She Is Too Fond Of Books ... » The Brightest Moon of the Century http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com and it has addled her brain Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:06:17 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 *The Brightest Moon of the Century* shines on the first day of spring! http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/20/the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-shines-on-the-first-day-of-spring/ http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/20/the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-shines-on-the-first-day-of-spring/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:08:01 +0000 sheistoofondofbooks http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/?p=4108 Happy Spring, everyone!  We’re down to one small snowbank at the end of the driveway, and I can see fresh green shoots from perennials pushing their way through the (very muddy!) ground … I think that “out like a lamb” will apply and we’ll have a gorgeous spring after our tough winter!

Seems like a good [...]]]> Happy Spring, everyone!  We’re down to one small snowbank at the end of the driveway, and I can see fresh green shoots from perennials pushing their way through the (very muddy!) ground … I think that “out like a lamb” will apply and we’ll have a gorgeous spring after our tough winter!

Seems like a good day for giving away books!

First up are the winners of Christopher Meeks’ novel The Brightest Moon of the Century.  The novel includes seven black and white photos that give a sense of the era and the settings in the book.  In the giveaway post I asked your thoughts on photos/illustrations in books.  I found the range of responses to be interesting; most like photos that enhance (not dictate) our interpretation of the book, and many mentioned maps and genealogical charts as being useful references.

I used random.org to pick two winners, they are:

  • #4 Dan who said: I feel that photos and graphics enhance memoirs, biographies and other true stories. I recently read “Schulz and Peanuts” and I thought the insertion of the comic strip helped understand where the artist in that period of his life.
  • #15 Kim V thought: I like to go back to review, again and again. the pictures as I’m reading through a book. They really enhance the story.

Congratulations to the winners!  Please send me your mailing address and I’ll get the book in the mail to you.

Books are popping up like crocuses (croci?) around here … Stay tuned for another giveaway announcement!

]]> http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/20/the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-shines-on-the-first-day-of-spring/feed/ 6 Book Giveaway: *The Brightest Moon of the Century* by Christopher Meeks http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/05/book-giveaway-the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-by-christopher-meeks/ http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/05/book-giveaway-the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-by-christopher-meeks/#comments Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:44:25 +0000 sheistoofondofbooks http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/?p=3954

Welcome to Day Three of “The Brightest Moon of the Century Appreciation Week!”  What?!  You didn’t know that’s what was going on over at She is Too Fond of Books??!  Didn’t you wonder what all the balloons, champagne and flowers were about?!?

Here’s the way it’s been playing out:

Tuesday – my review of Christopher Meeks’ novel, [...]]]>

Welcome to Day Three of “The Brightest Moon of the Century Appreciation Week!”  What?!  You didn’t know that’s what was going on over at She is Too Fond of Books??!  Didn’t you wonder what all the balloons, champagne and flowers were about?!?

Here’s the way it’s been playing out:

  • Tuesday – my review of Christopher Meeks’ novel, The Brightest Moon of the Century
  • Wednesday – Chris’ guest post, a Spotlight on Bookstores about Vroman’s Books and some insight into the world of publishing
  • Thursday – giveaway of TWO copies of the novel begins!

Surprise!  I didn’t tell you a giveaway was coming … I didn’t even let the author know until yesterday, when I received the books.  You see, I got a note from him last week, saying that the book was available earlier than expected.  I had really fallen for the main character in the novel (as well an earlier collection of short fiction, Months and Seasons), and I wanted to help promote this work.

The two copies I ordered arrived yesterday, and they’ll be winging their way toward two lucky winners after I announce their names on Friday March 20.  How do you get in on the random drawing?  Go back to my review of The Brightest Moon of the Century, and take a look at the two photos I’ve shown there.  The author has included seven of these vintage black and white photos (his own work) in the finished copies of the novel.  They connect with the book in a subtle way, and don’t distract from his writing.  Leave a comment here, telling me what you think about illustrations/photos in books.  You could give an example of a children’s book, novel written for adults, a book published expressly to promote the illustrations … you know the drill, I’m just looking for something more than, “I’d love to win!” ’cause I know you’d all love to win!

Now, go enjoy the rest of “The Brightest Moon of the Century Appreciation Week!”

]]> http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/05/book-giveaway-the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-by-christopher-meeks/feed/ 26 Book Review: *The Brightest Moon of the Century* by Christopher Meeks http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/03/book-review-the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-by-christopher-meeks/ http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/03/book-review-the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-by-christopher-meeks/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:31:48 +0000 sheistoofondofbooks http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/?p=3896

The Brightest Moon of the Century by Christopher Meeks Paperback: 324 pages Publisher: White Whisker Books (March 7, 2009) ISBN-13: 978-0615249148

Back of the book blurb:  Edward needs a place in the universe, but he wants an understanding of women.  He stumbles into romance in high school, careens through dorm life in college, whirls into a tornado of love problems [...]]]>

  • The Brightest Moon of the Century by Christopher Meeks
  • Paperback: 324 pages
  • Publisher: White Whisker Books (March 7, 2009)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0615249148

    • Back of the book blurb:  Edward needs a place in the universe, but he wants an understanding of women.  He stumbles into romance in high school, careens through dorm life in college, whirls into a tornado of love problems as a mini-mart owner in a trailer park in Alabama, and aims for a film career in Los Angeles.  Will his love for a Latina prove to be the one?  In nine chapters, the reader experiences Edward’s life from ages 14 to 45.

    She is Too Fond of Books’ Review:  With The Brightest Moon of the Century, Christopher Meeks demonstrates a smooth transition from a short fiction writer (I reviewed his collection Months and Seasons here) to a writer of novels.  I don’t believe every writer can pull this off, but Meeks has the talent to carry his quirky characters and their “find the extraordinary in the everyday” plots into a full-length novel.  Each of the nine chapters is so thoroughly flushed with details that it could stand alone as a lengthy story, but that would leave the reader wanting MORE, which Meeks provides by giving the stories the respect they deserve and packaging them as a novel.

    As we saw in his short stories, Meeks has an discerning eye for pulling nuggets of brilliance out of day-to-day life.  Thus, Edward’s difficulty knotting a tie becomes a window into the observations of a 14-year-old thrust into situations beyond his control, both large (the death of his mother) and relatively small (preparation for his first day at a private school, to which he is transferring, at his father’s insistence).  The knot is, perhaps, a metaphor for the emotions he is battling:

    Tie tying, Edward had observed, started with the tie around the neck, so that the thin part and the fat part stood side-by-side on one’s chest like Olive Oyl and Bluto.  The fat part was supposed to hang down farther than the thin part.  Then in a flurry of crossing and flipping, a knot was made.  This was done always so fast, Edward couldn’t follow what happened, so now, in front of the mirror, he experimented.  He came up with knots, but only things that Boy Scouts might be proud of.  None of them would slip to allow him to move the knot toward his neck.

    The nine chapters are arranged chronologically and given not only a title, but also a subtitled date, which immediately allows the reader to place Edward’s age and stage of life.  The beginning of each chapter is enhanced with a vintage black and white photo taken by the author himself.  Think how the photos in Water for Elephants give you a visual cue to carry along with the text; it’s a beautiful accent, and I imagine Meeks must have had fun going through his collection to find photos that fit the novel. 

    Here is one from the second part of “Orange Crush” (Spring Quarter 1974) as Edward settles into a dorm and university life.  In this chapter, concerns about connecting with a woman take precedence over concerns for his schoolwork.  Edward is a sensitive and fair character.  Unlike many of his classmates, happy to connect for only one night, Edward searches for a special woman.  I wonder if this constant quest is a result of losing his mother so young.

    This photo is from “Hi Jolly” (Summer 1979).  Without giving away the plot, I’ll share that Edward has moved to Alabama to manage a mini-mart on the outskirts of a trailer park.  Ever the idealist, his visions of 7-Eleven style uniformity contrast the cliched reality of life at Eastwind.

    Edward is a delightful character; he’s sensitive and creative … I wish he were my brother!  Perhaps his biggest flaw is the self-doubt that runs through each chapter; in other words, he shows his human side.  Edward is endearingly real, and readers will be rooting for him in every situation.  The Brightest Moon of the Century will appeal to readers across genders and generations. 

    Read other reviews at The Medieval Bookworm and Raging Bibliomania,

    Time-sensitive info:  Christopher Meeks will be reading from The Brightest Moon of the Centuryat Vroman’s (695 East Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA) on March 7, 2009 at 5pm.  Also, his play, Who Lives is being produced by the Pico Playhouse (10508 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles) March 12 – 29, 2009.  Unfortunately, I’m on the other side of the country, but I’d love to hear from anyone who attends either event!

    ]]> http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/03/03/book-review-the-brightest-moon-of-the-century-by-christopher-meeks/feed/ 15     Teaser Tuesday: blending in with the crowd http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/02/24/teaser-tuesday-blending-in-with-the-crowd/ http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/02/24/teaser-tuesday-blending-in-with-the-crowd/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:00:01 +0000 sheistoofondofbooks http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/?p=3773

     

    TEASER TUESDAYSis hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and asks you to:

    Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.  You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from [...]]]>

     

    TEASER TUESDAYSis hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and asks you to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.  You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!  Here goes:

    • The fact was that Edward did not love his school, but no one bothered him there.  At Eastbrook Junior High School, Edward Meopian was not a wallflower but more like a hearty, imperceptible weed.

    This great teaser is from Christopher Meeks’ novel The Brightest Moon of the Century.  It’s on only the second page of the first chapter/story in the novel.  Edward’s widowed father is threatening to send his son to the McCory School, a private boys’ school; Edward is opposed to the idea, since he likes the way he blends in with the crowd at Eastbrook.

    The novel has an on-sale date of March 7, but I happen to know that you can order it now.  If you were intrigued by my review of Months and Seasons, or read all the positive press about The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea, get yourself to a bookstore and order The Brightest Moon of the Century.  Now.

    Tell me, did you stand out from the masses in school, or were you more content to blend in?  I was definitely a “no waves on the surface” kind of student – good grades, decent outward conduct … but, like an iceberg, you never knew what lay beneath the waters!

    ]]>     http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/02/24/teaser-tuesday-blending-in-with-the-crowd/feed/ 8     Teaser Tuesdays: lost in the mail? or is it something else? http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/01/06/teaser-tuesdays-lost-in-the-mail-or-is-it-something-else/ http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/01/06/teaser-tuesdays-lost-in-the-mail-or-is-it-something-else/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:25:32 +0000 sheistoofondofbooks http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/?p=2977

    TEASER TUESDAYS is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and asks you to:

    Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.  You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” [...]]]>

    TEASER TUESDAYS is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and asks you to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.  You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

    • My tease for today:

    He knows why he is thinking of Denise with this keenness.  Her birthday card to him did not arrive last week, as it has, always on time, for the last twenty years.

    This is from Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, a collection of linked stories that center around Olive, a retired schoolteacher in rural Maine.  In this excerpt, her husband, Henry, is thinking about a former employee at his pharmacy.

    I’m really enjoying the “novel in stories” or “linked stories” concept.  I recently read The Islands of Divine Music (John Addiego) which had a similar structure.  In yesterday’s mail I got a wonderful surprise from Christopher Meeks, author of the short fiction collection, Months and Seasons.  Chris sent me an ARC of his latest work, The Brightest Moon of the Century … thank you!  I thought this was collection of linked stories, but it says “A Novel” on the cover (as did The Islands of Divine Music).  I’m looking forward to seeing what I find between the covers!

    Have you read any linked short stories?  What are you reading this week?

    ]]>     http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/01/06/teaser-tuesdays-lost-in-the-mail-or-is-it-something-else/feed/ 5