She Is Too Fond Of Books ... » Brunonia Barry

Save the Date for Stanley’s TV Debut!

sheistoofondofbooks — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 02:03:17 +0000

Remember Stanley? He’s the adorable little hedgehog who got some attention here on She Is Too Fond of Books after Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader, The Map of True Places) wrote a post spotlighting a special bookstore – The Spirit of ’76 in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Barry titled her post ”Sock Puppets, Hedgehogs, and Full-Time Writing.” The hedgehog was, of course, Stanley, who lives with Hilary Emerson Lay, the “Manager/Merchandiser/Enthusiastic Changer of Hair Color/Fearless Seller of Literature” at the bookstore. I can vouch for Hilary’s enthusiasm, bookselling skills, and awesome pink hair!

As much as we readers loved seeing Stanley on the blog, the folks at Animal Planet wanted to see him in person (in hedgehog?). Hilary arranged an incredible Hedgehog Party, complete with hedgie-themed snacks, stories, and a full-size Jan Brett hedgehog … and of course, the star of the show … Stanley!

The episode, called “Peculiar Pets,” will air next Saturday, December 11 at 8 pm on Discovery Channel. Other pets in the spotlight include a capybara, a teacup pig, a miniature pig, a miniature donkey, a pygmy goat and skunks! Set your DVRs now!

“Breakfast with the Authors” at the Concord Festival of Authors

sheistoofondofbooks — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:00:42 +0000

The Concord Festival of Authors was created in 1993 as an arm of the Angela Arkell Mitchell Foundation, a non-profit with the following mission:

to promote books and authors, to present the work of contemporary authors to the public, and to provide forums for authors to discuss their work.

At its founding, events for the Concord Festival of Authors took place over one weekend; it now spans a two-week period, with events in both Concord and Lowell. A fun piece of trivia is that in the third year of the Festival, “one of the three opening night speakers was a relatively unknown writer named Barack Obama, on tour for the publication of his first book Dreams From My Father.”

There are events for all ages, covering many interests. A quick look at this year’s schedule shows programs around ”new literary voices,” flash fiction, poetry, history, and suspense.

One program I try to attend annually is “Breakfast with the Authors.” This event is held at the Colonial Inn; it’s a nice breakfast buffet in the main dining room, packed to the rafters with people eager to hear the authors speak and to get an opportunity for Q&A and book signing … apparently literary people are early risers – there was quite a buzz when I entered the room at 7:45 last Saturday morning. I mentioned this program in my review of Olive Kitteridge; Elizabeth Strout was one of the speakers at the 2008 breakfast.

This year’s author line-up included Brunonia Barry, Gish Jen, and Jon Katz. I’ve read both of Barry’s novels (The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places), but am a new reader of Jen and Katz. Well, to be honest, I haven’t yet read their books (it’s been just a week! A girl can only read so fast!), but they have a place of honor on my “signed, to-be-read” stack! They are:

Gish Jen’s World and Town:

Hattie Kong—the spirited offspring of a descendant of Confucius and an American missionary to China—has, in her fiftieth year of living in the United States, lost both her husband and her best friend to cancer.

Two years later, it is time for Hattie to start over. She moves to the town of Riverlake, where she is soon joined by an immigrant Cambodian family on the run from their inner-city troubles, as well as—quite unexpectedly—by a just-retired neuroscientist ex-lover named Carter Hatch. All of them are, like Hattie, looking for a new start in a town that might once have represented the rock-solid base of American life but that is itself challenged, in 2001, by cell-phone towers and chain stores, struggling family farms and fundamentalist Christians.

What Hattie makes of this situation is at the center of a novel that asks deep and absorbing questions about religion, home, America, what neighbors are, what love is, and, in the largest sense, what “worlds” we make of the world.

Jon Katz’s Rose in a Storm

John Katz’s latest novel is inspired by life on his celebrated Bedlam Farm—and perceptively told from the point of view of Rose, a dedicated working dog.

Rose is determined and focused, keeping the sheep out of danger and protecting the other creatures on the farm she calls home. But of all those she’s looked after since coming to the farm as a puppy, it is Sam, the farmer, whom she watches most carefully.

Awoken one cold midwinter night during lambing season, Rose and Sam struggle into the snowy dark to do their work. The ever observant Rose has seen a change in her master of late, ever since Sam’s wife disappeared one day. She senses something else in the air as well: A storm is coming, but not like any of the ones she’s seen over the years. This storm feels different, bigger, more foreboding.

When an epic blizzard hits the region, it will take all of Rose’s resolve, resourcefulness, and courage to help Sam save the farm and the creatures who live there.

Jon Katz consulted with animal behavior scientists to create his unique and convincing vision of the world as seen through the eyes of a dog. Poignant, thrilling, and beautifully wrought, Rose in a Storm is a wonderfully original and powerful tale from a gifted storyteller.

Have you read either of these books? What about other books by Jen or Katz? I spoke to both authors at the program, and purchased both books (even confessing to John Katz that I’m not a dog person … he forgave me!). Please help me choose which book to read next!

A hedgehog walks into a bookstore …

sheistoofondofbooks — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:09:14 +0000

“Are you sitting down?”, the e-mail began. “No, I mean really…..are you sitting down? You’re not even going to believe this!!”

This note from Hilary Emerson Lay, the manager at The Spirit of ’76 bookstore in Marblehead, Mass., greeted me last Monday morning. Yes, I was sitting down (hand wrapped firmly around my second cup of hot coffee), and I was ready to read the rest of her note.

You may recall the awesome Spotlight on Bookstores guest post about The Spirit of ’76 that Brunonia Barry wrote a few weeks ago. Well, that post was read by someone who works at Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet tv show, and the part about Hilary’s pet hedgehog, Stanley, caught his eye. It seems that Animal Planet is filming for a new show about people with exotic and unusual pets.

Hilary had recently thrown a children’s ‘hedgehog party’ at the bookstore, and Animal Planet asked if she’d like to do something similar … with the film crew there! I imagine Hilary hesitated for about negative .3 seconds before saying YES, then started working on the guest list.

I was thrilled to be included on that list, and, since I gave a resounding “Do I ever!” response to her innocent query of “Do you have kids? Would they want to come up, too?”, we drove about an hour north yesterday afternoon to attend our inaugural hedgehog party!

The store fills three rooms; yesterday they were three rooms full of children excited to be at the party, parents trying to keep the excitement in check (or, maybe it was just my child who kept whining for ANOTHER cookie), the Animal Planet crew, Hilary, and staff and friends of The Spirit of ’76. Author Brunonia Barry was there as well; it was an example in pop psychology as I wore Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘connector’ hat and hosted her post that caught the attention of Animal Planet.

Aside from being a bookseller and storyteller extraordinaire, Hilary must harbor a secret life as a caterer. Check out the hedgehog watermelon bowl (before the kids got to it, the toothpicks in the individual watermelon bites made adorable quills). Not to be outdone by healthy fruit, the cookie tray offered frosted hedgies with shaved coconut quills — incredible!

My youngest was filmed choosing a cookie and chomping away on it; he kept taking bite after bite without swallowing! It may end up on the cutting room floor, but it was fun to watch him in the spolight – the kids were told not to look into the camera (about a 6-inch lens a foot from his face), which proved to be quite a challenge.

A special guest in the guise of Jan Brett’s hedgehog came to say hello to all the children. It was in the low 90s yesterday (we’re about a week into a brutal heat wave; hard to imagine after the floods of this spring), so I think Hedgie was pretty warm inside those soft quills! He (or she?) was a very good sport, though, posing for endless photos, hugs, and the occasional tail/nub pulling (yes, that was my youngest again).

The kids assembled in a large circle on the rug, and Hilary brought Stanley out of his crate and introduced him to the group. She explained that hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, and that he might be a little nervous, “it’s like your parents waking you up at 3 in the morning, bringing you into the bright living room and asking you to smile and say ‘hi’ to all these people.” Stanley was the perfect host – he showed his face a bit, squirmed around Hilary’s hands for comfort, and, when all the children had had a chance to see him up close, burrowed back into his ‘hedgehog sleeping bag’ (a pillowcase).

Despite the initial physical similarities, hedgehogs are not related to porcupines. In fact, hedgehogs aren’t found in the wild in North America; native to Europe, Asia, Africa, China, and New Zealand, any that are kept as pets have been bred here. Hilary passed around a bag of Stanley’s bedding (so soft!) and a plastic container of his favorite treat – mealworms (so gross!), and shared more cool facts and interesting hedgehog trivia.

Everyone wanted a chance to ask a question or make a comment, Hilary was adept at turning seeming non sequiturs like “I eat Cheerios for breakfast” into a hedgehog-related statement: “Stanley also likes to eat hard-boiled eggs for a special treat.” After an extended Q&A, she read a hedgehog picture book to the group. If she ever tires of the bookseller-storyteller-caterer routine, I’ve got a nanny position for her!

Of course, the Too Fond of Books family finds it nearly impossible to venture into a bookstore without selecting a few books to bring home. Each of the kids chose a book; we added Looking for Alaska (John Green), My Life As a Book (Janet Tashjian), The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (Jack Kinney) and Hurry Up, Hedgehog (Deborah Dennard) to our bookshelves. (This pic was the only time I caught LM12 on camera, so I wanted to include it).

When Hilary learns the date the show will air, I’ll be sure to share it with you so you have a chance to meet Hilary and Stanley, too! Thank you to Brunonia for writing the piece that caught the attention of Animal Planet, and to Hilary for being part of a store that is so involved in the community. More than a bookstore, that’s The Spirit of ’76!

Book Review: The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry

sheistoofondofbooks — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:15:20 +0000

The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry

Hardcover: 416 pages

Publisher: William Morrow (May 4, 2010)

ISBN-13: 978-0061624780

Back-of-the-book blurb: Zee Finch has come a long way from a motherless childhood spent stealing boats; she’s now a respected psychotherapist, engaged to one of Boston’s most eligible bachelors. But the suicide of Zee’s patient Lilly Braedon throws Zee into emotional chaos and takes her back to places she though she’d left behind.

What starts as a brief visit home to Salem after Lilly’s funeral becomes the beginning of a larger journey for Zee. Her father, Finch, long ago diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, has been hiding how sick he really is. His longtime companion, Melville, has moved out, and it now falls to Zee to help her father through this difficult time. Their relationship, marked by half-truths and the untimely death of her mother, is strained and awkward.

Overwhelmed by her new role, and uncertain about her future, Zee destroys the existing map of her life and begins a new journey, one that will take her not only into her future but into her past as well.

She Is Too Fond of Books’ review:

“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true”

from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (quoted in The Map of True Places)

“If you had done your calculations properly, there would be a moment when you found that the star you were looking for was exactly where it should be on the horizon. In that instant the universe made sense, and you knew that no matter what else happened in the world, the stars would always tell you where you were, and when they did, you would always be able to find your way home.”

from The Map of True Places

The protagonist in Brunonia Barry’s The Map of True Places is a young psychologist named Hepzibah “Zee” Finch. The book opens as Zee learns of the apparent suicide of one of her patients, a bipolar mother of two; Zee had connected with the patient – in fact, gone over a professional line in becoming emotionally involved in her story – because Zee’s own mother was bipolar. The parallels between Zee’s mother (Maureen Finch) and the patient (Lily Braedon) continue to appear throughout the novel.

The quote from The Scarlet Letter is significant in several ways – many of the characters have ‘public’ and ‘private’ faces (don’t we all!?); Barry weaves a story that allows the reader to peek behind these masks, sometimes even before the wearer sees inside.

The man who recalls the Hawthorne quote in The Map of True Placesis Zee’s father, a Hawthorne scholar known simply by his surname. Finch lives in Salem, the setting for much of the novel, and for years has had a monogamous relationship with a man he has lovingly nicknamed Melville. Don’t be put off by Barry’s use of literary names – they’re well-placed, establish a framework of relationships, and add to the public/private explorations.

Readers who enjoyed The Lace Reader will find some familiarity in The Map of True Places. A nod is given to parts of Boston, but the majority of the novel takes place in Salem; Barry revisits The Willows for skeeball and Chop Suey sandwiches and refers to previously introduced characters, such as Rafferty the cop and May Whitney’s rehab work on Yellow Dog Island. I was especially pleased to read references to two local bookshops – the Spirit of ’76 in Marblehead and Cornerstone Books in Salem. The place names add to the sense of Salem as a character in the novel; it’s impossible to separate this satisfying mystery from the city in which it is set.

The way the author discusses mental and physical illness is both insightful and sensitive. She explores the coping skills that the ill might use, the denial expressed by friends and family, and the ultimate acceptance and concessions that must be made when an illness takes over one’s mind or body. These sections were incredibly well-written, showing both Zee and the reader a bit of her private face.

Barry tells a tale that kept me turning pages to learn where the story was going and how the various plot lines would be resolved. The central plot line isn’t about Zee coming to terms with her patient’s suicide, the memories and unresolved questions from her own mother’s death, or her realization that her father’s Parkinson’s Disease has advanced into near-dementia. It really is about Zee finding her way “home” to a place within herself (her private face) that she’s willing to stand behind and show to the world (her public face). The title of this novel is perfect.

Sock Puppets, Hedgehogs, and Full Time Writing

sheistoofondofbooks — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:52:39 +0000

Usually this type of post would be titled something like Spotlight on Bookstores: The Spirit of ’76 in Marblehead, Mass. But, how could I argue with the title written by the author, Brunonia Barry?!? Sock Puppets, Hedgehogs, and Full Time Writing certainly got my attention! Brunonia Barry is the author of The Lace Reader (my review, author event, and tour of spots mentioned in the novel; can you tell I enjoyed this one?!). Her recent novel, The Map of True Places, was published in May 2010; it is also set in Salem, which provides a fittingly quirky backdrop to this wonderful tale of a Hawthorne scholar, his grown daughter, and a mysterious family tragedy. The Spirit of ’76 bookstore, in nearby Marblehead, is mentioned in the novel – read on to learn why Barry has given it this place of honor.

There are many reasons that The Spirit of ’76 in Marblehead, MA is one of the best Indie bookstores out there. Just last week, for example, they hosted a poetry slam that drew eighty local teens to the store, and held them in captive attention until closing, a difficult thing to do these days. This local bookstore regularly hosts all sorts of programs: from a writing workshop by Laurie Stolarz to previews of upcoming titles for the local book clubs, diverse groups with even more diverse tastes and names that range from The Goddesses Who Read to The Orange Fur Bikinis. This is the kind of store where the staff learns your tastes and often puts a book or two aside for you. They also know when to stretch your reading horizons, suggesting books you’ll love but might never have found on your own.

The manager, Hilary Emerson Lay, is a treasure. A visual artist and writer who adores books, Hilary creates beautiful sock puppets which she occasionally sells at the store and of which we have purchased several over the years as gifts for just about everyone we know. One of them is sitting on my desk as I write this, a short red-headed geeky looking puppet that bears a disturbing resemblance to me.

Hilary has a pet hedgehog named Stanley who sometimes visits the store. He has met most of the local children and has fans of all ages. Hilary regularly writes about life with Stanley, who disappeared the other day only to be found hours later sleeping in her purse. All of his fans can find out his latest escapades by following Hilary’s postings or listening to her stories which people stop by the store to hear. It was no big surprise that one of Hilary’s recommendations to my book club was The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

As you can see, there is a real sense of community in this local establishment. But all this description is simply to establish location. What I really want to tell you about is how The Spirit of ’76 helped me to become a full time writer.

I had just finished the third draft of my novel, The Lace Reader, and I knew that it still needed to be tweaked a bit, but I was baffled as to what elements needed work. So, on a whim, and because they had always been so supportive of my efforts, I walked into The Spirit of ’76, manuscript in hand, and asked for help.

They already knew I was a writer, I had written for a ‘tween series called The Beacon Street Girls and had done a signing at the store a while back. The night of the signing, the store’s owner, Bob Hugo, asked me what else I was writing. I told him about The Lace Reader, and he told me to make sure I brought it by when it was finished. On the day I took my “book in a box” into his store, Bob wasn’t there. But Hilary was, and we started discussing my next steps.

“Do you have one of those many book clubs who might be willing to help a fledgling novelist?” I asked. “I don’t want to workshop this anymore. I need some opinions from real readers, and a book club would be perfect.”

Hilary thought about it for the next few days. The following Wednesday, she called to announce that she had found me a book club. Three weeks later, ten women showed up at my door. I asked them to be brutally honest about the story, and they were. I took copious notes when they agreed on what needed work. When they disagreed, I simply listened to their discussion. At the end, I asked the requisite focus group question: “Would you recommend this book to a friend?” I held my breath waiting for their answer. Overwhelmingly, they agreed that they would, and that, in fact, several of them already had.

With the help of this local bookstore, I was able to repeat the process with two more book clubs. Their notes and insights helped me with the rewrite, and when the book finally went into publication, everyone involved was passing the word. At initial publication, there were thirty-seven book clubs waiting to read The Lace Reader.

I think the synergy between booksellers and book clubs is a strong one, and nowhere is it stronger than at The Spirit of ’76. The fact that they are also supportive of local writers played a huge part in what was to become a great success and ultimately fulfill my dream of being a full time writer. And when my second book, The Map of True Places, came out this May, The Spirit of ’76 was right there to celebrate by hosting a great event.

Call in and talk to Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader

sheistoofondofbooks — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:12:58 +0000

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, November 5), you can call in and talk to Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader . The conference call takes place at 8pm EST; click this link for details, including how to call in, or email questions ahead of time. The webcast will be archived at that same link, so you can listen to it later, if you’re unable to chat live.

The Lace Reader just happens to be one of my favorite books in 2008, a well-written contemporary mystery with echoes of the past. I’ve blogged about it several times:

my review of The Lace Reader
our family’s “field trip” to visit places mentioned in the novel
author event with Brunonia Barry, including lace reading

What a great opportunity, to speak with Brunonia about her novel!

Author event: Brunonia Barry and The Lace Reader

Dawn — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:11:49 +0000

Tonight my 12-year-old (LW12) and I drove up to the Barnes & Noble in Peabody for an event with Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader. In case you’ve missed it, I’m absolutely smitten with this book; it has an intricate plot with well-developed characters and it highlights the wonderful city of Salem. You can read my review, or follow along our family’s Lace Reader travelog of Salem. This novel is an excellent pick for a book group; if you haven’t read it, get your hands on a copy today! Now, on to our evening …

A Barnes and Noble bookseller greeted us as we entered the store and directed us to the cafe area for complimentary lace readings by three women from Artemisia Botanicals on Pickering Wharf in Salem. If you’ve read any background to the novel, you know that there is no historical documentation of lace reading previous to the novel, and that it is probable that Ms. Barry has helped create a new industry! The reader I sat with, Teri, explained that lace reading is a form of divination. She suggested I “quiet” or “center” myself, then ask a question about what I need (as opposed to what I want). I’ll admit that I was a bit uneasy about opening myself up this way, but I asked a heartfelt question and was given an honest and helpful response – thanks, Teri, for making me comfortable with this process and helping me be receptive to the answer you gave! (Even Ms. Barry commented that Teri could be her sister, with the similar hair color; there are indeed two distinct women in these photos with me!)

The area for the event was filling up, so I headed back to my seat and chatted with the couple next to me (hello to Laura and Mike from Peabody, I hope your son enjoys the book as much as you did!); clearly I inherited my mother’s strike-up-a-conversation-with-a-stranger-gene!

Ms. Barry was introduced and started her presentation by sharing the great news that The Lace Reader will be in the seventh position on the New York Times Bestseller List on Sunday! She then read the first chapter of the novel, and explained the context of the chapter headings, out-takes of The Lace Reader’s Guide, which is a series of lace-making instructions excerpted from the (fictional) diary of Eva Whitney.

Barry shared some interesting background information and opened up the floor to questions:

The Lace Reader began as a short story, with the central character of May Whitney bringing her children to the mainland for haircuts. The story grew and grew, evolving into the novel in which Towner is the main character
She envisioned the book as “The Hero’s Journey” (a la Joseph Campbell) for women
Her given name is Sandra Brunonia; her grandfather gave her the middle name Brunonia because he attended Brown University and was a “rabid alumnus” (isn’t that a great term?!). She chose to use her middle name as her professional name because of the strength it conveyed; her husband points out that there are several “Sandy Barry”s returned on a Google search, but only one “Brunonia Barry”!
Barry’s pre-publication editor, Tom Jenks helped her with the varied character perspectives (shifting it from her original focus solely from Towner’s point of view), and suggested she allow Rafferty much of the discovery of the story
Barry is about 200 pages into the first draft of a second novel, which is also set in the present day. It covers the history of the shipping trade in Salem, and features the Friendship .
Regarding her writing habits, Barry told us that she rises whenever her muse strikes, sometimes before the sun is up! She goes directly to her office and writes for about four hours before she allows herself a cup of coffee! She edits in the afternoons. Her office sounds lovely – it has a large fireplace and the walls are still papered with National Geographic maps that the previous owners hung. Byzantium, their yellow lab likes to hang out while she writes
One audience member asked “Do you read, and if so, what do you read?” I think we all assumed she meant READ, as in divination! No, she was asking about books! Barry told us that she’s been reading for pleasure while touring and promoting the novel, and that Snowflower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See), Last Night at the Lobster (Stewart O’Nan) and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (David Wroblewski) have been recent favorites.

After the Q&A we were able to meet Ms. Barry and have our books inscribed. She is very pleasant; it was a delight to listen to her read from her novel and to see the way she enjoyed engaging in conversation with her audience. I’m looking forward to seeing what she has in store for us with her next book!

On the road to Salem with The Lace Reader

Dawn — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:27:55 +0000

We took the kids on the road up to Salem yesterday afternoon, about a 45-minute drive north. I had my tote packed with The Lace Reader and a map and guide to “Towner Whitney’s Salem, Massachusetts” that I downloaded from the Salem tourist board.

We got to Salem around 3, driving through the center of town, then out to Salem Willows Park. The map describes it as a “mini-amusement park next to Rafferty’s Victorian home frequented by tourists and bikers. Rafferty comes for the chop suey sandwiches.”

The park was crowded, despite the drizzly afternoon. There were a lot of large family groups, perhaps reunions, cooking out and enjoying the park. I took these photos of the harbor; the colors would have been brighter on a sunny day, but you can still see how beautiful it is.

The Red Trolley runs to various tourist spots in town; tickets/stickers allow passengers to board and debark at different spots, then get back on for a ride to another attraction.

Our kids loved the arcade! We quickly ran through $20 in quarters, and they each got a little tchotchke or two to take home. We had 427 points to redeem, but the small selection they could choose from reminded me of that line from the movie The Jerk where Steve Martin plays a carnie, “step right up and win some crap!”

From The Willows we drove back to town and walked through Pickering Wharf which has shops and restaurants. I enjoy reading the names of the boats, some are very clever!

We saw The Friendship at Derby Wharf, but were too late in the day to board it. Our map says this is an “accurate replica of 200-year -old spice trading vessel used by Salem’s sea captains to circle the globe.”

Across from The Friendship is The Custom House, where “Hawthorne worked … as a clerk.”

We had dinner back at Pickering Wharf, and I bought some picture postcards of Salem … be one of the first ten readers to leave a comment saying you’d like one, then use the Contact tab at the top of the page to send me your mailing address in a private message. The postcards feature The House of Seven Gables.

The rain really started coming down after dinner, so we hurried up Lafayette Street to Cornerstone Books. This is a nice independent bookstore, and is open daily, until 7 on Sundays (which was very nice, as we were finding many shops closing at this hour.) The Lace Reader was featured prominently at the front of the store, along with a non-fiction book about Ipswich lace.

We continued up Lafayette to Central Street, so I could snap a picture of Red’s Sandwich Shop. They close at 1 on Sunday afternoons, so we couldn’t have eaten dinner there; I’ll have to try lunch another day. Red’s is billed as “classic American food in a building that dates back to the American Revolution. A favorite of Rafferty and Towner.”

Along the way back to the car we passed the Peabody Essex Museum, a “world class museum that was interested in buying Eva’s chinoiserie.” We didn’t visit the museum this time, but have been there in the past. It really is a great museum, and is a favorite field trip for schools in the area. Last year my son’s fourth-grade class visited during a unit on China.

The rain was pelting now, but I snapped this photo of the Hawthorne Hotel , a “famous hotel near to Eva’s house and just off the Salem Commons”, as well as the sign in front of First Church, “Eva’s Unitarian Church and the original church for two of the alleged witches killed during the Witch Trials.”

In our family, no outing is complete without ice cream! We drove to the Dairy Witch, which looks remarkably like a Dairy Queen. According to our Lace Reader map, the Dairy Witch is “Towner’s favorite ice cream place in Salem.”

All in all, a very nice afternoon and evening, despite the weather! So, I’ve read and enjoyed the novel and visited sites mentioned in the book. I hope to see Brunonia Barry at a book signing this Friday night. If I get that checked off my “to do” list I can move on to stalking admiring another author

The Week Ahead: July 28 – August 3, 2008

Dawn — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:04:47 +0000

Monday 7/28/08- Discussion of Dalia Sofer’s The Septembers of Shiraz begins today over at Everyday I Write the Book. This is the first time I’ll be participating in one of Gayle’s on-line book groups, and I’m really looking forward to it. The author will be responding to comments left on the discussion post; if you’ve read the book, pop on over and join in!

Tuesday 7/29/08 – The Lace Reader goes on sale! I posted my review of this captivating novel yesterday. I’m inspired to take a field trip up to Salem on one of these nice summer weekends, to more closely explore the area Brunonia Barry writes about.

Wednesday 7/30/08 – Oh, how embarrassing! I’m heading to the Post Office today to mail my sister’s birthday gift, and I’ll be buying postcard stamps for those postcards I promised to send out. I bought the cards right away (it’s a display at a local museum that I think will be of interest to book lovers!), but avoided the lines at the Post Office … they will be in the mail today (Wednesday). I still have four unclaimed postcards, if you’d like one, leave a comment here, then click on the “contact me” tab at the top of the page to send a private message with your mailing address.

Thursday 7/31/08 – Last day to enter my drawing for The Genizah at the House of Shepher. I have three copies of this engaging novel to give away! A well-told tale spanning 150 years and four generations; read my review here and enter the contest here. Drawing will be held and winners announced on Friday 8/1/08.

Friday 8/1/08 – August already, where is the summer going?! Tonight I’ll be heading to a nearby Barnes & Noble with my 12-year-old “Little Woman” to enjoy the Vampire Prom and other festivities while she waits for Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn to go on sale at midnight.

Saturday 8/2/08 and Sunday 8/3/08 – It’s the weekend! Reading and relaxing are high on my “to do” list; I’ll report back next week

What’s on your agenda this week – bookish or otherwise?

Book Review: The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Dawn — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:20:24 +0000

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Publisher: William Morrow (July 29, 2008 )
Hardcover: 400 pages
ISBN-10: 0061624764
ISBN-13: 978-0061624766

The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry’s debut novel, deserves all the advance praise it has received; it is one of my favorite books of 2008! This book will draw you in with well-developed plot, subtle twists and clever revelations. The comparison has been drawn to a piece of finely-worked lace, in which every thread is needed to yield the finished product; nothing is extraneous in this engaging mystery.

The opening of The Lace Reader finds the protagonist, Towner Whitney, returning to Salem, Massachusetts after many years away. She has been summoned home due to the disappearance of a favorite family member, her great-aunt Eva. Eva, as well as Towner and most of the Whitney women, has the gift of “reading” people – seeing their future through patterns revealed in pieces of lace. Towner has been uncomfortable with this unwanted talent for most of her life, and has completely denied it since the death of her twin sister, Lyndley.

The settings in The Lace Reader are realistically and fully portrayed. Salem is the prime location, with its cobblestone streets, the town green and the shops and historic homes along the waterfront; even the local grocery store, Crosby’s, gets a mention. Another venue is the fictional Yellow Dog Island, where Towner’s mother, May, runs a shelter of sorts for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. The women live isolated, yet safe, on their small island, making lace that is sold on the mainland.

Barry blends historic themes of the abolitionist’s Underground Railway with May’s work helping women and children. The Salem witch hysteria of the 1600s parallels the book’s portrayal of distrust of the “witches” and “readers” by a group of religious fanatics in the mid-1990s. Using a combination of third-person narration, first-person in Towner’s voice, and a series of extensive journal entries, she skillfully combines the various perspectives in this captivating novel.

See my post of July 18 for more information about The Lace Reader, including links to the official website and to an opportunity to win a trip to Salem, sponsored by the publisher, the William Morrow division of HarperCollins. There is an excellent article in The Daily News Tribune about Barry, her experience writing and self-publishing The Lace Reader, and the impact the book has already had on the town of Salem.