A Friend that Reads is a Friend Indeed . . . Remembering Laura Hivala

There is a special kind of friend that shares the love of reading with you and shares your exact tastes in reading. This is the kind of friend that you talk to and all conversations drift towards talk of books. What books you’ve read, loved, and hated. When you read any of the books this friend recommends, you know you’ll love them. There are only a handful of people that I have met in my life that meet such a description.

Laura Hivala was a good friend that was definitely one of them. I met Laura as a freshman at Michigan Tech in Houghton. Laura and I were both working toward a degree in an environmental engineering. Together with our friend Laura Neumeier (also in the same environmental engineering class), we were often referred to as “the Lauras” if people saw us together. Laura was a happy person who was nice to everyone. She was also very active and good at everything. She played the piano and French horn, had spent summers as a lifeguard, played tennis, was the president of the student Michigan Water Environment Federation, and much more.

We spent a lot of time in class and working on engineering homework, but we also had a good time talking about books. Laura’s Grandma owned a bookstore in Escanaba, a fact that I always thought was fantastic, and also may have made me slightly jealous. Her last semester, I had started grad school. With our senior design project out of the way, we had a lot more time for social fun and it was a blast.

Laura gave me A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving for Christmas one year as she was distressed that I had never read a John Irving novel. This was one of her favorite books of all time. We also discovered Anita Shreve and Sue Miller around the same time and love reading their books and discussing. After we graduated from Michigan Tech, Laura was always great about calling so we could talk about life, friends, and books. She has books for all occasions. She introduced me to the Shopaholic series for something lighthearted and funny. For a bit deeper reading she loved The Count of Monte Cristo, her favorite book. I have bought it from her recommendation and have it sitting in my TBR pile. She told me about My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, a book I loved, and I used as a book club pick. And there was so much more good books and movies that she recommended.

Laura always was trying to convince me to listen to audiobooks, and I finally gave in last summer and learned I loved them too. She also had me sign up to Visual Bookshelf on Facebook so we could keep track of what each other were reading and make comments.

Laura suffered from severe migraines starting when we were seniors in college. Laura passed away unexpectedly on January 22nd in her sleep at age 32 from complications of her headache medicine and an antiobiotic she was on for an illness.

I will always miss Laura Hivala. She was a great person, a great friend, and a great reader. I have so many great memories of her through the years. I just wanted to discuss her and her love of books on this a blog for book reviews. She used to read this blog and joke with me about it. Laura will always be with me in my thoughts and prayers.

This year I still need to read the following books that Laura recommended and are either on my pile or list of books to read:

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

Do you have friends that you bond with over books?

Winners of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks!

The three lucky winners of the audiobook Dear John by Nicolas Sparks are as follows: Cherylbaryl of The Books I Read, CallMeKayla of K & K's Blog, and Tweezle of Just One More Paragraph. Congratulations to the winners! Winners were chosen using random.org. I have contacted the three winners and am anxiously awaiting their mailing addresses to forward to Hachette Book Group. If I do not hear back from them by Friday Febuary 5th, I will draw new winners.

Thank-you to Anna from Hachette Book Group for allowing me to host this giveaway. Thank-you to all who entered this giveaway.

Please check out the giveaways that are still ongoing on my left sidebar, and stay tuned for upcoming giveaways!

Winners of A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents!

Congratulations to the following lucky winners of A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer: Distracted Musician of The Diary of a Distracted Musician, Linda Kish, Janet Ruth of Along the Way, Bernita, and BookSync of Books in the City. Winners were chosen using random.org. I have emailed each winner and they have until Friday February 5th to send me their mailing addresses. I will then forward their addresses to Hachette Book Group.

Thank-you to Miriam of Hachette Book Group for allowing me to hold this giveaway. Thank-you to all how entered this giveaway. I still have many giveaways going as can be seen on my left sidebar so make sure to check them out. I have a couple news ones that will be posted this week and next . . .

Guest Review (and Giveaway) - Abigail Reynolds author of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World

I apologize to my blog readers that I have been offline this week. A good friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. I will post more on that later.

Today I am thrilled to have Abigail Reynolds the author of the new novel Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World as a guest blogger. This books sounds fascinating and I can't wait to get my hands on it! Thank-you for writing a great guest post Abigail!

The Accidental Writer
I never intended to become a writer, and certainly not a writer of Jane Austen-related fiction. Jane Austen was sacrosanct, and I wasn’t a writer. I’d dabbled a little in high school, co-writing a few chapters of a fantasy novel with a friend, but that was it. For the next couple of decades, my writing took the form of telling myself stories in my head. Some were historical, some romantic, some bizarre. I’d polish the scenes of my mental stories, getting the lines and characters just so, then I’d run the scenes in my head when I was bored. I didn’t put anything down on paper, though I knew the stories well enough to do it.

A few years back, I discovered what I was missing. It was readers. I’d stumbled across Jane Austen fanfiction sites on the internet and read the stories there. My next mental story was From Lambton to Longbourn, the first of my Pemberley Variations. I take my beloved Pride & Prejudice and find a turning point in the plot, then turn it the other way and see what happens. For example, in Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, Elizabeth Bennet finds herself unable to refuse Mr. Darcy’s offer of marriage, even though he is, as she says in Jane Austen’s original, the last man in the world she could be prevailed upon to marry. What follows is a tale of love growing after marriage, despite misunderstanding and impediments.

So I started writing this story in my head, but this time I knew there were people who might want to read it if I wrote it. Maybe. Possibly. If it wasn’t nightmarishly bad. But the idea of sharing my story intrigued me, so I started writing it down and posting it chapter by chapter on the internet, frantically waiting to see if readers would like it. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. But it taught me the importance of having an audience, even if it’s just one person. When you know your writing will be read, it becomes a dialogue of sorts. The pressure from readers kept me from giving up when I reached difficult sections – after all, I couldn’t let down my dozen or so anonymous readers. So I kept going and eventually posted the final chapter, heaved a sigh of relief, and swore never to do it again.

I’d reckoned without how addictive writing is. Once you start, it’s almost impossible to stop. I lasted a week and a half in writing withdrawal before I gave in to temptation. But now I admitted that I was actually writing, not dabbling. Because I’m a bit of a perfectionist I took some helpful classes that improved my writing no end, though my otherwise insightful teacher assured me several times that no one would ever be interested in Jane Austen-related fiction.

The next thing I knew, I had six books and lots of readers begging for more.

But I’ve never forgotten the importance of an audience. I’ve come to know a few of my readers, and I think about them when I’m writing. Not out of desire to please them, but to motivate myself. So here are my thanks to my readers, because you’re an essential part of my writing process.

That, and I really like thinking about Darcy and Elizabeth.

Thanks for inviting me!

Giveaway Details

Danielle of Sourebooks has been kind enough to offer two copies of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds for this giveaway.

If you would like to enter this contest do any of the following:

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway or post about it on your sidebar. (1 entry)

3. Become a follower or leave a comment that you already are a follower of this blog. (1 entry)

There are three ways to enter, but you can put all three entries as one comment.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday February 12th.

Good luck!

Winners of Roses by Leila Meacham!!!

The competition was fierce, but the five winners of Roses by Leila Meacham have finally been selected. This was the biggest giveaway on my blog so far in terms of number of people who entered. And without further ado, the winners are: Bonnie M. of Contest Tracker and Misc. Musings, Lisa of Lit and Life, Wendy, Laura of Please Pardon the Interruption, and CherylS22. All winners were chosen using the power of random.org. Winners were contacted via email. Once I receive their mailing addresses, I will forward the information on to Hachette Book Group.

Thank-you to Miriam and Hachette Book Group for allowing me to host this fantastic giveaway! Also thank-you to everyone who entered the giveaway!!

If you are sad that you didn't win (or happy that you did), I still have many great giveaways going on as you can see on my left sidebar. Please take a minute to check out these great books and enter if you would like to read (or listen to) them.

The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansens

Mary Gooch has slowly allowed her life to slip away from her. Lulled into complacency, she can’t stop herself from eating to fulfill an unspoken need within her. Stuck in her small rural Canadian town, she finds herself unwilling to try anything new or travel beyond her comfort zone. She has been married for twenty-five years to a wonderful man named Jimmy Gooch. Gooch was once a basketball star with big dreams. Tragedy struck and he found himself stuck in his small town. The novel opens with Gooch disappearing on the eve of their twenty-fifth anniversary. Where is Gooch, and more importantly, will Mary be able to break out of her life of complacency to find him?

The Wife’s Tale started out a bit slow, but it shortly became a tale that I found myself unable to stop reading. The Wife’s Tale is a story of a woman, who has allowed life to take control of her, but finally puts her foot down and takes control of her life. I love how Mary explored her past and then breaks out of her secure shell to search for Gooch and ultimately herself.

SPOILER ALERT: I really like how the novel was about Mary and her search for herself. I didn’t like how Gooch is still MIA in the end. I really wanted to know what happened to him. Will there be The Husband’s Tale? I really felt for Gooch and wonder what happened to him in his journey of self discovery. I mostly wanted Mary to have the opportunity to have a confession of sorts to Gooch. To be able to tell him she was sorry and how she finally really understood him. SPOILER END

Overall, The Wife’s Tale is a powerful story of a woman’s coming of age. It sometimes happens a little later for some people! It is also a great fish out of water and adventure story. I highly recommend it. I think it would make a great book club read for women. There is a lot to discuss in this book!

One last note, one of Mary and Gooch’s marital woes is that they haven’t had sex in over six years because of Mary’s problems with her self image. In other words, this book is considered a horror story by my husband!

This book will be released on February 10, 2010 so keep you eyes out for it next month!

Book Source: Advanced Review Copy from Miriam at Hachette Book Group. Thank-you!

Penguin Books Adds Another Book to the Becoming Jane Giveaway!

Courtney of Penguin Books has agreed to add another copy of Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler to the giveaway. Therefore there are now two copies up for grabs! Details for the giveaway are located here. The giveway ends in two weeks on February 5th. Good luck to everyone and thank-you Courtney!

Giveaway - The Bronte Sisters: Three Novels (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

The Bronte Sisters: Three Novels contains Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. This Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition makes a great companion book to Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler as these three Bronte novels as the first published works of each Bronte sister as is lovingly discussed in Becoming Jane Eyre. This book has a beautiful cover and is a trade paperback copy.


Summary (From Penguin Book Group): The Brontë family was a literary phenomenon unequalled before or since. Both Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights have won lofty places in the pantheon and stirred the romantic sensibilities of generations of readers. For the first time ever, Penguin Classics unites these two enduring favorites with the lesser known but no less powerful work by their youngest sister, Anne. Drawn from Anne's own experiences as a governess, Agnes Grey offers a compelling view of Victorian chauvinism and materialism. Its inclusion makes The Brontë Sisters a must-have volume for anyone fascinated by this singularly talented family.

Giveaway Details
Courtney of Penguin Books has been kind enough to offer two copies of The Bronte Sisters: Three Novels (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte) for this giveaway.

If you would like to enter this contest do any of the following (and make sure to mention each item that you are doing in your comment for me to use to determine your number of entries):

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway or post about it on your sidebar. (1 entry)

3. Become a follower or leave a comment that you already are a follower of this blog. (1 entry)

4. Leave a comment if you are a part of the All About the Brontes Challenge. (1 entry)

There are four ways to enter, but you can put all four entries as one comment.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday February 5th.

Good luck!

Giveaway and Review: Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler

Becoming Jane Eyre is a beautiful story of how Charlotte Bronte wrote her masterpiece, Jane Eyre. Charlotte is alone with her invalid father in Manchester when she is compelled to begin writing her second novel. She flashes back to different experiences in her life including her time as a governess and time spent as a student and teacher in Brussels. The tragedies and passions in her life find themselves transformed into a fictional tale with just enough truth behind it to become a very original novel. After Charlotte and her father return to Manchester, she finishes Jane Eyre.

Charlotte is more than a bit saddened when her first novel, The Professor, is rejected, while her sisters’ novels, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey are accepted for publication. Ironically, Jane Eyre is printed by a different publisher before her sisters’ novels and it is the fame of Jane Eyre that propelled the sales of Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey. Sadly the happiness of Charlotte’s newfound fame is offset by numerous family tragedies.

I enjoyed this novel immensely. I especially loved the scenes of sisterly bonds and friction when the three Bronte sisters are working on their novels and awaiting publication. To have so much talent under one roof is just amazing. The love and yet the jealousy of each sister and their talent is written very believably.

The only part of this book that I did not enjoy was that it ended so soon. The main focuses of the novel are the writing, publication, and first flush of fame with Jane Eyre. The novel then skips to the end of Charlotte Bronte’s life. I wish there would have been more details in this last portion of the book, but I also realize that the main focus was on the creation of Jane Eyre.

I really enjoyed the “Penguin Readers Guide to Becoming Jane Eyre” at the end of the book. The Reader’s Guide included an enlightening interview with Sheila Kohler as well as a book club questionnaire. I was thrilled to see that Kohler used Lyndall Gordon’s biography of Charlotte Bronte (Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life) as an inspiration for Becoming Jane Eyre. A Passionate Life is my favorite Bronte biography.

Overall Becoming Jane Eyre is a fascinating look into the creative process that Charlotte Bronte may have used to write her masterpiece. I highly recommend it to all Bronte lovers!

This is my first novel and second item for the All About the Brontes Challenge. Courtney from Penguin Books was kind enough to provide a copy of Becoming Jane Eyre for a giveaway as detailed below. There is also a companion book that contains the first published works of the three Bronte sisters. Details and a giveaway will be on this blog tomorrow so stay tuned!

Book Source: A review copy from Courtney of Penguin Books. Thank-you!

Giveaway Details
Courtney of Penguin books has been kind enough to offer two copies of Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler for this giveaway.

If you would like to enter this contest do any of the following (and make sure to mention each item that you are doing in your comment for me to use to determine your number of entries):

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway or post about it on your sidebar. (1 entry)

3. Become a follower or leave a comment that you already are a follower of this blog. (1 entry)

4. Leave a comment if you are a part of the All About the Brontes Challenge. (1 entry)

There are four ways to enter, but you can put all four entries as one comment.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday February 5th.

Good luck!

Winners of Cleaving by Julie Powell!

gahome2mom, MarionG of Frugal Canadian, and Lisanne of AngloAddict have each won an audiobook copy of Cleaving by Julie Powell courtesy of Hachette Book Group. Winners were selected using random.org. I have contacted each of the winners via email and will send their mailing information to Hachette Book Group once I hear back from them.

Thank-you to Anna from Hachette Book Group for allowing to have this giveaway and thank-you to all who entered the competition.

There are many more giveaways posted on my left sidebar - please check them out!

The Classics Circuit: Madame de Treymes and Three Novellas by Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton is one of my favorite authors of all time. Wharton was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize (for The Age of Innocence). Her novels are beautifully written accounts of mostly upper class Americans during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The novels have a high degree of irony and wit in them, both qualities that I extremely enjoy in a novel. Her novels and short stories also often explore many themes including morality, a theme that I found common through Madame de Treymes and Three Novellas.

As this book contained four novellas, I am going to break them down and discuss each one on its own merits.

The Touchstone (1900)
As a young college student, Glennard fell in love with Mrs. Aubyn, a young woman who had separated from her husband. He enjoyed her intellectual capabilities and she soon becomes a successful author. While he did once enjoy her intelligence, Glennard soon discovers that he does not like to be in Mrs. Aubyn’s shadow and loses his love for her.

My favorite quote describes this transformation:
“The sense of metal equality had been gratifying to his raw ambition; but as his self knowledge defined itself, his understanding of her also increased; and if a man is at times indirectly flattered by the moral superiority of woman, her mental ascendancy is extenuated by no such oblique tribute to his powers.”

They separate and Mrs. Aubyn moves to Europe and corresponds with Glennard until her death. The novella opens with Glennard discovering that the letters he received may be worth something as Margaret Aubyn had few friends and there was not much correspondence from her that was known. He is at a point in life where he would like to marry his beloved, Miss Trent, but has no money. He struggles with whether to publish the letters and use the money to fund his happiness with Miss Trent as it would be a betrayal to Margaret Aubyn’s trust and love of him.

I loved the moral struggle within the novella on whether it is right to use personal private letters written with love for personal monetary benefit. It is also a great love story between Miss Trent and Glennard. I love how the story puts morality and love hand in hand, how does the morality of the one you love, change your love and respect for that person? It was an interesting prospective of how a man can be threatened by the intellect of a woman and loses his love for her. Not much has changed . . . for some men!

Sanctuary (1903)
Kate Orme is happily engaged to Denis Peyton. Peyton has recently come into some money upon the death of his stepbrother. Denis confides a deep dark secret to Kate about the source of the money and her love and view of him and his moralities is changed forever. She raises their son to have a higher moral standard, but when this is threatened by circumstances and love for a woman, Kate worries that her son will suffer the same moral failings as his father.
My favorite quote from Sanctuary is about Denis: “His conscience responded only to the concrete pressure of facts.” What a beautiful sentence that says so much about Denis.

This was a very interesting story about morality and ethics, how far will one bend their own sense or ethics in order to achieve fame and wealth. Sadly with many of the financial problems our country has had lately, some people like Bernie Madoff are willing to bend them a lot, but luckily there are still a lot of people with ethics out there.

Denis and Kate’s son is an up and coming architect, which was very interesting to read about. I also love how Kate was a strong, educated woman with a strong sense of her self and her own morals.

Madame de Treymes
While the first two novellas were set in New York, Madame de Treymes is set in France, but is primarily about Americans (from New York) living in uneasy terms with the native French aristocracy. John Durham visited France and discovered his old friend from younger days; Fanny Frisbee is separated from her very unmoral husband the Marquis de Malrive. John falls in love with the mystery of Madame de Malrive and would like to marry her. The Malrive family is Catholic and does not believe in divorce. Fanny does not want to risk losing her son by divorcing her husband. John talks to one of the heads of the family, Fanny’s sister-in-law Madame de Treymes, in order to determine a smooth path to allow Fanny to be free to divorce and marry John. All does not flow smoothly and John is left to decide whether to stick to his morals and lose the woman he loves or to betray him and win Fanny.

One of my favorite quotes is about how John did not love Fanny Frisbee, but does love Fanny Malrive.

“She was the same, but so mysteriously changed! And it was the mystery, the sense of unprobed depths of initiation which drew him to her as her freshness had never drawn him.”

My other favorite quote was a catty one from John’s sister when they arrive at Fanny’s house to visit, “Well, if this is all she got by marrying a Marquis!”

I loved the moral struggle and slightly ambiguous ending of this story. There was also a sensual undercurrent between Madame de Treymes and John that I found fascinating. I loved all of their conversations together and found them more exciting then John and Fanny. It was also a great social commentary on the French elite and Americans in France. As Wharton lived in France for much her later life, it as a commentary written from her own personal experiences and observations.

Bunner Sisters (1916)
Bunner Sisters is the one novella that really sticks out in this collection. As I began to read it, I realized I had read it in a different collection at some point in the past. This story is not set among the upper classes; it is about two sisters that are barely getting by with their small shop in New York City. The story line also does not have the morality and love storyline that characterized the first three novellas. It was an excellent story, but I don’t feel that it belonged in this collection.

Ann Eliza and Evelina are two old maid sisters that enjoy a calm and unexciting existence. One day, Ann Eliza buys a clock for Evelina and the two sisters meet Mr. Ramy. Both sisters fall in love with him and once must make a choice to allow the other to be happy. There is a twist in the story at this point that I will not give away. It was unexpected.

I was mostly struck by this story at how hard it was to be a woman one-hundred years ago. It was hard work just to make it and it didn’t take much for you to lose it all. This novella would make a good companion to The House of Mirth.

Overall this collection was excellent and very thought provoking. I love the examination of morality, ethics, hypocrisy, and love.

I am happy to be a part of The Classics Circuit today. A month long celebration of Edith Wharton is always something that I would love to be a part of.

Book Source: I purchased this book at the ½ Off Book Store in Battle Creek, Michigan that no longer exists during a Wharton frenzy that I went through in college at least ten years ago. I held this book back to read at some later date . . . and the day finally came with the help of The Classics Circuit.

Giveaway and Review: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (audiobook)

Dear John is one of my favorite novels by Nicholas Sparks. I first read the novel over a year ago. My FLICKS book club picked Dear John for our January book; therefore I listened to the audiobook version of the novel to remind myself of the plot details. I found the story to be a very engaging bittersweet romance.

John Tyree has led the life of a rebel. Finding that his life is leading nowhere, he joins the military. While home during a furlough, John meets Savannah, a beautiful young college student. Savannah is with a group of students who are on a habitat for humanity mission. John and Savannah quickly discover that they are soul mates and fall deeply in love. John has to return to the military, but the two know that they will be together when John’s stint in the military is up. Unfortunately September 11th happens and John reenlists. Savannah finds it difficult to not have John with her . . . and as the title of the books suggests, there are difficult choices ahead for our two lovers. The ending was unexpected for me.

Overall, I loved this book. I loved the romance between John and Savannah. I also loved that Savannah was able to help John understand his father and have a better relationship with him. I loved John’s dad, he was my favorite secondary character. What drove me and my book club crazy was some of the choices that Savannah made, but I will not discuss them here and ruin the plot! I thought John was a wonderful hero, lover, and man. I loved his character development from a troubled youth to a self sacrificing man. It was also great having characters that were my age living through the same times as myself. It made it easy to connect with them. I also loved the old fashioned romance and that Savannah is a Christian and is proud to talk about her beliefs.

The audiobook is read by Holter Graham, who also read The Choice (which I also listened to and enjoyed recently). Graham does a fantastic job. I love his Southern lilt and the unique “voice” that he gives each of the characters. I also liked how this audiobook has a picture from the new Dear John movie that arrives in theatres on February 5th. Our Book and Movie Club really wants to see this movie so hopefully we are able to make it happen!

Audiobook Source: A Review Copy from Hachette Book Group. Thank-you!

Giveaway Details
Anna of the Hachette Book Group has been kind enough to offer three audiobook copies of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks for this giveaway.

If you would like to enter this contest do any of the following:

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway or post about it on your sidebar. (1 entry)

3. Become a follower or leave a comment that you already are a follower of this blog. (1 entry)

There are three ways to enter, but you can put all three entries as one comment.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday January 29th.

Good luck!

Giveaway and Author Interview - A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer

In November, I read a fantastic novel that was a family drama, a mystery, a love story, and a bit of a comedy rolled into one fantastic book. This novel was A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer (read my original review here). I really enjoyed this novel and am pleased that author Liza Palmer graciously agreed to answer some interview questions for me.

Interview with Liza Palmer:

Q (Laura): I love the title of this book. How did you chose this great title?

A (Liza Palmer): The title for this book was definitely a thorn in my side. For my first two novels (Conversations with the Fat Girl and Seeing Me Naked,) the titles came first - but this one was a little more stubborn. I played with the main character's name (Grace) a lot and then quickly realized that a billion other people had already had that idea. As I sat writing one day I was listening to my iTunes and I have it set to show the album cover of the song playing and Chris Walla's Sing Again came on off the Field Manual album. And I just stared at it. That feeling. That tingling, world stopping moment when you actually feel the creative spark - not to be confused with the All Spark. Same idea, but not something desired by Megatron. So, I played with the word Field and really thought about the book - which, by that time, was close to finished. And soon Rubiks Cubed my way to A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents. As you do. There are obvious concerns when announcing such a title - I get the odd "Is it...uh...non-fiction?" with a furtive glance to my parents. But, usually it's met with curiosity and a nod to the tongue and cheek humor that needs to be present during such a dark time in one's life.

Q (Laura): Were the events in the novel based on any real events in your life - or are they entirely fiction?

A (Liza Palmer): I think every one of my novels starts with the What If game. What if you were met with the sickness of a parent? What if that parent was someone who'd abandoned you as a child? What if you were forced to fight for this parent - a parent you're not even sure you love? How do you prove/define love anyway? All of these concepts are very real to me, but the bricks and mortar of the novel are all pure fiction. Although, the Hawkes family was particularly alive to me - there was something about this family that really inspired and entangled me. They just demanded a certain level of commitment.

Q (Laura): Being one of four children myself, I loved your descriptions of the interactions between the four Hawkes siblings. Do you have any siblings?

A (Liza Palmer): I have one older sister and a very tight-knit family - something that I definitely plumb all too often in the name of a book. I just think family is the most fertile ground. This group of people you are forced to just DEAL with, for better or worse. They know you better than anyone and will use that knowledge however they see fit. I just love it. Every book I write doesn't start out as a family drama, but the minute I ask one question about my main character I find myself digging around in their family history - playing that What If game. Being the younger of two siblings, I did find it challenging to write the Grace/Leo relationship - not being familiar with the concept of being an older sibling. I relish in being the baby of the family and it actually took a few passes to get that relationship right without making them both babies - although, one could argue...

Q (Laura): Who is your favorite character in this novel?

A (Liza Palmer): Not fair!

There's no way I can answer this question! As I said, the Hawkes family as a whole was particularly compelling to me and each sibling could have had their own story. That said, I loved writing Abigail's kids - Mateo, Emilygrae and Evie. There was a lightness they brought to the book that was definitely needed every once in awhile. They were always fun. I also loved writing John. Who wouldn't? He was definitely not hard to spend time with. Yeah, I can't pick a favorite...Grace and her wit, Huston and his courage, Abigail and her rules, Leo and his innocence... They really do fit together as a little dysfunctional unit.

Q (Laura): What is your favorite line in this book?

A (Liza Palmer): Man oh man, you're asking the tough questions. My brain is racing right now - and hilariously I'm thinking of great lines from other people's books. The opening line to David Copperfield is particularly awesome although not the answer you're probably looking for.

Back on topic...

I actually love the opening line, "Once upon a time we were a family..." it really does say a lot about the Hawkes and the book. The pain of their history and the fairy tale that's about to follow, evil stepmother and all. I loved that Caryn Karmatz-Rudy (my editor) at Grand Central let that line have its own page. Such a cool choice.

Q (Laura): Tell me more about John. He is such a unique love interest. What was your inspiration for creating him?

A (Liza Palmer): Ah, John. He's quite the lightning bolt. I really wanted to explore the idea of trust as it relates to love. I knew Grace was going to be a mess with trust, but I thought it would be an interesting twist to have the love interest have issues with trust, as well. Like, kinda pulling away from the love interest who is this flawless-unknowable-white-horse-riding-God (and wholly uninteresting, if you ask me) and really shine a light on a more flawed hero. John is relentless in his devotion to Grace (relentless in everything he does, to be honest) but it's almost in spite of himself that he has this soft spot for Grace. In my mind, real love should propel you clear out of your comfort zone and I really wanted to play with that concept with John and Grace. The tattooed element of him - well, besides being a personal, shall we say, liking - that was inspired by a random gas stop. I was in Oxnard, CA after this book event and I had to stop to get gas. The guy in front of me in line had that tattoo (Never Trust a Soul) on the back of his neck. AND WHAP - lightning bolt. A place to start building my hero.

Q (Laura): I would love to learn more about your previous two novels. Do you have a brief description of them that you would like to share? Was it easier writing this novel?

A (Liza Palmer): My debut novel was Conversations with the Fat Girl:
Here's the back cover copy (I still have a problem summarizing my own books, if you let me I'll get caught up in all the details I find endlessly fascinating...)

Everyone seems to be getting on with their lives-except Maggie. At 27, she's still working at the local coffee house, while her friends are getting married, having babies, and building careers. Even Olivia, Maggie's best friend from childhood, is getting married to her doctor boyfriend. Maggie, on the other hand, lives with her dog Solo, and has no romantic prospects, save for the torch she carries for Domenic, the busboy. Though Maggie and Olivia have been best friends since their grade school years, Olivia's since gone the gastric-bypass surgery route, in hopes of obtaining the elusive size two, the holy grail for fat girls everywhere. So now Olivia's thin, blonde, and betrothed, and Maggie's the fat bridesmaid. Ain't life grand? In this inspiring debut novel, Maggie speaks to women everywhere who wish for just once that they could forget about their weight.

My second novel was Seeing Me Naked: Elisabeth Page has big shoes to fill. She's the daughter of living legend novelist Ben Page, and the sister of literary wunderkind Rascal Page, and her career as a pastry chef is decidedly not up to her family's snooty standards-even if she works at the hottest restaurant in L.A. Elisabeth hopes no one will notice that her five-year plan to run her own patisserie has morphed into an eleven-year plan to nowhere. Her personal life is also frozen in time: she's still involved with her family-approved childhood sweetheart, a journalist whose constant jaunts leave her lonely. Enter an exciting career opportunity and even more terrifying, Daniel Sullivan, a beer-drinking basketball coach who is everything her family is not. Addicted to control and bred to criticize, can Elisabeth finally embrace happiness? Only if she has the guts to let others see her naked…and let them love her, warts and all.

*And now A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents. I keep thinking it's going to get easier - that somehow this history of starting and actually finishing books should add up to me not being sick to my stomach every time I sit down at the computer. I think there is a level of comfort there, but it may have more to do with just being so invested in each project. You know, for a long time I put away the dream of writing and in so doing put away the thing I cared most about. I just thought writing wasn't something people could do for a living. But, when I started dreaming again it was like letting that genie out of the bottle - and what I've found is that it has no intention of getting shoved back in. So, now I'm stuck with this crazy passionate genie looking over my shoulder and for the first time since a long time I care about what I'm doing - and with that comes a certain unease and imbalance that I hope will get easier as the years go by. Fingers crossed. Until then? Caffeine. And a lot of it.

Q (Laura): Who is your favorite author?
A (Liza Palmer): I am a huge Steinbeck fan. Huge. I took a pilgrimage to his museum in Salinas, Ca a few years ago and am still reeling. The Rocinante, the wooden box that housed the manuscript for East of Eden. Beautiful. I also love Jack London. I guess I'm partial to California writers who defined themselves.

Books I've read lately that I've loved - Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffinegger, Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum, Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion, Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane, The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, anything by Elizabeth Hoyt, and Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter.

I think I can say that my favorite book of all time (as it stands today) is probably Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Unreal book. Just...fantastic. Life changing.

Thank-you Liza for the great interview! Fantastic answers!

Summary of A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents (From the Publisher):
Grace Hawkes has not spoken to her previously tight-knit family since her mother's sudden death five years ago. Well, most of the family was tight-knit-- her father walked out on them when she was 13 and she and her two brothers and sister bonded together even closer with their mother as a result.

She's been doing her best to live her new life apart from them, but when their estranged father has a stroke and summons them, Grace suddenly realizes she's done the same thing he had done...abandoned those who need her most.

And need her they do, for inside the hospital walls, a strange war is unfolding between the pseudo-kindly woman who is their father's second wife and the rest of the original Hawkes clan. Upon reconnecting with her brother and sisters, Grace will find a part of herself she thought was lost forever. As they unravel the manipulative deception of the second Mrs. Hawkes, Grace will finally be able to stand up for her family-- and to remember what a family is, even after all these years.

Giveaway Details
Miriam of the Hachette Book Group has been kind enough to offer five copies of A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer for this giveaway.

If you would like to enter this contest do any of the following:

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway or post about it on your sidebar. (1 entry)

3. Become a follower or leave a comment that you already are a follower of this blog. (1 entry)

There are three ways to enter, but you can put all three entries as one comment.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday January 29th.

Good luck!

Music Inspired by the Bronte Sisters

The Bronte sisters are culturally significant and references to them and their works can be found pretty much everywhere. They have inspired many novels and movies since the publications of their wonderful works of literature, and they have also inspired music. I’m going to focus on Jane Eyre the musical and Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush. If you have a favorite Bronte inspired song or musical please comment about it!

Jane Eyre – The Musical
I have enjoyed listening to this CD that I checked out from the library for the past month. The songs are sung by the original Broadway cast from 2000. The lyrics of the songs cover Jane’s time at Lowood School, her time at Thornfield, and falling in love with Mr. Rochester. Where the musical deviates significantly from the book is after Jane leaves Thornfield. It has Jane go back to Mrs. Reed’s and meet St. John Rivers who is living in the home with the dying Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed leaves Jane her fortune and Jane must decide whether to marry St. John and become a missionary’s wife or go back to Mr. Rochester. As usual, the second act of the book is shortened and also changed significantly for dramatic affect.

While none of the songs had a soaring and memorable attribute to them such as songs from Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables, they were enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed “The Proposal.” (Watch and listen to a clip on youtube - and see Jane and Rochester kiss!) Sample lyric from Mr. Rochester,

“Jane, you are my second self
And Jane, Don’t you see the truth?
That you are the heart of my life.”

I also love this lyric from Mr. Rochester in the same song,

“JANE, TO MAKE YOU AS IN LOVE WITH ME
AS I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU
BE MY WIFE
SAY MY NAME!”

Overall enjoyable for any fans of Jane Eyre, unless you are a stickler for an accurate St. John part of the novel.

Wuthering Heights Song by Kate Bush
One year ago in January, I chose Wuthering Heights for my Lakeshore Mom’s Club Book Club Pick (read my rather detailed review of Wuthering Heights here). To try to convince my fellow book club members of the cultural significance that Wuthering Heights played, I sent them the Youtube link to this music video for Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush. They were very impressed by Ms. Bush’s dancing skills from the 1970’s, and we all got a good laugh out of it.

Cheesy dancing aside, I really like the song. Ms. Bush sings it rather high, but I also like the Pat Benatar version. Sarah McLachlan also sang a version of this song as did various other artists. Kate Bush wrote this song as an 18-year old and recorded it on her debut album, The Kick Inside, in 1978. The song quickly became success in the U.K. and number one single and launched her career.

I love the lyrics of the song:

Out on the wiley, windy moors

We'd roll and fall in green.

You had a temper like my jealousy:

Too hot, too greedy.

How could you leave me,

When I needed to possess you?

I hated you. I loved you, too.

Bad dreams in the night.

They told me I was going to lose the fight,

Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering

Wuthering Heights.

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.

Come home. I'm so cold!

Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.

Come home. I'm so cold!

Let me in-a-your window.

Ooh, it gets dark! It gets lonely,

On the other side from you.

I pine a lot. I find the lot

Falls through without you.

I'm coming back, love.

Cruel Heathcliff, my one dream,

My only master.

Too long I roam in the night.

I'm coming back to his side, to put it right.

I'm coming home to wuthering, wuthering,

Wuthering Heights,

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.

Come home. I'm so cold!

Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.

Come home. I'm so cold!

Let me in-a-your window.

Ooh! Let me have it.

Let me grab your soul away.

Ooh! Let me have it.

Let me grab your soul away.

You know it's me--Cathy!

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.

Come home. I'm so cold!

Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.

Come home. I'm so cold!

Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.

Come home. I'm so cold

My favorite lyric is the Chorus, “ Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.Come home. I'm so cold!Let me in-a-your window.” I can just envision Cathy’s ghost knocking on Heathcliff’s door begging to be let in. I think this song really captures the essence of the novel, which is pretty hard to do in a short song version!

How do you feel about this song? Please check it out and comment below!

Winners of Live for Your Listening Pleasure by David Sedaris!

Congrats to the three lucky winners of Live for Your Listening Pleasure (audiobook) by David Sedaris: Gaby from Starting Fresh, Mr. Nice Gauis from Pastpablum, and Janet Faye from Janet's Book Place. Winners were chosen using random.org. I emailed each winner and once I hear back with them with their mailing addresses, I will forward the information on to Hachette Book Group.

Thank-you to Anna from Hachette Book Group for allowing me to host this giveaway. Also thank-you to all of you that entered the giveaway!

If you didn't win, there are still current giveaways on this blog including: three copies of Cleaving by Julie Powell (audiobook) which ends this Friday January 15th at midnight, and five copies of Roses by Leila Meacham hardcover which ends on Friday January 22nd at midnight. I will have two new giveaways posted in the next week so stay tuned!

Mr. Timothy by Louis Bayard

It is not a stretch to say that Louis Bayard is the favorite author of the Kewaunee Library Book Club. I’ve been in the Book Club for four years and joined it shortly after I moved to Kewaunee. Over this past year the club has read The Black Tower, The Pale Blue Eye, and now Mr. Timothy. We are working our way backwards through Bayard’s repertoire! Bayard writes a wonderful “literary thriller” novel that captivates all of the members of my book club. Each novel that we have read has had a fascinating set of characters as well as a wonderful unique historical setting.

Mr. Timothy is the story of a grown up “Tiny Tim.” With his Uncle Ebenezer’s (or Uncle “N”) help, Timothy became a man with a slight limp and a great education. Uncle N’s help left Timothy with a sense of always wanting something greater than circumstances allowed. After his father’s death, Timothy finds himself adrift in Victorian England. He takes residence in a brothel and pays rent by teaching the madam how to read. Traveling through the foggy streets of London and trolling the Thames River for dead bodies with his friend Captain Gully, Timothy discovers the remains of two terrified 10-year old girls with the letter “G” branded on them. After rescuing a homeless, terrified similar girl named Philomela, Timothy is determined to solve the mystery of what is happening to these young girls. With the help of his young street friend, Colin, the trio has a terrifying and thrilling adventure.

While this novel was slow at first, once I got into it, it was hard to put down! The mystery and adventure were thrilling and had me so enraptured I was reading it in the snow outside while my two sons played. I also was intrigued by what happened to Timothy as he grew up and the entire Cratchit family. It was very interesting to ponder what exactly Scrooge’s help after A Christmas Carol would do to this family. I loved the Victorian detail. I could see Timothy walking the rough streets of London. Bayard does Dickens justice by not only having a thrilling mystery, but also writing about the tough life that children and working people faced in Victorian London.

Overall, if you love Dickens, Victorian London, or just a good historical fiction thriller, I highly recommend this novel.

I read this book for our January pick of the Kewaunee Library Book Club. We’ll be discussing the book on the 21st and I can’t wait! The edition I have has great extras such as an author biography, author interview, A Christmas Carol quiz, Christmas Carol fun facts, and an excerpt from A Pale Blue Eye (another excellent “literary thriller” about Edgar Allen Poe).

My favorite quote (Timothy is dictating a letter to his dead father):
“Herewith my predicament, Father; I no longer possessed a narrator. Uncle N had abdicated the role. And you . . . you were willing, yes, but your story has finished. I was well now, wasn’t I? I no longer needed to be Good. For you or for anybody. And so that left me to be free otherwise.”

As you can see from the quote, Mr. Timothy is not only a thriller, but a coming of age novel. I love Timothy’s explorations to find himself and understand the true nature of his father and their relationship.

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library

Giveaway - Roses by Leila Meacham

To celebrate the release of Roses by Leila Meacham today, I have five hardcover copies to giveaway courtesy of Miriam at Hachette Book Group.

I read and loved Roses this past month. If you love historical fiction and an epic love story that spans the twentieth century, you will love Roses. My original review is posted here.

Book Description (From Publisher):
Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been--not just for themselves but for their children, and children's children.

Giveaway Details
Now for the details you are really looking for . . .Miriam of the Hachette Book Group has been kind enough to offer five copies of Roses by Leila Meacham for this giveaway.

If you would like to enter this contest do any of the following:

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway or post about it on your sidebar. (1 entry)

3. Become a follower or leave a comment that you already are a follower of this blog. (1 entry)

There are three ways to enter, but you can put all three entries as one comment.

I will be using random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday January 22nd.

Good luck!

Red Knife by William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger writes the best mystery novels that I’ve read in a long time. My Mother-in-Law loaned me Thunder Bay, which I loved and now Red Knife. Both novels are about former sheriff, now private investigator Cork O’Conner.

Cork lives in the remote Northern Minnesota community of Aurora. Aurora is located on Iron Lake and close to an Ojibwa reservation. A new gang called the Red Boyz has formed on the reservation and rumor is that they are running drugs. After a girl dies as a result of crystal meth, her father vows revenge. When the leader of the Red Boyz and his wife are found murdered, Cork has to use all of his power to prevent an all out war between the Ojibwa and the whites.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was action packed all of the way until the end. The multiple storylines and mysteries kept me guessing until the last page. The characters and great setting were my favorite parts of the novel. The characters were well rounded individuals that I could imagine meeting, especially in a small northern community. I lived for six years in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and now live in Northeast Wisconsin. Although I am not from Northern Minnesota, I loved the remote and beautiful setting. It reminded me a lot of my days in “da” U.P.

I have not read all of the Cork O’Conner novels, but I found it easy to pick up without having read the entire series. That being said, I still want to go back and read the ones I haven’t read yet!

I highly recommend this novel to all lovers of a good mystery, an action packed story, or live in a small Northern town.

Book Source: Borrowed from my Mother-in-Law

Winners of True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy

The three lucky winners of the audiobook True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy are Stacie of Simply Stacie, Jane GS of Reading, Writing, Working, Playing, and Tracie of Yule Time Reading. Winners were chosen using random.org and have been contacted via email. Once they respond to the email with their mailing addresses, I will forward the information on to Hachette Book Group. Thank-you to Anna from Hachette Book Group for allowing me to host this giveaway!

Sad that you didn't win True Compass? I still have two audiobook giveaways currently going on. The Live for Your Listening Pleasure by David Sedaris giveaway will end this friday January 8th at midnight, and the Cleaving by Julie Powell giveaway will end friday January 15th at midnight. I will have a giveaway for the new novel Roses by Leila Meacham later this week . . .