Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Way Back Wednesday - Trixie Belden #5

Trixie Belden #5 - The Mystery Off Glen Road - 1956

By Julie Campbell

If you've read the first book in this series - The Secret Manison - you will remember that Jim left Trixie a diamond ring. Because of Trixie's "tomboy" nature, her parents are keeping the ring for her until she grows up. In The Mystery Off Glen Road, Trixie is trying to convince her parents she is grown up and feminine enough so they will give her the ring.

The real reason Trixie wants the diamond ring is so she can use it as collateral for her oldest brother, Brian - he is trying to buy his dream jalopy (car), but doesn't have the money for a downpayment. Trixie feels she and her brothers can earn the money, if they can convince the owner not to sell the car to someone else.

In another story line, the Wheeler's surly gamekeeper quits without notice. Trixie and Honey agree to take on the gamekeeper's duties - again to help Brian earn money for his car. But another mystery hits the Bob Whites, and they soon fear a poacher is loose in the Wheeler's game preserve.

This book really shows Trixie's determination in following through with a project. She cares more about helping her brother than doing things for herself. This is a lesson that siblings today could learn from.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Way Back Wednesday - Trixie Belden #4

Trixie Belden #4 - The Mysterious Visitor - 1954

by Julie Campbell

In this book, we get to meet a classmate of Trixie and the Bob Whites', Diana "Di" Lynch. Di started out as a regular girl next door, just like Trixie, but her family has recently become wealthy, and she is having trouble adjusting to changes in her life.

True to form, Trixie and Honey befriend Di and before you know it another mystery unfolds. Di's Uncle Monty (her mother's brother) has reappeared after years of living in Arizona. Suspicious Trixie thinks he's a big fake and can't help wondering if the Lynch family money has anything to do with his arrival.

The storyline in this book is similar to conflict between Jim and his uncle, but it is still a good mystery. We will be seeing more of Di and her family in future books.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Specter Key Cover


The readers have spoken! Here is the winning cover for the work-in-prograss by Kaleb Nation, Bran Hambric: The Specter Key!

The contest was sponsored by TeenFire, the newest networking site by Sourcebooks. If you haven't already checked out TeenFire and you love Young Adult book, then you have got to see this wonderful site.

Monday, January 18, 2010

The Women of Mercer County

You are cordially invited to a

Book Release Party

for

“The Women of Mercer County”

Sunday, January 31, 2010
from 3 to 5pm at Beaumont Inn.

Join James Harrod Trust as we celebrate the release of
“The Women of Mercer County,”
which features more than 125 stories.

The book will be available for purchase for $20.

(A total of 400 copies of the book will be for sale. After the event, the remaining books will be available at The Harrodsburg Herald, Beaumont Inn, J. Sampson Antiques & Books, and Harrodsburg/Mercer County Tourist Commission)

The Book Release event will include several authors reading
their stories or excerpts from their stories.

All authors are encouraged to attend to be able to sign books.
Cake, punch and coffee will be served.

The public is invited.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Way Back Wednesday - The Gatehouse Mystery

Trixie Belden #3 - The Gatehouse Mystery - 1951
by Julie Campbell

Jim Frayne is now officially Honey's new brother because her parents decided to adopt him. And Honey couldn't be happier; she always wanted a sibling. Jim now lives on the Wheeler estate, but he still has his own money in trust account, thanks to the fortune of his great-uncle.

The Gatehouse Mystery focuses on a mysterious new chauffeur hired by the Wheeler family. But Trixie thinks there is something funny going on with this man and she just doesn't trust him. Someone has been sneaking into the gatehouse behind the Wheeler estate and Trixie is determined to find out who. Trixie and Honey have also found a diamond, which Honey says does not belong to either of her parents.

This book is the first time we get a hint of the Bob-White Club that will be formed. The Bob-Whites include Trixie and Honey, as well as Jim and Trixie's older brothers, Brian and Mart.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Way Back Wednesday - The Red Trailer Mystery

Trixie Belden #2 - The Red Trailer Mystery - 1950
by Julie Campbell

We learned at the end of The Secret of the Mansion that Jim Frayne had ran away. His great uncle's lawyer showed up, revealing that Jim had inherited half-a-million dollars and is going to finally be removed from his abusive stepfather's custody.

The Red Trailer Mystery picks up there. Trixie and Honey - along with Honey's governess, Miss Trask - set off in the Wheeler's trailer to find their missing friend. They make a plan to check several boy's camps upstate, since Jim mentioned getting a job there. The problem is, Jim always appears to be one step ahead of them.

On the trip, Trixie and Honey are faced with an interesting obstacle. At the trailer park where they are staying, there is a family living next door in a very fancy trailer. This family does not appear to be the owners of the trailer. They make friends with Mrs. Smith who is a very motherly person, and Trixie and Honey learn that her daughter is missing.

While trying to help this family and look for Jim at the same time, they become entangled in a trailer robbing ring; and there are two suspicious workers at their trailer camp who may or may not be involved. Trixie knows that the mysteries are all tied together and the answer lies somewhere in the nearby forest, if only they could find it.

This book ends on a truly happy note. Once again, Trixie saves the day - with a little help from her friends.

Friday, January 1, 2010

3 KY Authors to read at Carmichael's Bookstore

Sunday, January 31, 2010, Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville,KY will host readings featuring three talented writers. Poet Katerina Stoykova-Klemer, a recent graduate of Spalding University’s MFA program and the author of Air Around the Butterfly, a book of poems in English and her native Bulgarian. She is the host of Accents, a radio show for literature, arts and culture that airs on Lexington’s WRFL. Katerina is the founder and leader of poetry and prose groups for writers in Lexington. Her poems and stories have appeared in literary publications in the U. S. and Europe and have been nominated for several literary awards. Angela Jackson-Brown is a poet and writer who will read from her recent work which includes a story in the newest issue of New Southerner magazine. Angela teaches English at Ball State University and is a graduate of Spalding’s MFA in Creative Writing program. She is working on a novel, a collection of short stories set during the Harlem Renaissance and a poetry collection. The third reader is local favorite Sheri Wright. Sheri is the author of four books of poetry including the forthcoming The Courtship of Reason, which will be published in March by Kentucky’s Finishing Line Press.