I read book reviews every Sunday in our paper. Last spring they featured two local authors and the books they had coming out. Both sounded interesting to me, I cut the piece out determined to look for the books. I started checking out materials from the library again, and not just books for my children. Audio books for my husband and books for myself. Would it be possible to to read a book with a due date. Thank goodness I bought the Shack because that one is collecting dust under my bed with a book mark on page 38, chances are it will never be read.
I decided to read the "other" book first. It wasn't a period piece. They tend to scare me. I am a visual person I need to be able to see things and sometimes the details in period pieces are just too overwhelming or just not enough for my brain to reconstruct. So I went with the current day book. I didn't like it. The ending was happy enough, but the entire book did not mesh with the ending. It felt like she had a deadline and was like okay hurry up and finish it already. I was very disappointed. Half way through the book I was telling a friend that I had a feeling it wasn't going to end well and if that were the case I was going to throw said book out the window. The ending I saw coming did not come to past. The ending I was hoping for didn't either. The book was safely returned to the library. That is when my hopes were all but dashed about reading the other local author. I mean, come on, I couldn't engage with current times, how would this one draw me in?
Oh how wrong I was.
Yep, admitting I'm wrong here. Go ahead, mark the date. I was wrong.
The Apothecary's Daughter was genuine. I found myself captivated by Miss Lillian Haswell. I could see her clearly, I could relate to her struggle, even though we were separated by 200 years. She is the classic smart girl, who must depend not on her looks and yet not be run by her heart. She is loyal, loving and independant. She is also heart broken and longing for answers.
With each new character introduced I kept thinking how will they impact Lilly. What will their role in the story be. I just loved the complicated levels of the story and yet how very simple this it was to follow. It was a very satisfying read. The end wasn't surprising, it was delightful. It could have ended many ways, I could imagine them all. A delightful end. Not perfect, not "happy" but neatly tied into a delightful bow ending.
I am always curious how authors get their ideas. I went to Julie Klassen's website. She is dedicated to her research and the details of her characters. Which I love. As I've been writing I One Summer's Past, I have also been researching. Early on, Kate was a feeling, a memory. Kate is no longer a version of me, she is someone completely separate, yet still apart of me.
I can not wait to see where that leads.
I plan to read Julie Klassen's first book very soon. I also plan to buy each of them, because I good book is worth having.
Yesterday, if you'll recall I compared myself to Oprah. I have not had a give-away in some time.
And seeing as I met most of you a year ago at I See What You're Saying carnival and I MISSED that blog- versary. I'm going to make it up to you.
If you would like to win a copy of Julie Klassen's Book The Apothecary's Daughter, just grab a button, come back and tell me you're linked up and I'll put your name in. Don't forget to tell them to mention your blog. If someone stops by from your link you'll get another chance. The more people you tell the more chances you'll get. I'll draw the winning name Next Tuesday. To make it even better I'm going to throw in a $10 Starbucks Giftcard, That's like 3 pumpkin spice lattes! Since I'm on a roll, I'm going to throw in a pair of fuzzy socks! How sweet is that. Warm coffee, a good read and toasty feet? Or you can skip the fuzzy socks and leave them for me, since half of you live in the south!
It feels so good to give stuff away, now I know why Oprah gets so excited!
I've decided that since