Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

Darn that Beth Hoffman. I laughed and cried over her debut novel Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Her second book, Looking for Me, strikes out in a different direction. But, I challenge you to read it all the way through, and not be moved by it. I cried a number of times as I read this deep, thoughtful story of family and loss and trying to find your place in the world. I want to warn readers who loved CeeCee that Looking for Me is totally different. But, Hoffman creates characters who step from the page. I wanted to wrap my arms around them, hug them, and get to know them better. She breathes life into every person and animal in the book.

My review comes with a reminder that Beth Hoffman is a friend, although I've only met her once. And, I didn't know her when I reviewed CeeCee. However, I've reviewed books before by authors who I know, like, and respect, and I've still said a book had weaknesses or didn't hit home for me. Saying that, Looking for Me is a book that I'm eager to share with readers who will appreciate the characters and the beauty of this story.

Teddi Overman is the narrator, a woman of thirty-six as she tells of her family. She's an antiques dealer and faux-finishing specialist in Charleston, South Carolina. But, she's a woman who has lost so much in her life. And, that compelling story of loss and hope runs throughout the story.

Teddi grew up on a large farm in Kentucky where she and her younger brother, Josh, had the run of the farm and the wilderness beyond it. From the moment she saw Josh, she felt he was special, and she taught him what she knew about nature and the wild. He had a special connection to animals and always hoped to be a ranger. Teddi said, "My brother belonged to the forest, its creatures, and all its mysteries. And they belonged to him." And, she reveals his connection in a mystical way, from his passion for raptors, his rescue of an albino red-tailed hawk, to his feeding of a deer. And, it's that connection that leads to his disappearance at eighteen. Years later, Teddi still looks for messages that Josh is alive in the Kentucky wilderness. And, one clue sends her reeling. As she searches for answers, she uncovers truths she never knew about her own family, a family that broke when Josh walked away.

Teddi tells the story as an adult, but she goes back to earlier times throughout the book to tell what led up to the disappearance that haunts her to this day. And, in that telling, she reveals how she became the person she is. She tells about her passion for furniture, beginning with the day she found an old chair in a ditch, and dragged it home. She tells about sharing animals and nature with her brother. At some level, she understands that she and Josh were both "fixers and healers". She fixed and healed furniture. He turned to animals. Their passions were something their scarred mother never understood. She was a woman who was never happy. Teddi once told her, "The world's beautiful, but you're so busy being disappointed in everything that you don't see it." And, it would take years for Teddi to learn how both of her parents were haunted by the past.

Hoffman intricately weaves a love of nature, animals and plants and flowers, into a complex story of family, disappointment and tragedy. Every character, every animal is carefully brought to life with an essential role. There are no unimportant people or animals in this carefully crafted, compelling story. And, the injured animals in the book are treated with as much love as the injured people. Teddi, her brother, Josh, her parents, her Grammy Belle, her friends Olivia and Albert and Inez, and others, all come alive on the page. However, the hawks Ghost and Noah, the raccoon, Ella, and the dogs, Eddie and Buddy are just as essential to this story. Hoffman embodies every person and animal with their own characteristics, their own soul. They are living, breathing characters who could step off the page.

Hoffman brings her own background in interior design into Teddi's life. However, it's the author's deep compassion for animals, and her love of people that make this story so real. There's a depth and emotion to this book that's lacking in many novels. Through Teddi's eyes, we see how people can go through life, missing connections to the people we love, and often not knowing the stories in our own families.And, despite the losses, there are always mentors, people who went out of their way to help Teddie, as she did as well. Beth Hoffman's latest novel is moving, sometimes tragic, sometimes sad, but, there's always a glimpse of hope. It's a beautiful story of people finding connections, their place in life, whether it's with other people, furniture, or animals. Looking for Me sometimes just took my breath away with the compassion and kindness in the book.
 
Beth Hoffman's website is www.bethhoffman.net

Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman. Viking. 2013. ISBN 9780670025831 (hardcover), 354p.

(Did you realize you could win an autographed copy of Looking for Me?" Check out the May 19th post for details.)

******
FTC Full Disclosure - The author sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.

Win it Before You Can Buy It Giveaway

Congratulations to the winners of the last contest. Donna S. of Milford, CT won Steve Hamilton's North of Nowhere, and Brian B. of Brockton, MA won The Day is Dark by Yrsa Sigurdardottir.

This week, I'm only giving away one book, but it's a special one. Beth Hoffman, author of the bestselling novel Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, has a second book coming out on May 28th. Looking for Me is just as wonderful, beautifully written with characters that come to life. Beth sent an autographed copy of that book for a giveaway.

Now, I am reviewing it tomorrow if you'd like to wait to enter until after reading the review. But, why wait? Just check out the cover. And, don't just take my word for it. My mother called it "superb".

So, to enter to win the autographed copy, email me at Lesa.Holstine@gmail.com. Your subject line should read "Win Looking for Me." Please include your name and mailing address. Entries from the U.S. only, please.

The contest will end Friday, May 24 at 6 PM CT. Good luck!

Road Trip! - Indianapolis

Where do librarians go on road trips? To libraries, of course. After I said I had never been to Indianapolis, only through it on vacations, a friend invited me on a road trip with his wife. The three of us set out at 7:30 yesterday morning, and arrived in time for lunch at Shapiro's Deli.

Nothing special to look at, but we were lucky to be there on Saturday. I understand it's packed on weekdays. And, there's a reason it's packed.

I had the Reuben. Picked as the #1 Reuben in Indianapolis, so of course that's what I tried.

From Shapiro's we went to the State Library of Indiana.

It's just beautiful inside.

But, the real treat today was the Indianapolis Public Library.

The old part of the building is just beautiful with the wooden shelves and reading areas.

But, oh, the new part of the building! When you stand on one of the higher floors and look down to the first floor, you can see why a library is a cathedral of learning.

And, you can see why so many weddings are held on that first floor. All the furniture can be moved around, and the brides come down one of those staircases.

OK, I'll admit I'm partial to the inside view, but here are a couple views of the outside from the library.

And, I'll end with a post at the library.. Something for all of us who read books. Sometimes, a passage just hits home.

Weekend Reading?

Early day yesterday. Left home at 5:15 to head to Terra Haute for an all-day conference. Needless to say, I
didn't finish a book to review. So, let's talk about weekend reading. Are you out and about on Saturday (as I am) or are you settled in with a book? Once I get home, I'm reading Lacey Baker's Homecoming, which appears to be the first in a series set in Sweetland, Maryland.

What are you reading this weekend?

(And, you'll want to check in tomorrow when I have a special win it before you can buy it contest.)

Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg

I'm a big fan of road trip novels, particularly road trips involving a group of women. I thought that would be a major focus of Elizabeth Berg's latest book, Tapestry of Fortunes. There is a road trip, but the story is actually about connecting with the past, and discovering what's important for the future.

Cecelia Ross is a motivational speaker who can tell others how to move on with their lives, but she's lost her own focus. Before her best friend died four months earlier, Penny had pointed out that Cecelia never took time to enjoy life or relax. Cecelia felt as if she couldn't quit. She lacked the courage to change her life, and she had even as a young woman when Dennis Halsinger asked her to move to Tahiti with him. He was the man she loved best, and felt loved by, but she didn't have the courage to change her life. Now, years later, she's sort of lost, and wants to move on. Penny's death, a postcard from Dennis, and a push from her mother help to motivate her. Cecelia sells her house, and moves in with three other women.

Cecelia's roommates couldn't be more different. Joni, at fifty-two, is a chef, who loves preparing food for people, but deals with turmoil at work. Renie is a thirty-nine-year-old gay woman who works for an alternative newspaper and has a chip on her shoulder. Lise is a forty-two-year-old physician who owns the house, and has problems communicating with her daughter. And, when Cecelia announces she's making a road trip to visit Dennis, who is temporarily in Cleveland, all three women have stops to make along the way. Cecelia's small fortune telling box invites each of them to reach for answers, searching for their past, and ways to change the future.

Tapestry of Fortunes is a satisfying book, with a road trip, the "Vacation that galvanizes you and makes you feel like you're going to change your life." This time, it's more than just the road trip that brings change. It's a story of friendship, and finding the truth in our own lives. Berg beautifully captures uncertainty, the need for answers, and the need for love.

Elizabeth Berg's website is www.elizabeth-berg.net

Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg. Random House. 2013. ISBN 9780812993141 (hardcover), 219p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - Library book

Thomas Kaufman, Guest Blogger

Thomas Kaufman is guest blogger today. Tom has a new short story collection out in e-book, Erased and Other Stories. He is the author of STEAL THE SHOW,  the sequel to lthe award-winning novel, DRINK THE TEA. He is also an Emmy award-winning director and cameraman who has spent a lot of time with cops, filming "The FBI Files," "The Prosecutors," and "New Detectives" for Discovery Channel. He has also shot training films for the FBI, as well as hundreds of documentaries.

Tom's going to talk today about "Writing Blind". Thank you, Tom.

Writing Blind

Has anyone ever given you advice that, right up front, you knew was rotten?

What about if you’re a skeptic, like me? Bum advice and a cynical viewpoint, not a great combo.

That’s how I felt when I read FICTION by Michael Seidman.  The author includes a small piece of advice that made me so angry, I threw the book across the room. Then I took a walk to cool down. Seidman had written something in his book that couldn’t  be right. Maybe it was a typo? I turned around and walked back, picked the book up from the carpet and took another look. Nope, not a typo, the guy actually meant what he wrote.

It was close to six and my turn to make dinner. I went to the kitchen, started a stew, and continued my stewing about Seidman.  So okay already, what did he write? Well, in his book, he advises writers to not look at the  screen when they are typing. Turn off your monitor, Seidman says. Put a piece of paper over your laptop screen. Don’t look at what you’re writing.

Now, I’m the world’s worst typist. I mean, just on this little article you’re reading, I’ve spent almost as much time correcting as I have in writing. So when I write a novel or short story, I always look at the screen, sometimes even back up to make corrections. Kind of a correct-as-you-go approach.

With Seidman's method, I’d have to correct everything afterwards. I’d also have to close every other program on my laptop when I was writing, so I wouldn’t accidentally hit the wrong keys and switch to, say a browser, and have all my writing come to naught.

The guy’s bonkers, I thought. Certifiable.  For some reason, his advice bugged me for days till I finally gave up. “Okay, okay,” I grumbled, I’ll try it.”

I was ready. I even did a small exercise to focus my brain, then started writing.

Now, up to that moment, getting 600 words out in a day was difficult. My first try using Seidman‘s method, I wrote 2000 words. Dang.

Why the big difference? I think it has to do with switching off the critical part of your brain.  That part’ll come in handy when you start revising. But for a first draft? The critical part gets in the way of the creative part. So Seidman’s technique, in essence, switches off the critical part of your brain.  His method lets the words flow.

This is now the only way I write. The flow is good and, while I may not make 2000 words a day, I know I can get 600 or maybe 1000 or maybe 1500.  Plus, writing blind makes it easier for me to think in a linear, scene-building fashion.

So thanks, Mr Seidman, wherever you are.  Even a skeptic like me has to admit, you’re on to something. And how about you? Ever receive a pearl of advice you at first thought was an onion?

And, thank you, Tom. If you'd like to check out more of his writing,

here's the link to Thomas Kaufman's story collection, Erased and Other Stories - http://amzn.to/YtXHFw  

Tom Kaufman's website is www.thomaskaufman.com

Dead, White, and Blue by Carolyn Hart

Just knowing that Dead, White, and Blue is Carolyn Hart's fiftieth book is cause enough for celebration.

However, the fireworks in the latest book launch another mystery in the Death on Demand series featuring Annie and Max Darling. Hart throws her own party in the book, and naturally it ends in murder.

Summer in Broward's Rock, South Carolina means a busy time for Annie Darling at her mystery bookstore, Death on Demand. But, she takes time to celebrate the fourth with her sexy husband, Max. As members of the country club, they enjoy the dance and fireworks. They may be lost in their own romantic world, but even they can see that some of the members are not happy with Shell Hurst. And, no one missed the woman who taunted club members, and then walked away into the night on the 4th. It took a teenage girl to come to Max, report her missing, and swear Shell would have answered her cell phone.

Max isn't easily convinced Shell Hurst didn't just leave on some billionaire's yacht. But, Annie starts to have doubts, and the two are soon questioning the people who might have had uncomfortable dealings with Shell that night. And, there's additional pressure when a mystery writer, a reader, and Max' mother all start texting them, "WTB." "Where's the body?"

Fans of traditional mysteries will relish Dead, White, and Blue. First, there's the pleasure of the bookstore, Death on Demand, with all the mysteries and authors mentioned by name. Then, there's the slow collection of clues as Max and Annie gather together threads to piece together the correct answer. And it ends perfectly for mystery junkies, with the revealing of the murderer back at the country club, surrounded by a cast of neighbors, friends, and suspects. Dead, White, and Blue is the perfect fiftieth book by a master of mysteries. It doesn't matter if you haven't read previous Death on Demand books. If you love mysteries, you'll want to add this latest Carolyn Hart treat to a collection of satisfying mysteries in which justice prevails.

Carolyn Hart's website is www.carolynhart.com

Dead, White, and Blue by Carolyn Hart. Berkley Prime Crime. 2013. ISBN 9780425260777 (hardcover), 288p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The author sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.

The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland

I've never been a member of a book group before moving here, and I have to say it's forcing me to read  books I never would have picked up. And, it forced me to get past the first two chapters in Susan Vreeland's novel,The Passion of Artemisia. Those two chapters were difficult, particularly the first one with its violent torture scene. However, those two chapters were the motivating forces behind Artemisia Gentileschi's art.

Vreeland tells the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a 17th century Italian artist, whose suffering and betrayal at the age of eighteen figured prominently in her later art. At eighteen, her father accused a fellow artist of raping her and stealing a painting. When the trial was brought to the papal court, Artemisia was forced to face her rapist in court daily, face the crowds that viewed her as a whore, and, finally face torture and humiliation. When the case was settled on return of the stolen painting, a wounded Artemisia demanded that her father find a way for her to leave Rome. A hasty marriage to a painter from Florence was the means of escape, and  the means of a new world for Artemisia and her art.

Vreeland imagines Artemisia's life as a wife, a mother, but, most of all as a woman passionate about her art, and determined to paint. Guided by the advice of Sister Graziela, a nun in the convent where Artemisia lived after her mother's death, Artemisia was determined to paint, to find patrons, and to make a name for herself. In Judith, and other strong women from the Bible, Artemisia found an outlet for her anger against her rapist, her father, and men. And, at the cost of relationships, she placed her art above everything else in her life.

Susan Vreeland has brought to life one of the first women artists to be recognized in her own time. She also points out the cost to artists and intellectuals of the period as Artemisia finds a kindred soul in Galileo. And, she points out the cost to women in Artemisia's early rape and humiliation, and the story of Sister Graziela. The Passion of Artemisia is a fascinating look into a world when women had little power, and men and the Church had too much power. It's a story, though, of one woman's passion for art, a passion that directed her entire life.

Susan Vreeland's website is www.susanvreeland.com

The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland. Viking. 2002. ISBN 9780670894494 (hardcover), 288p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - Library book