My Favorite Reads #12: IN A DARK WOOD WANDERING by Hella S. Haasse

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

IN A DARK WOOD WANDERING:

A Novel of the Middle Ages

by Hella S. Haasse

Pub. Date: April 1991

Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers, Ltd.

Format: Paperback, 594pp

Sales Rank: 576,588

ISBN-13: 9780897333566

ISBN: 089733356X

Edition Description: Reprint

Description (from Library Journal):

This novel exemplifies historical fiction at its best; the author's meticulous research and polished style bring the medieval world into vibrant focus. Set during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the narrative creates believable human beings from the great roll of historical figures. Here are the mad Charles VI, the brilliant Louis d'Orleans, Joan of Arc, Henry V, and, most importantly, Charles d'Orleans, whose loyalty to France brought him decades of captivity in England. A natural poet and scholar, his birth and rank thrust him into the center of intrigue and strife, and through his observant eyes readers enter fully into his colorful, dangerous times. First published in the Netherlands in 1949, this book has never been out of print there and has been reprinted 15 times. This first English translation should find an enthusiastic audience. Highly recommended. BOMC featured selection; Quality Paperback selection.-- Starr E. Smith, Georgetown Univ. Lib., Washington, D.C.

Why I Chose This Book: 
THROUGH A DARK WOOD WANDERING represents everything I like best about reading historical fiction. While I read this account of the life of Charles d'Orleans, I surrounded myself with reference maps and academic texts on British, French and European history. I read this book when it was first translated into English back in the late 80's/early 90's -- before the Internet had conquered the world. (Kind of gives a modern twist on the term "Dark Ages.") I just recall being so drawn into the events of the One Hundred Years War, that the contemporary world fell away from my consciousness. I would spend hours sprawled on my bed, poring over maps, and following up references in my texts. I love the way complete immersion in the historical period enables me to grasp the reality of that period - to fully understand, to know on a visceral level, and appreciate that the individual people actually existed and the events actually occured. I guess that's what they mean when they talk about bringing history to life. Closest thing to time travel that I've ever found!

Click here to visit the author's website.

My Favorite Reads #11: THE LEMUR by Benjamin Black

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

THE LEMUR

by Benjamin Black

Picador

June 2008

ISBN: 978-0-312-42808-2

ISBN10: 0-312-42808-1

5-1/2 x 8-1/4 inches

144 pages

Description (from the publisher):

John Glass's life in New York should be plenty comfortable. He's given up his career as a journalist to write an authorized biography of his father-in-law, communications magnate and former CIA agent Big Bill Mulholland. He works in a big office in Mulholland Tower, rent-free, and goes home (most nights) to his wealthy and well-preserved wife, Wild Bill's daughter. He misses his old life sometimes, but all in all things have turned out well.

But when his shifty young researcher--a man he calls "The Lemur"--turns up some unflattering information about the family, Glass's whole easy existence is threatened. Then the young man is murdered, and it's up to Glass to find out what The Lemur knew, and who killed him, before any secrets come out--and before any other bodies appear.

Shifting from 1950s Dublin to contemporary New York, the masterful crime writer Benjamin Black returns in this standalone thriller--a story of family secrets so deep, and so dangerous, that anyone might kill to keep them hidden.

Why I chose this book:
I read THE LEMUR back in September of 2008, and this taut literary thriller continues to haunt me.  It's classic noir. If you like fiction that has you teetering along the edge of an abyss, this is a novel you don't want to miss. Here's part of what I wrote in my 2008 review for the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program:

"That cloud on the cover is NOT cigarette smoke -- it's the oppressive haze of despairing hopelessness that weights the entire novel. It's short; which is good because much more would be suffocating. The writing is elegantly beautiful. And -- dare I say? -- it packs a wallop! Highly recommended."

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Benjamin Black is the pen name of John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, mostly recently the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. Under the name Benjamin Black he is also the author of Christine Falls and The Silver Swan. He lives in Dublin.

My Favorite Reads #10: TRICK OR TREAT, SMELL MY FEET by Diane de Groat

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

TRICK OR TREAT, SMELL MY FEET

written and illustrated by Diane de Groat

Pub. Date: August 1999

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback, 32pp

Age Range: 5 to 7

ISBN-13: 9780688170615

Synopsis (from the publisher):
Gilbert wants to be a Martian Space Pilot at the school costume parade, but a mix-up leaves him with nothing but his little sister's ballerina tutu to wear! In this hilarious follow-up to the best-selling Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink, everyone's favorite porcupine learns all about the ups and downs of being different. Here is a madcap masquerade that will leave school-age children in stitches.

Why I Chose This Book:
This is one of my favorite books from the kids' stash. Maybe I'm even the one who bought it for them. We've had our copy for at least 2 years, and it's a favorite that we turn to again and again, whatever the time of year. Never mind that until I looked up the book on the publisher's website, I had thought Gilbert and his family were opossums. (Turns out they're porcupines!) I also had no idea that author/illustrator Diane de Groat had created a whole series of books around these sweet little characters -- or that she had illustrated over 120 other books! Needless to say, I'll be tracking them down and bringing some home. In the meantime, TRICK OR TREAT, SMELL MY FEET is a wonderfully timeless story and obviously perfect for this week.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):Diane deGroat is the illustrator of more than 120 children's books and the author-illustrator of other bestselling books about Gilbert, including Mother, You're the Best! (But Sister, You're a Pest!) ; Last One in Is a Rotten Egg!; Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet; Jingle Bells, Homework Smells; Happy Birthday to You, You Belong in a Zoo; No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks!; Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books; and the New York Times bestseller Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

My Favorite Reads #9: THE LOVER'S KNOT by Clare O'Donohue

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

THE LOVER'S KNOT

by Clare O'Donohue

Pub. Date: September 2008

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Format: Paperback, 304pp

Series: Someday Quilts Series, #1

ISBN-13: 9780452289796

ISBN: 0452289793

Synopsis (from the publisher):

In the tradition of Jennifer Chiaverini and Emilie Richards, a debut quilting mystery

Nell Fitzgerald is thrilled when she receives a gorgeous handmade quilt in a lover's knot pattern from her grandmother Eleanor as an engagement gift. Her joy is short-lived, however, when her fiancé announces he's calling off the wedding. Heartbroken, 25-year-old Nell flees New York City for her grandmother's home in quaint Archers Rest. In this small town Eleanor's life revolves around her quilt shop, Someday Quilts, and the members of the shop's quilting circle.

When the body of a local handyman known for his flirting is found in the quilt shop, murdered with a pair of quilting scissors, Nell finds herself drawn into the case— and drawn to the handsome police chief. As a pattern of clues begins to emerge, one of the prime suspects is Nell's ex-fiancé, whose arrival in Archers Rest seems suspicious. The ladies of the quilting circle continue to piece together their quilts as Nell unravels the mystery. For quilters and mystery lovers alike, The Lover's Knot is a delightful and promising debut.

Why I chose this book: 

I chose this book today because the second book in this series has just been released, and I wanted to give the first book its due. I had originally thought THE LOVER'S KNOT would be your typical cozy - comfortable and fun, but predictable. What I found in Clare O'Donohue's first novel was a cut above all that. (Is it mixing metaphors to say first that it's a cut above and next that it has more depth than expected?) The character of Nell Fitzgerald undergoes a sort of belated coming of age, and I enjoyed seeing how she grew and developed. She worked through her emotions regarding her ex-fiance and their failed relationship, and she gingerly began to let herself fall for a new guy. The book does have that small town, cozy mystery feel with a supporting cast of interesting and sometimes quirky characters, a lovely setting, and a good mystery, too! I'm glad there's a second installment of this series available now (The Drunkard's Path), and I'm looking forward to cracking it's spine soon!

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the  author (from the publisher):
Clare O'Donohue is a freelance television writer/producer. She produced television's most popular quilting show, Simply Quilts, on HGTV, and she is currently producing and writing for a variety of television crime shows, including Forensic Files. This is her first novel.

My Favorite Reads #8: PETERSBURG by Emily Hanlon

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

PETERSBURG
by Emily Hanlon
ISBN-13: 9780804104845
ISBN-10: 0804104840
Publication Date: 9/30/1989

Synopsis (from the publisher):
The most glittering city. The greatest love story. The passion and paradox of a time when lives were turned upside down by the powerful events surrounding them. Petersburg is a superlative, brilliantly crafted historical novel of imperial Russia swept up in the first great wave of revolution, telling the odyssey of four people.

Alexei Kalinin, the peasant who becomes one of Russia’s richest men, finds that his wealth, power, and obsessive love for Anna Orlova nearly allow him to bury his murky past.

Anna, a magically gifted pianist and sheltered daughter of old Russia, is ill-prepared for the passionate world into which her love for the mysterious Kalinin takes her.

Defiant and sensuous, Irina Rantzau is at home among the most hedonistic pleasure of the court, but chooses instead to embrace the growing rebellion.

Misha Kalinin, Alexei’s nephew and heir, transforms his raw energy and fear of violence into the spirit and determination that make him a true fighter for the people, and a tortured soul.

Particular and powerful passions catapult these four into a strange and different world of blood, betrayal, and rebellion, a world that forces each to face the most bittersweet choice of all.

Why I Chose This Book:

PETERSBURG has had a secure home on my shelves now for 20 years. It has withstood numerous shelf clearings, downsizings, and changes of residence. I read it when it first came out, was completely enraptured, and fully intend to read it again -- some day!  I didn't know much about Russian history when I first picked this book up, but it inspired me to purchase and read cover-to-cover RUSSIA: A CONCISE HISTORY , a pretty fascinating book in its own right.

If you like historical fiction with a slightly romantic bent, PETERSBURG is an engrossing and enlightening read. Most likely, you'll have to look for a used copy or check your local library, but it's definitely worth hunting down.

About the Author:

Emily Hanlon is the author of eight books of fiction, including Petersburg, (Putnams) which was translated into several languages and reached the best sellers list in England. Her latest book, The Art of Fiction Writing or How to Fall Down the Rabbit Hole Without Really Trying, is based on her twenty-two years of teaching creative writing and leading writers on the creative journey. Her novels, The Swing and The Wing and The Flame have just been re-released. Her weeklong writing retreat for women, Writing, Creativity and Ritual, will be held in the Tuscan hills outside of Florence, Italy in late September 2002. Her ongoing writing workshops are in Westchester County, New York. Emily works with writers around the country on the phone and teaches at the International Women’s Writing Guild conference at Skidmore College. She was a founding member of the National Writers Union. Her website is The Fiction Writer's Journey. This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

My Favorite Reads #7: CRY OF THE KALAHARI by Mark and Delia Owens

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

CRY OF THE KALAHARI

by Mark and Delia Owens

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Originally Published: 1984
ISBN-13: 9780395647806
Sales Rank: 69,875
384pp

Description:

Carrying little more than a change of clothes and a pair of binoculars, two young Americans, Mark and Delia Owens, caught a plane to Africa, bought a third-hand Land Rover, and drove deep into the Kalahari Desert. There they lived for seven years, in an unexplored area with no roads, no people, and no source of water for thousands of square miles. In this vast wilderness they met animals that had never seen humans before. They would wake in the morning to find lions sleeping beside them; leopards, giraffes, and brown hyenas were regular visitors to the camp. But the Kalahari isn't Eden, and Mark and Delia Owens were continually confronted with danger from drought, fire, violent storms, and even from the animals they loved.

Why I Chose This Book:

Recently, Alyce of At Home with Books reviewed WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T RUN by Peter Allison. That memoir of a safari leader in Africa reminded me how much I enjoyed CRY OF THE KALAHARI. I read it when it first came out in the mid-eighties and was immediately swept up in the daring adventure of their undertaking. Fresh out of grad school in 1974, Mark and Delia Owens sold everything they owned and bought one-way tickets to Botswana to begin their careers as research zoologists. They didn't want to lose the time it would take to secure sponsorship approval and funding, so they did this completely on their own. After spending 7 years living in the bush, the couple had amassed voluminous amounts of cutting-edge research on the surrounding wilderness and particularly the lions and hyenas of the area. They returned to the United States long enough to publish their findings in their book as well as in several academic and scientific journals, and then returned to Africa not only to pursue their research but also to develop wilderness conservation plans.
If you like true-life adventure, I recommend CRY OF THE KALAHARI. I found the story of Mark and Delia Owens to be completely enthralling. They were so brave and determined. Mark and Delia each write separate chapters, and the reader benefits from this alternating perspective. It's a terrific read for the armchair adventurer, but if you want to get more involved, click the link below to learn more.
Click here to visit the Owens Foundation for Wildlife Conservation.

Just for fun, here are the covers of a couple of other editions. The one with giraffes was published in the UK. The one with the lions is the cover from my copy published in the U.S. in 1984.

My Favorite Reads #6: PRODIGAL SUMMER by Barbara Kingsolver

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

PRODIGAL SUMMER
by Barbara Kingsolver

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pub. Date: October 2001
ISBN-13: 9780060959036
Sales Rank: 5,072
464pp

Description (from the publisher):
Prodigal Summer weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives inhabiting the forested mountains and struggling small farms of southern Appalachia. From her outpost in an isolated mountain cabin, Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. She is caught off-guard by a young hunter who invades her most private spaces and confounds her self-assured, solitary life. On a farm several miles down the mountain, Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer's wife, finds herself unexpectedly marooned in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. And a few more miles down the road, a pair of elderly, feuding neighbors tend their respective farms and wrangle about God, pesticides, and the possibilities of a future neither of them expected.

Over the course of one humid summer, as the urge to procreate overtakes the countryside, these characters find their connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with whom they share a place. With the complexity that characterizes Barbara Kingsolver's finest work, Prodigal Summer embraces pure thematic originality and demonstrates a balance of narrative, drama, and ideas that render it an inspiring work of fiction.
Why I Chose This Book:

This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite books, and high summer is the perfect time to read it. PRODIGAL SUMMER is bursting with love, life, hope, and redemption. And if I didn't already love it enough on its own merits, it's special to me because I actually met Barbara Kingsolver around the time she might have been working on this novel.

As I drive along the highway every day and drink up the sight of dreamy wild chicory and vibrant orange tiger lilies along the roadside, I think of the summer of 1998 which I spent in Abingdon, Virginia. Abingdon, for those of you who don't know, is located in the southwestern corner of Virginia, close to both North Carolina and Kentucky, high in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and surely one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

One day, my sister took me to a nursery just over the line in Kentucky. Being at least the middle of July and between summer and fall plantings, the huge greenhouse was deserted except for my sister and me, a couple of employees, and one other lady with a young girl in tow. At some point, I realised the woman looked a lot like Barbara Kingsolver but, of course, I wasn't sure. I remembered that she had grown up in Kentucky and often visited. Then I saw her southwestern beaded belt -- it said "Arizona" or "Tucson" -- I can't remember which. I knew Barbara Kingsolver lived in Tucson -- for a long time, so had I. It had to be her! I screwed up my courage and introduced myself. No, I didn't get a photo of us together or even her autograph. The little girl looked about 6 years old, and I didn't want to intrude on what was most likely their mother-daughter time. Besides, I'm embarrassed to say I was way too intimidated (and incredibly hot in that greenhouse!) and my mind went blank, and I'm lucky if I didn't say something incredibly silly. A couple of years later, when the book came out, I realized the coincidence of the timing, and if she wasn't actually working on the book when we met, surely it was gestating.

So that was my brush with celebrity. When it comes to the the book itself, PRODIGAL SUMMER, I think you should hop on over to Fyrefly's Book Blog and read her beautifully written "love letter to Prodigal Summer" which she wrote last October. She says everything I could hope to say much better than I could hope to say it. And then if you haven't read PRODIGAL SUMMER, go read it, or read it again!

About the author(from the publisher):

Equally at home with poetry, novels, and nonfiction narratives, Barbara Kingsolver credits her careers in scientific writing and journalism with instilling in her a love of nature, a writer's discipline, and a strong sense of social justice.
Click here to visit the author's website.
Click here to read an excerpt from Chapter One.
Visit Reading in Appalachia where Icedream has spotlighted the Barbara Kingsolver's November release in her Waiting on Wednesday post.

My Favorite Reads #5: SAME PLACE, SAME THINGS: Stories by Tim Gautreaux

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

SAME PLACE, SAME THINGS: STORIES
by Tim Gautreaux

Publisher: Picador
Pub. Date: August 1997
ISBN-13: 9780312169947
Sales Rank: 173,952
224pp
Edition Description: REV
Edition Number: 1

Synopsis(from the publisher):

In this collection of stories, Tim Gautreaux chronicles the lives of "ordinary" people who face extraordinary circumstances and decisions: a farmer faced with the prospect of raising his infant granddaughter; a young man who falls in love with a voice on the radio; a train engineer who causes a colossal disaster. In stories filled with heart and humor, event and consequence, the customs and culture of Louisiana come to life in the hands of a writer who blends rare talent with an even more unusual humanity.

Why I chose this book:

I love reading short stories, and there have been times in my life when that was pretty much all I read. I probably "discovered" Tim Gautreaux sometime around 1996 or 1997, shortly before this collection debuted. It might have been through THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES series or The Oxford American, both of which I used to devour. I recall being really excited to learn that there was soon to be a whole book of his work.

I may be a bit old-fashioned, but I like a story to have a beginning, a middle, and an end; I like to come away feeling as though an issue has been confronted and not just exposed. I want someone or something in the story to be transformed. The stories in this collection meet that criteria. Through description and dialogue, they also evoke a strong sense of place - rural Louisiana. And when it comes to capturing the musical cadence of the Cajun dialect, Gautreaux is a master.

I breezed right through these stories and then read them all again. I talked about the stories to everyone I knew. I gave copies of the collection as gifts. I carried my copy around with me in order to be near them. I just loved these stories.

Read a sample chapter from Tim Gautreaux's second collection of short stories, WELDING WITH CHILDREN, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2000.

About the author:

Tim Gautreaux has written three novels and two collections of short stories, one of which, Welding With Children, was selected by The New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year. His fiction has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, GQ, and Zoetrope, and also in volumes of The O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, and New Stories from the South. He is a professor emeritus/writer in residence in the English Department at Southeastern Louisiana University.

My Favorite Reads #4: DEAR EXILE by Hilary Lifton and Kate Montgomery

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

DEAR EXILE: The True Story of Two Friends Separated (for a year) by the Ocean
by Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Pub. Date: April 1999
ISBN-13: 9780375703676
Sales Rank: 148,254
208pp

Description (from the publisher):
A funny and moving story told through the letters of two women nurturing a friendship as they are separated by distance, experience, and time.

Close friends and former college roommates, Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery promised to write when Kate's Peace Corps assignment took her to Africa. Over the course of a single year, they exchanged an offbeat and moving series of letters from rural Kenya to New York City and back again.

Kate, an idealistic teacher, meets unexpected realities ranging from poisonous snakes and vengeful cows to more serious hazards: a lack of money for education; a student body in revolt. Hilary, braving the singles scene in Manhattan, confronts her own realities, from unworthy suitors to job anxiety and first apartment woes. Their correspondence tells--with humor, warmth, and vivid personal detail--the story of two young women navigating their twenties in very different ways, and of the very special friendships we are sometimes lucky enough to find.

Why I chose this book:
When this book was published in 1999, letter writing was already a dying art. And when the letters themselves were written (I believe 1991-92), we weren't using email to communicate on a daily basis, much less IMing or Twittering every other minute. This collection was remarkable for its time and remains an extraordinarily interesting window into the lives of two articulate and adventuresome young women as they first make their way out into the world. I wanted to be both Hilary and Kate - and I could pretend I was the whole time I was reading this book. If you enjoyed the novel THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY or the real-life exchange of letters collected in 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD, consider this collection of letters from two women of more recent vintage.

Read an excerpt.

There's an interesting interview with the two authors on ReadingGroupGuides.

Click here to read the publisher's more detailed description of the book as well as the reader's guide.

My Favorite Reads #3: THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR by Anne Rivers Siddons

THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR
by Anne Rivers Siddons

From the jacket flap (Stephen King Horror Library edition):

The house next door to Colquitt and Walter Kennedy is haunted by an all-pervasive evil – an evil that takes away whatever the occupants hold dearest. The Kennedys are about to become witnesses to an overwhelming force that will strip away the veneer of the civilized Atlanta suburb that surrounds and protects them.

A stunning feat of architectural imagination and skill, the house is built for the Harralsons – newly married, rich, and expecting a baby. They become the first victims of an all-engulfing force they cannot comprehend. But the tragedy of the Harralsons is only the beginning, for the fabric of the Kennedys' lives is also ripped apart. And when the Sheehans move in next door, the house destroys them too. But it is from the Greenes that it will take the ultimate prize.

The Kennedys alone understand the subtle, awful toll the house extracts. Their warnings go unheeded, their fears are dismissed, and it seems that if they are to survive they must themselves destroy the house. But it is something more than they know, this extraordinary evil, and they must either be embraced by it or die.

In his Introduction to this exclusive Stephen King Horror Library edition, Stephen King favorably compares author Anne Rivers Siddons to the long tradition of Southern gothic writers who came before her: “The stuff underneath, the stuff which makes the heart of this novel pulse with such tremendous crude strength, is the Old South.”

Why I Chose This Book:

Reason #1: I loved this book.

Reason #2: The Introduction to this edition is written by Stephen King.

Reason #3: I bought this book on the "recommendation" of Stephen King.

Reason #4: I thought it would be fun to feature a different side of Anne Rivers Siddons, especially since I'm currently hosting a giveaway for her book, OFF SEASON. First published in 1978, THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR is classic Southern Gothic.

Reason #5: I think Stephen King liked it.

Click here to read an excerpt from Chapter One . . . If you dare . . .

About the author (from the publisher):
Anne Rivers Siddons was born in a small railroad town just south of Atlanta, where her family has lived for six generations. She attended Auburn University and later joined the staff of Atlanta magazine. Her first novel, Heartbreak Hotel, a story of her college days at Auburn, was later made into a movie called Heart of Dixie, starring Ally Sheedy. Since then she has written fifteen more novels, many of which have been bestsellers. Recently, a movie version of her later novel The House Next Door was aired on LifeTime Network. Ms. Siddons now divides her time between Atlanta and Brooklin, Maine.

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

My Favorite Reads #2: THE GERALDINE CONSPIRACY by Anne Chambers

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.
Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

THE GERALDINE CONSPIRACY

by Anne Chambers

Publisher: Marino Books
Pub. Date: September 1997
ISBN-13: 9781860230349
452pp

Synopsis (from the publisher):

Vivid, passionate, panoramic, The Geraldine Conspiracy is an epic novel. The year is 1537. With barbaric cruelty, Henry VIII has almost wiped out the powerful Geraldine dynasty in Ireland; the eleven-year-old Gerald FitzGerald is the sole survivor. Plucked from the maw of the Tudor murder machine by his English tutor, Thomas Leverous and his young aunt, Eleanor, the Geraldine and his protectors flee from the king's agents in Ireland. The leaders of the Gaelic and Anglo-Norman traditions offer to put aside their differences and unite to save the Geraldine. But their efforts become entangled in the Machiavellian net of European politics, which destroys their tentative steps towards unity, jeopardises the Geraldine's life and reveals the dark secret that both unites and divides his protectors, Eleanor and Thomas Leverous.

Why I Chose This Book:

I love historical fiction and particularly those novels which illuminate the history of the British Isles. As is often the case, I was first drawn to this book by the cover, but make no mistake -- THE GERALDINE CONSPIRACY is not a romance. This is historical fiction with the emphasis on history. It may sometimes be gritty and gruesome, but it is always engaging. In fact, when I took it off the shelf in preparation for writing this post, I started reading the Prologue, and then Chapter One, and then . . . I had to force myself to stop! I don't know that I won't be making room in my reading schedule to revisit this wonderfully compelling story. The characters are so clearly and vitally drawn, the historical details so dynamically and seamlessly woven into the narrative, that I was totally entranced by the urgency and danger of life in another time and place. THE GERALDINE CONSPIRACY is historical fiction at it's best.

FYI: The book contains a useful geneological tree of the 11 Earls of Kildare as well as a glossary to help with some archaic and Gaelic terminology.

A CAVEAT: Though this book is currently out-of-print, it is generally available through libraries and secondhand bookstores. (And definitely worth hunting down!)

Favorable reviews:

'A colourful and dashing chronicle, rich in its set-pieces, highly emotive in its depiction of relationships and finely detailed in its descriptive passages.' The Irish Times

'A rollicking good story, well told. It is entertaining and absorbing, carefully researched and written gracefully in language attuned to the times.' Irish Independent.

About the Author (from Amazon.co.uk) :
Biographer, novelist and screenplay writer, Anne Chambers' most recent books include Ranji: Maharajah of Connemara; At Arm's Length -- Aristocrats in the Republic of Ireland; Granuaile: Sea Queen of Ireland (for children); Finding Tom Cruise and Other Stories; Shadow Lord: Theobald Bourke -- Son of the Pirate Queen.

To visit the author's website, click here.