To Be Continued: When a Series gets you Hooked

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Andrea Anglin

I am smack dab in the middle of an epic book series – Game of Thrones. I’m currently reading book four, A Feast for Crows and can’t put it down. I’ve already downloaded book five and I know I will look like some kind of strung out addict when I finish that book because I’m pretty sure George R.R. Martin hasn’t written a sixth book yet. As I contemplated this world I’d been sucked into and the rich characters I’ve come to know, love and hate, it made me think of other book series’ I loved.

As a kid the Mary Poppins and Peter Pan series’ were an escape for me. Maybe you didn’t even realize there were more than one of these children’s books, but it’s true. And I’m not talking the Disney versions of these books, but the original, wonderful tales of fantasy and make-believe by P.L. Travers and J.M. Barrie.

My favorite show as a child was Little House on the Prairie so it is no surprise that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s set of Little House books makes my list of favorite series. Ingalls Wilder painted a picture of her youth that was rich in history (I love historical novels) and charm. I came to love Ma and Pa like they were my own parents. And I’d like to think that my Pa would blow up a pig bladder for me to play with like a balloon if I’d lived in the 1800′s.

I knew many girls in school who loved and adored the Babysitter Club series by Ann M. Martin or the Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal and lived vicariously through the exciting lives of the tweens and teens in those series. I know I read some of those books too, truth be told.

I asked my 12-year-old son which book series is his favorite and he said he’s been enjoying, The Infinity Ring, written by various authors. My nine-year-old daughter enjoys Geronimo Stilton, by Geronimo Stilton (we laugh at this). Geronimo seems to be the Ralph S. Mouse of this generation.

I went through a long spell of not reading any fiction in my teens and early twenties. I read many self-help kinds of books or fiction for my classes, but not for pleasure. My mom introduced me to her favorite series, Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins and I became engrossed in that time of tribulation after the Rapture. Mom says this is still her favorite series.

As an older adult, I’ve read several series. Some are dark and delicious like the Dexter novels by Jeff Lindsay or the Heartsick series by Chelsea Cain with it’s disturbing tale of a serial killer and the broken detective determined to catch the killer. Some series’ like the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris are kooky and fun with a dash of darkness, but not much.

One of my all time favorite series is The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It can be argued that Katniss Everdeen is the heroine to this generation as Scout Finch has been to those generations before. Like any good series, The Hunger Games transends time and it’s a series my son loved just as much as I did.

So what is your favorite series and why?

Shadow Woman – Linda Howard

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Kathy Wheeler

Not your typical romance by any stretch of the imagination, however, Linda Howard comes through again.

The setup: The secret service hears shots and in they run. What do they find? The president is dead and the first lady is holding a gun.

Chapter One: The heroine, Lizette Henry, is getting ready for work one morning and looks in the mirror. Imagine her surprise when she doesn’t recognize the face in the mirror.

This is an action packed suspense full of high-tech gadgetry and imagination. Over the course of several nights I have lost sleep, woken up at three in the morning having had to turn on the light and make more progress. I really really wanted to read the whole book through in one shot, but it’s Linda Howard, and that made me want to elongate my time, savor the material. It was tough. I was able to stretch it out for three nights.

The hero, Xavier, is HOT! This is a must read. If you haven’t read Linda Howard then this is a good start, if you have. . .then you already know what I’m talking about.

This story had me waking from a sound sleep with a need to finish the story. Tense and antsy. I felt as if I’d run a marathon when I finished. —Kathy L Wheeler

Geeking Over Perks of a Wallflower

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Bailey Blair

I don’t know if I’ve ever been so excited to see a film adaptation of a novel as I was to see the newest Emma Watson film, Perks of Being a Wildflower. Honestly – my inner nerd/outcast/perpetual teenage girl was practically vibrating with excitement as I settled into my theatre seat – and Stephen Chbosky did not disappoint.

I first learned of this young adult novel when I tasked my sophomore English students with presenting on a book that was, or had been, banned from public or school libraries for Ba nn ed B o o ks Week. The novel itself is a work of art, encapsulating some of the most treacherous aspects of adolescence, from trauma and loss to sexual abuse, with all of the angst that accompanies raging hormones and sexual exploration. No matter how far removed you are from your teen years, the plight of Charlie, the consummate wallflower continues to ring true.

And… the movie. The movie! As I sat staring at all of the people much more beautiful than those in my high school (Seriously – how did Emma Watson EVER get bullied?) I was drawn into the drama – the real drama that enveloped the lives of the main characters. And each time I thought I could not possibly feel worse for Charlie, there was another pitfall, waiting to take him down. Far be it from me to ruin this brilliant film for you, but rest assured that while tragedy and trauma are constant themes throughout, so are love, friendship, hope and the resilience of the human spirit. , pulls you back to high school like you never left.

Reader, Heal Thyself!

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Bailey Blair

I recently took a course on bibliotherapy, a new form of therapy using directed readings related to the client’s presenting issues. For example, if the client was an adolescent dealing with guilt and grief, the therapist might guide her reading of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher; the book weaves together elements of a young girl’s life cut short by suicide – thirteen elements, to be exact.

Many of us read for the purpose of self-improvement; how is bibliotherapy any different? And if I’m putting in the work, I’d like it to be enjoyable, too! Let’s say you don’t quite embrace the idea of “fun”employment and are feeling the drain of repetitious applications, cover letters, and rejections. I’d suggest Overqualified, by Joey Comeau.

So why wouldn’t we use literature as a therapeutic tool? I admit, when I’m in a dark place, I reach for Alice Hoffman, whom, I know, seems like an odd choice to lighten a mood. Somehow, the darkness of her books lets me wallow just long enough to see the bright side.

What brilliant resources am I missing? What books just make you feel good? I’d love to add them to my own library!

Bookie Goodness, Spring Edition

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Malena Lott

by Malena Lott

Sure, spring is wonderful and all that. If we’re hooked up on Facebook, you saw that I even posted a picture of monarchs mating in my backyard yesterday. Monarch, as in the butterfly, not royalty (But that would be more fun, wouldn’t it?)

But as much as I love the wisteria blooming and bees buzzing and azalea buds opening at my new house, I get positively psyched that books are in bloom year around. I know I sound like a total book geek when I say that, but it’s true. While books are more prolific than ever, thanks to Twitter, Facebook and great e-newsletters and blogs, I can always find just the right fit for my mood in the pages of a book.

I don’t get to thank my fellow bookettes often enough for their contributions on the blog. They blog because they love books, love meeting authors and want stories to get their due promotion. It’s tough in the book biz today, so we all need to “share” on FB, RT on Twitter and tell our real life friends about books we heart so much we stayed in the tub until our skin resembled great Aunt Fay’s. (Thanks, Sarah Pekkanen, SKIPPING A BEAT!)

Confession time: I haven’t had an in person book club party since 2010. With my house on the market and the move and now all the fixer upper goodness going on, I’ve put off something that makes my soul soar: getting the girls together to dish about books.

But, NO LONGER. I’m e-mailing my club this weekend and setting a date. I hope you’ll do the same with your girlfriends. I’ve also been way behind in sending out book totes and starter kits to the new book club chapters, so I promise I’ll get to that now that I’ve located the box that had them in it. (Nothing is easy, is it?)

Life is. What I mean by that is we have 24 hours in a day. We choose how to spend it and sometimes the universe forces us to spend it in ways we weren’t expecting. But we forge on and we MAKE TIME for our loved ones, including our girlfriends. That’s what this blog is all about. It’s also about ME TIME and connecting with stories that can make you laugh, cry and give you a-ha moments for life beyond the pages.

I hope you visit Book End Babes often, and remember each month you can click on the book covers in the sidebar for our top picks and read our blog entries for even more book recs in all genres.

Right now I’m laughing my hiney off reading Tina Fey’s BOSSYPANTS, and Rebecca Rasmussen’s THE BIRD SISTERS is so well drawn, I feel like I’m right there in the kitchen with the sisters. If you need a word pick-me-up, then try Sark’s GLAD NO MATTER WHAT. A lot of s*** goes down in life, and peppy people like Sark with her incredible insight into joy really is the icing on the cake some days.

Hugs to all my book-lovin’ friends. Books rock. Girlfriends rule.