Something's Rising

Something's Rising : Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal by Silas House and Jason Howard

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0813125464
ISBN-13: 978-0813125466

Being a huge fan of House’s work, I bought this book at the lecture series “Evening With the Mountainkeepers.” Not only was I able to meet House and get him to autograph my book, I was privileged to hear him read an excerpt from this important books.

Mountaintop coal removal is a controversial topic, especially in Appalachia. On one hand, the practice supplies much needed jobs for the residents of mining towns; on the other, this practice destroys natural wildlife habitats, leaving deep scars upon the land.

This book contains the personal stories of 13 residents of the Appalachian region and gives you a representation of their views and opinions. I think this is an important book, not only for the understanding of mountaintop removal, but also for learning about the cultures of Appalachia.

Way Back Wednesday - 'Salem's Lot

I have totally shifted gears with this week's Way Back Wednesday. With all the hubbub about the possiblity of a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie - without Joss Whedon, I may add - I've been thinking about my favorite vampire novels. 'Salem's Lot is the very first book I ever read of Stephen King's, starting a 32+ year obsession. 'Salem's Lot is also the first vampire book I read, although my love of vampires started in 1966 with Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows.

'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror novel written by Stephen King, and was his second published novel. The title King originally chose for his book was Second Coming but he later decided on Jerusalem's Lot. The publishers eventually shortened it to the current title, thinking the author's choice sounded too religious.

Ben Mears, a successful writer who grew up in the (fictional) town of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine (or “The Lot”, as the locals call it), has returned home following the death of his wife. Ben plans to write a book about the Marsten House, an abandoned mansion that gave him nightmares after a bad experience with it as a child.

The Marsten House has been purchased by Mr. Straker and Mr. Barlow, a business pair who plans to open an Antique Mall, even though Straker is the only one who is ever seen in public. The arrival of this pair in town coincides with the disappearence of a local boy, Ralphie Glick, and the suspicious death of his brother Danny.

Over the course of the book, the town is slowly taken over by vampires, reducing it to a ghost town by day as they sleep.

King has stated that during a high school class he taught, he was inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula and wondered what would happen if Dracula lived in 20th century America. King originally wrote of Jerusalem's Lot in a short story which was eventually published in the collection Nightshift. He is said to have also drawn heavily from the works of H. P. Lovecraft.


The novel has been adapted into a television mini-series twice, first in 1979 and then in 2004. The novel was also adapted by the BBC as a seven part radio play in 1995.

A Friend Like Henry

A Friend Like Henry: The Remarkable True Story of an Autistic Boy and the Dog That Unlocked His World by Nuala Gardner (262 pages)

Although I don’t know much about autism, this book touched my heart. This is a true story of Dale Gardner and his parents and the struggle to raise two autistic children. The Gardner’s work hard to give their children as normal of a life as possible.

With the help of a golden retriever puppy named Henry, they were able to get Dale back from the depths of autism. Although this book is not meant to be a “cure all” for autism, it is an accurate and blunt account of the struggles and joys of raising autistic children.

This is truly a rewarding book meant to bring encouragement to other families.

The Home Creamery

The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley (214 pages)

With a shift in the way Americans think about food, more and more people are re-discovering the joys of home cooking, home canning and other forms of food preservation.

The Home Creamery gives you step-by-step instructions for making sour cream, buttermilk, mozzarella, fresh goat cheese, and several other fresh milk products. It is thrilling to watch milk or cream turn into soft cheeses.

It’s comforting to know a commercial kitchen is not a prerequisite for making fresh buttermilk, yogurt or cream cheese. The instructions are simple and the results are delicious.

There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around

There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around by Vivian Vande Velde

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Harcourt
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152021000
ISBN-13: 978-0152021009

Ted's big problem is not his annoying brother Zach, his social studies report on Luxembourg or his stuck-up cousin Jackie. He has ghosts in his house. His five-year-old sister, Vicki, is the first to see them; she starts keeping a hammer under her pillow for protection.

12 year old Ted Beatson lives in a 150 year old ancestral home with his parents, older brother Zach and little sister Vicki. The home, which has been handed down through the generations, and is located near the Erie Canal in upstate New York. It was also once used by the Underground Railroad.

When Vicki begins talking to a supposed imaginary friend, Ted quickly learns the friend is actually a ghost named Marella and there is another ghost - the bad lady - who appears to be after Marella. In trying to research the ghost origins, Ted uncovers a family secret, leading him to a connection between past and present.

Although this is a fictional book, it does have many interesting facts concerning the Civil War, the Underground Railroad and the history of the Erie Canal.

This book is spooky but not super scary, so younger children will also enjoy reading this tale. It is suspenseful, funny, clever and has a tad bit of sadness. A great book for children who are interested in reading scary stories that aren't too scary.

You can also check out my reviews on these Vivan Vande Velde books:

Stolen
All Hallow's Eve

All Hallow's Eve

All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories for Halloween by Vivian Vande Velde

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Harcourt
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152055762
ISBN-13: 978-0152055769

"Witches are dancing
The Dead are walking
Vampires are feeding
For tonight is All Hallow's Eve!"

I am a big fan of young adult books, but I had not read any of Velde's work until her most recent release, Stolen. Stolen was such a riveting book, I've been on a quest to read more of Velde's books.

I won't give a synopsis of all 13 stories - although they were all good - but I will highlight my favorites.

"Cemetery Field Trip" - in this creepy story, a class field trip to a 1800s cemetery leads to mortal danger and a ghostly rescue for one 9th grade girl. Just when I thought ghosts were the thing to worry about, Velde switches gears to the unexpected.

"Best Friends" - this story has an unusual twist told in the narrative of 2 young girls. Nikki is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who befriends a classmate and claims they are "best friends forever." Aimee Ann is a spoiled little rich girl, forced by her parents to be friends with Nikki. Great ending for a scary story.

"Pretending" - when the Halloween trick of an entire family portraying vampires goes awry, an unlucky boy meets another fate. I thought I knew who this one would end, but I was wrong.

"Marian" - when a young man hits a speed bump after dropping off his girlfriend, he is surprised to learn his old car has a GPS. "Marian" or Mobile And Regional Interactive Assisted Navigation, is not your average GPS - she is a spector looking for revenge.

If you are a hardcore horror fan, then this book will be too tame for reading. But if you have children or young adults who love reading scary stories, then All Hallow's Eve should fit the bill.

Way Back Wednesday - A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, is the first science fantasy novel I ever read, starting my love of sci-fi. First published in 1962, this book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. It is the first in the Time Quartet books - the other 3 books are: A Wind in the Door (1973), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978) and Many Waters (1986)

The book begins with the infamous line,

"It was a dark and stormy night."

Teenage Meg Murry has a bad-temper; her family recognizes her problem as a lack of emotional maturity but think she can do great things. The family includes her mother - a scientist - her scientist father - who is missing in action - her five year-old brother Charles Wallace — a nascent super-genius — and her 10-year-old twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys.

During the stormy night the Murrys are visited by Mrs. Whatsit - and we later meet Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which - who tells an already perplexed Dr. Murry that

"there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract is the fifth-dimensional analog of a cube refers to a scientific concept Meg's father was working on before his mysterious disappearance. It is explained as a fifth-dimensional phenomenon similar to folding the fabric of time and space.

The 3 ladies W transport Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin, through the tesseract, to find Mr. Murry. This begins a wild trip through time and space.

This was one of my favorite books when I was 10 years old, and another book I bought when my children were younger. This is the book cover my children remember, although I remember the cover noted with the 1at photo. The 2nd photo is the original cover from 1962.

This is a great read-aloud book and would be good for a class read, giving teachers math and science to incorporate with reading time.

Kneadlessly Simple

Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads by Nancy Baggett (210 pages)

I LOVE this book! For the past few years, I have been experimenting with baking bread and although I’ve had many successes, I’ve had just as many failures. Last year I discovered a “no-knead” bread recipe in a “Mother Earth News” magazine and it has been the main recipe I’ve been using for months.

Until I found Baggett’s new book … there are some great no-knead bread recipes that are easy to bake and delicious to eat. Not only does it contain recipes for bread, rolls and focaccia, there are also recipes for pizza dough, baguettes, and coffee cakes. And as a chronic chocoholic, one of my favorite recipes was Double Chocolate-Honey Bread – sinfully good!

This is a must read book for any home baker!

A Dance with the Devil

A Dance with the Devil: A True Story of Marriage to a Psychopath by Barbara Bentley

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425221180
ISBN-13: 978-0425221181

There is evil in the world and it is walking around on two legs, with no other objective than to destroy lives. Bentley, a first time memoirist, opens up her 14 year nightmare in hopes of helping other people escape her experience. It is truly horrific to delve into the minds and motives of the sickly deranged people in our society.

The problem with psychopaths is that initial reactions to these people are typically good. Bentley's husband appeared to be intelligent, heartwarming person, but the minute she was snagged in their snare, the manipulative behavior begins to surface. Draining her bank account, habitual lies, and eventually an attempt on her life, Bentley was able to escape and break free of the bonds cast by her husband.

This is an engrossing book and hard to put down. I highly recommend this book, especially to women (and men) in abusive relationships.

Children's Book Week

May 11 - 17 is Children's Book Week - the oldest national literacy event in the United States.

It all began with the idea that children's books can change lives. Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated nationally in schools, libraries, bookstores, family homes - any place where there are children and books.

Some of my recent favorite children's books are:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This book just won The John Newbery Medal.

Read my review here.




The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

This is the last book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Current books include:
The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth

Read my review of the 3rd book, Titan's Curse, here.


The Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven #4) by Brandon Mull

Current books in this series include:
Fablehaven
Rise of the Evening Star
Grip of the Shadow Plague

The last book in the series - Keys to the Demon Prison - will be released in 2010.

Read my review here.



The Dragon's Eye (Erec Rex #1) by Kaza Kingsley

Book #2 is The Monsters of Otherness and the 3rd book - The Search for Truth - will be released on June 30th.

Read my review here.


The Journal of Curious Letters (the 13th Reality #1) by James Dashner

The 2nd book in the series - The Hunt for Dark Infinity - was released in March.

Read my review here.


The Ruby Key (Moon and Sun #1) by Holly Lisle

The 2nd book in the series is The Silver Door.

Read my review here.


Stoneheart (Stoneheart trilogy #1) by Charlie Fletcher

Rounding out the trilogy are Ironhand and Silvertongue.

Read my review here.

Book Signing

Here is our good friend, Earl Dean, at his first book signing for A TAILOR MAIDEN'S SECRET. Congratulations again, Earl!

A Tailor Maiden's Secret

Congratulations Earl P. Dean on the publication of your first novel! Earl is a friend and a member of my writing group - The Community of Mercer County Writers.



Mayfest 2009 Book Signing
Saturday, May 9th from noon - 4pm
Gratz Park in Lexington, Kentucky

Earl will be signing his new book, A TAILOR MAIDEN'S SECRET and you will be able to buy a copy of the book on Saturday, or you can order from Wasteland Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

To learn more about the Mayfest events, click here.

A TAILOR MAIDEN'S SECRET

"Arliane Donestica attends mid-school on a planet called Pooda, a forbidding world of the future so far removed from Earth in space and time that the old world exists as a mythical origin for the poodan progenitors.

The Poodan Youth for Unity, sponsored by Pooda's Elders, are chasing Arliane through her snowbound city at the request of the Elders, pressuring her about unspoken activities that might tie her to rebellion similar to her mother's. Activist and wife as well, Arliane's mother had died in a protest by explosion.

Were the Elders behind it? Read of a biological mystery, political strife and forbidden action to discover the answer in A TAILOR MAIDEN’S SECRET."

Earl Patrick Dean is a computer programmer working in Kentucky. He holds a BA degree from Transylvania University and graduate certificates from The Institute of Children’s Literature, and has attended the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning workshops on Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror and Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. He loves reading and collecting books, and writes mostly science fiction and fantasy stories.

Earl has published stories in SAY...WHAT’S THE COMBINATION?, MORNINGSTAR ANTHOLOGY and KENTUCKY BLUE.

Way Back Wednesday - Go Ask Alice

I'm interrupting Way Back Wednesday this week with a book I just re-read over the weekend. My local public library - Mercer County Public Library - just acquired a new copy of this book and it practically jumped off the shelf and into my hands. Talk about a blast from the past.

Go Ask Alice

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416914633
ISBN-13: 978-1416914631

Go Ask Alice is a book I read when I was an early teenager and it scared the beegeezees out of me! It was years later before I realized this was a work of fiction - not a true teen diary by Anonymous as it was marketed.

Work of fiction or not, it is an interesting read into the teenage drug world of the 1960s. Although dated, I think this would be a good book for adults to read before they have "the drug" talk with their children.

The book begins with a 15 year old named Alice who is living in a perfectly normal home with two parents and a younger brother and sister. She had everything, but like most teenagers, she didn't realize it until it was gone.

Supposedly tricked into taking LDS when offered a laced Coke at a party, this work of fiction depicts Alice's downward spiral into drugs and her eventual climb back out the other side.

Written in "diary" form, it is a quick read and can easily be read in one night. Although continued to be touted as a true story, be aware that the truth of this book's origins was debunked many years ago. However, this doesn't stop it from being a good read.

*****Warning*****
Just a note to parents: This book is ranked very high on many of the banned books lists in the USA. If you care concerned about your children reading "banned" books, this many not be the book for your family.

The 8th Confession

The 8th Confession (Women’s Murder Club #8) by James Patterson

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316018767
ISBN-13: 978-0316018760

The 8th book in the Women’s Murder Club starts out with an exploding meth lab disguised as a school bus and the story never slows down. This is Patterson’s usual MO, so why mess with success?

Lindsay Boxer, Cindy Thomas, Claire Washburn and Yuki Castellano are back, trying to solve the murders of several rich San Fransico socialites. In addition, there is a mystery surounding a homeless preacher and a strange turn in the love life of one of the women.

Although I still love the character of Lindsay Boxer, I have been a little disappointed in the last few installments of this series. I think Patterson is trying too hard and he is using “co-authors” to help him release several books a year instead of one. However, if you are a fan of Patterson, then this book is still a must read.

Erec Rex

Visit the official Erec Rex website!

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Way Back Wednesday - Snowbound with Betsy

Snowbound With Betsy by Carolyn Haywood was the first book in the Betsy series I read as a child and it remained one of my favorite books until I reached adulthood.

The week before Christmas, a terrific snowstorm hits, and Betsy, Star, and their parents are snowbound, much to the girls' delight. There are snowmen to be built, Christmas presents to be made, and a tree to be decorated.

Not only was Betsy's family snowbound, but that also took in a mother and her little boy who became stranded in the neighborhood.

I can remember making birdfeeding cups out of orange rinds and peanut butter just like Betsy and Star. I laughed so hard reading about the popcorn they tried to "dry out" in the oven, only to have popped corn all over the kitchen. I also remember making snow angels for the first time after reading how Betsy and her friends made them.

And when Christmas finally arrived, everyone received homemade gifts because it was impossible to get to the store to buy gifts. The children made new objects out of old objects they found in the attic. This has always been my inspiration for making homemade gifts every year for the holidays.

Snowbound with Betsy was written the year I was born 1962. When my older girls were little, I bought the newer "paperback" version of this book, but I really missed the original cover. When my youngest daughter was four, I was able to find a vintage copy of Snowbound on eBay - with the cover I remembered and loved.

The Ruby Key

The Ruby Key (Moon & Sun series) by Holly Lisle

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Orchard Books
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545000122
ISBN-13: 978-0545000123

Mankind is Sunkind
And rules by the light;
Sunrise to sunset,
No less, and no more.
Nightlings are moonkind
And rule in the night;
Sun's set to sunrise,
Or there will be war.

This is Lisle's first youth fantasy fiction and I was hooked from the first chapter. This book is a mixture of humans, who live by the sun, and nightlings, who live by the moon.

Two human children, Genna and her young brother Dan, set out on a journey to help save their mother, who is very sick. In searching for the “tree sap” that will cure her illness, they meet the nightling, Yarri, who is trying to save her people from slavery.

Different from the Harry Potter books, but in the same vein, I recommend this to children and adults alike. The world Lisle has created is truly believable and full of enchanting characters. The next book in the series is The Silver Door.

Stoneheart

Stoneheart (The Stoneheart Trilogy #1) by Charlie Fletcher

Reading level: children/young adult
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423101758
ISBN-13: 978-1423101758

"On a school trip to the Natural History Museum in London, a 12-year-old loner named George is banished for something he didn't do. Angry, he lashes out and breaks off a dragon's head carved onto the wall of the museum. Next thing he knows, a pterodactyl carving comes to life and begins to chase him."

And so begins George's adventures in "unLondon." He is soon chased by many fanciful creatures come alive from stone statues. He first encounters Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier, who helps to save the boy from the pterodactyl. The pair soon meet up with Edie, a "glint" with the power to see the past.

In order for George to go back to the London he knows, the London where stone statues don't come to life, he must return the broken dragon's head to the Stone Heart. Gunner and Edie, plus a cast of other characters, help George in achieving his objective.

In the beginning of the book, George is feeling sorry for himself because his father is dead and his mother barely has time for him. Edie is portrayed as a cold-hearted survivor who has always looked after herself. But during the course of their adventures through the unusual streets of London, their characters start to evolve.

Some of the other interesting characters from the book are the Sphinxes who only give answers in riddles, the Clocker who continually marks the time, the Black Friar who tells them where the Stone Heart is, the Walker who is pure evil incarnate and the Minotaur who is part bull, part human and all bad. We also get glimpses of dragons and gargoyles. Fletcher has turned a collection of the actual statues around London into an astonishing assortment of personalities and monsters.

Although marketed to children and young adults, I don't think I would recommend this for younger children mainly because of some of the scary and dangerous situations George and Edie encounter, but I highly recommend it for older children and teenagers, as well as adults like me who love young adult books. This is the first book in the Stoneheart Trilogy and as soon as I put the last period on this post, I'm ready to start Ironhand, the next book in the series. The final book is entitled Silvertongue.

Charlie Fletcher is a British author and screenwriter. Stoneheart was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award in 2007. There is a movie in development for release in 2010.

Stolen

Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 158 pages
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761455159
ISBN-13: 978-0761455158

This is the first book of Velde's I have read and I found myself enjoying the story line. Isabelle is a young girl who has no memory of who she is. The story begins with Isabelle running in the forest with a pack of hunting dogs tight on her heels. Just when she thinks the dogs will be the death of her, she pulled into unconsciousness. Then she awakens she finds she has been taken in by a peasant family - Avis and Browley - and their young daughter, Ravyn.

Ravyn is a six year old who is determined Isabelle was a Princess stolen away by the legendary witch from the forest. Apparently this witch has been stealing away young children for many years - the children are never seen or heard from again. Ravyn enjoys weaving a new life for Isabelle out of her curious imagination.

Just when Isabelle is starting to feel comfortable with the peasant family, another family appears, claiming she is their daughter who was stolen away six years earlier. This poor family had recently has a second child stolen away, a newborn only one months old. The mother is determined that the young girl is her daughter, Isabelle, but the oldest daughter, Honey, is convinced this girl is not her long lost sister.

But all is not what it seems with Isabelle's "supposed" family and she begins to wonder if they are claiming her in order to gain an inheritance from a rich aunt, whom Isabelle is named after.

This book has a happy ending, but not the ending I was anticipating. Just when I thought I knew how the story would end, Velde gives the story an unusual twist.

This small book - 158 pages - was a different kind of young adult book and I read it in one sitting. Not your normal young adult fantasy book, this story is more along the lines of the wonderful fairy tales I read as a child. Stolen has increased my desire to read other books by Vivian Vande Velde.

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven #4) by Brandon Mull

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1606410423
ISBN-13: 978-1606410424

The long awaited 4th book in the Fablehaven series has finally arrived and I practically gobbled it up in one sitting. While at home for winter break, Kendra finds herself in mortal danger from the evil Spinx - the leader of the Society of the Evening Star.

Kendra and Seth soon find themselves back with their grandparents at Fablehaven - an animal perserve for magical creatures. Because Kendra is "fairykind" - kissed by the fairies - she is the only one who is able to decipher the clues from Patton's secret jounal that will lead them to a hidden artifact the Spinx is determined to steal.

Will the Knights of the Dawn be able to safely enter the dragon sanctuary to recover the artifact before the Spinx? Does Seth continue to disobey the rules? Has Vanessa really changed her ways? Is there really a spy at Fablehaven?

This book is full of non-stop action and children of all ages will enjoy this fantasy adventure.