Book Pages

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow

How I Heard About It
*A member of the book awards committee I'm on suggested this young-adult novel to our community members.  I ordered the book and have been reading it over the last several days.  While I was reading the story, I came to learn it was a 2023 National Books Award Finalist.


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:

*"Gather" a dog, comes into Ian's life just when Ian needs him most.

*Ian's life hasn't been easy, being extremely poor and with a mother who struggles; he isn't sure where he fits in.

*Even though Ian could be a basketball star at his high school, he decides to quit so he can obtain a job and help his mother financially.  

*As Ian tries to balance life at home, school, and in the wild; he finds refuge with his new friend Gather.

*He thinks his life is turning around, he is shocked and dismayed when tragedy strikes his family.  


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
*I can see why this young-adult novel was award the National Book Award.

*The story was written with heart, realness, and emotion.

*The style of writing was a bit different and took awhile to get used to, but once I did, I found the story even more engaging.  

*The character of Ian was one of the most compelling and heart-warming characters I've had the pleasure of getting to know through a novel.  

*Themes of family, acceptance, courage, and perseverance were woven throughout each and every page.  


Who Should Read It:
*I've read that every high-school student should be required to read Gather.  I agree.  I also know that adult readers will find great satisfaction and joy reading about Ian's journey during a difficult time in his life.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

How I Heard About It
*While searching a BBC (Boy's Book Club) selection I came across this title.  After a bit of "research", I decided it would be a great pick for the male members of the book to read during the month of October.


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:

*Ruth is the daughter of the local pastor and knows she is expected to be the "perfect" daughter.  

*Everett is the son of a local man who isn't well liked by most of the people in the small town.

*When Everett rescues Ruth in the dark, damp swamp from a local boy, they form a special bond.

*With the myth of the "Low Man" and dead bodies showing up, Ruth and Everett team up to keep their own secrets, but uncover the ones her father and other members of the community work so hard to keep in the dark.

*Ruth is determined to find out the truth of what is truly going on in her community even though it may unravel everything her family stands for.


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
*I listened to the audio version of the novel and found it satisfying.  

*Ruth and Everett were two unique, strong, and unusual characters.

*I was captivated by the mystery of the Low Man and what the "elders" of the community were hiding.

*There were a few portions of the story that moved a bit slow, but I hung in there and I'm glad I did.  One of best I've read in a long time.


Who Should Read It:
*I think this novel would be perfect for any adult reader who enjoys a great mystery.  If you have read other books by the author, I'm sure you will enjoy this one as well.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars






Rating:
   4 STARS out of 5 Stars

Monday, October 23, 2023

An Inside Look #258 (Author INTERVIEW)

         

An Inside Look with John Gaspard

(Author of THE CURIOUS MYSTERIES OF ELI MARKS)


*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*
Season #FOUR
 (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019) 

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019) 

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)

*Season #TEN (Winter/Spring 2021)

*Season #ELEVEN (Fall 2021)

*Season #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)

*Season #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)

*Season #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)

*Season #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)



*I'm excited to present season #SIXTEEN with brand new interviews/authors.  

*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the SIXTH interview in which I'm calling Season #SIXTEEN. 

*Thank you to John Gaspard for being the Two Hundred Eighth author I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  



The Curious Mysteries of Eli Marks

by John Gaspard

(July 16, 2023)

How did you come to know Eli?
I was interested in writing a mystery series and thought a magician might be a good main character. Although I’m not a magician, I know more magicians than the average person. So, I started learning all I could about magic and magicians, in order that the books would be as accurate as possible.

As of this year (2023) there are nine Eli Marks books. I thought it might be fun to look back at how he got into magic, which meant doing a book about Eli at age thirteen. From that came “The Curious Mysteries of Eli Marks.”


What do you think is his most admirable quality?

This may sound odd, but I think it’s his self-doubt. In his teens and in his thirties, Eli is never entirely certain he has the right answer. And many of the times he was sure he had the right answer, he was proven wrong. I think this lack of ego makes him more appealing.


What do you think Eli can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
I think he does a good job of recognizing he’s the new kid in school and not freaking out about it. Just being aware of his situation and understanding that it’s going to take a while to find friends and fit in. He recognizes the situation and doesn’t let it drive him crazy.


How did you research Eli and the circumstances he found himself in?
For grown-up Eli, I did a LOT of research on what it’s like to be a magician (I continue to do a lot of research on that topic, to keep current). But for 13-year-old Eli, I just put him in the same middle grade school that I was dropped in at that same age. My memories of how it felt are still pretty strong.


Do you and Eli share any similarities?
The above-mentioned self-doubt. A fondness for old-style jokes. Curiosity.


What was the hardest scene to write about Eli?
In this book Eli makes a good friend and then loses that friend. Writing that was hard, as it’s always difficult to put characters you like into painful situations.


Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Although readers of the grown-up Eli books are very familiar with Uncle Harry, this new teenage series was the first chance for them to get to know Aunt Alice. (She dies before the grown-up series starts). I’ve alluded to her throughout the grown-up series and quoted her often. Her voice is still in Eli’s head even while he’s in his thirties, with statements like “If you don’t want to slip, don’t go to slippery places.”  But throughout both series, Uncle Harry is the one who has always seen Eli’s protentional and helped him to achieve it. Harry is a tough teacher, but a loving uncle.


Why do you think some young people, like Eli, are attracted to magic and 
mysteries, while others his age have no interest? 

I think for the same reason some grown-ups love to watch magic and some hate it: For some, magic is a puzzle to be solved and they will never enjoy it until they know the solution. But others (like Eli) enjoy the wonder of it all and the impossibility of what they’re seeing. They like magic because it’s, well, magical.


What do you think Eli is doing at the present time?  

I’m in the odd position of know exactly what Eli is up to in the present time, because the latest gown-up book finds him in his thirties, happily married, now the owner of the magic store (and the bar next to it) and still stumbling into solving crimes and mysteries. In truth, the young Eli Marks and the older Eli Marks are remarkably similar, probably because in many ways I still feel like a teenage kid myself.


*Here are links to the Two Hundred Fifty-Seven interviews...


SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

























SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)






















SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)













SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)







SEASON #SEVEN (Fall 2019)




















SEASON #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

Interview #121 with Melissa Savage (Author of Nessie Quest)

Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)

Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)

Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)

Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)

Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)

Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)

Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)

Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)

Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)

Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)

Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)

Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)

Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)

Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)

Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)

Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)

Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)

Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)

Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)

Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)




SEASON #NINE (Fall 2020)














SEASON #TEN (Winter/Spring 2021)

Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)

Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot) 

Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)

Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave) 

Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)

Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)

Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero) 

Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)

Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)

Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas) 

Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There) 

Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)

Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)

Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)

Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)

Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)

Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)

Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)

Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)

Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)

Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)


SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall/Winter 2021)

Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow) 

Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)

Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)

Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)

Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)

Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy) 

Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)

Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)

Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)

Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)

Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)

Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)

Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)

Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)

Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)

Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)

Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)

Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl) 

Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)

Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me) 


SEASON #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)

Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)

Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe) 

Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)

Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin) 

Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)

Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)

Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down) 

Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)

Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)

Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)

Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)

Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)

Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)

Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)

Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will) 


SEASON #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)

Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)

Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)

Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)

Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott) 

Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)

Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake) 

Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)

Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)

Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)

Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)

Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)

Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)

Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)


SEASON #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)

Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble

Interview #228 with Greg Howard (Author of The Visitors)

Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)

Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)

Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)

Interview #232 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of New Kids and Underdogs)

Interterview #233 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of The Hope of Elephants)

Interview #234 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Rover's Story)


SEASON #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)

Interview #235 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Thirst)

Interview #236 with Torrey Maldonado (Author of Hands)

Interview #237 with C.C. Harrington (Author of Wildoak)

Interview #238 with Margi Preus (Author of Windswept)

Interview #239 with Dayna Lorentz (Author of Wayward Creatures)

Interview #240 with Katrina Nannestad (Author of We are Wolves)

Interview #241 with Anika Fajardo (Author of Meet Me Halfway)

Interview #242 with Chrystal D. Giles (Author of Not an Easy Win)

Interview #243 with Gregory Maquire (Author of Cress, Watercress)

Interview #244 with Will Taylor (Author of The Language of Seabirds)

Interview #245 with Gillian McDunn (Author of When Sea Becomes Sky)

Interview #246 with Ann Braden (Author of Opinions and Opossums)

Interview #247 with Jarrett Lerner (Author of A Work in Progress)

Interview #248 with John David Anderson (Author of The Greatest Kid in the Universe)

Interview #249 with Aubrey Hartman (Author of The Lion and Lark-Hayes Manor)

 

Interview #250 with Sally J. Pla (Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn)

Interview #251 with Chris Baron (Author of The Gray)

Interview #252 with Dusti Bowling (Author of DUST)


SEASON #SIXTEEN (Fall 2023)

Interview #253 with Sarah Everett (Author of The Probability of Everything)

Interview #254 with Andrea Beatriz Arango (Author of Something Like Home)

Interview #255 with H.M. Bouwman (Author of Gossamer Summer)

Interview #256 with Kaija Langley (Author of The Order of Things) 

Interview #257 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Half Moon Summer)