Comprehensive book details Murphy's - a storied retailer from a bygone age

G.C. Murphy Co. was once a go-to store for just about anything in State College, Pa., where I grew up.

Also prominent in town at this time were independent retailers O.W. Houts and Son and Danks Department Store. This predates the rise of Walmart, which after all three of these stores' demises opened not just one, but two super stores in town.

The long list of former Murphy's locations includes many stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Alabama, Illinois, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio ... and on and on.

The Murphy's in State College looked a bit like the store on the cover, at left, of "For the Love of Murphy's: The Behind-the-Counter Story of a Great American Retailer," by Jason Togyer (2008, The Pennsylvania State University Press, 292 pp., $37.95). It was a large, popular and centrally located five-and-dime store on Allen Street, featuring rows and rows of merchandise including clothing, candies and housewares and complete with a long lunch counter flanked by a tidy row of stools.

The Murphy's closed when I was a girl, making way for more modern shops and eventually chain stores in the well-patronized downtown that serves State College residents and the 40,000 or so Penn State students that live in town and on campus.

Having patronized that downtown State College store during my formative years, I never realized Murphy's was such an empire - one that stretched far beyond Happy Valley and the Alleghenies. I also didn't realize the chain was ultimately acquired by Ames - a chain of discount stores that went out of business in 2002.

THE ORIGINAL G.C. MURPHY CO. STORE IN
STATE COLLEGE OCCUPIED THIS SPOT ON
ALLEN STREET BETWEEN COLLEGE AND
BEAVER AVENUES.

By that time the Murphy's store I visited with my mom as a child was long gone. The site of the former Murphy's in the popular downtown business district has been occupied by a number of retailers since then. The original Allen Street site was developed into an Eddie Bauer Store and a Chili's Bar and Grill (where I waitressed in my latter years as a Penn State student). The Eddie Bauer store has since been replaced by an expanded local outfitter and ski shop Appalachian Outdoors.

In his comprehensive and well-designed book, author Jason Togyer has penned a well-researched and well-written account of the G.C. Murphy Co. chain. The research for the book was published with the assistance of a grant from the G.C. Murphy Company Foundation - a nonprofit entity which still exists and administers grants.

"For the Love of Murphy's: The Behind-the-Counter Story of a Great American Retailer" is a handsome, coffee-table sized book that gives a complete account of the company that originated in McKeesport, Pa. The cover incidentally won the 2009 AAUP Book Jacket Award.

While the book contains no photos from the State College or neighboring Bellefonte G.C. Murphy Co. stores, it does feature 72 black-and-white photos from many of the other Pennsylvania stores - mainly McKeesport and downtown Pittsburgh sites.

The photos accent Togyer's highly readable and enjoyable account of the family-run business that thrived for many decades in small-town America.

Book summary (from the publisher):

Five-and-ten stores were immensely popular during the middle of the twentieth century, selling cheap, dependable goods to people from all walks of life. Now the product of a bygone era, these stores were revolutionary in their time, but few today appreciate how important they were in creating our present-day consumer culture. In this sensitive yet honest look at one of the best-known chains of five-and-tens, Jason Togyer traces the history of the G. C. Murphy Company, headquartered in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

Though not the largest chain, nor the first, Murphy’s is remembered today as a commercial trailblazer — a corporation run with honesty and integrity, and, at its peak, a retailer whose more than five hundred stores managed to outsell those of the giant F. W. Woolworth Company by a factor of three to one. Making extensive use of both the company archives and anecdotes from former employees and customers, McKeesport native Togyer re-creates with outstanding detail the world in which the G. C. Murphy Company emerged; its survival and growth during the Great Depression; its response to a strained economy during World War II; its fight against rapidly expanding competitors, such as Kmart; its struggle and recovery in the 1970s; and its unsuccessful battle to stave off Wall Street raiders in the 1980s.

Though modern-day shoppers may not know the Murphy name, they know its legacy. From its adventurous selling tactics to its strict code of corporate ethics, the G. C. Murphy Company should be remembered not as a dusty relic, but as a pioneer in the American business world.

Visit the book's page on the Penn State University Press site.

Click here for the G.C. Murphy's Memories website, which lists store locations.

About the author:

JASON TOGYER IN A 2005 PHOTO IN PITTSBURGH
BY THE PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE.

Jason Togyer is managing editor of The Link, the magazine of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science.

View a video of Togyer speaking with History Center Director of Publications Brian Butko about the book here.

Special thanks to Penn State University Press for providing a review copy of Togyer's book.

Giveaway: 'Tilt' by Ellen Hopkins

"Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins (Sept. 2012, McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster Children's, $18.99, 604 pp.)

Today I'm giving away a paperback advance reader's copy of the upcoming novel "Tilt" by New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins. "Tilt" was written as a companion piece to Hopkins' adult novel "Triangle."  

At first glance, "Tilt" appears to be a collection of poetry. Hopkins has written the book in poem format, with the names of one of the three characters written at the start of each "poem" so the reader knows who is speaking. So while the book is more than 600 pages, the amount of text per page is pretty minimal. It looks like it will be a fairly quick read.

I'm generally not a fan of giving away advance reader copies because they may contain mistakes, so caveat emptor. My review copy of "Tilt" looks clean, however. If you'd like to "win" it, simply comment below with your email address and I will contact one commenter to get an address to send the book to.

ELLEN HOPKINS

Book Summary (from the publisher):

Witnessing the fallout from the poor choices their parents make and the lies adults tell themselves, three teens are clinging to the last remnants of the secure and familiar world in which they’ve grown up. But the ground is shifting. What was once clear is now confused. Everything is tilting.

Mikayla is sure she’s found the love her parents seem to have lost, but is suddenly weighing nearly impossible choices in the wake of dashed expectations. Shane has come out, unwilling to lie anymore about who he is, but finds himself struggling to keep it all under control in the face of first love and a horrific loss. Harley, a good girl just seeking new experiences, never expects to hurtle towards self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be.

Inspired by teen characters first introduced in her adult novel, "Triangles," Ellen Hopkins crafts a wrenching story that explores the ways we each find the strength we need to hold on when our world’s been tilted completely off its axis.

About the author:

Ellen Hopkins is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of "Crank," "Burned," "Impulse," "Glass," "Identical," "Tricks," "Fallout," and "Perfect," as well as the adult novels "Triangles" and "Collateral." She lives with her family in Carson City, Nev. Visit her at EllenHopkins.com  on Facebook, and on Twitter at @EllenHopkinsYA.

Friday creature-feature book giveaway: 'Serpent's Kiss'

Last week I gave away a book about sirens. This week you have a chance to win a novel about witches!

I'm giving away my brand new hardcover review copy of "Serpent's Kiss" by Melissa de la Cruz (Hyperion, June 2012, $23.99, 316 pp.) provided by to me Hyperion. 

The second in the author's Witches of East End series (also known as the Beauchamp Family Series), "Serpent's Kiss" is a follow-up to "Witches of East End." (With that name, I wonder of the author is a fan of one of my fave witch tales, John Updike's "The Witches of Eastwick"?)

Check out the "Serpent's Kiss" book trailer, posted recently by EW.com on its Shelf Life page here. 

Want to win it?

Comment on this post with your email address and or send your mailing address to me at mkaras@pottsmerc.com. I will choose one commenter at random and mail the book to you within the next week.

Book summary (from the publisher):

The first book in the series

The intriguing Beauchamp family introduced in the New York Times bestselling "Witches of East End," returns in "Serpent's Kiss," with dizzying plot twists and spellbinding magic.

Joanna and her daughters, bookish Ingrid and wild-child Freya, are just settling into the newfound peace that has been cast over their small, off-the map town of North Hampton. With the centuries-old restriction against practicing magic lifted, casting spells, mixing potions, and curing troubled souls has never felt so good for the three witches. That is, until everything gets turned upside down - from Joanna's organized kitchen to Ingrid's previously nonexistent love life to Freya's once unshakeable faith in her sexy soul mate, Killian Gardiner.

When Freya's twin brother, Freddie, suddenly returns, escaped from Limbo and professing innocence on a long-ago crime, Freya should be ecstatic. The golden boy can do no wrong. Or can he? Freddie blames no other than her fiancé Killian for his downfall, and enlists Freya's help to prove it. Now Freya doesn't know who to believe or trust.

And for the first time in - well, forever, really - Ingrid is also busy in love. Matt Noble, the handsome and charming police detective, has won her heart. But can romance work between a virgin witch and a mortal who doesn't believe in magic? Things get even more complicated when it appears Ingrid is harboring the prime suspects in Matt's police investigation.

To add to the chaos, a dead spirit is attempting to make contact with Joanna--but does it mean to bring harm or help? Joanna asks her sort-of ex-husband Norman to help figure it out, only to accidentally invite him to a Thanksgiving dinner with a dapper gentleman she's recently begun dating.

As the witches pull together to discover the serpent within their midst and the culprit behind Freddie's imprisonment, everything is thrown into peril. Will the discovery come too late to save those they love most?
 

MELISSA DE LA CRUZ

About the author (from her website):

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs, Blue Bloods Ashleys and Angels on Sunset Boulevard series, and the semi-autobiographical novel "Fresh off the Boat."

Her books for adults include the novel "Cat's Meow," the anthology "Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys" and the tongue-in-chic handbooks "How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less" and "The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch Heels and Faux-Pas." 

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

Melissa, who lives in Los Angeles and Palm Springs with her family, posted some helpful advice for young writers on her website. 

Upcoming booksigning in the Philly area:

As part of the Smart Chicks Kick It! tour, De la Cruz will be at the Barnes and Noble in The Court at Oxford Valley, 210 Commerce Blvd., Fairless Hills, PA 19030 on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. To learn more, call the store at (215) 269-0442

Appering with her will be authors Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Rachel Caine, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Kami Garcia, and Sarah Rees Brennan.

Covered bridges expert, author to sign books at two area events

Covered bridge buffs, take note: Fred. J. Moll, author of “Pennsylvania’s Covered Bridges” (Arcadia Publishing, Images of America Series, July 9, 2012, $21.99, 127 pp.) will be promoting his book at two upcoming  events in the area.

Moll, author and covered bridge historian, will give a presentation on the covered bridges of Pennsylvania on Sunday, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m. at the Berks County Heritage Center off Route 183 in Bern Township. He will present photos of existing and demolished bridges as well as former railroad covered bridges.

Moll's book will be available at the free event, which is presented by the Berks County Parks and Recreation Department. For more information call 610-374-8839 or visit www.countyofberks.com/parks.

Additionally, Moll will sign copies of his book from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 at Books-A-Million at Coventry Mall, North Coventry. For more information about the event, call the store at 610-323-6805.

About the book (from the publisher):

Starting in the early 1800s, Pennsylvania's rich forests provided natural material for the construction of more than 1,500 covered bridges across the state. The first covered bridge was built in 1805. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges looks at the earliest covered bridges as well as those that have survived modern progress. Images also show rare railroad covered bridges that have been saved from destruction over the years. This book invites the reader to step back in time and imagine the days when ancestors traveled through wooden spans to reach their daily destinations.

About the author:

Fred J. Moll, historian of the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania, is a member of the Historical Society of Berks County and the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. He is the author of five books on bridges and several articles for the Historical Review of Berks County, Covered Crossings, Wooden Covered Spans, and Covered Bridge Topics. Photographs in the book are from the author's personal collection, the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania, several historical societies, and private collections. 

Visit the book's website.

Famous actor's exercise-guru mom publishes 'Breakthrough'

VINCE VAUGHN WITH HIS MOTHER, SHEA

Reviewed: "Shea Vaughn's Breakthrough: The 5 Living Principles to Defeat Stress, Look Great and Find Total Well-Being," by Shea Vaughn (HCI Books, October 2011, $16.96, 230 pp.)

Vince Vaughn, my actor crush since the fine 1996 comedy/drama film "Swingers," has a totally hot mom who has written about how to look and feel good in her recently-published book "Breakthrough."

On an Amazon.com review of Shea Vaughn's book, the now 43-year-old actor writes, "I'm grateful my mom took the time to share her passion in this book. Her work ethic and optimism have always inspired me."

Disclaimer: Vince is only mentioned in the acknowledgements portion of Shea's book. He's not included in the book itself - I just use this flimsy excuse to put a smoldering photo of Vince, below, on my blog. The blood connection was enough for me to request a review copy of "Breakthrough" from Ascot Media Group/HCI Books, which they kindly provided.

VINCE VAUGHN

Vince's mom, Shea Vaughn, a 25-year veteran of the fitness industry, describes her "breakthrough" as the moment she realized that where we are right now in life is more important than the future.

"So while we plan for the future, we also need to make the most of today," she writes.

"And this is what I hope, for you to experience a radical shift in how you perceive yourself and find freedom from self-limiting thoughts and behaviors, negative self-talk, and unrequited dreams and goals, and see yourself for who you really are - committed, strong, vibrant, loving, loyal, gifted, and deserving of the very best life has to offer. This is your Breakthrough, and once you have it, you will be ready to seize the immense greatness that is within you and fully capitalize on your personal power."

Shea Vaughn uses this book to very simply spell out her breakthrough philosophy, which spotlights her "5 Living Principles of Well-Being":

1) Committment - "a promise to do something, whether it is to work out, seek better health, find a new job, or be a better person."

2) Perserverance - "the perpetual belief that it I try I will succeed."

3) Self-control - "the realization that you are responsible for everything you do."

4) Integrity - "the level of honesty in the quality of effort you give to the execution of whatever you strive to do."

5) Love - "openness and respect for yourself, for otheres and for life itself."

Vaughn uses examples from her own life - especially her childhood - and stories about those she knows to illustrate and underscore each principle. She incorporates her passions for exercise and health onto the pages and prettily demonstrates yoga-inspired stretching techniques in several series of photos. These are exercises Shea uses in her own workout strategy, SheaNetics.

"In addition to exercising your body, it is critical to engage both the mind and heart in the process," she writes.

Also included is Shea's Five-Day Breakthrough Boost. She includes daily mantras such as "Do not allow negative thought to sabotage your endeavors" and "Hug and love yourself" for attaining the principles. For each of the five days, she includes a healthful recipe, such as Shea's Healthy Energy Smoothie that uses Cod liver oil, flaxseed oil, peanut butter, blueberries and almond milk, among other healthy ingredients.

While Shea's advice in this book is positive and life-affirming, there's just not much of it and the advice is nothing particularly earth-shattering. It's a pleasant book, written in a light tone and printed in an airy font that's double spaced; It could easily be read in one sitting.

I would've liked to have seen more exercises and recipes, and perhaps an accompanying DVD of the exercises.

Random fun fact about Shea Vaughn: She had a bit part as a church-goer in her son Vince's fairly forgettable 2008 comedy film "Four Christmases," with Reese Witherspoon.

About the book (from the publisher):

SHEA VAUGHN DEMONSTRATING AN EXERCISE

If you don't wake up every morning eager to see what gifts the day has to offer, Shea Vaughn has a few words for you. She is the founder of the SheaNetics® concept, a fresh and thorough approach to wellness, exercise and mind-body health. “SheaNetics takes the benefits of fitness one step further,” she says. “It's about uniting the mind and body to reach your goals.”

"Breakthrough – The Five Living Principles to Defeat Stress, Look Great and Find Total Well Being" (HCI), tells the story of the mental and emotional sides of SheaNetics® and the inspiration and answers to living life on your terms and living it well. This doctor-endorsed practice reflects Vaughn’s east-meets-west life philosophy and has found universal appeal and application; placing her on the leading edge of the expanding interest in holistic lifestyle thinking and the positive effects it creates for individuals and corporations alike.

In her book, Shea shares how The 5 Living Principles of Well-Being lie at the heart of SheaNetics® and are powerful tools used in individual coaching and corporate lectures on how to create meaningful and productive results. She also explains how the exercise portion of SheaNetics® is an inspiring and time-saving blend of many respected formats for a creative and effective total body experience – strength, flexibility, body-sculpting and stress relief in one.

"Breakthrough" provides great life lessons and simple recipes for well-being including Shea’s 5-Day Breakthrough Boost. 

“All together it's an easy and effective way to jumpstart your journey to a healthy lifestyle, defeat stress, look great and find total well-being,” Vaughn explains.

About the author:

SHEA VAUGHN

A professional trainer and wellness coach, Vaughn is a spokeswoman for helping others create individual and business well-being. Vaughn is the founder and CEO of SheaNetics®, the revolutionary wellness and exercise lifestyle practice that delivers a powerful mind-body experience and ignites your potential to look and feel your best on the inside and out. Her clients include Chicago Bear teammates and Oprah executives.

Trained in ballet, Tai-Chi, martial arts, Zumba, yoga and pilates, Vaughn is well-versed in Eastern practices including meditation for growth and stress reducation.

She resides in Chicago.

For more information on Shea Vaughn and "Breakthrough," visit www.sheanetics.com.

Book giveaway: 'Wake' by Amanda Hocking

Walking through Barnes and Noble in Wyomissing the other day (struggling not to buy any more books), I noticed a massive display of the new young adult novel "Wake" by Amanda Hocking (St. Martin's Griffin, August 2012, $17.99 hardcover, 309 pp., Ages 12+). The cover that you see at left looked familiar. I realized I had a review copy of the just-published paranormal teen thriller on my desk. 

One I'm offering to you. Thanks to St. Martin's Press.

Want to win it? 

Just comment with your email address and I will contact you for your mailing address if you are the winner. OR send me an email with your mailing address to mkaras@pottsmerc.com

"Wake" is the first book in 27-year-old Minnesota native Hocking's four-book young adult series, Watersong. Hocking is a self-publishing success story. She worked as an adult caregiver by day and wrote books at night. In April 2010, Hocking published the e-book copy of "My Blood Approves," a vampire novel, on Kindle. Her book caught on. By February 2011, according to USA Today, Hocking had seven self-published e-books on its bestselling books list. These included Hocking's Trylle trilogy: "Switched," "Torn," and "Ascend." The novels, which are about trolls, were ultimately picked up by St. Martin's Press for print and e-book. In her new Watersong series, Hocking writes about those bewitching mythical sea creatures, sirens.

Read a March 24, 2011, Huffington Post story on Hocking signing a four-book deal with St. Martin's.

About the book (from the publisher):


Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention — but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all — she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves — or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

AMANDA HOCKING

About the author (from Amazon.com):

Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Her USA Today best-selling series the Trylle Trilogy has been optioned for a film, and the books were re-released through St. Martin's in January 2012. She has two other young adult series out now - My Blood Approves and The Hollows - and a standalone fairy tale, Virtue. 

She is currently at work on the Watersong series.

Click here to view Hocking's blog.

Watch the kinda scary "Wake" book trailer.

Need some help? Writing workshop offered in Exton Sept. 8

Let's face it - we could all use a little help with our writing. Susan Weidener, a former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter turned editor and author, has just the ticket. Weidener has announced a writing workshop she and writing coach Jerry Waxler are offering Sept. 8. Below is information about the workshop taken directly from Weidener's blog, Women's Writing Circle.

 The Art of Life Writing Workshop

Years roll by leaving memories caught between emotion and imagination. In this workshop, you will learn techniques to take tangled, vague, and disconnected memories and turn them into coherent, compelling language that can be crafted into story. Open the door to your life story in an inspiring and supportive atmosphere. 

*Open to men and women writers.

The Art of Life Writing
Presented by
Jerry Waxler and Susan G. Weidener

Saturday, September 8 , 2012
8:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Fairfield Inn, Route 100, Exton, PA.

Who should take the workshop?

This workshop is suitable for adult writers of all levels and experience. In addition to memoir writers, fiction writers will gain a deeper understanding of narration, character and voice, as well as instruction in how to mine your memories for material that can be used in any genre.

What to Expect:

• How to draw on events from the past and arrange them in chronological order.
• The importance of scenes, how to find them, and what to do with them.
• Work from writing prompts and share your findings in small groups.
• How to look for the compelling narrative and story arcs in your life.
• What keeps readers turning pages to the end, and how to find those elements in your life story.
• The challenges and rewards of writing and publishing your story.

Instructors:

Jerry Waxler is an author and writing coach with a master’s in Counseling Psychology. A former vice president of the Philadelphia Writers Conference and former board member for Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, Jerry teaches writing at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, PA. His books, Learn to Write Your Memoir, a step-by-step guide, and Four Elements for Writers, a psychological self-help guide, are available from his website. http://www.jerrywaxler.com/ 

Susan G. Weidener is a former journalist with The Philadelphia Inquirer, and author of Again in a Heartbeat, a memoir of love, loss and dating again. Susan started the Women’s Writing Circle, a support and critique group for writers. Her new memoir, Morning at Wellington Square, is due out in late summer. She is currently working on an anthology of stories and poems with women writers in the Philadelphia area.

Cost: Tuition is $110. Fee includes free coffee and tea all day and buffet lunch.

The Fairfield Inn is centrally located with easy access to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and has ample, free parking.  http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phlex-fairfield-inn-philadelphia-great-valley-exton/

Checks should be made out to Susan Weidener and sent to: 75 Jennifer Drive, Chester Springs, PA 19425. For more information, go to http://www.susanweidener.com or email sgweidener@comcast.net

Read this before bed and you'll likely lose sleep

I've read a lot of really amazing debut novels this year. Amor Towles' "Rules of Civility," Roberta Rich's "Midwife of Venice," Paul Elwork's "The Girl Who Would Speak For the Dead," and "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh all come to mind. 

"Before I Go To Sleep," by S.J. Watson (June 2011, HarperCollins, $14.99 paperback, 368 pp.) also falls in that category. The suspense/thriller of a different sort was given to me by my sister, who predicted I would tear through it. I finally picked it up last week and just like Jennifer said (she's always right!), this is a book I didn't want to put down.

The book is told from the viewpoint of Christine Lucas, a 47-year-old British woman who wakes up every day with no memory. She wakes up feeling like she's 20, and then looks at her self in the mirror and sees her body aged beyond the age she thinks she is and has trouble putting it all together (we all do that ... right?)

Christine wakes up every day in bed with a stranger - one we learn is her husband Ben. Ben does his best to fill Christine in on the pertinent details of her life before heading out the door to work each day, leaving her with a list of things she might do (laundry, walk, etc.). Christine spends the rest of the day trying to figure out who she is and how she's become this way.

Ben tells Christine she was hit by a car years ago and the resulting head trauma has permanently - and likely irrevocably - damaged her memory. Christine can conjure no memory of the incident, and, as with all the other facts about herself, she has to take Ben's word for what happened.

Unbeknownst to Ben, Christine is sought out by a physician who claims he's making advances in the realm of memory loss. Dr. Nash advises Christine to start keeping a journal, and to put it in a place where every day she can read it and re-learn the memories of the day before - and possibly discover new memories along the way. 

Christine does start to keep a journal and it DOES help her make strides with her memory. However, those memories don't always come without a price. She remembers giving birth to a son, Adam, only to learn from Ben that Adam has died. She remembers she was a writer, and discovers she published a novel and was working on a second when she had her accident. Christine remembers her best friend from college, Claire, only to learn from Ben that she and Claire had a falling out and that Claire since has left the country, possibly to New Zealand. And, most intriguingly, she starts to remember the details of a brutal attack by a lover - a strangulation and near-drowning. Ben tells her he knows about the lover and has forgiven her. But Christine still has questions.

So, the reader follows Christine through her days, waking up next to Ben. Sometimes she's naked and so is he. Often he tries to make love to her, although she feels she doesn't even know him. The creep factor just keeps rising.

With the help of her journal, Christine learns quite a bit about her past, and can literally see the lies that it seems Ben tells her each day. He will omit the fact that she has a son from the daily update, for instance.

It seems that Ben is the only person Christine can trust, other than her doctor. But then Christine finds Claire and rekindles their friendship. Claire helps Christine to remember many of the details of her life that she's forgotten since her accident. And the creepy feeling the reader has an inkling of starts to get stronger and stronger.

This novel will keep you turning pages into the wee hours of the morning to try to figure out just what's going on in Christine's life. Something doesn't add up. Well, a LOT of things don't add up.

"Before I Go to Sleep" is not what I'd call great literature, but it is a good read.

I'm not going to spoil the thrilling climax of the story, but I will say it answered some questions but left me with a few more.

Once you've read the book and want to compare questions the book left you with, let me know!

Book summary (from the author's website):

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle-aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is 47 years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities—tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life—and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more un-believable it seems.

Click here for a link to download a PDF of the first chapter.

Click here to view the book trailer. Apparently this is the trailer from the Australian version of the book. It's kind of dark.

About the author:

S.J. WATSON

Steve 'S J' Watson was born in the Midlands, lives in London and worked in the National Health Service for a number of years.

In 2009, Watson was accepted into the first Faber Academy Writing a Novel Course: "Before I Go to Sleep" was the result, a novel that attracted attention from many of the UK's major publishers. Rights have already been sold in 30 languages and a film version is due to beginning shooting later this year.

Read a Q&A with Watson about "Before I Go To Sleep" here.

Visit the author's website here.

Book giveaway: 'Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game'

Today I'm giving away "Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game," by Ridley Pearson (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99, April 2012, Ages: 10-14 years)

If you have kids who are into Disney (and that should just about cover all the kids on the planet), then you might be interested in this adventure novel for young readers from The Kingdom Keepers series.

About the book (from the author's website):

The fifth novel in the Kingdom Keepers series takes to the high seas! Finn, Amanda, and all of the DHIs are back for this new thrilling story that takes readers belowdecks on the Disney Dream. As the Disney Dream joins the cruise fleet, a special treat is in store for guests aboard its inaugural sail from Cape Canaveral to Los Angeles: the Disney Host Interactive teenage guides will be part of the Dream crew.

Finn, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, and Philby are to attend the cruise as celebrity guests, and to perform a ribbon cutting for the DHI server to go live. The Dream is now the most advanced cruise ship in the world.

But all is not right belowdecks. Strange things are happening. Unexplained phenomena. Only the Kingdom Keepers know the truth behind their invitation: nearly every Disney villain is represented onboard the new ship: whether on its decks or in its theaters. It's believed the Overtakers have infiltrated the cast and are "stowaways." Worse: it is believed they have stolen an important journal that once belonged to Walt Disney himself – Finn has been having dreams about this – and that some kind of mission is planned. The ship sets sail filled with enthusiastic guests and crew, and the battle is on in new and exotic arenas. But the end game is far more complicated and intense than anything the Kingdom Keepers had planned on. If the Overtakers get their way, a power will be unleashed that no one will possess the ability to vanquish.

About the author:

RIDLEY PEARSON

Ridley Pearson is the award-winning co-author, along with Dave Barry, of Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, Peter and the Sword of Mercy, Escape From the Carnivale, Cave of the Dark Wind, Blood Tide, and Science Fair. In addition to Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark, Kingdom Keepers: Disney at Dawn, Kingdom Keepers: Disney in Shadow, and Kingdom Keepers: Power Play, he is also the author of the young adult thrillers Steel Trapp: The Challenge and Steel Trapp: The Academy. He has written more than twenty best-selling crime novels including Killer View and Killer Weekend. He was the first American to be awarded the Raymond Chandler/Fulbright Fellowship in Detective Fiction at Oxford University.

Want the book? 

Comment on this post with your email address so I may contact you to get your mailing address OR shoot me an email with your snail mail address to mkaras@pottsmerc.com. I will choose one entry at random and mail the book away to that person. Domestic U.S. inquiries only.

Archer keeps readers guessing with second book in The Clifton Chronicles series

U.S. cover

Reviewed: "The Sins of the Father," by Jeffrey Archer.

Last August I reviewed the audiobook version of British author Jeffrey Archer's "Only Time Will Tell," the first in a dramatic family saga set mainly in the U.K. That review, "First volume of The Clifton Chronicles will keep you on the edge of your seat," which I published Aug. 17, 2011, has since become my most popular post, according to my blog stats.

This August, Macmillan Audio kindly sent me an audiobook review copy of that book's sequel, "The Sins of the Father: A Novel," By Jeffrey Archer (10 hours/8 CDs, MacMillan Audio, March 15, 2012, Unabridged, $39.99). Read by voice actors Alex Jennings and Emilia Fox, the second novel in the Clifton Chronicles carries on with its cliffhangers and twists and turns.

As with the first book, I lost myself in the drama-filled story, which was enhanced by the nuanced male and female voices of various characters, portrayed by Jennings and Fox. I listed to most of the 10-hour recording on a long trip in July - it passed the time as I was driving 8+ hours on a roundtrip to western PA. And, when I had no more distance to cover but still a few discs left and, being hooked on the storyline, wanted to find out post haste what would happen in the novel's conclusion, I listened to the rest on my Sony Discman (a "relic" from the early 90s) during a power outage at my house.

The talented Fox is also featured on the first novel of the series, which aims to follow Harry Clifton over five volumes through age 100.

The print version of "Sins of the Father" was released by St. Martin's Press (hardcover, 352 pp., $27.99) on May 8. See the very brief U.S. trailer for the book.

While "Only Time Will Tell" spans from 1920 to the outbreak of World War II in 1940: the first 20 years of Harry Clifton's life, the second novel follows Clifton from 1940 to 1960.


As with the first novel in The Clifton Chronicles series, Archer ends "The Sins of the Father" - and, I think, all of the chapters therein - on a cliffhanger. It's a great ride and quite entertaining. You won't believe the trouble poor Harry gets into.

UK cover

Click here to read an excerpt from "The Sins of the Father."

At the end of "Only Time Will Tell," Harry had just landed in New York and assumed the identity of a friend. He's almost immediately arrested for murder - one his friend is accused of committing.

The earnest young chap finds himself on the wrong end of a case of mistaken identity. After wrongly trusting an attorney who say's he's there to help Harry, but does anything but help him, Harry goes to prison - in America - for the other man's crime. He is unable to prove that he's not the accused, whose name is Tom Bradshaw. In the meantime, Emma Barrington, mother of Harry's child and presumably the love of his live (though she may actually be his half sister), embarks on her own trip to the U.S. to track down Harry, which isn't so easy as he's imprisoned under Bradshaw's name.

Emma is determined to find Harry, never believing him dead in a ship-sinking disaster has been reported by the authorities. The ever-resourceful Emma tracks down her Scottish aunt in Manhattan, who gives her shelter and support for a reeeaaaallllly long visit (How does one leave her 1-year-old child at home with the nanny for nearly a year?). Emma enlists the help of the local police, her cousin, and local businessmen. After several months, it's the threat of war that keeps Emma from returning home to England, to her young son Sebastian and the rest of her family.

Meanwhile, Harry's writing talents are exploited from behind bars. A shady fellow prisoner prmotes Harry's well-written journals (modeled after Archer's own "Prison Diary" series, perhaps) as his own and publishes them. Of course, the book - under another man's name - becomes a bestseller.

Harry's best friend (and Emma's brother) Giles enlists in the British forces and excels as a soldier. Despite his skills, he's captured and taken to a POW camp. There he learns German and stages a brave escape with another man, who happens to be a school chum.

Also, Harry's mum, a successful London restaurant manager and one of the stars of Archer's first novel in the series, finds herself having to choose between two men she seems to admire equally.

At the same time, Emma and Giles' dad (not a nice fellow) finds himself in hard times and proceeds to swindle just about everyone he knows to regain some of his wealth. He's bent on taking Harry down with him.

Told from the varying viewpoints of these characters, there's never a dull moment in "The Sins of the Father." Their shared history as well as the impending crush of World War II ties all the character's stories together.

Archer, rather a pro at this, propels the tale forward with twist after twist. The result is more of a soap opera than great literature. In any case, it's compelling. As with the first book, when "The Sins of the Father" ends - on a cliffhanger, of course - the reader (or listener, as the case may be) is already curious as to what will happen next.

I look forward to meeting 40-year-old Harry in the next novel and following him for another two decades. 

Book summary from the author's website: 

The Sins of the Father is the second book in Jeffrey Archer’s highly acclaimed The Clifton Chronicles, Archer’s most ambitious work in four decades as an international bestselling author.

Hot on the heels of last year’s launch of Only Time Will Tell, which stormed to the top of the bestsellers chart around the world, The Sins of the Father takes the reader on a breath-taking journey from the backstreets of Bristol to the boardrooms of Manhattan.

The book opens in New York, 1939. Harry Clifton, under the new identity of Tom Bradshaw, finds himself arrested for first degree murder. When Sefton Jelks, a top Manhattan lawyer, offers his services for nothing, penniless Harry has little choice but to accept his advice. After Harry is tried, found guilty and sentenced, Jelks mysteriously disappears, and the only way for him to prove his innocence is to reveal his true identity – something that he has sworn never to do in order to protect the woman he loves.

Meanwhile Emma Barrington, the young woman in question, travels to New York. She has left their son behind in England, having decided she’ll do whatever it takes to find the man she had hoped to marry – unwilling to believe that he died at sea. The only proof she has is a letter - a letter that has remained unopened and unread on a mantelpiece in Bristol for over a year, but the hand is unmistakeable.

In Jeffrey Archer’s epic novel, family loyalties are stretched to their very limits as secrets continue to unravel. The Sins of the Father bears all the characteristic twists of a classic Archer novel, and leaves readers wanting more.

JEFFREY ARCHER

About the author:
 
According to Wikipedia, Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born April 1940) is an English author, convicted criminal, and former politician.
 
Jeffrey Archer was born in London, and educated at Oxford. He was elected to the Greater London Council, and, at age 29, he became Member of Parliament. After five years in the Commons and a promising political career ahead of him, he resigned from the House of Commons after suffering some financial problems surrounding a bad investment.

At age 34, Archer, pictured below, wrote his first novel, "Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less," which sold to 17 countries within a year, was made into a successful radio serial, and was later televised in 1990 by the BBC.


He went on to write numerous novels and short story collections, including "A Prisoner of Birth," "And Thereby Hangs a Tale," and "Kane and Abel."

Jeffrey and Mary Archer
May 2012

Archer has been married for 40 years to Dr. Mary Archer, chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The couple have two sons, William and James. They divide their time between homes in London and Cambridge.

Here is a March 2012 interview with Archer by The (London) Telegraph that may shed some light on his notoriously rigid writing requirements. The 71-year-old author reportedly writes all of his novels using a certain Pilot pen and a specific brand of pencil on a legal pad!

According to Archer's blog, in April 2012 he finished the third book in the Clifton Chronicles series, titles "Best Kept Secret" and is already at work on the fourth. The series' next installment is slated for publication in March 2013.

Check out Archer's website here.

Great beach read: 'The Book of Summers' by Emylia Hall

U.S. bookcover

There are times when I judge a book by its cover.

I appreciate a cover design that makes me want to read what's inside and is something I flip back to and study now and again as a read along. The (U.S.) cover of "The Book of Summers" by Emylia Hall (Harlequin MIRA, June 2012, $15.95) in my opinion, does not. The flirty, blossom-bedecked cover with its title in gilded flowery font suggests the story inside will be light and girly.

Light and girly this debut novel isn't.

It took me about the first two chapters (65 pages) to commit to finishing the book. (If I'm not enjoying a book after about that much, I'll drop it.) But I'm glad I stayed the course.

Because of a bit of mystery in the first bit, I jumped to the wrong conclusion that "The Book of Summers" might be about to turn into some kind of fairy story. Not that there's anything wrong with writing about the magical world of fairies - it's just I didn't want to waste precious hours reading about them.

But I had a hunch the book, which is Hall's debut, might be a keeper. So I took "The Book of Summers" on vacation with me, incidentally to the lake house where I spent the summers of my youth - kind of the perfect spot to read this book about a woman recalling her girlhood summers. I also packed three other novels and numerous magazines - because I am ambitious and foolish enough to weigh down my luggage with superfluous reading material. However, this 348-page novel is the only one I finished during my week at the lake. I read dreadfully slow, especially when surrounded by my four gorgeous nieces and cutie godson.

In the novel, Beth Lowe, 30, is a clearly unhappy young professional Brit living in London who gets a surprise visit from her dad. He bears a package from Hungary, where Beth spent her summers as a child. But for reasons that aren't immediately clear to the reader, not only does Beth not open the package right away, she kicks her dad out in a huff and embarks on a pensive pouty trip to the local park.

There, after much trepidation, she opens the parcel to reveal a scrapbook of sorts from Marika, the woman who ended up splitting from Beth's dad when Beth was just a kid. There's also a letter from Marika's longtime boyfriend, Zoltan, informing the now-adult Beth that Marika has died.

The artfully and thoughtfully put together scrapbook, which bears the name "The Book of Summers," (hence the book title, which I still don't love) depicts the seven summers Beth - or Erszebet as she's called in Hungarian - spent with Marika.

Hall employs a device of jumping from present-day England to Beth's long-ago summer trips to Hungary, when she was ages 9 to 16. Beth's England is such a drab and dreary place, in contrast to the blazing bright jaunts to Hungary.

Through the book, Beth is drawn to re-live the sun-drenched summer trips, which she has tried to suppress in her memory. The reader experiences them in chronological order, starting with Beth - or Erzsi as she was then known - at age 9.

UK bookcover

Hall's descriptions of Hungary and the hilly landscape surrounding Villa Serena, the home where Marika and Zoltan live, literally paint the picture (literally and figuratively - Zoltan is an artist) of the fairytale like land for the reader. The descriptive imagery likely comes from the author's own seemingly magical trips
 to the colorful country in her youth. Hall is a daughter of an English artist and a Hungarian quiltmaker. She spent many of her childhood summers in Hungary.

"It was a visit characterized by small details, the minutiae of time well spent, as though after the days at the pool and in the studio my senses had been heightened to all the little things. The sparkly silver color of my toenails after Marika had painted them, and my hair - braided by her when it was wet from the bath, so that later when I shook it out under the sun, I wore a halo of tight curls. What else? A hot-dog sausage, its split skin glistening, with a perfect blob of muddy mustard beside it, eaten off a paper plate under the shade of a plane tree." Hall writes, from 10-year-old Erzsi's point of view, one summer in Hungary.

The senses are a big part of Hall's writing, and she sets the stage well in this coming-of-age novel. We know from the start that Beth/Erzsi is angry and has experienced a life-changing disappointment. Hall aptly writes the teen angst we all had and the emotional responses to we made/make in response to seemingly insignificant happenings - such as when she scolds Marika for taking on a tutoring student during Erzsi's short visit. It's clear that Erszi is insanely jealous of the student, a girl who is good friends with Erzsi's Hungarian beau, Tamas. Then teenaged Erzsi lashes out at Marika in a childish and manipulative way that resonated with me - reminiscent of how I might have sparred with my own dear mother back in the day. I thought Hall painted a telling picture of the mother-daughter relationship, and aptly described the regret the child felt almost immediately. 

We discover why Erszi's heart was broken near the end. But I'm not going to spoil it for you. "The Book of Summers" is worth a read, even/especially if you're a book title/cover snob like me. I thought it dragged a bit at the start, but it hooked me eventually. I wanted to now what happened to the adult Beth, and why her relationships with her father and everyone around her suffered. Hall's writing is lovely and the story poignant. Great for a summer holiday, in Hungary if you can swing it.

Book summary (from the author's website):

Beth Lowe has been sent a parcel.

Inside is a letter informing her that her long-estranged mother has died, and a scrapbook Beth has never seen before. Entitled The Book of Summers, it’s stuffed with photographs and mementos compiled by her mother to record the seven glorious childhood summers Beth spent in rural Hungary.

It was a time when she trod the tightrope between separated parents and two very different countries; her bewitching but imperfect Hungarian mother and her gentle, reticent English father; the dazzling house of a Hungarian artist and an empty-feeling cottage in deepest Devon. And it was a time that came to the most brutal of ends the year Beth turned sixteen.

Since then, Beth hasn’t allowed herself to think about those years of her childhood. But the arrival of The Book of Summers brings the past tumbling back into the present; as vivid, painful and vital as ever.

Watch the book trailer here.

About the author (from the author's website):

EMYLIA HALL

Emylia Hall was born in 1978 and grew up in the Devon countryside, the daughter of an English artist and a Hungarian quilt-maker. After studying at York University and in Lausanne, Switzerland, Emylia spent five years working in a London ad agency, before moving to the French Alps. It was there that she began to write. Hall now lives in Bristol with her husband, also an author. Chosen by ELLE as one of the most anticipated debut novelists for 2012, Emylia was also one of three writers to appear in the Red Pages Hot 100. THE BOOK OF SUMMERS is her first novel, and is inspired by evocative memories of childhood holidays spent in rural Hungary. It’s published by Headline in the UK (where it’s a Richard and Judy Summer Book Club pick), MIRA in the US & Canada, and will be translated into eight languages. She is currently at work on her second novel which is due for publication in 2013. 

Click here to see Hall's blog.