Heather Hobbs's Blog, page 2

Happy Halloween! I’m officially one book away from completing my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 30 books this year (yay!) This month I read:

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz: I really like Lutz’s Spellman series so I gave this a try. It is a totally different type of book (the Spellman books are really funny while this much darker in tone.) I enjoyed this book but I didn’t love the ending. I also found myself more interested in one of the secondary characters than the main character.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena: This was not my favorite. The premise sounded really interesting:

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

I was drawn in at the beginning but by the time I reached the middle of the book, every single character was annoying me. Also, the ending was just unnecessary to me. So I wouldn’t recommend this one.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I’ve finally read a Rainbow Rowell book! I see what all the fuss is about – I really liked this book! Here is a blurb:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan…

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Out of the three, I definitely had the most fun reading Fangirl! Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Time for Top Ten Tuesday! This week is a Halloween related freebie so I’m going with my top ten books to read before/during Halloween! These are books I found to be eerie, suspenseful, dark, and/or just plain scary!

Jamaica Inn (honorable mention to Rebecca!) – I really like Daphne du Maurier’s books and Jamaica Inn is one of my favorites.

The Shining – I  read this because I was too scared to watch the movie and thought the book wouldn’t freak me out as much. I was wrong.

NOS4A2 – The author of this bookhappens to be the son of Stephen King. This works well as a Halloween or Christmas read (if you like being terrified at Christmas.) Here is the blurb:

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – a nd terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Winter People – I’ve mentioned this one in the past so I won’t say too much on this other than than it was creepy. Definitely a good Halloween pick.

Dracula – Of course!

More Than You Know – I’ve mentioned this as well in the past so I’ll just say it’s a ghost story, a quick read, and I really enjoyed it.

Emerson Hills – You can check out my author interview with Nicole here. Definitely a Halloween-appropriate book if you are looking for an indie author to check out.

Devil in the White City – This is such a great book. This is a true story of the 1893 World’s Fair as well as a serial killer that used the fair to lure his victims. This book is incredibly interesting.

Gone Girl or Sharp Objects or Dark Places – Obviously Gone Girl is the most popular but Sharp Objects and Dark Places are darker in tone, I think.

In the Blood – Ugh. This book was keeping me up at night. The kid in this is just…no.

Do you like scary books? What are some of your favorites?

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is fun – Ten Characters I’d Name a Pet after! [You can also do child, car, etc.]

Addy (American Girls) – When I was a kid I loved the American Girl dolls. I had the Samantha doll and read the books for each girl that was out at the time. I named one of my cats Addy, after Addy Walker.

Watson (Sherlock Holmes) – I feel like this would be a good name for a cat. Preferably one those cute ones with a smushed face.

Finn (Huckleberry Finn) – Not much to say here, I just like the name.

Milo (Catch-22) – A perfect name for a dog, if you ask me.

Frankie (Frankenstein) – I had a cat named Frankie. The original owners named him Frankenstein because he had a white lighting bolt-looking patch of hair down the center of his face. He was adorable.

Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) – I think this could work for a male or female pet.

Daisy (The Great Gatsby) – I have a little shih-poo (half miniature poodle, half shih-tzu) named Daisy. I’ve always liked the name, I think it’s sweet.

Jo (Little Women) – When I got my cat Addy, I also got her sister, Josie. I was inspired by Josephine March in Little Women when I picked the name.

Blanche (A Streetcar Named Desire) – Plus it would remind you of the Golden Girls, and that’s fun.Stella also works (probably a little better.)

Blue (The Passenger) – I’m picturing a dog with this name but it could work for anything, really.

I can’t wait to read your lists! Feel free to posts links in the comments below

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic: Books You Read Because of a Recommendation! The following books were recommended to me by friends and family – some I enjoyed, others…not so much.

The Weight of Blood: This is a murder mystery/psychological thriller that takes place in the Ozarks. This was recommended by a friend who has similar taste in books and movies. I really enjoyed this book. It’s not a pleasant story but it’s well written and held my interest from start to finish.

50 Shades of Grey: I had multiple friends and family reading this (and enjoying it) so I finally gave in and got the book. This was probably some of the worst writing in a published book I’ve ever read. I do not get why people love this. Well, I mean I get it but…no.

The Hunger Games: This was recommended by a classmate. I saw her reading it before class one day and thought the title was interesting. I asked her about it (having never actually spoken to her before), and she raved about it. I bought it the next day and thought it was great!

The Martian: This was recommended (and loaned to me) by a coworker/friend. We also went to see the movie together when it came out! Great book and a great movie.

A Walk to Remember: I have a family member that is obsessed with Nicholas Sparks. When I casually mentioned I hadn’t read any of his books, she suggested I start with this one, her favorite. I didn’t become a Sparks super fan but it was better than I expected it to be.

Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx: This was recommended to me by a high school teacher (he gave me his personal copy, now that I think of it.) It’s a true story and I could not put it down.

My Sister’s Keeper: This was recommended by a cousin, who happens to be a big Jodi Piccult fan. I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn’t particularly care for the ending (at all) but it did tackle a difficult subject and raised some interesting questions. I don’t think I would recommend it to others though, just because I was so annoyed at the end.

Marley & Me: This was recommended by my mom. I’ll start by saying I don’t like books or movies about animals because I usually end up crying. That being said, I really enjoyed this and it made me laugh out loud numerous times. And yes, I still wound up crying.

Shiver: This was recommended by a friend and fellow fan of YA. She pitched it to me as “like Twilight but better.” I didn’t really care for it but I’ve read some really good reviews of other books by this author so I will give her books another try.

Shutter Island: This was a recommendation by the same friend as mentioned above. I read it just before the movie came out. Since then I’ve read seven other Dennis Lehane books and plan on reading Mystic River in 2017.

Do you read books recommended by friends or do you prefer to pick them on your own?

I happen to love cookbooks! If I’m enjoying a meal alone, I’ll flip through one while I eat, picking out meals I’ll probably never make. Some cookbooks I use regularly (Better Homes & Garden’s Bridal Cookbook is my current favorite), and some I only read for fun (because everything in my Emeril cookbook has 5,000 steps takes 2 days to make.)

Recently, a friend of mine received a Bob’s Burgers cookbook as a gift – how fun is that?! This cookbook, based on the TV show, got me wondering about literary cookbooks. So today I’m posting a list of a few Literary Cookbooks I’d love to add to my collection!

The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker – This includes over 100 pioneer recipes. It also has a lot of interesting stories and history so you get to learn while you cook! Looking at the index on Amazon, the food actually sounds really good!

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz – How fun is this?! Chapters include Treats From the Train, Holiday Fare, and Treats in the Village. Each recipe begins with the inspiration for it’s inclusion, including the specific HP book and chapter.

Cooking with Shakespeare by Mark Morton and Andrew Coppolino – I have a feeling some of the dishes in this may be less than appetizing or have ingredients that may be hard to find in 2016. But that’s part of what would make it so interesting to read, I think.

The Boxcar Children Cookbook by Diane Blain – This cookbook includes passages from actual Boxcar stories that inspired the recipes. One example – Baker’s Bread in a Bag. I would have loved this as a kid.

The Alice in Wonderland Cookbook by John Fisher – I’m curious (or should I say curiouser and curiouser) about this one because I want to know what sorts of recipes are in the book – I imagine they are pretty creative. Unfortunately this one is out of print and a used Hardcover is selling for over $80 on Amazon.

I think these would make fun gifts for book lovers, especially if they like to cook! What are some of your favorite cookbooks?

It’s Friday (yay!) Today’s Classic Remarks topic: What children’s classic couldn’t you read enough when you were growing up?

When I was in elementary school I could not get enough of Dr. Seuss! I would bring home Dr. Seuss books from the school library on a regular basis to read with my mom.  After a while I think she got tired of being tongue tied and suggested I try another author. So I started bringing home Roald Dahl books instead (so much for not being tongue tied!)

So I’ll say The Lorax and The BFG were my favorites when I was really young. Here are two quotes from each:

The Lorax: I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.

The BFG: “Words,” he said, “is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life.”

What was your favorite classic children’s book as a kid?

September has been really crazy! I feel like a slacker because I haven’t had time to participate/comment on other blogs much this month but I’m finally back in the swing of things. However, due to lots of time spent in airports, I did manage to read 5 books!

Prayers for Rain by Dennis Lehane – This is the fifth book in the Kenzie & Gennaro series and I enjoyed it. Like the previous books in this series, the topic was pretty dark so it isn’t for everyone. But if you like super creepy stalker weirdos you may enjoy it

Today is the start of Banned Books Week!

If you are unfamiliar, Banned Books Week launched in 1982 after schools, libraries, and bookstores saw a surge in challenges to books. The Banned Books Week Coalition is a national alliance of organizations who seek to “increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read.” The 2016 theme is Diversity!

The Banned Books Week website has all sorts of resources, webinars, and videos. They even a We Need Diverse Books YA Short Story Contest! You can also check out this interesting Censorship Mapping Project: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/mappingcensorship

Most local libraries hold special events for this week so make sure to see what’s going on in your area!

Just for fun, here are my Top Ten Favorite Books on the American Library Association’s list of most frequently challenged books! I’m also adding why the book was banned or challenged.

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: This has been challenged due to magic, setting a bad example, and being scary, among other things.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: This consistently makes the challenged list every year because people find its racial and sexual content inappropriate.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey: Reasons include glorification of prostitution, murder, and obscenity.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: One reason is the claim that it desensitizes readers to violence. I think it does the complete opposite, personally.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: Banned for being sexually explicit and morally corrupt. Side note: this is one of my all-time favorite books and I highly recommend reading it!
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein: Challenged for promoting “disrespect.”
Beloved by Toni Morrison: Banned for violence, language, and “inappropriate topics.”
The Giver by Lois Lowry: Challenged for being “too dark.”
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: This has been challenged or banned since its publication, basically. Mainly due to the use of racial slurs.
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl: For encouraging disobedience, and for having magical elements.

And honorable mention to Where’s Waldo by Martin Hanford! I have no idea how this was challenged so many times that it made a top 100 list but there you go!

For more information on how to Celebrate the Freedom to Read this week, check out the Coalition’s website: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/ or the American Library Association’s website: http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek.

What are some of your favorite banned books?

It’s Classic Remarks time! Anyone can participate – check out Pages Unbound to see the 2016 topics!

This week’s topic: Which Austen adaptation is your favorite and why?

This is a hard one! I really like Jane Austen and I love Austen film adaptations! I’m going to list three because that’s as far as I can narrow it down (there are many others I enjoy that are not on this list!)

Pride & Prejudice with Kiera Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen – I expect to see the P&P miniseries starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth on many bloggers lists, and rightly so. There is something about this version, though, that I can’t get enough of. I love it!

 

Sense & Sensibility – The cast is amazing and the film is so well done. You can’t go wrong with Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and Hugh Grant!

 

Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow – I’m not the biggest fan of Paltrow’s acting for some reason but she really nails it as Emma. I remember seeing this in the theater and wanting to own it immediately!

And I’m going to give an honorary mention to Clueless, which is a loosely based adaptation of Emma, because it’s hilarious.

Your turn – what is your favorite Jane Austen film adaptation?

Today I’m super excited to post my first author interview!

My friend Nicole Sewell is publishing her second book – Emerson Hills – on October 6th. It’s a ghost story (just in time for Halloween!) and is available for pre-order now – links below!

YA Author Nicole Sewell

Heather: Hi Nicole! Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed! Can you tell the readers a little about yourself?

Nicole: I’m a full-time wife, mother, and recruiter at a staffing company. I love toast made from white bread, and HATE bananas.

Heather: Emerson Hills releases October 6th – what is it about?

Nicole: Trailer parks, ghosts, and the power of friendship. Ha! Kidding. Sort of. It’s about a girl who is being haunted by the ghost of her worst enemy. And smoking pot. And concussions. And friendship bracelets…I’m bad at this. Here’s the jacket summary:

Seventeen-year-old Jordyn Bentley lives in a trailer park in Georgia with her overworked mother and slacker older brother. Like any trailer park, Emerson Hills is full of drama usually reserved for daytime talk shows. But things get serious when local pageant princess and trailer park resident Emmy Roper goes missing after shoving Jordyn in front of a truck.

All eyes are on Jordyn, who has been Emmy’s worst enemy for years and has every reason to want revenge. To make matters worse, Jordyn is being haunted by Emmy’s annoyingly cryptic spirit.

With accusations flying and an irritating ghost on the loose, Jordyn sets out to prove her innocence and put Emmy to rest with the help of her best friend Rachel, and Brandon, her brother’s hot friend who lives across the road. The cops are breathing down her neck, the clock is ticking, and it just might take help from beyond the grave to clear her name.

Heather: This book is considered Young Adult. What draws you to this genre?

Nicole: I prefer Young Adult just because I’m not a fan of gratuitous sex. There’s plenty of sex in YA, but no heaving bossom’s and throbbing members. I also have decent memories of my late teen years, so it’s fun to relive those to some extent.

Heather: Emerson Hills is a ghost story. Do you believe in ghosts?

Nicole: I do. And here’s why: I believe in spiritual entities, beings that exist on a higher non-corporeal plane, and everything in between. If you believe in God, angels, demons, souls, aliens, etc., you kind of have to include ghosts in that mix. Now, do I believe ghosts are scary things that float around and terrorize people out of spite? No. I think “ghosts” are released souls or energy that are making their way to the next plane. Occasionally one gets caught here.

Heather: Did you have to do any research for this book? There is a séance scene that was pretty creepy; have you been to a séance before?

Nicole: I’ve never been to a séance, but I did pick the brain of a few people that I know dabble with that kind of stuff. I guess you can call that research. I also watched some YouTube videos. They were all pretty lame, honestly. The most informative people I spoke with were the Pagan and the Satanist. Two different perspectives that are radically different from my own Christian perspective. I did a little research on head injuries and the rate of decomposition of bodies too. Not exactly the most pleasant, but it was interesting.

Heather: Along with being a ghost story, Emerson Hills is also a murder mystery. I was surprised by who the killer was – was that your intention?

Nicole: Fo’ sho! Actually, I went back and forth with who I wanted the killer to be. Literally right up to the very end, I had one person in mind. And then I was like, “No, THIS!!!” I’m always REALLY happy when someone tells me they were surprised.

Heather: Can you give us a small excerpt of the book?

Nicole: Sure…

“Wanna go in?” she asks.

I stand up from the porch swing and stretch with my arms above my head. “Yeah, why not?”

Movement three trailers up catches my eye. It’s Jason and his lifelong best friend, Kyle, with that bitch Emmy.

I roll my eyes. “God. What’s she doing here?”

Rachel twists around in her seat. “Let’s go inside before they get here.”

Jason catches my eye and walks a little faster, leaving Kyle and Emmy behind.

“Hey,” he says, taking the four front steps in two strides.

“Carlos is looking for you,” I say, watching him closely for signs of nervousness. His face tells me nothing, other than that he needs to shave. And cut his hair. It’s starting to curl around his ears and at the back of his neck. His shirt is so wrinkled it’s like crepe paper. “You look like shit,” I add.

He narrows his eyes, giving me a bland smile before he turns to Rachel. “What’s up?”

“We were about to go inside for a minute,” she says, standing up.

Jason’s eyes drift to Kyle and Emmy as they cut across the neighbor’s yard to join us on the front porch.

Emmy stomps up the steps in her stupid ballet flats. She’s only been on the porch for three seconds and I already want to punch her in the throat.

We didn’t always hate each other. Emmy Roper has always been Camp Springs, Georgia’s pageant princess. We used to compete side by side until fifth grade, when I won the crown and she got first alternate. Emmy considered it an act of war, and even though I quit competing, she’s hated me ever since.

I take in her freshly bleached roots and immaculate hot pink nail polish. Why anyone would want to be a living Barbie doll is beyond me.

“Mom probably won’t want a bunch of people in the house,” I say, glancing pointedly between Jason and Emmy.

“She’s working late. It’ll be fine,” he says, putting his arm around Emmy. Emmy giggles and flips her hair over her shoulder, eyeing me, daring me to say something.

“Well, I don’t want her in the house,” I say.

“Tough shit.” He tightens his grip on her and leads her into the house.

The screen door screeches and bangs behind me, the last one in. If it was just Rachel and me, we’d go to my room. Since Jason brought his fan club, we make ourselves at home in the living room because the last thing I want is Emmy Roper in my bedroom, touching my stuff.

Heather: Even though Outside was a serious topic, there were times when I laughed out loud. Does Emerson Hills also have humor in it or is it just totally scary?

Nicole:  I meant for Emerson Hills to be a comedic horror. I’m a fan of movies like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead and Jennifer’s Body. I don’t like super-intense horror. If there aren’t moments of hope and a laugh or two, I usually can’t handle it.

Heather: What was the hardest part of writing Emerson Hills?

Nicole: Developing the romance at a reasonable pace and keeping it relevant. I always struggle with that, though. I’m a fan of the slow-burning romance, but have a hard time writing it myself.

Heather: Okay, last question: What can we expect from you in the future?

Nicole: I’m working on two projects simultaneously. Literally one sentence at a time… One is a contemporary romantic thriller that takes place in the same universe as Outside. The other is a supernatural angels/demons type thing that I plan to make into a series. Finding time to write is a serious challenge though. I’m probably going to have to take some vacation days or call in sick if I ever hope to finish anything!

Heather: Thanks so much, Nicole! I hope Emerson Hills is a huge success!

You can pre-order Emerson Hills on Amazon now! And be sure it add it to your to-read list on Goodreads! You can also purchase her first book, Outside, for only $2.99!

Thanks again, Nicole!