It was almost exactly three years ago that I first came across a book called A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I was working at Barnes and Noble at the time and we used to have to do this thing during peak hours when the booksellers had to wander around the floor, asking customers if they needed help and then try to con them into buying a membership. It was during one of these times when I was wandering aimlessly, because peak hours were rather slow, and looking over the display tables when I happened to glance this book that intrigued me. Turning it over I read the back and as soon as I discovered that it revolved not only around a strong and stubborn woman but a book I was hooked. When it comes to books about books I'm a pretty easy sell so I decided to go ahead and buy it. It was such an unassuming book, and the title suggested maybe a little bit of a silly story maybe so I wasn't expecting much. The old saying 'never judge a book by it's cover' couldn't have been more right on.
As soon as I started reading I was taken into this world of books, and history, magic and love. It was all intricately woven together with different characters and personalities. It all started with Diana Bishop, Yale University professor on sabbatical at Oxford doing research into the history of alchemy. She is well read, history nut, tea enthusiast, a woman who loves a good row in her boat and who happens to be a witch. The witchy side is something that she has been hiding for as long as she can remember all she wants to do is do her research and teach her students. While at the Bodleian Library one day she calls up a mysterious alchemical text called Ashemole 782. All of a sudden she becomes the center of some very unwanted attention, from other witches (some creepy sinister seeming ones), demons (erratic and scatterbrained though they may be) and vampires. One vampire in particular seems to be annoyingly interested in Diana, a tall gorgeous rather overprotective vampire named Matthew. Despite being unsure of just what she has done to elicit such attention from the creatures of the world Diana finds it hard to resist Matthew's charming desire to protect her. In a non-creepy stalker kind of way, but in a way that she learns to find charming as well as annoying (she is a modern independent woman after all).
I fell in love with the story, with the characters and all their stories and I fell in love with Deborah Harkness' writing. I was stunned to discover that this was her debut novel because her writing was so intricate and perfected in a way. I rarely see that in debut novels and so it was hard for me to wrap my head around that. But I liked her even more for it because I knew that she was going to be a force in the writing world and I eagerly awaited the next book. When the second book The Shadow of Night came out I was thankfully still working and Barnes and Noble and so was fortunate enough to be able to borrow the hardback book right away. I read it while in the middle of a move from Brooklyn to Harlem but it was so great that even despite that extra work I finished it long before the two week rental period was up. Again I was swept into the incredible magical world that Ms. Harkness created with Diana, Matthew and all the other amazing characters that come along in the story. I fear giving a description of this second book because I have no wish to accidentally give something away so I'll just say this, the second book was just as thrilling and amazing as the first and set me on the edge of my seat until the third one came out.
It took awhile for book three, The Book of Life, to come out. And let me tell you it was a long wait. When I found out it was finally coming out I did something that is very rare for me and went online to pre-order a signed hard backed copy of it. Why is this so strange? I usually like to buy soft cover books (more portable), and I enjoy keeping trilogies and series in the same style so paperback series stay paperback etc. But I knew this was going to be a great book and it was one I didn't want to wait to read so I went ahead and did it. Due to quiet a lot of upheavals in my life around the time it was released it took me over a year to get to the book. But one night I decided it was time to read it because I was looking for a magical mystery that is intelligently and creatively written so I knew it was time to turn back to the world of Ms. Harkness' imagination. The Book of Life was even better than I thought it was going to be.
In my new job at Starbucks I have rather strange hours, what do I mean? Well I have to be at work and clocked in at 4:30am most mornings which means my travel time is around 3am or so. Usually I am much to tired to read, my brain is still struggling to figure why I am awake and trying to function at that hour so reading on the way to work has become a non option. But this book was so good that it made me want to read on my way to work, and at work, and on my way home and at home and everywhere in between. I was so caught up in every aspect of the book and the story that I lost track of time a couple of times while reading. I got wrapped up in everything happening to Diana and Matthew that I would forget for a moment that this is only a trilogy and start finding myself unable to wait of the next book. Imagine my disappointment each time I was brought back to reality.
The Book of Life is a whole other level of greatness from the other two. I loved them all equally, in fact the entire series has moved into my top trilogies of all time, but the third installment kept me on the edge of my seat unsure of how she was going to wrap things up and I loved every thrilling second of it. This is a series of books that I highly, highly recommend to everyone! Don't let the title of the first book throw you or scare you away from it because the book is so good. So well written, so well put together that you will be hooked right away. Please if you love fantasy or good stories about books then go out and get a copy because you will not be sorry you did. The description doesn't even do it justice so you have to trust me when I say it is a world that you will want to fall into because it is a world that is worth losing yourself in.
Let me the first to admit that there have been times that I have indeed judged a book by its cover. Don't shake your head like that, I know you have all done it once or twice as well. With this delightful novel it was the cover and the title that really caught my while book shopping one fine day. I was browsing the $1 book section at a delightful little used bookstore in midtown Manhattan. A favorite past time of mine to be sure but with this particular run I was feeling less than enthusiastic. The selection seemed to be thin, and I just wasn't finding what I was looking for nor anything that I wasn't looking for. Until I came across something called Whores of Lost Atlantis by Charles Busch. I saw the title first and then pulled it off the shelf and saw the cover. At first I was just going to take a picture and send it to a friend who I thought would appreciate it as much as I did. But then I read what it was about and I got hooked.
Let me give a little background, I have recently become kind of obsessed with drag queens and the whole drag world. Blame it on a truly great film 'To Wong Fu Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar' Starring, John Leguziamo, Wesley Snipes and of course Patrick Swayze all as utterly fabulous drag queens. With a very special appearance by none other than RuPaul. Who is one of the most fabulous people in the world in my opinion. Anyway I saw it again a few months ago and just decided the hour plus was not enough to fulfill my drag queen craving. And so my roommate and I decided to venture into RuPaul's Drag Race. We were instantly in love. We have been faithful fans ever since. In fact we just finished the latest season and we are currently in withdrawal.
With the love and utter fascination I have for drag queens these days I am obviously on the lookout for anything related. With that in mind (and a rather strange sense of humor) I went book browsing at one of my favorite used bookstores. I came across a title in the $1 book section called Whores of Lost Atlantis and the title alone intrigued me so I pulled it off the shelf. When I saw the cover of a man in drag I got even more excited and so opened it up to read the synopsis. And when I read what it was about, an actor living in New York trying desperately to make his career finally take off by taking a bunch of his actor friends and doing a play where he plays a woman, I was hooked and knew that it was the book for me. And I was correct.
A semi-autobiographical novel about a young man named Julian, an actor who until recently has spent most of his time traveling around doing his one man show to great applause. Now he is yet another out of work actor going from temp job to temp job trying to make rent. He has a tight knit group of very loyal, very kind friends (most of whom are also out of work actors) all of whom are very convinced of their own brilliance and just need a way to show the world. When he meets a rather stuck up, annoying performance artist and is invited to her show at a tiny theater on the Lower East Side called the Golgotha he becomes overwhelmed with a certain knowledge. He suddenly knows that this is what he has to be doing, independent off the wall wonderful theater in a place like Golgotha. He gathers together his group of friends and during one day at a temp job writes the script for 'Whores of Lost Atlantis,' a play that is sexy, well put together and most importantly has him in the starring role as Milena the whore who has been dragged to Atlantis as a slave and then plots to overthrow the kingdom and rule.
Along the way he meets some interesting characters that are inexplicably drawn into his world, finds himself beginning to find a certain type of fame and slowly finding his dreams coming true. With the ups and downs of popularity Julian finds himself wondering who he is, what is real and what is the act and if he makes a better Judy Garland or Sarah Bernhardt? It's quite a ride especially when you bring into it a love triangle, a mysteriously sexy man that takes over Julian's world, a vengeful rival who makes it her mission to ruin Julian and his band of players. I loved every minute of it.
The author Charles Busch is a playwright and he has a unique voice for fiction writing. He is hilarious, every page, every chapter, every mishap had me laughing out loud. He also brought into it the harrowing truth of men watching their friends and lovers die of AIDS and what it was like to try and survive those losses. It was put together very well the story flowed and all I wanted was to find out what happened next. I always enjoy finding new authors with unique voices and Charles Busch was a truly great surprise.
The story was wonderful and kept things interesting. Being in love with New York and theater, the fact that this all took place right at the beginning of the art scene on the Lower East Side was really exciting for me. Watching it unfold from the inside was delightful and left me wanting more knowledge. It was a fascinating tale that had me reaching for the book whenever I had the time. And the characters, where to start with them?! They were all hilarious and awesome and three dimensional. I felt like with anyone of them, Julian, his magician friend, the hard ass woman who does his wigs or the slightly off his rocker male stripper, I could be great friends and have strange and sometimes dark adventures. The characters made the book, the story was great, the writing was good, but these characters were the whip cream on top (I don't like cherries very much so the whip cream is the top). It's hard to describe them but they are characters that you don't want to miss.
This book is hilarious and weird and fun and full of characters that I couldn't get enough of. It is a book that will probably not appeal to many people I know that but I still have to recommend it because I loved it. And what better way to show my love for a book then to try and spread it around to all my faithful readers. Whores of Lost Atlantis by Charles Busch has become one of those books, you know? One of those books that I loved and will always remember fondly but I probably won't go back to simply because the magic of that first read is just too good. But with that said I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a magical first read of a great and rather strange book. But I find that there are times when strange and funny are just what the doctor ordered. So my friends happy reading.
My darling readers,
I apologize that it has been so long since I have been seen. But this time I have a truly great excuse I have had no computer with which to write down my words of wisdom. Yes it's true my dear tablet has finally gone the way of the Dinosaurs and blacked out. It took quite awhile for me to finally get to a point where I could justify buying a new computer. But my plan is to start going back to school in the fall (as long as I get accepted that is) and since it is going to be online I needed a computer. So here we are at last. A new laptop computer that will hopefully be all that I hoped for. So far so good seeing as it turned on.
Now just because I was unable to post updates or review anything doesn't mean I haven't been reading. Slightly slower than normal, I seem to have hit a reading rut and been less than enthusiastic about my books, but still reading. What have I been reading? Well I've really been running the gambit in genres lately. Finished up the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan and it was awesome! Highly recommend it for anyone, again I say anyone that enjoys Greek mythology. Been reading some of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events which is amazing and each book short and so good that I have been devouring one a day like vitamins. I read a historical fiction book called The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian, a mystery about violent murders happening in Italy, a murderer that is taking out an entire family one member at a time. Each chapter is different, one takes place in the present following the detectives investigating the murders, the next taking us back in time to World War 2 and a forbidden love and the next looking at everything from the POV of the killer. It was good, not great but the author did a fantastic job taking us into the mind of the killer. I read Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk a book about an aging porn star attempting to break the world record of sleeping with more than 599 men in one day. I finally read Maya Angelou's first installment in her autobiography entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, haunting and beautiful and incredibly well written I fell in love with Miss Maya Angelou and can't wait to read more.
There have been a few more since my last post about Rory Gilmore but a couple of them I want to actually review so I'll leave them for now. Currently I am in the middle of reading a couple of books one psychological study called When Rabbit Howls by Truddi Chase about her struggle with her 92 different multiple personalities that all stem from the horrific sexual abuse she endured as a child. And to lighten the mood when that becomes too much I am reading Whores of Lost Atlantis by Charles Busch, a semi autobiographical novel about an actor down on his luck and not really sure how to jump start his career. When he gets together with some of his acting buddies who are also unable to keep steady acting work and puts on a play at an East Village underground club, where he is the leading lady, things begin to turn around for him. So far it's hilarious and awesome in so many different ways. It's well written and endlessly entertaining so I already know I want to recommend it.
There you have it my dears, a full if not quite complete list of the things that I have been reading in my time away from you. I feel like it was a little bit of everything, but I may be thinking I'm much bigger than my briches. I hope that now that I have a fully equipped and working computer I will be more inclined to post lots more reviews. For the moment I am going to bid you all aideu and go read some more and then go to bed. With my new work schedule I have to be up at 3am so getting to bed at an early hour is the only way I get any sleep. I will be putting my application for school in tomorrow so think accepting thoughts for me!
Missing You Already,
The Girl in the Tiny Hat
Let me start off by saying that yes I do know that Rory Gilmore is a fictional character and that she didn't actually read all the books that she said did. However knowing all of this has not stopped Rory Gilmore from becoming one of the most beloved reading icons of our time. There are lists on goodreads.com that are dedicated to her books and reading challenges that ask the question 'can you read as many books as Rory Gilmore?' Book nerds all over the place have taken the test on www.listchallenges.com that has a list of 339 books that were mentioned through out the entire 'Gilmore Girls' series and asks 'how many have you read?' I've only read 67 of the 339 books listed which according to the site puts me in the top 25% of challenge takers. For a goodreads list of Gilmore Girls titles go here.
Taking into account that fictional characters have often become ideals for us I set my sites on Rory Gilmore as a reading icon. Basically I hope to be just like her when I grow up. In the sense that she reads everything. I pride myself on being an eclectic reader, I'm not sure if I am one but I certainly like to think of myself as one. But even so I'm sure that I could branch out even further into unknown reading waters and every time I rewatch the 'Gilmore Girls' series I am reminded that there is still so much more for me to read.
Rory doesn't discriminate when it comes to reading, Dorothy Parker, Sylvia Plath, Jane Austen, Tolstoy, books about beatniks in Venice beach, history, fiction, philosophy, she reads it all because she loves the act of reading and retaining knowledge. She reads newspapers daily and not just the Stars Hollow Gazette but papers like the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, she knows what is happening in the world. I admire her for this non-discrimination in her reading, I know that I have some discriminations, as do we all, when it comes to reading. Most of us, no matter how book nerdy we are, stick to one genre or sub-genre. Young adult, mystery, romance, paranormal romance, fiction, 'chick-lit,' teen, we can't help ourselves we find an author or genre or series that we can't put down and we get stuck. It's usually very hard for us to break out of our molds and venture into uncharted territories. I try to force myself now and again to try something new or pick up something that someone has suggested to me that I feel isn't really my style. But I know no reader that is as voracious and widely read as Rory Gilmore.
The reason I could never be as well read as Miss Gilmore is simple, I never read the newspaper, and quite a few of the books she has read are ones that I will never pick up. According to www.listchallenges.com one of the many books that were mentioned in the series was 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides now I tried three times to read this book and was unsuccessful each time. I just couldn't get into it no matter what, the same with 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini I tried and tried but just couldn't get through it. Rory never puts a books down, she tries everything once and moves on to the next. I can't do that, if a book doesn't grab me or the writing is awful or the story so stupid that I just can't get into I have to put it down. Not to say that either of those books are poorly written and I know for a fact that they are both extremely popular books but they weren't my cup of tea.
Rory Gilmore is an inspiration to me, an inspiration to read things that have never tried before, an inspiration to try movies and music that I have never heard of before. I hope one day to be almost as well and widely read as her but I never will be because I know myself and I have limitations on my reading. No matter how hard I try to break out of my molds, one day reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries and the next Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate events and then the next 'Snuff' by Chuck Palahniuk, I just know that I won't be able to pick up 'Beowulf' or 'The Art of War' and sit down and read them cover to cover. I know they are important books and to be fully well read these are ones to read but they aren't books that I will read. I know this about myself and fully except my limitations as a reader.
Reading is about the pleasure of entering a new world, meeting new people, learning something new. If a book isn't bringing pleasure to the reader then the reader has every right to put the book down and start something new. I am very adamant about enjoying what I read so if a book and I aren't getting along then I will graciously put it aside, thank it for its time and move on. Rory Gilmore is a true reading fanatic and will never say no to a book or a subject which is why she has been an icon for book lovers every where. This is why I could never be as well read as Rory Gilmore, I have my few discrimintations. But I intend to keep on trying.
Meet Thursday Next a LitraTec with SpecOps-27 in London 1985. In a world where people routinely have protests over Surrealism vs. the realism of the Renaissance movement and the greatest crime one could commit is the stealing of an original manuscript of Dickens' Thursday's day to day life is anything but extraordinary. She works, goes home to her pet dodo and occasionally runs into her time traveling father and hopes to one day move up in the SpecOps department maybe one day being a SpecOps 9, although no one is very sure what they do.
As a LitraTec (a Literature Detective) Thursday usually runs down leads on forgeries of Shakespeare's works and occasionally helps out with security on important pieces of literature. Her most recent being the protection of the very rare and very important original manuscript of Dickens's 'Martin Chuzzlewhit,' something she is rather proud of. When the book is mysteriously taken the London LitraTec's are rather befuddled. They bring in Thursday Next to take the case to see if she can figure out how a highly secure book can disappear without a trace. After viewing the security tapes Thursday begins to suspect that maybe an old enemy of hers might just be behind the theft.
When a mysterious man from the mysterious SpecOps-5 approaches her to help them capture one Archeon Hades a mastermind criminal that they believe to be behind the theft Thursday jumps at the chance. After a night that goes bad quickly and lands Thursday in the hospital she decides to move back to her hometown to work for the LitraTec department there. And it is there that the adventures really begin.
It's a world where characters are being kidnapped out of books and people are being trapped in poems. Where bookworms spend their time eating double negatives and extra commas and where cloning has become the natural order of things and dodos are the best pet one can have. When her uncle and his device for jumping into books gets stolen Thursday knows that she will have to find a way to track Hades and stop him once and for all. What follows is quite a journey into some of literature's most well known stories, through a surreal England countryside and at times trough time itself.
Back when I worked at a bookstore, on the book floor, I used to hear about "The Eyre Affair" quite a bit. And although I heard it was good I was never all that interested in reading it. For some reason though it stuck with me and while out book shopping a few months ago at one of my favorite used bookstores I came across it and decided to go ahead and give it a try. After it sitting on my 'to read' shelf for awhile one day I had an urge to pick it up. I don't think I have been so happy that I randomly picked up a book in quite awhile. It had everything in it that I want in a good book. Adventure, romance, suspense, humor, good writing, and love of books. I was hooked from the very beginning and all I wanted to do was read.
It's hard to describe exactly what it is that hooked me so intensely but this book did it. It was well written, funny and full of book humor that only true book nerds would get. I loved the characters and the whole story idea of people being able to jump into there favorite books and mingle with the characters during their down times. I was blown away by the book and I ended up loving it so much that I went out right away to buy the second. I think that I may have a brand new favorite series. The second book was just as good and we got to interact with a lot more fantastic famous characters, the Queen of Hearts makes an appearance and the infinitely interesting Miss Havisham spends some time with us.
The books are just so imaginative and well put together and hilariously written. It is just such a treat to read them and each time I enter the world is so incredible and special. I really love them and have become a huge fan of Jasper Fforde. And if you really love books like really, really love them then I highly recommend the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde because they are incredible books and I can't wait until I can get my hands on the third book. It's a wild ride each time you crack open a Thursday Next story but it's a ride that I have loved and I think that I will continue to love it for as long as Thursday keeps finding herself in literary upheavals.
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So I am a big fan of a lot of things, fairy tales, dragons, quests, witches, a little magic here and there, and of course bad-ass women that take care of their own problems and have a good time doing it thank you very much. Naturally being a book such I am I go in search of books that will meet some or all of these criteria. One day my good friend and I were scrolling through a list of the 50 top women in fiction or something of that sort and I came across one Princess Cimorene and The Enchanted Forrest Chronicles. As soon as I read about Princess Cimorene and how she abandoned her kingdom to go live with dragons I knew I had to read the series.
I went in search of it for the first time back in the summer to no avail. During the fall I had a lot going on and so the search was stalled. But then it was time for the holiday shopping to begin and so I thought how great would it be if I could find the first in the series "Dealing with Dragons" and give it my best friend and fellow book nerd for Christmas, with the intention of borrowing it of course. But alas, alack it was nowhere to be found on my search. Christmas was coming closer and I was getting discouraged, finally I decided to give up the search for the time being and try again another day. On Christmas day my best friend/roommate and I started opening presents and I came across a small book shaped one. Loving books of all sorts I was naturally excited which became overwhelming joy when I opened it and saw that it was 'Dealing with Dragons' the first Princess Cimorene series. Turns out while I was looking for the book as a gift for her my friend was searching for the same book for me. Great minds really do think alike. I started reading that day and couldn't stop. The closer I got to the end the more I realized that I didn't want to read anything but this series. And so I went to amazon.com and purchased the box set of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
Reading these books was like eating potato chips, you can't have just one. I devoured one book after the other loving each and every one of them. Each book brought about a new story, more characters to fall in love with and through them all was kick ads, hardcore, over the top awesome Princess Cimorene. In the first book Princess Cimorene decides that seeing as she can't be a proper princess loving embroidery and table manners she decides she would much rather be a captive princess with the dragons. And so she heads off in search of the dragon caves and when she finds them offers herself up as a willing princess. Although most of the dragon are wary of a 'willing' princess Kazul decides she could use a feisty princess around the place and so their friendship begins. Together they fight off evil wizards, dust treasure and fend off annoying knights that keep coming around to try and 'rescue' Cimorene. The result of all this fending off and thanks to Cimorene's unbelievably cherries jubilee Kazul and Cimorene become the best of friends.
I have a deep dislike of spoilers and people that ruin great books by revealing too much of the story. I may err on the side of too much caution at times by not telling any part of the story for which I apologize. But with a series you really have to be careful about what you say and the details you reveal. With that in mind all I will tell you about the next three books is this, each book brings a new bunch of characters that are just as loveable or just as hateable as the next bunch and brand new adventures that leave you breathless with excitement. Are these children novels? Yes, yes they are. And I think that that just makes them better! I have no discrimination in my heart when it comes to reading. Or anything else for that matter, so be it children's, adult's, young readers or whatever it may be if it's good I will like it! And with the Cimorene stories especially I felt that because it was written for children and the stories were fun and simple it made them perfect. If it had tried to be more complicated or intricate it would have taken away from the greatness of the characters and the story itself.
All of that is meant to say this, don't be turned off by the fact that they are indeed children's fantasy. They are amazing books and utterly engaging stories for any age as long as you are young at heart!
With as much as I have read in my life I have come to fully realize the importance of opening lines. "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." From 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy. "It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.' 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' by JK Rowling. The opening line in any novel is designed to draw a reader in. If it captures its audience the novel will most likely hold a reader captivated for the duration. If however an opening line falls short or is unoriginal it can cost the book a reader.
I am not saying that all great books have great opening lines or that all bad novels have bad opening lines. In fact some of my favorite books have mediocre first sentences while some of the books I loathe have opening lines that entrapped me. But I do find that an opening line can usually be a good indicator of a really good read. "I could hear a roll of muffled drums." From 'The Other Boleyn Girl' by Philippa Gregory a simple but intriguing opening line, a line that turned into one of my favorite books. The opening line is a doorway into the world of the novel, it's the first step on what is usually an incredible journey.
In my opinion an opening sentence should seduce the reader, the length itself doesn't matter, it is the flow that counts. Is it intriguing? Does it have weight? Does it make you want to jump off the cliff into an unknown world that could consume you? It is a quick and tasty sample of what is to come. Some of my favorites listed above, roll off the tongue take you in and perk your interest. A first line should be a part of the novel as a whole but removed in such a way that it can stand alone and leave a reader begging for more.
I truly love the very beginning sentences of new books. It's just so exciting to begin something new, a new fantastical journey, a glimpse into someone's incredible life. Just thinking about a brand new book and the world inside gives me tingle and the very first taste of that new world is the opening line. It can be very exciting all on it's own. My darling readers I leave you with this thought, do not judge a book by it's cover instead crack open the first page and take a taste of the world you are about to enter by reading that first line and see if it tickles your imagination, spurs your drive to want to know more and seduces you into taking that first leap of faith. Here's wishing you the perfect first sentences readers.
It was almost exactly three years ago that I first came across a book called A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I was working at Barnes and Noble at the time and we used to have to do this thing during peak hours when the booksellers had to wander around the floor, asking customers if they needed help and then try to con them into buying a membership. It was during one of these times when I was wandering aimlessly, because peak hours were rather slow, and looking over the display tables when I happened to glance this book that intrigued me. Turning it over I read the back and as soon as I discovered that it revolved not only around a strong and stubborn woman but a book I was hooked. When it comes to books about books I'm a pretty easy sell so I decided to go ahead and buy it. It was such an unassuming book, and the title suggested maybe a little bit of a silly story maybe so I wasn't expecting much. The old saying 'never judge a book by it's cover' couldn't have been more right on.
