Calico Captive

Title: Calico Captive
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
(C)1957
Publisher:Yearling
ISBN:0-440-41156-4
274 pp.

Here's an interesting tidbit. Did you know this was Elizabeth George Speare's first historical fiction novel for children? It was! Did you also know that her books are so widely popular that many of them are still required reading in elementary and middle grade classrooms?

I thought that was very interesting. I remember reading some of her other books in school. The Witch of Blackbird Pond comes to mind.

If you have any interest in the French-Indian War, then this would be a good book to pick up. It is the imagined story of one, Miriam Willard. She and her sister, Susanna Johnson, and her sister's family were all taken captive by a group of natives and forced to march overland from Charleston into Canada. They stayed for a short while in St. Francis and were eventually sold to the French in Montreal.

I had no idea that the French were actually paying for English prisoners at that time. Sometimes they would be kept as slaves and servants, other times, they could be redeemed by the government. The story follows what might have happened to Miriam. We do know for certain that she was sold in Montreal, separated from her sister, her brother-in-law, and her two nieces.

We also know that eventually the family was released and sailed on a ship for Plymouth in England. From there they made their way back to America. We also know that she eventually married Phineas Whitney. All of these things are recorded for us in historical records, including the narrative that her sister penned, not long after their return.

I think that is what draws me to historical fiction. It takes facts and tells what might have happened in and around the information supplied in those records. There's always a bit of mystery there. I wouldn't say that Miriam's story was particularly fascinating, until you start looking up the other facts that surround this time period and you begin to imagine what life was like back then. Once I started looking at the timeline, I couldn't put the book down. I had to know what would happen to her and the rest of the family, each of them separated without much hope of being released from their captivity.

I hope you take the time to look into this book and other historical fiction novels. You might be surprised at what you learn.

The Angel of Death

Title: The Angel of Death
Author: Alane Ferguson
(C)2008
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN: 978-0-1424-1087-5
272 pp.

The Angel of Death is the second forensic murder mystery starring Cameryn Mahoney, a a teenage coroner's assistant. Now you're probably wondering how a teenager could be an assistant, but if you consider the fact that they live in a very tiny town surrounded by the mountains, and the fact that her father is the town's coroner, then it doesn't seem so strange.

Cammie, at 17, is dead set (pardon the pun) on going into forensic science...even after the grisly discovery of her favorite English teacher, murdered in his bed.

As the story progresses, the case grows colder while her relationship with one Kyle O' Neil heats up. Did I mention that Kyle is the one who found the body? Or that the body had been partially cooked?

Ms. Ferguson has done an extraordinary amount of research and it shows in the details of the crime scene and the autopsy. Part of me wanted to skip over these sections but there was a clinical side of my brain held captive, trying to piece together the answers before they were revealed.

If you're a fan of CSI, Criminal Minds, or just about any of the crime dramas on TV, then you'll enjoy this book.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels

Title: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story
Author: Ree Drummond
(C)2011
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0-0619-9716-7
352 pp.

A little background for those of you reading this. I am not a blog follower. I'm barely good at checking on facebook statuses of my friends, so to follow another person's blog regularly is just not going to happen.

Except that I find myself checking in on Ree and her crazy ranch life every so often - a lot more often than I had ever planned. It all started when I was doing research for my own novel. I remembered a good friend (thank you, LouAnn!) telling me about www.thepioneerwoman.com. That would be Ree's blog. I did a little searching, reading, and sent links to my co-authoring friend, Steph.

Since then, Steph sends me links and we have been learning some great things about ranching and working cattle that will make our own novels more realistic.

As you can see in the quick stats listed next to the book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is the title of Ms. Drummond's book. It's the story of how she met and fell in love with her husband, who she refers to as Marlboro Man. (I have since found his name and was quite surprised by it.)

Literary? The great American novel?

No.

Ms. Drummond is not a novelist. She's a mother, a cook, a wife...and a blogger. She takes beautiful pictures of her surroundings. She is witty and comical in her blog, but her journalism skills are not out-of-this-world. Her publisher and editors COULD have made a number of changes. They MIGHT have asked her to cut or add different parts of the story, but then it wouldn't be quite the same.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels has the same comical charm that the Pioneer Woman blog holds for its readers. Honestly, I haven't laughed so much in ages. I can see some things from her perspective. I consider myself a city girl too. What a change it would be to live in such an isolated area, even if it is only an hour from her home town. Yet, growing up in the urban/rural community of Monroe, (plenty of farms around, but within 30 miles of a couple metropolitan areas) helped me understand some of the work involved when running a ranch.

Reading her blog, you can see how important her family (extended family included) is to her. Reading her book shows you why. Falling in love is never predictable. (She says that on the very first page.) Each couple has their own unique story. This is just one that I enjoyed having the chance to read.

Pick it up at a book store, the library, or borrow it from a friend. You probably know someone who has it. And when you're done, you'll probably want to know what happened next. The great thing is...you can find out. Just read her blog. www.pioneerwoman.com

Happy Reading!

Shelf Envy?

I just had to share this picture of a totally interesting book shelf design.

Look closely.

That's right, the books hang from wires. I am curious about damages to books and what it looks like when the shelf is completely full. Because you know that if I had this shelf it would be full in no time. :)

I've read a couple knew things recently so check back this weekend. Hopefully I'll have the reviews up by then.

Bookshelf Love

Hello everyone! Yes, after months and months of being away, I am finally writing a new blog. I know, sad and pathetic, right? I have decided that there is no way I shall ever become a professional blogger. I just don't have the dedication in me to do it. Good thing I love to teach! :)

However, something I am dedicated to are my two favorite hobbies, reading and writing. That is what has taken the bulk of my time these days. As far as books go, I don't have much to recommend. I have been reading a lot of Linda Lael Miller. Yeah, another romance author. But I realized something interesting as I read her books. I don't really like the older stuff. Her new series The McKettricks of Texas, and the Montana Creeds are fun.

Some of her first McKettrick books (i.e. McKettrick's Choice) leaving me feeling as if I've walked into the middle of a story. And this is not a good feeling, since it leaves me wondering why I don't know the beginning when the author plainly thinks that I should. Needless to say...it's annoying.

Writing has also been at the forefront of time consumption. My friend and I are a writing team. We get on some instant messaging program and hash out scenes and dialogue. In a way, it's like impromptu acting. We each have different characters and we react to what the other writes. I'm not certain if all author teams do this, but it works amazingly well for us.

We're currently in revision phase two...which means we're detailing, adding, breaking the book apart by chapter, going deeper into the character's personality and thoughts and actions. The first phase would be writing out the story. I was quite proud of us since A) we finished the story, and B) we threw together 175 pretty decent pages in a week.

Yup, that's right. 1 WEEK!

Revision phase three will be sending the book to publishing companies and final fine-tooth combing the entire thing. We are still quite a ways from that, but I hope to get there within a few more months. By summer, at least. I can hope, can't I?

Hey! What do you think of today's picture? In my attempt to write even a snippet on this blog every week, I think I shall add a section of bookshelf love.

Don't you just love the warmth this rainbow of books creates? I would so love to do that with my own books. Maybe in my next space? My goal in life is to have a house with character and a built-in book shelf just like this one. :)

Keep checking back. I promise to write at least something...

Catch ya later!