Carol Early Cooney

Dear Sarah Addison Allen,

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

Thank you for your response. ✨

Dear Sarah Addison Allen,

I realize this is not the way to write a book review. I usually give a synopsis and then an opinion but in this case, I think that I will bend the format and write you a letter.

I was so happy when I heard that you had a new book out and that it was a sequel to your 2008 best seller, Garden Spells. I happily bought your new book and saved it for my vacation.

I started by re-reading Garden Spells. I knew that I had to renew my acquaintance with the characters and where they were left in time. I enjoyed the book again (may have been the third time…) and was ready to sit down with First Frost to see how things had changed.

First Frost opens with the characters ten years in the future from the end of Garden Spells. There is a new character Mariah, , Claire and Tyler’s nine year old daughter.

I like that your books have an element of fantasy but the fantasy element is just part of who the person is – it does not necessarily set them apart from everyone. In First Frost, Claire struggles whether or not she is really a Waverly. We learned in Garden Spells that each of the Waverly women have a gift – a special knowledge or talent. Claire wonders if she has a gift or is it just that she learned how to mix ingredients to bring desired effects to people? Does her daughter have a gift? If Mariah doesn’t have a gift, isn’t that more evidence that Claire is not a true Waverly?

It is great to see in First Frost that the sisters have drawn even closer over the years and that their husbands, while they seem to ignore the seemingly odd things that happen at the original family home (where Claire, Tyler, and Mariah live) do know that there are “quirks” but they just carry on as if there is nothing odd. (but they both know to avoid getting to close to the apple tree for fear of being hit by an apple)

I loved the new characters that came into the lives of the Waverly sisters during the story. I wish I had Bay with me to put everything in its proper place. I wish I had Sydney’s wisdom when she talked to Josh. Even the Great Banditi, while trying to disrupt their lives ended up strengthening the family bonds.

Thanks so much for your books. I enjoy reading them.

(Is this where it is obvious that I am a Fan?) If you would like to find out more about Sarah Addison Allen, you can check out her web site.

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Talking Books, Uncategorized | Tagged First Frost, Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen | Leave a comment

The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

Elizabeth Berg has a new book coming out on April 14, 2015. (Trumpets are sounding, can you hear them?) The book is a work of historical fiction and is subtitled “A Novel of George Sand.

What I knew about George Sand could be held in a thimble. I knew that George Sand was a woman and that she went by George Sand so that her works would be published. I think that about sums it up. I did not realize that she was French or that she lived from 1804 – 1876.

Synopsis

The book starts in January of 1831 and has chapters that run until the end of Sand’s life. In January of 1831, Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin is leaving her husband and children in the country and going to the city to be with her lover and to sell the book she has written. She is quite confident that it will be sold. Her first encounter with a publisher was not what she expected. She was humiliated. Her second encounter was more positive. She met with Henri Latouche, who published Le Figaro a daily paper. While he thought she showed promise, he felt she had a lot to learn but he would hire her to write play reviews. She would have to purchase her own tickets to see the plays. That was a problem because women had to purchase box seats and she could not afford those tickets. If, however, she dressed as a man, she could purchase much less expensive tickets to sit or stand to watch a play. She started dressing as a man to go to the plays. She found dressing as a man to be a freeing experience. In April of 1832, when she was going to have her first book published, she chose a man’s name because the book would be taken more seriously if it appeared to be written by a man. For several reasons, she chose George rather than the French Georges. “Sand” was the surname that she had used to publish some prior collaborative works so she continued to use that name.

The first chapters of the book tell not only the story of the current year but also reflect back on her life. We learn of the great but acrimonious love between her parents, her grandmother’s objections to her mother, the death of her brother, and the death of her father. All these things are a backdrop to how and why she is who she is. She had a stormy relationship with her mother who seemed to be unable to give George the love and stability that she needed.

George Sand had numerous lovers during her life. She tried to find love with each but came away disappointed each time. The book chronicles her life and loves and how each affected her work.

Isn’t it interesting that she is wearing a dress in her statue?

Opinion

I don’t know if you know this but I really love reading Elizabeth Berg’s writing. (If you don’t already, you should follow her on Facebook.) When asked by a friend about this book, I was a bit stymied. She finally asked, “Would you recommend this book if it was not by Elizabeth Berg?” That gets me down to the crux of the matter. I knew so little about George Sand but by the end of the book, I was not sure that she was anyone that I wanted to know. Now, I don’t think that it was Ms Berg’s job to convince me that I wanted to read everything written by George Sand or that I even had to like her.

It was an intriguing story. I found that I often wanted to ask George Sand what the heck she was doing and why she was doing it. I found her irritating. She seemed to be the poster child for the song “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places.” In the end, I would say that the book was well written and well organized but I was not happy with the subject.

So, can you recommend a book that you didn’t like the subject? I think the answer is “yes” as long as the person you are suggesting the book to knows the subject matter and is interested in that subject.

If you are a big fan of historical fiction or George Sand, I would love to hear your feelings about this book.

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Talking Books, Uncategorized | Tagged Dream Lover, Dream Lover; A Novel of George Sand, Elizabeth Berg, George Sand, Historical Fiction by Elizabeth Berg | 3 Comments

Do You Know Scotland Street?

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

Are you familiar with Alexander McCall Smith? He is a highly prodigious author. While probably better known for his series “The No. 1 Ladies Detection Series”, he has several book series.

Truth be told, I am not a fan of the No. 1 Ladies Detection Series. I started the first one several times but I just could not stick with it. I know they are wildly popular and there are 15 books in the series so far but for some reason I just didn’t like them.

I am a fan of two of his other series. The Sunday Philosophy series featuring Isabel Dalhousie as the main character are entertaining. They are mysteries but they are much heavier in character and place development than on the mystery. There are nine books in the series.

The other series is the series that brought me to Alexander McCall Smith. And almost lost me. I heard about the 44 Scotland Street Series and decided that I wanted to read them. The first book, 44 Scotland Street, was originally written as an episodic novel that appeared in The Scotsman starting in January of 2004 and ran for six months. The book introduced the reader to the fictitious inhabitants of 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. As in any situation, there are characters to love and some to find despicable. The book is often compared to Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.

I enjoyed the first book and then continued to read the series. Unfortunately, somewhere in the series I became disenchanted. I think that the characters that I didn’t like grew in the spotlight and I just felt that my time with the books was over.

Recently, I was going through my library’s eBook catalog and found a newer book in the series that I had not read. I decided that I would try again to see if perhaps I could find the series back to the way I liked it. So, with some question in my mind, I started Sunshine on Scotland Street.

I was pleased to find that the whole cast complete with their idiosyncrasies was back. Two of the characters marry at the beginning, another who’s life seems to be a series of just missed chances continues to be that way, the vain character finds that he has what could turn out to be a twin, and the young lad with the mother who has subscriptions rather than issues avoids his mother’s latest attempt to embarrass him at school.

While there may be points that you would find in common with people you know, each character is slightly exaggerated so as to make the goings on a bit more convoluted and humorous. Unfortunately, it can go a bit too far sometimes and I think that is why he lost me for a few books.

If you have not had a chance to read 44 Scotland Street, I would recommend it. The next book in the series, Expresso Tales was also very good. In the first few books the characters are fun and there are plenty of them to meet.

Here is a delightful interview with Alexander McCall Smith – They even start on Scotland Street!

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Talking Books | Tagged 44 Scotland St., Alexander McCall Smith, Espresso Tales, Sunshine on Scotland Street | 2 Comments

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

The last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster ride around my house. There was a wedding, a job change, sickness, and even a death. Some of these changes have been good, some sad, and for some the end is not clear but it looks bright. All this while the calendar turned to a new year.

I think that timing when reading a book can make a difference in your feelings about the book. I remember clearly that I read the book Pentimento by Lillian Hellman when I was in my late teens or early 20’s. I loved the book. I then re-read the book in my 30’s and was not exactly sure why I was so enamored with it.

I am also a little concerned when an author is famous not as much for his writing as he is presented as more of a “prophet”. I easily admit that I am a bit cynical about “prophets”. But sometimes I am intrigued by what I read in the press and decide that I have to see what I think about an author.

This is what led me to Paulo Coelho’s, The Alchemist. The book was originally written in Portuguese and published in Brazil in 1988. It was published in the U.S. in 1993.

Synopsis

The book tells the story of Santiago, the shepherd boy, who is driven to go on his personal quest. Santiago is an unusual shepherd. He is more educated than most shepherds – he was in the seminary until he was 16. He left the seminary because he felt such a strong pull to travel the countryside and get to know more than just the place where he was born.

It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

And then he started having a re-occurring dream. The dream told him that if he went to the Egyptian pyramids that he would find a hidden treasure. He went to a gypsy who made him promise to pay her one-tenth of his treasure when he got it. She told him that he would have to go to the Pyramids and that there he would find his treasure.

He then meets an old man. He doesn’t really want to talk to the old man but he is polite and they have a conversation. The old man starts talking about the book Santiago is reading. The old man dismisses the book because he feels the book ends up with the world’s greatest lie.

“What’s the world’s greatest lie?” The boy asked, completely surprised.

“It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.”

Santiago tells the man about his dream and the gypsy. The old man then tells the shepherd that it is good that he has found his Personal Legend and that he should follow it. (Note: “Personal Legend” is capitalized in the book.)

The story then goes on to follow Santiago while he goes after his Personal Legend.

Opinion

I really loved this book. Easily, it may have been my frame of mind. I needed to hear the lesson of believing in what you think you should be doing with your life. A lesson of listening and believing in what your heart tells you.

What I found interesting is that in the preface, the author talks about the four obstacles in reaching your personal legend. At first, I was a bit taken back that he was explaining this before I knew anything about the story. After reading the book, I understood the preface more. I actually would recommend reading the preface again after reading the book.

This book is perfect for someone thinking about what they should be doing with their life or someone having a hard time and feeling discouraged about reaching their goals. In the preface, the four obstacles in achieving our goal are explained.

Then comes the fourth obstacle: the fear of realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives.

It is not a long book. Most of the editions are under 200 pages. Because it has been available for a long time, you can probably get a copy from the bookstore or used book store. I read an eBook copy from the library. I am sure the library has copies also.

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Talking Books, Uncategorized | Tagged A review of The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist | 4 Comments

Quotes

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

I don’t know about you but I am a collector of quotes. I receive a quote a day from one source and then I look for quotes on Pinterest.

(Just a quick editorial comment about Pinterest. I had always referred to it as a time suck. I have slightly changed my mind and have had lots of time sucked away by Pinterest. Once I understood it a bit better, I have found it to be a useful tool. )

I thought that as a start to the New Year, I would share some of my favorite quotes with you.