I haven’t posted in awhile, but I have been reading. The latest and greatest:



(about time, I know.)
Also took a long-awaited trip to Portland (and thus, the Greatest Bookstore Ever)… hope to have reviews and recaps soon!
I haven’t posted in awhile, but I have been reading. The latest and greatest:



(about time, I know.)
Also took a long-awaited trip to Portland (and thus, the Greatest Bookstore Ever)… hope to have reviews and recaps soon!
To add a bit of structure to this blog, my first Booking Through Thursday entry!
Here’s the question:
Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…
1. Are you currently reading more than one book?
Yes. It’s not that I don’t have any attention span, it’s just that I get really excited about some books and have to start them at once, even if I’m in the middle of something else. And of course, all the good ones seem to come in the mail/library at the same time.
2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?
Recently finished The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Just finished The Reader
Half-way through a re-read of Song of Solomon
Half-way through Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Half-way through Possession - though I might have given up on this one
3. Is this normal for you?
Yes
4. Where do you keep your current reads?
Bedside table, couch, coffee table, kitchen, car, gym bag, purse, and under the bed (I don’t know how they end up there, but they often do. That’s where a large majority of the library fines are born.)
I don’t know anyone who has a certain book for a certain place or time of day, i.e. bed book, breakfast table book, bathroom book. Do you?
We all know about the Salem witch trials of 1692, but Katherine Howe — whose ancestry traces back to two of the women accused as witches — brings a new twist to the story. As The Dante Club author Matthew Pearl says of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane,
Our society has always asked what drove the accusers to ruin so many lives. There’s another question we don’t dare to ask: what if the women really were witches?
Connie Goodwin, a Harvard PhD candidate, plans to spend her summer researching her dissertation when she is tasked with cleaning up and selling her grandmother’s abandoned house in Marblehead, Mass. (about 10 minutes from Salem). While exploring the house, Connie finds an antique key between the pages of an old Bible, and inside they key is a tiny, rolled up piece of parchment on which is written: Deliverance Dane. Believing the name could lead to the primary source Connie needs for her dissertation, she embarks on a research journey that changes her in ways she never imagined.
Interspersed with Connie’s story are “interludes”, chapters focusing on Deliverance Dane and the “cunning” women of her family in 17th-century Salem. As a student of colonial America, Connie knows much more about the history and culture of the time period than common readers; the interludes allow us to experience the characters, scenes and events rather than learn about them through Connie’s explanations. The jumps between centuries are never distracting and Howe, herself a student of American and New England history, provides wonderfully detailed descriptions of the time, especially clothing and rooms.
Soon, Connie’s research directs her to Deliverance’s lost “physick” book of recipes and spells, an exciting primary source possibility. But as Connie starts having strange waking-dreams of her grandmother, and her academic advisor grows increasingly insistent that she find the book, she begins to suspect it of holding much more than material for her dissertation. Her quest to find the physick book of Deliverance Dane leads her to discover not only the woman behind the name, but a greater truth behind the Salem witch trials, her own ancestry and herself.
My only (minor) frustration with the story was that at a few points in Connie’s research, her next step was clear to me pages before she figured it out herself. And since Connie is a very bright student and skilled researcher, it’s extra painful waiting for her to catch up.
Nevertheless, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is a spellbinding tale infused with history, discovery, and magic — an enormously entertaining book that I couldn’t wait to start and then couldn’t put down.
What makes the book an even greater read are its physical features. I love the cover, which invokes mystery, history, secrets, botany, manuscripts, time…

The inside flap started to get in the way about half-way through (I assume the flap is only on the ARCs) but I liked the slight texture of the cover and the thick, sturdy pages.
The book isn’t for sale until June, so keep your eyes out for some marketing goodies – a Web site (rather sparse at the moment, but it says more content is coming soon), advance reading promotions (which is how I landed a copy), a Facebook presence (so far, only a profile for Connie that you can’t access unless you friend her), an author video (they should really get this up on the Web site) and a widget (apparently yet to come, unfortunately. I’m really curious to see it).
Verdict: Put it on your to-buy list and start planning a trip. If you’ve never been to Salem (or, even if you have), this book will inspire a visit.
Have you read it? What did you think?

I read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road yesterday (it was that good) and wish I had savored, instead of devoured, the story so that I would have something to read today. The Road is one of those books where, once finished, leaves you at a loss for what to read next. You need time to reflect on your experience, and chances are about 99% that whatever you pick up next won’t be as good. Perhaps that’s why I’m blogging again after a lengthy absence.
The Road is a story of a man and a boy, father and son, fighting to survive in a post-apocalyptic, death-filled world where nothing grows and humans, the only species remaining, have abandoned all ethics in order to live. Barely alive, scavenging for any type of food or clothing, the man and boy travel south over a period of months on the road, hoping to find – what? food? other “good” people? anything left of civilization? what exactly they hope to find once they reach the coast is never clear, along with most of the story’s history, such as names, ages, the event/catastrophe/disease that caused the death of the world, or how long the world has been in its current state (years, at least, we know). Not knowing these details, however, only enhances the story by adding to its uncertainty. And in the post-apocalyptic world, these details of the past don’t really matter, because all that matters is the here and now – the next safe place the man and boy can find to sleep, the next meal, the next morning that they are still alive.
Dialogue in The Road, mainly between the father and boy, is minimalistic, often stripped of common punctuation, often poignant, and perfectly fitted to the situation. In few words, McCarthy covers the range of emotion between the father and son: uncertainty, protectiveness, fear, guilt, hopelessness, understanding, impatience, and a powerful, sacrificing love.
There are other good guys. You said so.
Yes.
So where are they?
They’re hiding.
Who are they hiding from?
From each other.
Are there lots of them?
We don’t know
But some.
Yes. Some.
Is that true?
Yes. That’s true.
But it might not be true.
I think it’s true.
Okay.
You dont believe me.
I believe you.
Okay.
I always believe you.
I dont think so.
Yes I do. I have to.
What could easily have been a monotonous, repetitive “Man and boy hide in the woods / man builds fire while boy sleeps / man and boy are starving / man and boy find abandoned house / man and boy find food in house / man and boy run from dangerous people / man and boy hide in woods…” plot line is instead a gripping, haunting, and emotional story of father and son, and of humanity, reduced to its barest instincts.
I loved The Road and know it’s a book that will stay in my thoughts for awhile. A must-read for anyone who likes apocalyptic literature. I can’t wait to share this one with the boyfriend.
A movie adaptation starring Viggo Mortensen is in the works. As far as I can tell, there isn’t a trailer yet, nor a set release date (though I hear it will be this year). If anyone has any more detail, I’d love to know.
1. Possession, by A. S. Byatt. Half-way through and really enjoying it. Review to come.
2. Friend’s Yet-Unnamed-Manuscript. Have read and am now finishing up editing.
In the immediate queue: Neil Gaiman’s Coraline
I haven’t yet reviewed the books that were on my nightstand last time, so looks like I’ve got some catching up to do.
And now, checking back in with R.H.A. and C. LaMotte…
Just heard about BBC radio 7’s broadcast of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials – The Subtle Knife is playing right now (too bad I missed The Golden Compass / Northern Lights). Just ended – dang. Searching the site but can’t find any replays. But, listen in for The Amber Spyglass on Jan. 10 or 11 (and remember, UK times on the web site are 6 hrs ahead of U.S. Central time).
Better than an audio book because of the different voice talent and sound effects, and – only 30 seconds in – far better than the movie