The Cure for Dreaming + Giveaway

Title: The Cure for Dreaming

Author: Cat Winters [Website][Twitter][Facebook]

Publisher: Amulet

ISBN: 9781419712166

Length: officially 368 pages OR my copy 342 p. + "When and Where U.S. Women Gained Full Suffrage" + "Recommended Reading"

Obtained: ARC snagged at ALAAC14

Why this book?:

It looked interesting, and after briefly skimming the back cover, sounded intriguing.

Comments:

If I had really understood what this book was I probably wouldn't have read it.  That would have been a shame...

I am so profoundly relieved and grateful that women before me fought to make life better for the future generations.  As I read I tried to imagine what my life would be like when and where Olivia's story took place (1900 Portland, Oregon).  What I would be like.  It's unfathomable and terrifying.

So even while I'd get so emotionally involved as I read this that my hands would be shaking or I'd be nauseous, I remained enthralled.  I wanted to know how things came out for Olivia, a 17-year-old budding suffragette.

On her birthday (Halloween) she attends a show with her friends.  There is a new, young hypnotist in town (Henri).  In the course of his show he asks for volunteers.  Olivia is the first of them.  This is the first time Henri hypnotizes Olivia, but it won't be the last.  Olivia's father has word that she's been supporting a suffragette movement.  He has the idea that she can be hypnotized into changing her ways.  Thus begins a mesmerizing tale of a young girl's fight to discover her voice.

Interspersed throughout the book are pictures and quotes from the time, reminding the reader that the underlying history was all too real.  It seems Cat Winters has already written another historical YA book, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, that I'd definitely be interested in reading.

Giveaway!

If you'd like to try this book (due to published this October), please enter using the form below. ( I seem to be having technical details, so if you can't get the form to work or don't see it, leave your email address in the comments.)  Open internationally.  The winning entrant 2 days (48 hours) from contact to respond back with a mailing address. Non-response will result in a new winner.

Winner: Kimberly!

The Broken

Title: The Broken

Author: Shelley Coriell [Website][Twitter][Facebook]

Publisher: Grand Central Romantic Suspense (Forever)

Series: Apostles, Bk 1

ISBN: 9781455528493

Length: 375 pages

Obtained: Free at ALA "Isn't it Romantic?" panel program

Why this book?:

I've been intrigued and wanting to read it since I heard the author talk, not only about the main plot, but also about how she first had the idea and came up with the story.

Comments:

I used to read a lot more romantic suspense than I do these days, but I still enjoy it.  The Broken was no exception.  I quickly read through the story.  (During which time I creased the front cover of my signed copy.  I accidentally sat on it when I took it to the parade - like I was going to have a chance to read there.  Grrr.  But I couldn't leave it behind just in case.)

I liked the heroine (Kate), the hero (Hayden), and of course Smokey Joe (whose character was all the better from hearing how he was inspired by the author's father!).  The butcher was horrible, and I wasn't sure how the story would work when the heroine said she knew who it was so early on in the story, but it did work.  I had some pretty conflicting thoughts about Kate's family.  Wow.

Anyway, I was happy about the HEA.  I've already put requests in for the next two books in the series and look forward to reading them.  (I also requested this one since we don't already have it.)

Interview/Chat with Shelley Coriell:

Click here to watch. (I couldn't get the video to play properly on here.)  (Apparently this only works on some browsers.)  This video includes the inspirational story I mentioned.

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil

Title: The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil

Author: Stephen Collins [Website][Twitter][Tumblr]

Publisher: Picador

ISBN: 9781250050397

Length: 240 pages

Obtained: Free copy picked up at ALA Annual Conference 2014

Why this book?:

I thought it looked interesting and fun.  I love the title.  The description on the back cover is great.  And I just had to read it.

Comments:

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil is a graphic novel done all in black and white.  But that works because the people of Here seem to be very in the box black and white thinkers.  But then something strange happens.  Dave, who is the definition of a model Here citizen, suddenly begins growing a quite unwanted beard.  And everything goes downhill from there - or does it?

The description I read mentions that the book covers, "life, death, and what it means to be different."  Being third in the list, I didn't quite expect the book to be so much about being different, but that was the main theme I saw.

I read the last 3rd to the kiddos (while we waited in the car for their mama) - with some impromptu editing to make it more age appropriate.  It was very interesting, with some parts rather funny, and others very much a statement about society.

I'm now passing it on to coworkers...