan Bobo" (like Juan Bobo's pig) is still used to describe someone who overdoes makeup and accessories to a ridiculous degree.  (As far as I'm aware, though this is an insult, it's not a vulgar one.)

So what do you think about fool's in fairy tales and folk lore?  Do you have a favorite story of a trickster or foolish hero?


This story is part of my 2011 Fairy Tale Challenge (4 of 12) which began as Fairy Tale Fridays originally hosted by Tif of Tif Talks Books.  Feel free to share your thoughts on Juan Bobo's Pig in the comments below or leave a link to your own Fairy Tale Friday post and let me know what tale you're talking about this week!  I'm also eager for suggestions so if you have a favorite story (classic or retold) to share I'm always on the lookout for stories that are new to me!

If there's one thing I enjoy more than books that can make me laugh, it's authors that can do the same!  Along with taking the time to answer my questions, Tominda Adkins, author of Vessel (Book I: The Advent) is sponsoring an awesome giveaway of her hilarious and fun novel.  Check out the details after the interview, and join me in a warm Her Book Self welcome to Tominda Adkins!

*applause, applause*

Welcome, Tominda!  Tell us a little about yourself - How did you get started as a writer?

Coming up with stories has always been my bliss. Four days out of five, I was that kid at recess who just got on the swingset and did nothing else. Except I wasn't just swinging, I was completely spacing out and building intricate plot lines about dragons and god-knows-what-else in my head. I was always writing up character profiles, drawing them, creating maps and new nations, and building story outlines. By the age of eleven I pretty much knew that I wouldn't be content until I published a book, and yet I never planned for a writing career. Majoring in English never crossed my mind. I wasn't interested in English; I was interested in my stories, and in telling them the right way. I discovered the right way by reading a lot, and by writing a lot.

How did you come up with the concept for the Vessel series?

The short story: Too much anime as a kid! My personal favorites were Ronin Warriors and Sailor Moon. The long story: When I was twelve, my best friend Lindsey and I stayed up until dawn writing separate epic fantasies. The notebook I filled that night hardly resembles Vessel, but the seeds are there: five young men, elemental powers, and comedic situations. It just kept evolving from there. Anyone who knew me in high school can tell you I was never without a spiral-bound neon notebook filled with this ongoing story and supplemental manga-esque doodling. I went to college, put it away for a few years, and tried writing some light literary fiction, which never got anywhere. And then one day, Jordan invited herself into my head and the rest of Vessel just came pouring out of me. It all fell into place, and this time I knew it was mature enough, it was good enough, so I dropped everything in order to get it published. Now I am finally able to share it with readers, and I couldn't be happier with the response so far.

One of the things I loved about Vessel: The Advent was that it is a road trip novel. I've always enjoyed stories where a physical journey parallels the journey of character development. Are you a fan of road trips? What is your favorite destination and method of travel?

I do love road trips! I'm generally content on the road, whether alone or with friends. I love driving, and I adore diners (I've honestly fantasized about being a trucker). Two summers ago, I drove from West Virginia to Seattle in four days. My car broke down five times and the AC was kaput for the entire journey. Despite what my travel companion will tell you, it was the best trip ever.
Honestly, my favorite destination is someplace I've never been, and my favorite method of travel is by horse. But since I don't own a horse and rarely get the opportunity to ride in Seattle, I'll say that 'by car' is a close second. It's when I'm driving around listening to loud music that I start to visualize key scenes for Vessel. Probably not the safest way to craft a novel, but it works for me.

Was it difficult to develop so many characters concurrently?

Character development always feels like the easiest part. One thing that consistently amazes about writing is the way characters tend to dictate their own creation. You start to get a feel for them, but sometimes when you begin priming them to be a certain way, they flatly refuse. You want specific relationships to form, or you want a protagonist to show strength before he's ready, but the characters have a way of pointing you in the right direction and thus improving the story itself--if you let them. It's truly a group effort. I sit and type, and I've got these guys glaring over my shoulder the whole time, saying: "Are you kidding? I'd never do that!" or: "I'm wearing what?" and: "Yes! Yes! I'd totally say that!" and so on. When this whole thing started, for instance, Corin was supposed to be a total ditz. He wound up being the most sensible character I've got. I wanted Ghi to stand out as the key male protagonist for Book I, but Jesse absolutely jumped up and stole the show. There was no stopping him. All these developments were for the better, though, and I have my characters to thank for it.

 Whose storyline was the most enjoyable to write?

Jesse is obviously a ball to write, but Khan's storyline is probably my favorite right now. There's a lot of mystery to him--not just concerning his past, but his current actions. Doing a character who doesn't speak is a challenge, but a fun one. Readers sometimes ask why he doesn't talk. It's not that he doesn't know English; he just doesn't see the point in speaking in most situations. Or maybe he's just a total sociopath. I don't know. Heck, I created the guy, and I hardly know what he's thinking half the time. He has a lot of depth, though; he's a lot sweeter and selfless than readers realize right now, and I can promise that he'll continue to surprise.

Your website has a Vessel character quiz - which character is most like you and which is the least?

This is a fun one! I think a lot of people would guess that Jordan and I are the most similar, but I don't see it. Friends do tell me that reading Vessel is like sitting with me while I tell a story, and I guess the way I talk really does show through in Jordan's narration . . . but she's just so cranky. I like to think that if I were stuck on a tour bus with the Vessel, I'd have a darn good time. So I'll say that I'm most like Jackson. He's loud, friendly, up for anything, and rarely in a poor mood. I can identify with that. The least like me is probably Khan. He and I don't have much in common, except maybe a predilection toward tattoos.

Another aspect of the book that I found really entertaining was Jordan's narration and her witty banter with Jesse. Do your friends and family consider you a funny person or is most of your humor saved for your writing?

I see humor in everything, and I'm always bursting to tell someone a funny story. I'm a total ham, sure, but it helps that the most outrageous (and usually embarrassing) things always happen to me. I don't know why that is. I'm like a Seinfeld situation magnet. I can't walk out the door in a long skirt without it winding up over my head in a strong wind, or ripped completely off by bicycle gears, or half-digested by pygmy goats. You see? There's this stereotype of authors using their sorrows to inspire, or writing to make use of their pain. I suppose, then, that I write to make use of my absurd circumstances. So when a naked man accidentally locks himself in my kitchen pantry (true story), I just think: "Yep. I can use that."

Using a haiku, how would you persuade someone who had never read the book that Vessel: The Advent is a work they will love?

What an original question! Here goes:

Earth is in peril!

Five gods, one girl, add liquor . . .

Oh no. We're all doomed.

The Hollows were also a delightfully creepy new concept and I liked that you took a new spin on zombies as an adversary. Are you a fan of zombies in books and movies? How did you come up with your reinvention of them?

I had eight zombie apocalypse nightmares in 2010! I wouldn't call myself a zombie afficianado, but I do appreciate a well-done zombie movie or graphic novel. Zombies terrify me for the same reason that sharks do: you absolutely cannot reason with one, and it wants to eat you. You can't reason with a toddler, either, but a toddler can't gnaw out your intestines. Unless it's a zombie toddler.
Zombie movies definitely helped inspire the Hollows, who've undergone some major evolution throughout re-writings of Vessel. They used to be demon spirits in another dimension, then vampire-like beings, and probably other things I'm forgetting. For a long time, I wasn't sure what their endgame was, what they were after, you know? "Taking over the world" is overdone, and there are too many civilized vampires out there who kill with moral discrecion. I wanted the adversary to be savage, calculating but insatiable, and scary. Then I saw this bad movie a few years ago about seances, with this black ectoplasm floating up out of a kid's mouth, and I was like: Yes! That's what my evil is! It doesn't think, it just feeds--like zombies! No political goals, no dreams of eternal life, no name even--just a hunger. A hunger that takes the shape of the people it has fed upon and emptied. Hollows. Bingo.

You already have some plans for future books in the Vessel series - what can you reveal about the next book?

Well, there will be five books in all, and each one will shine a little extra light on one Vessel in particular. Jesse got Book I. Next up is Jackson. In Book II, we'll learn a lot more about the Luna Latum, the Vessels' abilities, and their drink preferences. Basically, the boys get a few months of R&R at their new digs, the Elysium (where Jordan is miserable, of course). Then they are called to Egypt by the Luna Latum Consulate, where sand is displaced and trouble is had. My website promises "cults, prosthesis humor, the bloody return of a certain not-quite-dead princess and her flesh-eating horse, and, naturally, a gay disco club". The book doesn't have a subtitle yet, and in fact I'm holding a contest to name it. The winner will have a doomed character named in his or her honor!

What other projects are you currently working on?

I write the occasional speculative short story, but right now Vessel is all I have time for. I'm always looking to do cover design, typesettng, and e-book formatting for other authors, though. Eventually, I want to expand my publishing capabilities and promote works other than my own. As for what I'll be writing after Vessel, who knows!

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

ReadVessel.com is a great place to start, and the Elysium blog: TomindaAdkins.blogspot.com. I'm always trying to keep things interactive and show visitors a good time. And, of course, anyone is welcome to email me: vessel.tom@gmail.com. I love questions, comments, suggestions, rants, recipes, weather updates--whatever you want to send my way.

Thank you so much for sharing your time and work!

Thank you for the questions, Lisa! This has been a pleasure. Happy reading!

And now for the giveaway details!  Great news for eBook fans: for a limited time only there is a FREE download available at the book's website!  In case that's not awesome enough, Tominda Adkins will also send a paperback copy of the novel to one lucky Her Book Self reader!  To enter the contest for the paperback copy, leave a comment below with your email address and answer to the question, "Are you a fan of road trips? What is your favorite destination and method of travel?"  Giveaway is open to US and Canada mailing addresses and ends on April 13th! 

Winner will be selected using random.org and will have three days to respond via email with a valid mailing address; if no response, a new winner will be chosen.