Always a Witch

New book review for Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough up over on Book Ears, Go on over and check it out.

To be or Not to be...A Witch

BOOK EARS Bookish Holiday Gift Guide

First ever Book Ears Holiday Gift Guide for the young adult and middle grade readers in your life!

Got book?

http://bookears.blogspot.com/2010/12/bookish-things-for-christmas-gifting.html

sometimes what you need after vacation is a little more vacation

Okay, I’m back from vacation and already wondering when the next one will be. Because it was wonderful and I wanna go back! Please?

Catching up on work, laundry and back to school preparedness, which is somewhat akin to hunkering down for the coming apocalypse what with clothes shopping, school supply gathering – it’s amazing how rabid people get over a bin of #2 pencils - and getting the kids back into a normal go-to-bed-before-I-throttle-you mode. That first bus comes awfully early tomorrow morning at 6:39 am and Imma gonna need mah sleep. And one helluva big infusion of caffeine come the morrow. Wish me luck.

I’ve got vacation tales to share which include a broken toe (not mine), a casual run in with a NY Mets pitcher, getting caught in the rain, a broken camera (mine) and a meadow full of monarch butterflies under a sunny sky. That post, or posts, are in the works and will take some time I don’t have right at this moment because laundry work school cleaning... I promise it will be awesome! Or like being forced to sit and watch our vacation slides. Only you can decide.

But, BUT, as I was cruising through my google reader this morning, because I am nothing if not an avoider of all-things-that-must-be-done, I found a new entry from Dear Author, one of my favorite book review sites. Dear Author dishes on the latest romances worth reading, encourages intelligent discussion on the romance genre, and publishing in general, as well as introducing new authors to the reading masses. They host some serious cool contests too.

The latest one is the Berkley Fall Giveaway  in which 110 books are being lovingly handed over to the contest winner. That’s right, 110! That’s one big ass to-be-read pile!

My suggestion? Go check out the site, add Dear Author to your reader, because they are cool and you should read them every day, and then enter the contest.

110 books! Need I say more? Really?

stealing the romance

It’s no big secret that I’ll read just about anything printed that passes in front of my eyes or that catches my interest. Oh Hey, Words! On Paper! Gimme.

The other morning I started reading the newest Cornelia Funke book, Reckless. The first chapter caught me pretty quick with a missing father, a mirror to a secret room and a spidery fanged man that fell from the ceiling. Yeah, tell me you could walk away from that opening?

I do have a predilection for romance novels, though. I bet you’re thinking, Really? Romance? Please.

Yes. Romances. Those character driven tales of the struggle to find love & happily ever after. Real life is often full of stress, frustration, chaos and other types of mind numbing bullshit like dusting and laundry, why shouldn’t people steal some happiness by indulging themselves in books filled with fun dialogue, hot sex and the ultimate ending of everlasting love? Do you know how many romance novels sell every year? A MOUNTAIN. I’m not going to bore you with details just know that people need their mind candy.

Now I have a confession. I stole my very first romance novel.

Right out of my sister’s bedroom. The room I was never, ever, under penalty of severe sibling torture, supposed to step foot into without an explicit invitation. Which of course, I did. *waving at my sister, who will call me shortly to discuss my routine transgression of personal boundaries.*

She had a subscription to the monthly Silhouette line and I was fascinated by those skinny little books, a full box of them, delivered to our doorstep, addressed directly to her. That box was like a treasure chest as far as I was concerned and I was not allowed to touch it. That right there? BIG RED FLAG.

So one day while she was out, I snuck in, riffled through a pile of them and quickly dashed back into my room and closed the door.

Oh, do I remember the thrill of those moments! Forbidden books, successful thievery, secret pages full of romance and seduction. It was so freaking awesome.

Imprinted in my brain, for all eternity, is the very first one I devoured behind the closed door of my bedroom, gulping down the words and story, because my sister was bound to notice my trespassing and come reclaim her books after doling out a little sibling justice. I have no idea who wrote it, or what the title is, but I would love to get my hands on a copy to reread it.

Please, if you will, our Heroine: Julia, the selfless young woman off to confront the wicked casino owner who is holding her reckless sister’s debts over her head. Our Hero: Rome, the wicked sexy casino owner, takes one look at the delicately beautiful young woman, nose turned up at his debauchery, and decides he will forgive all her sister’s debts if he can have her for one night. Young martyr that she is, she hands herself over. Soon, after weeks of remembering those hours in the hated, but oh so sexy, hero’s arms, our young heroine discovers she is pregnant from her one night of sacrifice and after confronting our hero with this news, he marries her, purely for the heir she carries, which upon delivery he will keep and they will go their separate ways. Yet, secretly, love builds between them as they navigate this time together. When she goes into labor, almost losing the baby, he proclaims his depthless love for her. She too announces she would give her life so this man can have the child he so desperately wants and if she cannot have him then, really, life is totally not worth living. And they all survive and live happily ever after.

See???? This stuff is so much better than sparkly vampire lust when you’re an eleven year old girl, whose room is filled with Unicorns and Rainbows and Flying Horses. Because it can so totally happen!

This began my proclivity for stealing romances from my sister, which ended when she got married and moved out and I began spending all my allowance money to buy my own.

Last week I listened to an older Nora Roberts romance, one from the early 90’s, Captivated. It’s the first in a four book series, The Donovan Legacy. I really enjoyed the story when it first came out; finding these older category romances in audio book form is really fun. It’s like meeting old friends for a drink.

The basics: Morgana Donovan, proud confident shopkeeper witch meets Nash Kirkland, cynical carefree horror screenwriter. Sparks fly, views clash, friendship and love evolve. The past rears its ugly head, reminding Nash why he’s cynical and carefree, Morgana wants to be wanted for who she is and there is conflict. When the dust settles, Nash realizes he’s been a jerk and chases the love of his life to her Ireland refuge, Castle Donovan. They kiss, make up, after he’s apologized properly for being an ass. Happily Ever After ensues.

When I read a book, it’s like theater in my head. I see it and hear it; the voices, the colors, the scenery. I reread the books in this series too many times to count years ago. Yes, I am that much a book geek. This makes approaching books that I’ve already read as audio an interesting event. I didn’t know the narrator of this book, how her interpretation of the characters would carry, would the telling, as it were, match my vision.

At first, not so much, but it didn’t take me long to make the adjustment. The voice wasn’t as strong as I thought it should be. The female character, per my memory, needed a huskier voice and the change in pitch for the male seemed a little off. It was fun, as it was the first time I read it, to have the story read aloud and revisit the characters I enjoyed so much once before.

I just want it on record that I’ve made up for the romance thievery. I share all of my romance novels with my sister now. And just about everything else I read. Or listen to. Because I am awesome like that.

wide eyed, along for the ride

When I find an author I like to read, I will systematically get every title they have written until I catch up. I'm weird like that. This strategy usually keeps my Need-to-Read list quite full, usually overflowing with possibilities.

I'm listening to The Plantation by Chris Kuzneski right now and so far it delivers on the promise his other books did for me. Action right from the start by way of a night time forest chase followed by a sinister abduction of a pregnant woman as she leaves her doctor's office. Enter Jonathan Payne and David Jones, friends, wise asses and ex-military powerhouses. Another woman abducted turns out to be the girlfriend of Jonathan Payne, and he's not one to let the bad guys get pull that kind of crap.

Payne and Jones share a strong friendship through the bond of shared military experience, by way of the elite M.A.N.I.A.C. team, their dialogue it full of zings at each other with sarcasm to spare for anyone who gets in the way of their latest escapade. The action is constant and the plots twist and turn back on each other until the very end and I'm usually surprised by how it all wraps up.

For me, the best elements of a Chris Kuzneski book, beside the snappy dialogue between Payne and Jones, are the facts and historical tidbits that infuse the story. There is always something fascinating to be gleaned from the entertaining tale, as you are hauled, wide eyed, along for the adventure.

I've listened to each and every one of Mr. Kuzneski's books, so far all have been narrated by Dick Hill, who is one of the best audio book narrators by far.

***cross posted over at Book Ears, the audio book recommendation site I put together to share my thoughts on what I listen to on my commute. These are not compensated reviews.***

need to read

Books Galore! Seriously, there are more books out on the market than one has the time, or the inclination to read, because frankly some of the books out on the market suck fantastically and we've all read some major bombs that people have raved about only to experience the desire to hurl them across the room within the first two chapters wondering why the hell anyone liked this particular piece of drivel enough to recommend it and you're left wondering how in hell these people can be your friends if they would even think for a minute that you would like this book, and for that matter, how can they be your friends if they do?

But this is really not that post, this post is about books, books and more book recommendations that the fantasy/sci-fi enthusiast would love to curl up with while ignoring their offspring and spouses to explore new and exciting worlds that only the most  gloriously twisted imaginations could envision. I thank the Gods for the these people, because without them, there might only be Nicholas Sparks or Dr. Phil books and that would have suckitude on par with being forced to read Bridges of Madison County again. **shudder**

I mentioned a couple of times here that I heart this book with the passion of twenty burning suns, The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and think you should all go out and buy a copy now, I mean now! go on, I'll wait, because when you are done reading, or listening to the audiobook, as I did, you will come back here and thank me for opening the windows to your reading experience, it is that awesome.

Just look at that cover, it whispers 'read me, for there are secrets amid storm.'

And since my geekdom has been established more than a few times here, I confess to an extreme level of giddiness with little heart bubbles floating in my head space when I read on his blog today that the second book in this trilogy comes out March 2011. Date already recorded. The Wise Man’s Fear, I await you.

I made another blog discovery while checking in with Mr. Rothfuss, a blog entitled Whatever, by John Scalzi, a Sci-Fi writer and bearer of great book recommendations for those of us afflicted with the need to read about other worlds and strange beasties. Mr. Scalzi offers up a nice insight into his life as a Sci-Fi writer and his other job, which you can read for yourself when you visit his blog, and the best part is that there is a lot of great books mentioned on his blog just about every where you look.

My "Need to Read" list just exponentially increased from an hour poking around his blog today.

So, go feed your head. You will be satiated.

***This is not a sponsored post, just me forcing my opinions on you. Like good friends do. Out of love. Seriously.

Weight of Silence Book Review

When the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour for The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf, presented itself through Mothertalk.com, I eagerly signed up. The excerpt I had read on Barnes & Noble, previous to the books release, had put the title on my “to be read someday” list. Mothertalk.com upped the timetable by sending a review copy pretty quick.

The first pages reach out with slithery fingers to snatch at your curiosity, rattle your instincts and pull you in pretty quick. Calli Clark is a seven-year-old girl who has chosen silence. She hasn’t uttered a word in three years and no one in her family really knows why. Calli’s silence is heartbreaking to her mother Toni, who longs to hear her daughters voice again. Toni wonders if her volatile marriage is responsible for Calli’s silence and questions her ability to be a good mother and if her children are damaged beyond repair.

The Weight of Silence revolves around Calli’s silence and the disappearance of Calli and her best friend, Petra Gregory. The girl’s families discover they are missing one morning and the hunt begins to find the two lost little girls in Willow Creek, Iowa.

Soon the possibilities of what happened to the girls begin to emerge. Calli’s father, a known angry drunk, with violent tendencies, can’t be found. Ben, Calli’s older brother, has recently been in trouble for threatening a schoolmate. And Calli’s school counselor is among the missing. Petra’s parents also face their own inner troubles, and their daughter’s disappearance tests the bonds of their marriage, while the search for their Petra is under way.

Heather Gudenkauf has crafted a deft mystery that forces her characters to look closely in the mirror. By telling the story through alternating character voices, a chapter for each person, the threads of the town and the families involved, weave the fabric of small town life, exposing its darkened undercurrents. Initially, after the beginning pages, I found this style a little disturbing, and almost put the book down, as the narrative breaks up a bit in the beginning, as flashes of the past are presented and a picture of the person speaking unfolds. Once I got through the second chapter, I felt more in tune with who was who, and the alternating viewpoints really brought the story to life. The terror and heartbreak the families endure, during this time, came through in each of their voices, loud and clear. Calli’s fear and bravery, as she struggles through the woods avoiding her tormentor, and finds comfort remembering her time in the woods with her brother Ben, was so real I wanted to go and check on my own daughter to make sure she was safe and sound.

There are some usual plot diversions thrown in, such as the previous kidnapping and death of a young girl in another town. The past romance between the Deputy Sheriff and Toni. The federal investigator, brought in to help the small town investigation, casts aspersions on each of the families, focusing for a time on Calli’s brother Ben.

As the story winds down, there were a few surprises I didn’t see coming, which made the story more explosive. All in all, the Weight of Silence is a good mystery that keeps you wondering, and hoping that Calli can find her voice in the midst of such turmoil, and for her family to remain strong.

*** This is cross posted over at the new review page, Catootes Reviews. (catchy name, I'm so creative like that.)

I'd love to hear back from anyone who's read the book and get your opinion.

book love in bulk

Book Expo America was just over a week ago and I haven't had a chance to even mention it except for a couple of brief twitter entries. I think Twitter and I are going to separate. Really, my lifestyle really doesn't support such a relationship.

BEA is a big bibliophile bizarre. For me, so much fun. I heard other people complain about the hassle of it. Feh! I say to those who complained. It's a huge perk of my job, a perk which I really love. I don't write much about my job here, because you know, Dooce. Things appear to have turned out okay for her, though, so maybe I'll rethink my strategy on that.

I loved BEA. The chaos of Javitz Center, the cramped aisle ways, the mass of people. It was such fun to wander around, spy the occasional author, see the new books, get some author signatures if you're so inclined. This year I was able to get Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson to sign a copy of one of their audio books in the Brilliance Audio book booth. Ridley Pearson looks like an aesthetic librarian. But he and Dave Barry were so nice when I asked them to dedicate the book to my son, who absolutely loves Peter & the StarCatchers as well as the latest Ridley Pearson series, which I cannot remember the name. Samantha Kane and Mari Freeman, over at the Ellora's Cave Publishing booth, signed a couple of their hot erotic romance books. Seriously nice ladies, go buy some of their books! SuperHubby will definitely enjoy the after effect of reading those!.

I try to avoid the huge author crowds, as it's damn hard to fit in all the business meetings and catch the big name authors. There is only so much that can be done in a day, dammit. Back in 2007, Janet Evanovich signed a couple of new books for me, which was cool and since I'm such a nice person, I gave them to my sister, who's the big fan. At the same show Laurell K. Hamilton signed a graphic novel poster of Jean Claude from the Anita Blake series, which was such a great series before it turned to shit. Look, I love me some hawt erotic vampire love as much as the next woman, but this series strayed so much from where it was that it painful to read the last two books. I'll find me some new vampire mayhem and sex, thank you very much, and hope that someday Anita kicks some ass again. That is a completely different bitch rant, because we all know how much it sucks when a favorite series devolves into a puddle of horse piss.

Friday was the only day I could get my ass into NY for the show and my day was fucking packed with meetings. Finding time to stroll the aisles and grab some swag was not so easy. I love to get my hot little hands on the publisher bags, it's my secret addiction (or it was until now). I don't know why I am so attracted to those bags, but damn, I'm a bag whore! Part of the fun is also finding the advanced copies of what the publishers are hoping will be the next big seller. I'm not even sure what books I brought home with me yet. My galley grabbing was pretty lame this year because Hey! Getting paid to work!

All in all, I had a blast and am silly happy that BEA will be back in New York again next year. With any luck I'll be able to get to all three days.

Condi vs. Kathy, a sad commentary

So I read an article today that stated Condoleezza Rice reportedly scored a three book deal for 2.5 million dollars. On a similar note, Kathy Griffin also reportedly scored a one book deal for 2 million.

Now, it's pretty difficult for me to reconcile that Kathy Griffin's one book memoir is worth almost the same as Condi's memoirs and a personal view of her time in the White House, working for maybe the worst President ever. And while that latter association just might be the reason for the similarity in payment, I find it hard to accept this sad commentary on what the publishing world believes is worth more.

I'm not a fan of her politics, but Condoleezza Rice certainly has had more influence in the shape of our world than Kathy Griffin's nose job.

And for the love of all things holy, why do I even know about the nose job?

Gah.

The Perils of Plot by Kirk Curnutt

Kirk graciously agreed to write a guest post about his book, Breathing Out the Ghost, which won the 2008 Best Books of Indiana Fiction of the Year Award. He willingly to let me read it and then write about it. I'm still haunted by the characters and the writing itself. Here is Kirk's post and his thoughts on plot.

The Perils of Plot

The hardest part of writing a novel anymore is drama. I used to think of myself as a great reader, but I increasingly find it hard to finish books because I'll get two-thirds of the way into them and then, wham!, suddenly there's no compelling reason for me to get to the end. I always do make it a point to get to the end because I think as a reader I owe that to the author. It's just too easy to say, "I couldn't get into it" and put a book down. Trust me, I deal with that every day in the classroom. Right now I'm about halfway through a fairly popular novel that I won't name out of courtesy. I really looked forward to this book because I think the subject matter is important, but I've lost the steam of my enthusiasm. And I've lost it because on a certain page I was aware the author was shifting into background instead of integrating information he needed to convey about a certain character's growth into the plot. I mean, we're not talking about a paragraph or two of exposition—we're talking eighty pages of it! The whole structure of the book made me scratch my head. Like I said, I'll finish this novel, but it's no longer a page-turner, and it makes me sad. It's more like a bargain that I have to fulfill. Amid the pressures of daily duties—work, mainly—I find finishing it just another entry on the To-Do List.

I was well aware that readers feel those sorts of pressures when I was writing Breathing Out the Ghost. Unless you're fortunate enough to be popular, you're plagued by a basic worry: Who cares? Why would anybody want to read a book by me? That anxiety is one reason that I centered the book around the chase for Dickie-Bird Johnson, the man that Colin St. Claire believes abducted his son. I felt like I needed some action so the characters didn't just drift off into their own heads. That was sort of the thematic point I was trying to make, that grieving can be as solipsistic as it can (supposedly) be healing. But to allow that point to determine the form seemed dangerous. It seemed almost solipsistic, in fact.

Honestly, I borrowed the structure of my book from Moby-Dick. I borrowed a lot out of Moby-Dick—characters, imagery, certain rhythms—but that was the main thing. People tend to forget that Moby-Dick is a very dramatic novel when it comes to the whale-hunting scenes. You just have to bore through a lot of blubber to get to them. In my case I thought that if I could make the confrontation with Dickie the central chapter of the book, I could have two sources of engine power to ride the reader through: first, building up to the encounter with Dickie, and then afterward, dealing with the consequences of an interrogation that goes very, very wrong.

From the perspective of literary fiction, writers tend to dismiss form or drama as a contrivance. This is an attitude that started in the 1920s with the idea that plot—any plot whatsoever—was a formula. Suddenly, to be "literary" you had to eschew any semblance of dramatic development. That's why the early part of this century is full of novels like Djuna Barnes's Nightwood that are very interesting explorations of psychology and sexuality but which move with all the speed of a molasses drip. The idea was that there is a deep structure to fiction that you wanted to convey instead of the relentless rat-a-tat-tat of action. It was a rebellious thing to write a novel that seemingly went nowhere, because you were going against the inexorable grind of time, forcing the reader to step out of the speed at which the culture was hurling forward to discover the still center of meaningfulness, of significance. The peace that passes understanding.

Inevitably, though, what was rebellion becomes its own contrivance. By the 1960s and 70s it was a mark of cool to write a novel that was episodic, disconnected, disjunctive. In the hands of somebody great like Thomas McGuane, you ended up with books like Ninety-two in the Shade that are kind of the equivalent of period movies like Two-Lane Blacktop: they're flat and drifty, but the ennui of their atmosphere is making a statement about the temper of their times. But in many other writers, you just end up with books that feel lumpy and unshaped. They don't feel like they've been edited. I don't mean copyedited, which is important as well, but I mean edited in the sense that nobody seems to have argued with the writer's choices. Why this scene here? Why that? Again, I won't mention names, because that's ungracious. But I bet every reader can name one or two books in which there just didn't seem any forward motion to the character development. The story just sort of plods along. My hope is that form will become a major preoccupation again. Maybe they'll even teach it in creative-writing classes. I think plot has to become important, in some ways, because writers are competing with so many media that seem so much more direct and assertive in their storytelling. Video games, for example. You're at Level A and you need to get to Level B. There's a plot for you.

We live in such a rush of events that there doesn't seem time to sit and process the meaning and consequences of them. I think many writers view novels as a medium that runs contrary to that current. But doing so shouldn't come at the cost of the integrity of its own aesthetic shape. There's a grace and rhythm to a current, after all. It's much more attractive than dumping a gallon of water out of a pail in one fell swoop.


Breathing Out the Ghost can be purchased here, here or here. Go buy a copy.

Be sure to look for his next book, Dixie Noir, coming in the fall from River City Publishing. Any author that can draw the level of emotion out of me, as Kirk did with Breathing Out the Ghost, is one to follow.

You can learn more about Kirk at KirkCurnutt.com and check out his other books as well.

This whole process, reading this book, putting together my review, and hosting Kirk's guest post has been an incredible experience. Maybe, if I whine enough, Kirk will periodically check back in and maybe even write up a guest post every now and again. On whatever topic he chooses.

Kirk, you will always be welcome as a guest blogger at Catootes! Thanks so much for sharing your post and your stories!

Breathing Out The Ghost

Back in November I took a request to write a book review. My first thought was, How cool! Someone actually wants me to read their book and offer my opinion. Then I thought, what the hell do I know about writing a book review? My final thought was, Why not? I like to read and I always have an opinion on something, even if I don’t know what I’m shooting my mouth off about. So I said yes, making certain that the requester knew I had never done such a thing before. It’s always best to admit your ignorance up front and center, so everyone knows exactly where you stand. A week or so later a book arrived in my mailbox.

I love books. The texture of them, the scent of them, and most of all, the possibilities of them. When you first hold that new book in your hand, the potential of the story has yet to be revealed. The characters just waiting to share their voices. So it was with anticipation that I began Breathing Out The Ghost, by Kirk Curnutt.

Colin St. Clair is lost and loosing ground, stoked on speed and guilt and misery, as he searches for his kidnapped son A.J. at every missing child location he can reach. Being pulled along the path of destruction in Colin’s wake is Robert Heim, an ex-private investigator who cannot break the troubled tie between himself and Colin. Along the way they meet Sis Pruitt, a woman living with the ghost of her dead daughter, murdered years before. This meeting, amidst the search for another missing child, is where Colin, Heim and Sis find the beginning of their lives. If they can face the grief, misery and loss to breath out their ghosts.

This is a dark disturbing book. The characters are troubled and lost, all of them, due to circumstances both beyond their control and of their making. They left me feeling unsettled in ways I can’t fully describe and yet I was an eager voyeur as their paths unraveled on the pages before me. Each one is living with haunting memories that they cannot bear to view head on, in the light of day. Bearing witness to such grief makes this an emotionally difficult book to read. I could feel Colin’s despair, the sense of being adrift with little sense of direction and not caring. Heim’s frustration with his, and Colin’s, behavior is keen but there is resignation as he carried out the next task in his self-appointed role as Colin’s keeper. I wanted to rail at Sis’s stoic demeanor and push her to face her memories, even as I accepted the reasons for shutting down and holding them in close. I could identify with Colin’s slide into despair and darkness, even as I found it inexcusable and self-indulgent as he left his wife and daughter behind. He doesn’t ask for sympathy, and doesn’t deserve it. Sis’s strength is her deepest fracture, brittle and sharp, scraping at everyone around her. Her pain and grief are less palpable than Colin’s, perhaps dulled with time, but very real and just as driving. Heim was the hardest one for me to understand. Why he held such a deep need to pull Colin back from the brink of destruction time and again, despite the further erosion of his own life’s framework as he did so, was difficult to fully grasp.

At times I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish Breathing Out The Ghost, but Curnutt’s writing pulled me back, to follow along to the very end. His way of telling this tale is subtle, the nuances of emotion and struggle compelling me to sit, observe and, most importantly, feel . Maybe I wouldn’t have been so affected, so disturbed by these people and their ghosts, as well as the living grief of Colin and Sis, if I wasn't still struggling with the loss of my parents and nephew. But written as they were by Kirk Curnutt, their stories resonated with me, leaving me thoughtful, yet oddly uncomfortable among the echoes of their pain. It’s hard to say I enjoyed this book when it so strongly evoked my own memories of loss and grief. While not normally the type of novel I would pick up for casual reading, Breathing Out The Ghost wove in and around my thoughts and emotions, holding me as captive to it as Colin, Heim and Sis were to their own ghosts. And that is what a good book is meant to do.


P.S. Kirk has agreed to write a guest post about Breathing Out The Ghost. Check back for that in a day or so. I'm really excited about this! Plus, he has another book coming out this year. I know I'm going to buy it.

*Bookcover image courtesy of River City Publishing