Father Christmas Ornaments~Cross stitching

Here, on the eve of December 1st, I've started my first 2013 Christmas Ornament.  This year I'll be stitching "Father Christmas" figures from "The Prairie Schooler Book No. 43."  It's an older book, but still a beautiful one with its rustic little figures.  I like these kind of Santas best of all.

Every year I try to stitch something for my daughter and grandson for their tree.  They look forward to the ornament for their collection.  My little grand has a whole box of them that he loves to hang every year.  He's only 5, but he knows his ornaments!

Two Christmas lap quilts were mailed out yesterday to another pair of grandson's in CA, featuring Santa as a centerpiece holding his huge sack of toys.  They were fun to make...bright and patched with gingerbread boys, holly, small santas, and other fabrics.  I failed to take pictures for my blog....


As I sit here listening to early Christmas music on dulcimer and country instruments, I think of New England and our winters there.  Near Boston...the wintry cold so freezing it would get in my bones, but the house toasty and filled with all my quilting, knitting and needlework supplies so I could make my yearly gifts for my 5 children and little grands. 

Our house was outside of Boston in Sturbridge, known for Old Sturbridge Village an actual reproduction and functioning historic village.  As a local, it was also known for a plethora of quilting and antique shops where I could lose myself and my money on a regular basis!  Brimfield Antiques Fair was only a step away twice a year...a nationally known fair.

When we decided to get healthier, size down and move to FL, I had to leave behind so much of all I loved in Boston and Sturbridge.  First of all my son, Jason, and his little family...and then our big house with all the room I needed for my arts and needlework, and furniture.  Then, the beautiful landscape and culture of New England.  The seasons are a thing we miss here in our paradise of a steady 75-80 degrees during the fall and winter in Naples, FL.   Sometimes, I wonder if warm bodies, working joints and sunshine are all they're cracked up to be!!  It was fun to wrap up in gorgeous winter clothes at times.  And, I particularly miss my son and family.

I'll be stitching away in the coming weeks, so I'll post my progress on the Father Christmases.

Meanwhile, I hope you all will be doing what makes you happiest as the Good Season approaches!

Warmest wishes,


Deborah/TheBookishDame

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Sharing Reading Habits

 

This is another of those Tags from Debra's Book Café which I thought might be fun to share with you.  I don't have anything to do this morning except drink Nantucket Blend coffee and cook breakfast for my husband and myself, so it's a good time killer while I do laundry and that!  I'm just between books and looking to finish "Camille," as well, by Alexander Dumas fils.  A wonderful classic, by the way.

I hope this isn't too long and boring, but I'll give it a try:

1)  Do you have a particular place to read?

I do.  I most often read in my little recliner which is a mini one...perfect for my 5'l" size.  It folds out into a chaise lounge.  It's candy apple green and I love it.  I can't get more comfortable than that.  I have a regular lamp and a reading lamp.  It's very rare that I read anywhere else.

2)  Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Bookmark, absolutely!  I love bookmarks and can't resist them in bookstores.  I like the paper ones best although I've just found a metal one with a fox on it that clips to the page and has a ribbon.  I like bookmarks with embellishment "tails" of tassels or ribbons.

3)  Can you just stop reading anywhere or do you have to stop at the end of a chapter?

Unless I'm interrupted for a sort of an emergency, I have to stop at the end of a chapter.  I'm compelled!

4)  Do you eat or drink when reading?

I generally have a diet coke beside me.  I do eat on the occasion though that's really not my norm.  I'll have a piece of cheese or something small...a bit of chocolate...guilty pleasure.  Have to be very careful with chocolate, though, when handling a book!

5)  Multi-tasking:  music or tv when reading?   I choose to read in silence.  I think anything else is distracting.  But once in a while I listen to movie themes or classical music if it fits a book that's a classic.

6)  One book at time or several at once?  I like to read more than one book at a time.  I got into this habit years ago.  I concentrate on one book, but I always have another one or two in the wings started.

7)  Reading at home or elsewhere?  I don't like to read elsewhere although I've tried it at the doctor's office, the pool and eating out alone.  I never seem to get very far with the book.  It's unnatural for me and I worry about soiling my book.  OCD!!  :P

8)  Read out loud or silently in your head?   Interesting question.  I read in my head 99% of the time, but when I find a book is confusing or difficult to begin or at any point in the story, I read aloud to myself.  It clarifies the section for me somehow.  It rarely happens anymore but I got into the habit when I was in college and it helps sometimes.  Mostly, I read silently, though.

And, since I've become a grandmother, I read aloud to my grandchildren on cassette tapes.  I send them these at least once or twice a year because we don't live close to each other. 

9)  Read ahead or skip pages?   I flip through the book, but I don't read ahead.  Sometimes I try to get the name of new characters to see how many there are, but I'm not into spoilers.  I'd never read the ending, for instance.

10)  Breaking the spine or keeping like new?   I would practically have my arm broken before I'd break a spine!!!  I cringe at the thought!  It ruins a book as far as I'm concerned.

11) Do you write in your books?   Don't have a fit here my bookish friends... once in a while I do.  I put a note in one here and there, but it's very rare.  If the author completely knocks my head off with something, I'm likely to put a star or comment beside it.  I figure I'm probably the only one who'll read the book, and I always use pencil.  If the book is ever read by my family or sold, it will be a "find" for someone else, I figure.

12)  What type of book do you buy...hard or soft cover?   I buy both.  However, if it's something I know I want to keep permanently in my library, I always buy a hard copy.  I only buy the larger paperbacks when I buy a soft cover...I don't like the small ones.

13)  How long does it take you to read a book?  I can read a book in one sitting if it's within 300 pages.  If it's longer, it may take two sittings.

14)  Do you carry your books around the house with you?   LOL  Isn't it crazy?!  I do sometimes!!
I treat them like my darlings! 

15)  Do you keep all the books you read?  No.  If they are only fair to good books and aren't on my fabulous list, I don't keep them.  Or if they aren't collectible or written by my favorite authors, I don't. I have special friends who like to read and can't afford books, or I give them to Goodwill.

16)  How many books do you own?  I've never counted, but I would say I have over 1,000 books.  I have 4 bookcases, a huge armoire and boxes in the garage that I've collected.  Not to mention the stacks I have everywhere!  I try to cull them out at least two or three times a year because it gets overwhelming but it's difficult for me to do!


So that's all I know to share with you!  If you have more questions or comments, please leave them for me below.  I'd love to know any reading habits you have, as well.  And if you follow this tag, please let me and my other readers know so we can follow you!!

Deborah

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"Longbourn" by Jo Baker~Fabulous "Downstairs!"

SUMMARY :

• Pride and Prejudice was only half the story •
 
If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them.
 
In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice, the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended.

Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s classic—into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily particulars faced by the lower classes in Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars—and, in doing so, creates a vivid, fascinating, fully realized world that is wholly her own.


PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  Knopf Doubleday Publishing
Pages:  352
Genre:  Fiction
Author:  Jo Baker
Find this book:  Amazon
Author's website: 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Jo Baker was born in Lancashire, England, and educated at Oxford University and Queen’s University Belfast. She is the author of The Undertow and of three earlier novels published in the United Kingdom: Offcomer, The Mermaid’s Child, and The Telling. She lives in Lancaster.



YouTube live with Ms Baker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53C78TclDyE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI51tP1sOxE

Interviews & Essays   (with thanks to Barnes & Noble)

A conversation with Jo Baker, Author of Longbourn

Have you always been a fan of Jane Austen and in particular of Pride and Prejudice?

I can't even remember when I first read Pride and Prejudice - it seems like I've always known it. Jane Austen's work was my first real experience of grown-up literature, and I've kept on returning to her work throughout my life; I just love her books - I'm a sucker for all that buttoned-up desire and wish-fulfillment. But also, as a writer, I admire her - the immaculate prose, the deft plotting, the briskness of the characterization. I didn't, though, for a moment consider trying to write like her. It's impossible to do nowadays without shifting into parody - which is something I really did not want.

How did your family history in some ways inspire Longbourn?

As a child, reading Jane Austen, I became aware that if I'd been living at the time, I wouldn't have got to go to the ball. I would've been stuck at home, with the housework.

We've got some battered old silver cutlery at home, which we inherited from my great aunt. She and her sisters had been in service, and she always said the silverware was a gift from her employer when she left—my grandmother maintained, however, that she'd nicked it. Just a couple of generations back, my family were servants.

And so once I was aware of that - of that English class thing - Pride and Prejudice began to read a little differently. I noticed other presences. A footman enters, a housemaid is told to run along and do something. I also began to realize that some things that seemed to just "happen" - notes arriving, carriages being brought round, meals being served - would of course require human agency to make them occur. I became fascinated by these little flickers of activity: I started to see a whole other life going on below the surface of the book.

But Longbourn really began to take shape when I got snagged on the line "the very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy". It's the week before the ball, the weather is far too bad for the Bennet girls to venture forth, and so they send a servant out to get soaked on their behalf. And that made it really stark for me. A maid has to trudge out in the rain, and get soaked to the skin, just to get these frivolous little decorations for the other women's dancing shoes.

Then, reading Jane Austen's letters, I stumbled across a reference to two sisters whom she employed to do some sewing for her. Their surname was Baker. Okay, it's a common name, but still, the coincidence struck me! It seemed a confirmation of my instincts.

Any hesitation about reimagining a classic?

I did hesitate. I hesitated for ages. I'd been thinking about this book for years before I first put pen to paper. That said, I don't really think of it as a "re-imagining". For me it's a "reading" of the classic. I just happen to "read" it a bit more intensively than might be usual, to include some elements that Austen didn't actually write.

I'll admit that Austen was peering over my shoulder while I was writing. Metaphorically speaking. But, again, when it came to characterization, I didn't want to write like her; I wanted to develop characters who could hold their own alongside hers, who would create space for themselves, who would be noticed in a crowded room. On a more personal level, I wanted to write characters who interested me, and kept surprising me. And they did.

Is there a character in Longbourn that you feel a particular affinity for?

I think I feel affinity for aspects of every one of them, really - I think when you're writing you seek to understand what's going on behind everybody's social mask. Writing fiction is all about empathy, really. So though we might be rooting for Sarah or James, I still love Mrs Bennet for her unarticulated sadness, and Mr. Hill for his acts of kindness, even though he might be gruff. Even Wickham, whose behaviour is dreadful - I do feel for him, because in this rigid, formal world he lacks a place - he doesn't belong anywhere.

What kind of feedback have you had from readers and Austen fans?

Readers, on the whole, whether already Austen fans or no - have been overwhelmingly positive. I've only had a very few entirely negative responses to the book so far - and in each case from people who hadn't actually read it. One gentleman was keen to inform me about an ancestor of his who was testified against by a servant - the servant had witnessed him in 'criminal conversation' with a married lady. This was in the 1700s; the family had to ten thousand pounds in compensation to the lady's husband, and the young man was banished to France. The present-day gentleman seemed be holding a grudge against servants in general as a result. He certainly seemed to think they didn't merit the attention I had given them.

Who have you discovered lately?

I've been reading Graham Robb's marvelous book Parisians: an Adventure History of Paris. A kind of psychogeography, it moves from the establishment of the city of Paris to the present day, using the stories of individual inhabitants to trace the history of a city. There's a fabulous section on Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI's attempted escape, and the piece on the Vel d'Hiv roundup was so desperate and moving that I had to read it sidelong, not really looking. A fabulous book.

 

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

If you're looking for a book to snuggle up with over this Thanksgiving weekend, look no further whether you're an Austen fan (or not).  This is a new  "Pride and Prejudice" -inspired novel with more grace and panache than any I've read in the past few years. It's also a wonderful stand alone novel in its own right.  I absolutely gobbled it down like pumpkin pie...or mincemeat treats, shall we say?  Loved it!

Jo Baker is no novice author and it shows.  She has a way with words and uses them to perfect descriptive timing in her new book.  This is a beautifully written story.  The characters are wistfully and masterfully drawn.  You won't be able to resist these downstairs servants.  The way they think and feel will grab you by the collar and clinch your heart.  Even the characters of P & P are enhanced by them.  I dare you not to be enchanted by the strong-of-heart and hand, Sarah.

"Longbourn" is one of those books you just love to cherish in every way.  It's original and charming, and it's a fabulous "downstairs" read without being a copycat "Downton Abbey" or the like.

Happy reading and Happy Thanksgiving!!

5 stars                    Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Allegiant" by Veronica Roth~Slogging Through...

SUMMARY :

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.


PARTICULARS OF THIS BOOK :

Published by:  Harper Collins Publishers
Pages:  544
Genre:  YA Fiction/Dystopian
Series:  #3 Divergent
Author:  Veronica Roth
Website:  http://veronicarothbooks.com


MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

 

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent and Insurgent, the first two books in the Divergent trilogy. Now a full-time writer, Ms. Roth and her husband live in Chicago. You can visit her online at Twitter, Tumblr, her blog, and her website.


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

This must be the season when authors were pushed to complete their books for the rabid public who have been anxiously awaiting their next ones....Wally Lamb, Veronica Roth and others have disappointed their readers this time around.  At least they've disappointed me.

I happen to have loved "Divergent" and liked "Insurgent," the sequel, very much.  I'm a great fan of dystopians, as you well know.  But I found this final chapter in the series so distressing in its absence of Ms Roth's best imaginative writing.  "Did she just get tired or did she just get lazy," as the song goes...

Not only were the characters put up in a bland surrounding this time, but the plot was slow and plodding.  I found Tris and Four downright boring!  Can "Divergent" fans imagine that!?  The bouncing back and forth of their dialog set in the "outside" world was plain and uninspired.  I was  sighing and not wanting to pick the book up to find out what happened next.  Shocking for a fan of Veronica Roth's.  I couldn't wait to move on to the next book in my stacks.

While I wanted to finish this trilogy, and I did.  I was also saddened by the ending.  I won't give any spoilers here, though others may have found them elsewhere.  Just suffice it to say this was a failing final chapter in an otherwise exciting series.  I still suggest you read "Divergent."  You just may want to stop at the first two books...

3 stars                      Deborah/TheBookishDame

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How I Read Books

I saw a Tag running on Book Tube this weekend and thought it might be fun to answer the questions here for you today.  It was informative for me to see my favorite book tuber's answers... (Debra' Café) Maybe you'll respond on your blogs with your own.  Here are the eight questions and my answers to them:

1)  How do you find out about new books to read?

I look several places for new books.  I'm constantly searching on the web, mostly.  I have an account with Netgalley, so that's my first point of interest.  They come out with books far in advance of the published dates, but it's hit or miss.  You have to be the one who selects a book that you think may be a final publisher's choice for the book market.  

Next, I'm happily the recipient of books from publishers which are advanced readers.  Then, I look online at certain sites:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, my favorite blogs, and YouTube book tuber sites are very helpful.  I go to the library.  I work with a book tour that keeps me abreast of new historical fiction.  And, I visit bookstores as a final research outlet.   Once I find new books, I have to be very selective about what I choose to review, and I'm often behind the published dates which gives my readers time to see the books themselves for a decision to purchase.


2)  How did you get into reading?

I started reading  to myself when I was in second grade.  But my first influence was from a mother who put Little Golden Books in my toys as a baby.  I slept with them in my crib and play pin.  I was also greatly influenced by my uncle who used to read to me when I was as young as 5 years old...and from a grandmother who would buy me books.  I stared out myself reading fairy tales, The Bobsey Twins and Nancy Drew. 


3)  How has your taste in books changed as you've gotten older?

When I was in my teens my favorite books were James Bond, "Gone With the Wind," and "Wuthering Heights."  I still love the classics which I read as a young adult.  I also read a good deal of romance novels and mysteries.  As an adult, I began to read more contemporary fiction along with all these type of books.  I don't read romance anymore, and I don't read cozy mysteries.  I now read more historical fiction  more than I have before, along with the other genre  mentioned above. I also probably read more thrillers than I did in my early adult life.


4)  How often do you buy books?

Not as often as I did before.  Prior to about 7 years ago, I spent about $200 a month on books.  Now I read books I find through Netgalley, from tours, through publishers, scavenging, the library, and from gifts (gift cards from my family on special occasions).   That's enough to keep me on my toes!!


5)  How did you get into book blogging?

Originally, I had a blog about needlework started about 11 or 12 years ago.  I was a long time member of the American Needlepoint Guild and the Embroiderer's Guild of America, as well as being a needlework shop owner.  I had one of the first online needlecraft shops and found bloggers for the fine needlearts online.  So, I started my own. 

Because I'm an avid reader, I started incorporating my reviews into that blog...then decided to start a separate blog dedicated to just book reviews roughly 8 years ago.  Now I don't keep the needlework blog at all.  I found I much prefer to "talk" about books!


6)  How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?

I've been known to talk to the author out loud and slam the book shut!  I've never thrown a book across the room, but I have dumped it in the trash can sitting beside my reading chair.  :]


7)  How often have you taken a look at the back of the book to find out the happy ending?

Almost never.  I don't want to spoil the ending of a book in that manner.  I will turn to the back to see if there are author comments or a book reading guide, but I don't even read them for fear they'll spoil the book for me in advance.  I don't like spoilers!!


8)  How many people are you going to tag and who are they?

I don't like tagging people.  I find it an imposition on others.  But, I hope my readers will take time to comment below on one or two of the questions....


Thanks for reading!  Hope this was fun for you...

Deborah

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"The Tenth Saint" by DJ Niko~Author Guest Post

SUMMARY :

Cambridge archaeologist Sarah Weston makes an unusual discovery in the ancient Ethiopian mountain kingdom of Aksum—a sealed tomb with inscriptions in an obscure dialect. Along with her colleague, American anthropologist Daniel Madigan, she tries to identify the entombed man and translate the inscriptions. Tracking down clues in Addis Ababa and the monasteries of Lalibela, Sarah and Daniel uncover a codex in the subterranean library revealing the secret of the tomb—a set of prophecies about Earth’s final hours, written by a man hailed by Ethiopian mystics as Coptic Christianity’s 10th saint.

 Faced with violent opposition and left for dead in the heart of the Simien Mountains, Sarah and Daniel survive to journey to Paris, where they’re given a 14th-century letter describing the catastrophic events that will lead to the planet’s demise. Connecting the two discoveries, Sarah faces a deadly conspiracy to keep the secret buried in order to promote technological advances presently leading toward the prophesied end of the Earth.


PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Publication Date: January 25, 2012
Medallion Press
Paperback; 464p
Genre:  Fiction
 ISBN-10: 1605422452
Gold Medal Winner, Popular Fiction, 2013 Florida Book Awards.

Purchase this book:  Amazon


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

D.J. Niko is the nom de plume of Daphne Nikolopoulos, an award-winning author and journalist. Her first novel, titled The Tenth Saint, was released in March 2012 to rave reviews by both readers and the trade. In March 2013, it was awarded the Gold Medal for popular fiction in the prestigious, juried Florida Book Awards. An archaeological thriller embroidered with historical motifs, The Tenth Saint takes readers on an adventure across the globe: Ethiopia, the Syro-Arabian Desert and Abyssinian Empire circa fourth century, London, Paris, Brussels, and Texas. The Tenth Saint is the first book in The Sarah Weston Chronicles series. The second, titled The Riddle of Solomon, releases July 1, 2013.

Daphne is now at work on a historical novel set in tenth century B.C.E. Israel. The epic story details the collapse of the United Monarchy and the glory and fall of the empire built by King Solomon. It will be released in early 2015.

As a former travel journalist, Daphne has traveled across the globe on assignment, or for personal discovery. She has been to some places most of us don’t realize are on the map, and she has brought them to life through her writing for various magazines, newspapers and websites on an international scale. Her travel background and rich experiences now bring authentic detail, color, and realism to her fiction.

She also is the editor in chief of Palm Beach Illustrated magazine, a 62-year-old luxury-lifestyle glossy. She also is the editorial director of Palm Beach Media Group, and in that capacity oversees 11 magazines and 3 websites.

She is the mother of twin toddlers and, in her spare time, volunteers for causes she believes in—literacy, education, child advocacy, and the advancement of traditional and tribal arts from around the world. Born in Athens, Greece, she now lives with her family in West Palm Beach, Florida.

For more information, please visit D.J. Niko’s website. You can also follow on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.



TRAILER OF "THE TENTH SAINT:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nH9UwUq21V0



Praise for The Tenth Saint

“The characters are lively, and the story is fast-paced and exciting, especially for inveterate fans of the genre.” – David Pitt, Booklist (January 1, 2012)

“Like ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ ‘The Tenth Saint’ takes you to a place you have never been, creating an adventure you will not soon forget.” – Laurence Leamer, New York Times-bestselling author of ‘Kennedy Women’

“Interesting, intricate and intriguing, ‘The Tenth Saint’ is an archaeological puzzle the reader can’t wait to solve.” – James O. Born, author of ‘Burn Zone’

“Her descriptive powers are remarkable. Whether constructing the distant past or today, whether reproducing the foreign or the familiar, Ms. Niko brings vivid, convincing sensory detail to her settings.” – Phil Jason, Naples Florida Weekly (April 2012)

“Fast-paced and filled with danger and action in interesting and less well-known locales, The Tenth Saint will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the end.”- www.FreshFiction.com

“An impressive and well-researched thrill-ride … Dark tombs, buried secrets, and apocalyptic prophecies, this book has it all!” – Ronald Malfi, author of ‘The Ascent’ and ‘Floating Staircase’

“The Tenth Saint is a clever and well-written story which piqued my interest and curiosity. I enjoyed the wicked twist at the end, which I thought brought everything together cleanly. I look forward to more of Ms. Niko’s writing!” – Star Fyre, Bibliophilic Book Blog

“The author, D. J. Niko, thoroughly researched the history and geography of Ethiopia, providing sufficient authenticity to the story line and plot to satisfy even the most skeptical Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.” – The Etritrea and Ethiopia Herald (for Peace Corps volunteers)

Buy Links

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound



GUEST POST FROM D. J. NIKO!!!

I want to thank you, D. J. for stopping by A Bookish Libraria today with your Guest Post, I know what a busy schedule you keep.  Really looking forward to having you share your knowledge with our readers.  Thank you!

The Calm Before (and During) the Storm

A guest post by D.J. Niko for A Bookish Libraria 

Thank you, Deb, for the opportunity to contribute this post! Today, I’d like to share with your readers a story about a personal experience that informed one of the scenes in The Tenth Saint.

In Chapter 7, Gabriel warns the Bedouins about an imminent sandstorm. As a Western man and a scientist, Gabriel knows with mathematical accuracy the storm is coming. The Bedouins do not listen to him, instead pressing toward the oasis so they do not miss their turn in the fertile lands. Sure enough, the storm comes, wiping out the Bedouins’ caravan and brutally claiming lives.

Describing this sandstorm in an authentic, realistic manner came naturally to me, because I had experienced it firsthand. I was with four friends in the Moroccan Sahara, near the Mali border. We had been traveling on camelback for about a week, heading toward an oasis to replenish supplies.

Just before dusk, we saw the cloud approach from the south and knew we were in for a long night. Typical Westerners, we covered our backpacks and camera gear in blankets so that sand would not get in. We had no tents, and there was no cover anywhere in sight, so we built perimeter fences from bed linens, holding the contraption down with sand bags. We were industrious. We were resourceful.

We were scared.

Meanwhile, our Berber camel drivers were calm as could be. Without breaking a sweat, they built a fire and boiled some dodgy water we’d collected earlier from a sand depression. They made tea and cooked some noodles. I shook my head. Who could think of food at a time like this?

The nomads were unruffled because they knew there was nothing they could do in the face of such fury. They couldn’t stop it; they couldn’t hide from it. So they went on with life. Whatever would come, would come, tea or no tea.

The sandstorm did come, and it battered our camp from sundown until four in the morning. It was the longest eight hours of my life. I still recall the constant grit of sand between my teeth and the violent stinging of my eyes as I lay there, in the fetal position in total darkness, waiting for the hissing to stop, hoping we would not be buried alive.

At dawn, as the shreds of our perimeter fence whipped in an errant breeze, we surveyed the damage. We shook pounds of sand off ourselves and searched for our belongings, which had been scattered by the wind. I recall inscribing “LIFE” with my fingernail on my sand-caked arm, in the same way you’d write “WASH ME” on a dirty car. But what I remember most vividly is Mohammed the Berber blowing into the belly of a meager fire, coaxing some flames, as if nothing had happened.

I learned something that day, and it is summed up this way in The Tenth Saint: “The way of the nomad is to accept everything as it comes: there is no anticipation of better days, no longing for the unrequited, no despair for loss.”

 

What a harrowing experience, D.J.!!  Thank you for sharing it with us.  I would have been scared to death.  I'm glad you let us know how your personal experiences are threaded through your novel.  I recommend your books highly to my readers.

 

Deborah/TheBookishDame

This review is brought to you in cooperation with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.

Please click on this link to find more guest posts, reviews and interviews of Ms. Niko:  http://hfvirtualbooktours.com
 

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"Insurgent" by Veronica Roth~Divergent Series

SUMMARY :

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

PARTICULARS OF THIS BOOK :

Published by:  Harper Collins
Pages:  544
Genre:  Dystopian
Author:  Veronica Roth
Read more about her first book "Divergent" here:
  Veronica Roth as well as purchasing your copy


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent and Insurgent, the first two books in the Divergent trilogy. Now a full-time writer, Ms. Roth and her husband live in Chicago. You can visit her online at Twitter, Tumblr, her blog, and her website http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/p/books.html


TRAILERS:     First "Divergent"  the book that started the series ~

"Insurgent" Trailer

 

You can hear a 45 minute audio book reading of Insurgent on Youtube!



THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

Well, I am behind the times in bringing you this review, but it's only a prelude to "Allegiant" which I'll be reviewing in the next week.  "Allegiant" is the final book in the Divergent series and has created a whirlwind of controversy online with the YA community.  I have loved the whole series so far and am just getting into the final novel, but wanted to read "Insurgent" to fill in the blanks.  It's a fast read and a show stopper in and of itself, but a book that really needs the background of "Divergent" to understand all the nuances.

"Insurgent" takes us back to the dystopian community in Chicago now splintered by the war created by the Erudite faction into different factions and antifactions who are unsettled and not sure what to do with themselves.  Leaders rise up, albeit some are weak and fall under the simulation spells of the Erudite.  Tris and Four are left to try to put down the darker forces for the good of all, but eventually fall short of this although they risk their lives for the better good and for learning the truth.  It's a fast-moving novel with lots of action and a love that's building between Tris and Four.

At the end of the novel, things change when a mystery is revealed to the whole of the Chicago factions through the work of Tris and others.  It's a mystery that is certain to change the course of their fight and their work going forward, and one which sets the stage for the book "Allegiant."

I enjoyed this second book in the series very much.  Veronica Roth doesn't let her fans down, but keeps up a steady pace of action and adventure...and a strong bond of love and friendship through her characters.  There's not a page that lacks interest.  Not a page that lacks an absorbing element to enhance her story.

This is another dystopian to sit back and enjoy.  It's a good middle book that leads into her final one wrapping up this wonderful series.  I for one will hate to see it all end!  I know those who have been following it will, too. If you haven't gotten on this bandwagon...you really have to.  It's one of the best of the dystopian series on the market.  While "Insurgent" is very good, however, it's not quite as good as "Divergent."  But, I think it's a necessary middle book to bridging the gap to the end...


4 stars                        Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"The Secret Daughter of the Tsar" by Jennifer Laam~Author Interview~Great Read!

 



 

SUMMARY :

 

A compelling alternate history of the Romanov family in which a secret fifth daughter—smuggled out of Russia before the revolution—continues the royal lineage to dramatic consequences.

In her riveting debut novel, The Secret Daughter of the Tsar, Jennifer Laam seamlessly braids together the stories of three women: Veronica, Lena, and Charlotte. Veronica is an aspiring historian living in present-day Los Angeles when she meets a mysterious man who may be heir to the Russian throne. As she sets about investigating the legitimacy of his claim through a winding path of romance and deception, the ghosts of her own past begin to haunt her. Lena, a servant in the imperial Russian court of 1902, is approached by the desperate Empress Alexandra.  After conceiving four daughters, the Empress is determined to sire a son and believes Lena can help her. Once elevated to the Romanov’s treacherous inner circle, Lena finds herself under the watchful eye of the meddling Dowager Empress Marie. Charlotte, a former ballerina living in World War II occupied Paris, receives a surprise visit from a German officer. Determined to protect her son from the Nazis, Charlotte escapes the city, but not before learning that the officer’s interest in her stems from his longstanding obsession with the fate of the Russian monarchy. Then as Veronica's passion intensifies, and her search for the true heir to the throne takes a dangerous turn, the reader learns just how these three vastly different women are connected.

The Secret Daughter of the Tsar is thrilling from its first intense moments until its final, unexpected conclusion.


PARTICULARS OF THIS BOOK :

Published by:  St. Martin's Griffin
Pages:  342 with Discussion Questions
Genre:  Historical Fiction/Contemporary Fiction
Author:  Jennifer Laam
Website:  http://www.jenniferlaam.com 
For more info.:  http://readinggroupgold.com

Purchase this book:  Barnes & Noble  and  Amazon


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Jennifer Laam earned her master’s degree in History from Oakland University in Michigan and her bachelor’s degree from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. She has lived in Los Angeles and the suburbs of Detroit, traveled in Russia and Europe, and worked in education and non-profit development. She currently resides in Northern California. The Secret Daughter of the Tsar is her first novel.

Please go to her website  http://www.jenniferlaam.com where you can find and read an excerpt of her novel...


INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR :

We are so thrilled to be able to bring you this question and answer interview with Jennifer Laam today.  I want to thank her for her willingness to take time out of her very busy schedule to visit with us...  So, let's get right to it!

1)      Tell us something about yourself, please.  How do most people describe you? 

 

My worldview is subversive, but I don’t think anyone would accuse me of being bitter or mean-spirited. My sense of humor is self-deprecating, perhaps to a fault. I think most people would say I’m quiet and a little shy. But if they know me well, they know I’m only quiet until I’m either comfortable, buzzed, or have something interesting to say. Then I want to talk all day and everyone should drop what they’re doing and listen to me!

 

2)      Briefly, from where did the idea for your novel germinate?

Shortly after college, I went on a Nicholas and Alexandra bender. I became particularly enamored of stories—no matter how half-baked—of possible survivors of the massacre of the royal family. This was about the same time DNA testing proved there weren’t any survivors. I ran into a story of an interview with a possible “fifth daughter of the tsar” in a book on Anastasia, a story DNA testing hadn’t disproved. It’s been a long road since then, but that got me started.

3)      Who first told you you could write well, and how did it affect you?

I remember writing a story in high school and at a particularly devastating moment (I felt), the teacher wrote in large red letters: “Oh no!” When I saw her comment, a little voice crying “nailed it!” went off in my head. That was a satisfying moment. When a reader reacts that way to something I write…that’s what makes the hours of agony all worthwhile.

4)      Which contemporary authors do you most admire?

I love Jonathan Franzen for selfish reasons. I feel validated when I read his work. Inevitably one or more of his characters will react to something EXACTLY the way I would react or say something that EXACTLY articulates how I feel. I also adore Margaret Atwood, Jeffrey Eugenides, Gary Shteyngart, and John Irving. Phillipa Gregory and Lisa See can do no wrong.

5)      Which are your favorite classical authors?

I could do a laundry list with this question as well, but instead I’ll take the stand that it all begins and ends with Billy Shakespeare.

 

6)      Jump into any book~which character would you be?

Harriet the Spy. Except without the discipline. Her writing work ethic was fierce!

7)      If you could have 5 historical people to dinner, who would they be?  What would you have to eat?

As a history geek, I’m almost offended by the question. How can anyone possibly narrow this field down to five? I would not invite Nicholas or Alexandra or their children because they’ve been through enough already and should rest in peace.  To get my Russian fix, I would invite Catherine the Great and her hot advisor/lover Prince Potemkin. I’m fascinated by their relationship. Even when they started sleeping with other people, they were loyal to one another. So sweet! I would also invite Anne Boleyn. She could carry her head around and I’d ask how you get a man to change an entire country’s religious inclination for you.

That leaves two slots.  They go to Toussaint L’ouverture and Eliza Jumel (who?). Toussaint, of course, initiated the revolt of enslaved individuals in the 18^th century in what is now Haiti. That’s ballsy. I’d like to hear more about it. Eliza was an American woman who lived in the same time period and was married to a “refugee” of that revolution.  Later in life, she briefly married notorious Alexander Hamilton-killer Aaron Burr. Toussaint and Eliza never met in life, but I have a feeling they’d hit it off. 

I don’t eat meat. I don’t really cook much. I’m certainly not going to try to cook for five historical figures…too much pressure. So the meal would be vegan take-out from the Loving Hut. Enjoy the faux Mongolian beef, everyone!

8)      Read any good books in the past 6 months?

I’m a bandwagon fan, but I’ve raced through George R.R. Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series. I like recognizing the historical influences…the Dothraki remind me of the Mongols, for example…in a fantasy world. What a great way to circumvent the history police. And Tyrion Lannister…I love that guy!

9)      Favorite two tv shows:

 

I’m one of those who believe the Golden Age of Television Drama is happening right now. This list could go on forever. Since you’re asking for two, I’ll go with Breaking Bad and The Wire.  But it kills me not to at least say the words Downton Abbey.

 

10)   Favorite movie of all time:

L.A. Confidential for many reasons. The one-two awesomeness of romanticism and noir. The one-two awesomeness of Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce in their primes. The book is so wonderfully dense and they did a fantastic job of staying true to the intensity and complexity of the source material while still making appropriate edits for length. There has got to be a lesson in that for writers going through the revision process.

11)   Are you working on a new book?

Yes and thank you for asking. I am writing a sequel to THE SECRET DAUGHTER OF THE TSAR. As with that novel, there are three time frames, one of which involves the aforementioned Catherine the Great and the glorious Prince Potemkin. 

 

12)   Anything else I forgot to ask you?

 

Nothing I can think of, but may I take this opportunity to ask your readers to please, please, please pick up a copy of THE SECRET DAUGHTER OF THE TSAR? I’ll also do an obligatory plug for my website: jenniferlaam.com. Stop on by and say hello!

Oooo, what a fascinating person you are, Jennifer.  I wish we lived closer and had time for a real talk in real time.  I've always been enamored of the Romanov family, also.  Just horrific what happened to them and I always hoped Anastasia was the real thing.  Thanks again for your gracious visit with us.
I'm encouraging people to stop by your website, as well.



THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

What fun I had reading this book.  The tragic story of the Tsarist Romanov family of Russia is one that fascinates me.  Jennifer Laam has taken that historical background and made the Romanov's alive and vibrant through their fictitious servants and supposed heirs.  I was completely taken in by the novel from the Prologue onward.  This work of historical fiction is such a good read!

The story line is fluent and gripping. I couldn't stand to be torn away and was really aggravated when anything or anyone interrupted my reading time.  Skipping through time and through the viewpoints of different women, it held my interest completely.  I had no trouble following the action and found my heart racing at some of the intimate and dangerous moments involved in the story.

Hard to say which was my favorite character in this one because there were several and so many out- standing moments in the book.  I think I was most captivated by the Charlotte of the Paris/Nazi era.  She was vulnerable in a beautiful way.  While finding herself in dangerous situations, open to violence from several aspects, she maintained her courage and a sense of herself.  She was a regal woman despite the facts surrounding her...decisive and intuitive.  I liked her gentle heart.

The suspense and mystery of this historical fiction was unexpected.  It carried me swiftly through the book as I couldn't predict the conclusion until the very end.  It's a very clever "mouse trap" of a novel!  Made me wish there were a secret daughter of the tsar....or is there?

I highly recommend this one.  Beautifully researched.  Fun to read.  A great suspense/thriller/mystery that is compelling and insightful.  Likable characters in realistic situations.  I loved it!

5 stars                           Deborah/TheBookishDame

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Audio Books~ November 2013

SUMMARY :

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.




I TOOK A NOTION to collect some audio books for listening over the next couple of weeks.  I have a love hate relationship with them.  First of all, I see them as a convenience more than a pleasure...  When I grab one, it's usually because I want desperately to read a certain book, but can't find a way to fit it into my otherwise slammed schedule. 

I tend often to find the narrator's voice grating.  Rarely do I find it fits the tone of the book.  When it does, it's really a slam dunk.  When it fails badly, it can completely ruin a book for me.  Usually, it's just a tinnitus in the background that I can learn to live with after a couple of chapters.

It's a wonder to me when I come across blogs and vlogs with those who spend a good deal of time "reading" audio books.  Where do they listen to them?  What are they doing when they listen?  I find it unbearable to just sit still and listen.  I have to be doing something.  The times I've traveled and listened to a book on CD have been the most rewarding to me.  I also knit, do needlework and quilt while I listen.  I really do wonder what others do...

Audio books are a sort of necessary evil to me.  I love the convenience of them, and their being available as a sideline when I can't get time to read the book I've had on a long list.  I applaud the good they do to a community of booklovers who may be unable to get to books or read them otherwise. 

This week, I've been tasting a couple and thoroughly enjoying myself.  I'll just share them in summary here and say that I recommend them highly.  :]

SUMMARY :

The brilliant new novel in the New York Times bestselling series by Louise Penny, one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our time

 

No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.”

 

But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of  prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

Winner of the 2012 Agatha Award for Best Novel

OVERVIEW:

"It is 1940. France has fallen. Bombs are dropping on London. And President Roosevelt is promising he won't send our boys to fight in "foreign wars." "But American radio gal Frankie Bard, the first woman to report from the Blitz in London, wants nothing more than to bring the war home. Frankie's radio dispatches crackle across the Atlantic Ocean, imploring listeners to pay attention - as the Nazis bomb London nightly, and Jewish refugees stream across Europe. Frankie is convinced that if she can just get the right story, it will wake Americans to action and they will join the fight."

 "Meanwhile, in Franklin, Massachusetts, a small town on Cape Cod, Iris James hears Frankie's broadcasts and knows that it is only a matter of time before the war arrives on Franklin's shores. In charge of the town's mail, Iris believes that her job is to deliver and keep people's secrets, passing along the news that letters carry. And one secret she keeps are her feelings for Harry Vale, the town mechanic, who inspects the ocean daily, searching in vain for German U-boats he is certain will come. Two single people in midlife, Iris and Harry long ago gave up hope of ever being in love, yet they find themselves unexpectedly drawn toward each other."

 "Listening to Frankie as well are Will and Emma Fitch, the town's doctor and his new wife, both trying to escape fragile childhoods and forge a brighter future. When Will follows Frankie's siren call into the war, Emma's worst fears are realized. Promising to return in six months, Will goes to London to offer his help, and the lives of the three women entwine."

Alternating between an America still cocooned in its inability to grasp the danger at hand and a Europe being torn apart by war, The Postmistress gives us two women who find themselves unable to deliver the news, and a third woman desperately waiting for news yet afraid to hear it.


 

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY?

WHAT DO YOU DO WHILE LISTENING?  Just curious....


Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Cartwheel" by Jennifer duBois~Author Interview

SUMMARY :

Written with the riveting storytelling of authors like Emma Donoghue, Adam Johnson, Ann Patchett, and Curtis Sittenfeld, Cartwheel is a suspenseful and haunting novel of an American foreign exchange student arrested for murder, and a father trying to hold his family together.
 
When Lily Hayes arrives in Buenos Aires for her semester abroad, she is enchanted by everything she encounters: the colorful buildings, the street food, the handsome, elusive man next door. Her studious roommate Katy is a bit of a bore, but Lily didn’t come to Argentina to hang out with other Americans.

Five weeks later, Katy is found brutally murdered in their shared home, and Lily is the prime suspect. But who is Lily Hayes? It depends on who’s asking. As the case takes shape—revealing deceptions, secrets, and suspicious DNA—Lily appears alternately sinister and guileless through the eyes of those around her: the media, her family, the man who loves her and the man who seeks her conviction. With mordant wit and keen emotional insight, Cartwheel offers a prismatic investigation of the ways we decide what to see—and to believe—in one another and ourselves.

In Cartwheel, duBois delivers a novel of propulsive psychological suspense and rare moral nuance. No two readers will agree who Lily is and what happened to her roommate. Cartwheel will keep you guessing until the final page, and its questions about how well we really know ourselves will linger well beyond.


PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  Random House
Pages:  363
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Author:  Jennifer duBois
Find Author:  http://www.jennifer-dubois.com
Also available from Random House Audio


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Jennifer duBois’s A Partial History of Lost Causes was one of the most acclaimed debuts of recent years. It was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction, winner of the California Book Award for First Fiction and the Northern California Book Award for Fiction, and O: The Oprah Magazine chose it as one of the ten best books of the year. DuBois was also named one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 authors. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, duBois recently completed a Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in Texas.

 

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR :


A Bookish Libraria is pleased to be able to host Ms du Bois in this small question and answer guest spot.  Thank you for coming on board with us today, Jennifer.

1)      Briefly, from where did the idea for your novel germinate?

 

Cartwheel’s themes were loosely inspired by the case of Amanda Knox—the American foreign exchange student tried, convicted, and then acquitted of murdering her roommate in Italy. What fascinated me about that case was the way it seemed to animate opinions that were sharply divergent, but often similarly confident. Lots of people looked at Amanda Knox and saw someone who seemed obviously guilty, lots of other people saw someone who seemed obviously innocent, and much of the time these assessments were inflected by feelings about a range of broader issues: gender, sexuality, American entitlement, anti-American resentment, class, privilege, etc. I liked the idea of using a totally fictional landscape to explore the ways that different people can look at the same person or situation and come to radically different conclusions. 

 

2)      What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

 

I’ve had a lot of weird jobs. During college I worked in the coat check at the Wang Center in Boston, as well as at a couple of movie theaters—one time I served popcorn to Robert Reich (big thrill for a political science major). I got to be a runner for NBC during the Democratic National Convention of 2004, which was a lot of Swiffering of trailers and taking of sandwich orders and was somehow enormously fun. I’ve written several AP exam guides, usually under incredibly punishing schedules, with jokes that tend to get weirder and darker the closer I get to a deadline. I was writing one of those the week my father died, which was pretty surreal. In graduate school I spent a summer grading short essay tests written by sixth graders about the various characteristics of bald eagles. That was after being rejected by Cold Stone Creamery, I think for insufficient enthusiasm—I’d forgotten about the singing for tips thing when I went to the interview. It was 2009, so those were dark days.

 

3)      What’s your most treasured possession?

A bird music box I listened to every night when I was a child.

 

4)      Are you working on a new novel?

Yes! It’s set in New York City, mostly in the 1990s.

 Can't wait to read this new book, Jennifer.  And, I think those jobs of yours sound  weirdly amazing.  You've had some strange contacts in your life!  Lots of good fodder for books...   I truly believe we're going to be hearing more and more good things about "Cartwheel" in the coming months, as well.

Thanks again for stopping by and chatting with us.

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

"Cartwheel" is a book written with razor sharp style.  It's spellbinding. While it's a novel loosely based on the Amanda Knox trial, it's more a study of the behind the scenes peoples involved.  I can't tell you how absorbing this story is.  It left me holding my breath, thinking about how even the smallest words we speak can be twisted and turned to mean something else in the hands of someone who might have another agenda.  There is a horror to this that's underlying "Cartwheel."

Jennifer du Bois writes like she's lived inside the minds of her characters.  The story spins madly as the truth of what happened to cause a young American girl kill or not kill her room mate is attempted to be uncovered: hashed and rehashed, tossed and turned by all who love and hate and don't even know her.  And the simple act of a cartwheel becomes a pivotal point upon which so much importance is held in the balance.

While we get sketches of the Amanda counter part, Lily, in the book, the characters highlighted and who enthralled me were her parents, her sister, and the Argentine Prosecutor.  The psychological study of these four people is profound and detailed.  I felt I was privy to their deepest thoughts and ironic feelings.  Jennifer digs deep in her study of them.  This is the most comprehensive picture of a family under crisis, and the primary target of a pre-trial (Lily) that I can ever remember reading real or imagined.  It's genius.  Lily is a curiosity as well as a victim in the story...a revolving door upon which others pit their own imaginations, discoveries and feelings.

Aside from all this, Ms du Bois is no slouch when it comes to the American language.  Get out your dictionaries.  I found it one of the few books I've had to!  Her use of the vernacular is sparkling and so refreshing in a world of the urbane.  Truly, there were some vocabulary words here that kept me on my toes, happily.

This is a book you won't want to wait to read.  It's a book to purchase and keep on your shelf to read again.  I see some awards in the future...

5 stars                 Deborah/TheBookishDame

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