Good Storytelling: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Late last night, I finished reading Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale.

The book probably falls under the heading 'gothic mystery'. But don't be turned off by that.

I'm usually not a fan of this genre; but good writing is good writing whatever the category, and there is plenty to be found here.

As for a plot summary, it's hard to summarize in just a few sentences. The library system's online catalog says it is "a compelling emotional mystery about family secrets and the magic of books and storytelling. A dying writer bids a young bookshop assistant to write her biography."

That's a start, but it doesn't really indicate the book's rich narrative, its story-within-a-story qualities, and its careful plotting.

If you are a fan of classics like Jane Eyre, Rebecca and Wuthering Heights, you will really enjoy this book. It's full of secrets, family madness, ghosts, a number of surprising twists and just plain hard-to-put-down storytelling.

It's definitely a recommended read and very worthy of book club consideration.

Worth Not Sleeping: The Grace That Keeps This World

This morning I woke up a little before 2 am, unable to sleep.

Finally, by 3, I decided to give up trying and went downstairs to finish the One Book, One Community selection for this year: The Grace That Keeps This World by Tom Bailey.

What a wonderful way to spend my time! In addition to being well-written, the book is very moving and thought provoking.

I really enjoyed getting to know the Hazen family and their Adirondack neighbors. The story slowly unfolds over the span of about a week, following Gary Hazen, his wife Susan and his two adult sons as they prepare for the opening of deer hunting season.

It's a story about love, loss and redemption. You can't get much better than that!

The author, Tom Bailey, will be speaking at a number of Cumberland County libraries this October:

• Saturday, October 11, 2 pm - Bosler Library, Carlisle
• Sunday, October 12, 2 pm - Shippensburg Public Library
• Tuesday, October 14, 10:30 am - New Cumberland Public Library
• Wednesday, October 29, 7 pm - Simpson Public Library, Mechanicsburg

I've heard him talk about his writing and this is a FREE program that you won't want to miss!

Talk to Your Favorite Authors

Today I discovered an interesting new site that features authors and books called Authors on Air.

It features recorded interviews and live chats with authors. Right now, they are running an interview with Ken Davis, author of many of the Don’t Know Much About® series books.

Two of their upcoming authors include:

• Paulo Coelho discusses The Alchemist on September 17.
• Ann Patchett discusses Run on September 24.

If you can't participate in the live interview and chat sessions, you can listen to archived recordings of interviews from the site.

The site also features mystery, romance, science fiction and historical fiction authors. Plus, they have RSS feeds and email subscriptions for people who want to be alerted to upcoming interviews and live chats.

Booker Prize Short List Announced

The six finalists for the Man Booker Prize were announced today according to The New York Times.

They are:

1. Aravind Adiga The White Tiger
2. Sebastian Barry The Secret Scripture
3. Amitav Ghosh Sea of Poppies
4. Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs
5. Philip Hensher The Northern Clemency
6. Steve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole

The competition is open to citizens of the British Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. The winner will be announced October 14, 2008.

J.K. Rowling Wins Lawsuit

I promised to follow-up an earlier post this year about the suit that Warner Brothers Entertainment and J.K. Rowling, author of the much-beloved Harry Potter series, filed against RDR Books to stop publication of the Harry Potter Lexicon.

Well, the judgment is in; and Rowling won.

According to Publishers' Weekly:

In his opinion, U.S. district court judge Robert Patterson said that RDR “had failed to establish an affirmative defense of fair use” and issued a permanent injunction against the Lexicon. According to Reuters, Patterson awarded the plaintiffs $750 for each of Rowling’s seven Harry Potter novels, as well as $750 each of the Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, for damages totaling $6,750.

Online Fall Book Calendar

USA Today’s Fall Books Calendar has arrived. Listing about 150 titles to be released, it's a lot of fun to browse.

Of course, being a cat owner, I loved the opening book cover for Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. (Request it from CCLS)

The calendar is interactive and includes excerpts, book jacket covers and summaries. You can develop your own personal 'watch' list and begin thinking about your fall and winter reading now.

How fun!