Pam Jenoff's Historical Fiction

Happy Friday everyone!  Okay, so Friday is almost over, but I wanted to write a quick note since it's been a while since my last post.

First... a huge THANK YOU to everyone who entered the Lisa Van Allen giveaway :)  And, congratulations to the winners!  I was so excited to be able to share such an amazing author with you all, and hope that you pick up a copy of either (or both) The Wishing Thread or The Night Garden to read.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a ton of reading time lately. However, I did finish a spectacular historical fiction novel by Pam Jenoff entitled The Things We Cherished.  I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and one of my favorite eras to read about is World War II.  Lucky for me Pam Jenoff has an unbelievable background (including working for the Pentagon and working at the US Consulate in Krakow, Poland) which gives her an edge when it comes to writing about this time period.

The Things We Cherished contains different characters and story-lines spanning from 1903 to 2009.  Beginning with a struggling farmer and his wife looking for a way to travel to a better life in America all the way to the modern story of a man being tried as a war criminal almost sixty years after his crimes were committed.  Everything ties together through a one-of-a-kind clock the farmer makes to sell for money to purchase passage to America.  After the clock is commissioned and sold, it ends up holding secrets to be revealed throughout the novel.

Everything in this book is so well put together.  You can really tell that Pam understands the history behind each of these times as well as legal processes.  There is a little bit of something for everyone in this novel... mystery, family drama, love stories, and history.  I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a well-told World War II novel with a different angle.  Yes, the Holocaust is referenced and the horrifying events that surrounded it, but more than that, this is the story of real people dealing with raw emotions during a time when figuring out the "right" thing to do was not as clear as black and white.

Now the only problem is trying to decide which Pam Jenoff novel to read next!  I purchased her newest title, The Winter Guest, when it released a couple months ago, and I've put it on the top of my to-read pile :)  I highly recommend checking out one of Pam's books next time you're looking for something to read!

This upcoming weekend I have book club, so I will have a spooky story post coming up soon...  I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!  Happy Reading!

The Lovely Lisa Van Allen and The Night Garden

So I've been promising something exciting and the day has finally come when I can share!! :)  As I've posted about before, I am a huge fan of the genre "magical realism" which is a fiction genre that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into an otherwise realistic story.  
Last summer I was paging through an advance magazine at work and saw a cover that caught my eye (how can these covers not catch your eye??!).  The title was The Wishing Thread and I'd never heard of the author before…

I read the description and told my coworkers, "We have to order in this book and sell it!"  It was the perfect read to kick-off fall... a story of sisters who are left the "Stitchery," a yarn shop that offers more than just plain hats and scarves, by their aunt when she passes.  The Van Ripper sisters—Aubrey, Bitty, and Meggie—are said to knit people’s most ardent wishes into beautiful scarves and mittens, granting them health, success, or even a blossoming romance. But for the magic to work, sacrifices must be made—and no one knows that better than the Van Rippers.

The The Wishing Thread was Lisa's debut novel, and I loved it.  Lisa Van Allen's writing created a perfect story of family, love, and the choice of sacrifice... with a *hint* of magic.  I recommended it to lots of friends and family members as well as customers, and so many have told me how much they enjoyed it... it's the perfect read for a cool fall day, cup of coffee/tea/hot cocoa in hand :)

Skip forward to a couple months ago... a new Lisa Van Allen book on the horizon!!  The Night Garden... due out October 7th!  The Night Garden is a novel about the Pennywort farm and its beautiful enigmatic caretaker Olivia.  Olivia has spent her entire life immersed in the farm and its incomparable garden while harboring a secret.  But when her childhood friend, Sam Van Winkle, returns she just might finally have a reason to let someone into her world...

After the wonderful feedback I received from people about The Wishing Thread, I wanted to see what I could do to help promote Lisa's new book.  Lucky for me Lisa (and her publishing company) are incredible and offered to let me feature Lisa on this blog and feature a Q&A that was created just for this post!  (Yes I did a happy dance.  No I'm not embarrassed.)

I asked Lisa five questions about her books, writing and recommendations... here they are (even her answers are perfectly written!):

1. In your new novel, The Night Garden, one of the main characters, Sam Van Winkle, has a last name that connects him to Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle."  Why did you incorporate this legend in your book?

Part of my love for the Hudson Valley and the Catskills regions stems from the countless folk tales and ghost stories that abound in the rolling mountains. THE NIGHT GARDEN is set in the western Catskills near the site of the Woodstock festival; the regions green hills and acres of blue sky give it a sleepy, serene feeling. Sam's last name certainly calls on the traditions of the region and evokes a simpler, less frantic time. I hope THE NIGHT GARDEN is a quirky little vacation from real life. 

2. How do you come up with the "magical" elements in your novels?  Do you create the character first and then discover their "magic," or do you think of a situation, a "talent," or "curse" and then the character is formed from this idea?

For THE NIGHT GARDEN, Olivia's particular "curse" (if you can call it that) came about because of a short story by Hawthorne that I'd read waaaaay back when I was a sophomore in high school. I don't want to give away too much, but I'll say that I've wanted to do a story about a woman with her particular magical affliction for a very long time. The other magical elements arrive in the simplest way possible; it's me, sitting with me hands hovering over the keyboard, thinking "what would be really fun and surprising to write about right now?" I just follow where my interests lead--and yes, the results can be pretty unusual. 

3. This past year your debut novel, The Wishing Thread, accomplished amazing feats including making both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.  What was it like to achieve this, and what advice do you have for writers who are striving for similar recognition? 

It was the greatest thrill of my writing life so far. But I still have a long way to go and many more stories to tell. My advice to writers would simply be this: Set outrageous goals for yourself. But always focus on the joy of writing--love of the act has to be first, central, and last. It's the only thing that will keep you moving toward your goals. 

4. Who are some authors or what are some books you've enjoyed and like to recommend to readers?

I always like to recommend Alice Hoffman to anyone who has never read her. Sarah Addison Allen too, of course! These are both magical writers who speak strongly to me. 

5. Considering your novels have "magical" elements, do you believe that "magic," in some form, exists in our world?  Or is it all coincidence/chance? 

You've hit on the central question of THE WISHING THREAD, the story of three sisters who are said to "knit" magic spells. I believe in magic (and really, I mean miracles, and I mean God) because I want to, because I can't not. I believe life is a gift, a very real gift, and our life's work is to walk in gratitude and humility. But I won't tell you how to read THE WISHING THREAD. Every reader has to make her own decisions about what's really going on in that story. 

As if I didn't adore Lisa Van Allen enough.  Seriously such beautiful words!

Soooo even more big news.  Lisa and her publisher (Penguin Random House) are letting me give away not one... not two... but three copies of The Night Garden!!!  This means you have a chance to win one of these lovely copies of Lisa's new book!

All you have to do is like my facebook page and enter below!  You can even get additional entries by liking Lisa's facebook page and sharing this giveaway on your own facebook page!  You can actually get an additional entry each day you post about this giveaway on your facebook page!  Winners will be chosen in one week... good luck!

A huge thank you to Lisa Van Allen and the folks at Penguin Random house for giving me the opportunity to share Lisa's incredible novel!  And thank you to all of you for participating and sharing with your friends! 


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Family Vacation!

I apologize for my lack of blogging and posts on Facebook this week... we are on a mini family vacation :)  I decided to take a couple of minutes to share some of the fun bookish things we've done this vacation thus far :)

My husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on October 8th.  We had initially planned on letting Everett stay at Grandma and Grandpa's for the day, but ended up taking a little family trip instead.  We drove to Sheboygan, WI and visited Bookworm Gardens... an amazingly awesome place for any age!  This is unlike any garden I've ever seen... it is filled with literary references!  There's a Giving Tree, a Magic School Bus, Little House in the Big Woods cabin, The Three Bears and their three chairs, and even the Three Little Pigs houses.  My parents and I took Everett here earlier in the year, and he wasn't too into it, but he LOVED it this time.

Everett enjoying Bookworm Gardens

Checking out Winnie-the-Pooh's house at Bookworm Gardens

We also made a couple stops to bookstores this week and added a couple titles to our libraries.  Everett got a new Halloween book Who am I? Halloween, and we also picked up a Thanksgiving book for next month, Thanks for Thanksgiving.  I, of course, had to pick up Lisa Van Allen's new book The Night Garden which came out on Tuesday (LOVE her books!).  I also picked up a copy of The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena, which I've heard is supposed to be similar to Sarah Addison Allen's writing.  Lastly, my husband surprised me with a book for part of my anniversary gift, Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms by Martin Sklar (I absolutely LOVE it when he surprises me with books! And I'm a huge fan of Disney World... so this was perfect!  I can't wait to read it!).

I am currently working on reading four books as well... Bird Box by Josh Malerman, The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff, The Night Garden by Lisa Van Allen, and A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (which are all excellent!) although I haven't taken a lot of time to read this week.  We've been busy apple picking, taking day trips, and attending local festivities like the Zoo Boo at our local zoo.  So much fun! 

Apple picking

At the Zoo Boo with my little pumpkin!

What are some bookish things you've done on vacation?  And, don't worry I haven't forgotten about the awesomely fun announcement I have... it's coming soon... :)  Please like and share my Facebook page and follow this blog to be the first to know!

Thank you for being a part of my little corner of the book world, and happy reading!

Lauren Oliver's Rooms

As you might have noticed in past posts, I love Halloween.  One might then think that I enjoy scary books, movies, haunted houses, etc.  Yeah... not really.  I mean, I was obsessed with Goosebumps, Christopher Pike books, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was young.  But then had to sleep with the lights on.  I have seen a few horror movies that have given me nightmares, but Hocus Pocus will forever be my favorite Halloween movie.

This time of year though I do like to attempt to find a book that is mildly scary to enjoy (but hopefully one that won't interfere too much with the limited sleep I already get being mommy to a toddler).  This year I have two "scary" books on my list... Rooms by Lauren Oliver and Bird Box by Josh Malerman.  

I chose to read Rooms because I absolutely loved reading Lauren Oliver's young reader novel Liesl & Po which was her first published ghost story.  Rooms is definitely an adult novel, and perfect for someone looking for an atypical ghost story.  Rooms is the story of recently deceased Richard Walker's family and the ghosts that haunt his house.  The book is divided into parts which take place in the various rooms throughout the house.  Several narrators, both alive and dead, tell stories within each of these rooms.  The shift in narrators and place allows Oliver to seamlessly glide between different times and connect stories in unique ways.  I absolutely loved the creativity behind the way this book is presented.

The ghosts in this novel are not scary, they're more mysterious.  The novel unwraps their stories as well as the disappearance of a young girl taking place in the real world.  Every character in this novel is so damaged and is hiding something.  At times it seems the plot twists and story lines are never ending, but Oliver manages to squeeze them all into 320 pages.  I only wish she had focused more on a few stories rather than making every character so intense and convoluted.  But, I will give Rooms a solid 4 out of 5.  

Bird Box by Josh Malerman is our October book club selection, so a review will come for that title in the upcoming weeks.  But how creepy does this description sound...

"Something is out there . . .

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, Malorie has long dreamed of fleeing to a place where her family might be safe. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but Malorie's wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?"

I guess I'll be sleeping with the lights on again...

One last thing... I have some incredibly exciting news to share with you all...  just not quite yet.  Like my Facebook page and follow this blog to find out as soon as it's announced!

Happy reading everyone! :)

Everett's Top 5 Halloween Picks

HAPPY OCTOBER!  October is my favorite month of the year... the beautiful fall weather... the pumpkin, apple, cinnamon everything... and of course Halloween!  Our house is all decorated and pumpkin coffee and treats are ready to be enjoyed!  And, of course, Halloween books are a must.  We've already purchased a couple new Halloween themed books for Everett this year, and I'm guessing a couple more will be added to our collection by the end of the month.  

So far some of Everett's favorite Halloween titles are:

1. Happy Halloween Stinky Face by Lisa Mccourt
I randomly stumbled upon this book while shopping at TJ Maxx.  I didn't even know there was a Halloween version of Stinky Face!  Considering Everett's love of the original Stinky Face book, I had to grab a copy of this for him.  The book includes lots of costumes and funny halloween "what ifs."  It's actually a fairly lengthy book for Everett's attention span, but he sits through it!  



2. The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry
Everett has always loved it when we sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider."  This book is new this year, and when I saw that Ev's one of Ev's favorite tunes was recreated with a fall/Halloween theme, we had to try it out.  At the bookstore, Ev sat still for the whole book the first time... that's an instant winner!







3. Ollie's Halloween by Olivier Dunrea
We have several of the Ollie books at our house, and this one was part of Ev's Halloween surprise last year.  It's a cute story about costumes and fall fun!  The illustrations in the Ollie books are always awesome too! 








4. ABCs of Halloween by Patricia Reeder Eubank
Everett is obsessed with his ABCs right now, so I thought this might be a fun way to learn new "Halloween words" by letter.  I love the classic artwork and the new vocabulary he can learn from each page.  The book also rhymes from page to page :)

5. Dracula: A BabyLit Counting Primer by Jennifer Adams

Any lovers of classic books will adore the BabyLit series for children!  There are several classics that are used to teach different concepts (counting, colors, first words), and they all have fantastic artwork!  The Dracula book is perfect for Halloween!  Items from Dracula (a castle, wolves, tombstones, as well as characters) are shown in different quantities to teach numbers 1-10.  

(P.S. There are lots of other great Halloween BabyLit books including a new Frankenstein book... which I *might* have to invest in this year!)

There are just so many fun Halloween books out there!  I have a feeling Ev will do another round of Top 5 closer to Halloween itself :)  What are some of your favorite Halloween titles for kids (Or adults...  I'm looking for some great spooky reads for October, too!)?

Happy October and happy reading everyone!!!  

Book Club Title: That Night by Chevy Stevens

When Chevy Stevens published her first novel in 2010, Still Missing, I had heard her style was similar to Jodi Picoult and Jennifer McMahon, two authors I've enjoyed.  Still Missing was also met with excellent reviews from critics and advance readers, so I grabbed a copy and tried it out.  I liked Still Missing, it was a fast-paced thriller with definite twists and turns, but it wasn't my favorite book ever.  Now four years have gone by and Chevy Stevens released her fourth book, That Night, which was chosen for our book club's September read.  

I was actually pretty excited that one of her books was chosen.  I know several people who read her books each time a new one releases, and they tell me that they get better and better, but I had yet to pick up another book by Chevy.  Book club gave me that extra push to try out her writing again (love my book club)!  Review time...

That Night by Chevy Stevens 

4 of 5 Stars

The premise of this book: One night can change the course of your entire life... especially if someone is found murdered.  Tori, an eighteen year old girl, has a strained relationship with most people in her life (her mom, her sister, her dad, her "friends") and is viewed as a trouble-maker.  Her ex-best friend, Shauna, treats her beyond terribly, and seems to want nothing more than to ruin Toni's life for good.  The only light in Toni's life seems to be her unwavering relationship with her boyfriend, Ryan, and the fact that they are almost done with high school and ready to begin their lives together.  That is until Toni's younger sister, Nicole, is found brutally murdered one night when Toni and Ryan had taken Nicole out.  Toni and Ryan are found guilty of murdering Nicole, but claim they are innocent...

This book was a definite page turner!  The chapters jump from "that night," to Toni's time in prison, to the time after she is released back into society.  I found myself reading just one more chapter each time I read so I could try to figure everything out or gain another clue as to what really did happen "that night."  The ending was worth the wait.  Chevy threw in some good curve balls throughout the novel to keep her readers guessing until the very end.

The thing I was most impressed with was my hatred for Toni's antagonist, Shauna.  I despised her.  Every time her name came up or she found another way to make Toni's life miserable I would literally get angry.  Everyone who has attended high school knows there are school bullies and some can be absolutely horrid... Shauna... she wins the "worst ex-best friend turned bully award" of all the books I've read.  It's obvious that Shauna has some definite issues with insecurity, but seriously... what a...

I will say I wasn't in love with Toni's character either though.  I understand why Chevy made her imperfect (in many ways), but she was so flawed that it made it harder to empathize with her character.  Yes, I felt terrible for her when she was bullied, and I wanted the truth of what happened "that night," but she had messed up in so many ways with her family prior to "that night" that I understood why her family and community questioned her involvement in her sister's death.

Long story short, if you're looking for a good thriller with an interesting plot, pick up a copy of Chevy Steven's That Night.  You won't be disappointed and hopefully the ending will surprise you!

This novel did make me want to check out some more of Chevy Steven's books.  I actually saw that she has an e-novella, The Other Side, available too (for only $0.99!), so that might need to be downloaded for a quick read!  

I love chatting with my book club each month about the book we chose, but I also love that I can go to them for excellent recommendations.  Is anyone else out there in a book club?  What books have you chosen and enjoyed?  Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and got lots of reading time! :)

The e-novella.

There is a new(ish) trend in the book world lately... the e-novella.  Now that e-readers are so widespread and popular, many publishers and authors take full advantage of the fact that a short story or novella can be published quickly and a lot cheaper than when everything was physically printed.  Therefore, many authors are publishing novellas between books, before a new book release, or simply because they have a short story they'd like to share :)  This is a great way to make the wait for a new book in your favorite series or a new novel from a favorite author a little more bearable.  (Well I suppose perhaps this is a matter of opinion... if the short story is amazing and you still have to wait a few months for the book... perhaps it makes the wait feel even longer... but there's still new reading material... so no complaints!)

I actually really love this new trend, especially when the e-novella is a prequel for an upcoming novel.  Typically these novellas give you a glimpse into the characters and world of the novel and lets you see if the novel is really something you'll like.  Plus, novellas are typically inexpensive (some are even free!) and short (usually 200 pages or less), so if I'm hesitant on whether or not I'll like an upcoming book or author, I download a novella to see how I feel about the story/writing.  

I asked some of the authors I've met recently how they felt about publishing these works and if it's something publishers are pushing.  They mostly responded that it is kind of the "in thing," and many publishers ask if the author would be willing to put something out prior to a release to build excitement for an upcoming title.  Other authors said they take it as an opportunity to tell a different perspective of a story or share a related story that might not fit into their final novel.  All-in-all I think these e-novellas are a win-win-win for authors, readers, and publishers.

Some novellas that I've scooped up and enjoyed lately are:

Little Lies by Heather Gudenkauf -- This was the prequel to Heather's latest novel Little Mercies.  It's a short mystery/suspense novel in which social worker Ellen Moore is brought in to help with a four-year-old boy who is found next to the body of his murdered mother.  An excellent stand alone story as well as a great introduction to the characters from Little Mercies.



The Other Girl by Pam Jenoff -- A short companion novella to Pam's latest novel The Winter Guest about a newly married, pregnant young woman name Maria during WWII who finds a Jewish girl, Hannah, hiding in the barn.  This short story definitely makes you want to read more about the characters and their lives... luckily The Winter Guest is out already, so there's plenty more of Pam's wonderful writing ready to be read!

The Undertaking of Tess by Lesley Kagen -- A prequel to Lesley's upcoming novel The Resurrection of Tess Blessing this novella tells the story of 11-year-old Tess and her 10-year-old sister Birdie.  The story takes place right after their father accidentally drowns and Tess now must navigate the world, and look after her sister, without his help.  Equal parts heartwarming and funny, I loved this short story and can't wait to get a copy of the novel!




Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, The Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar by Gail Carriger -- A short story set in the world of Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series which gives a bit more background on Alessandro Tarabotti's character.  Carriger's writing is so humorous and fun... for anyone who likes science-fiction with a dash of British humor... I recommend checking out this series (and you can start with the novella to get a sampling of her writing style!).




The Wanderer in Unknown Realms by John Connolly -- A stand alone novella written by the author of one of my favorite books of all time (The Book of Lost Things... if you haven't read this novel... do it!) about madness, obsession, and books.  This story would actually be a good one to check out with Halloween on the way... it's definitely got a horror vibe to it!



So, if you're looking for a way to see how much you may or may not enjoy a new author, or for new works from an author you adore... see if they have any e-novellas available... you just might discover something new!

Happy reading! :)