In KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON, the second in Vaughn’s DJ werewolf series, Kitty Norville, late night radio host and werewolf, is called upon to testify at a Senate hearing on supernaturals. As a radio host, her physical identity has never been revealed-until now. She is unable to avoid the camera and the hounding by reporters. Immediately upon entering the nation’s capital, Kitty meets Alette, the city’s vampire Mistress. Alette is unlike any vampire Kitty has met before. There doesn’t appear to be any hostility, Alette welcomes to Kitty to her city and offers her protection. Alette even invites Kitty to stay at her residence, on the condition that Kitty keeps Alette apprised of her whereabouts. Kitty is chaperoned around the city by Leo, one of Alette’s minions. The vampire community isn’t the only one that welcomes Kitty wholeheartedly. She discovers a werewolf bar, its members solo, not part of a pack. They offer Kitty the closeness of a pack, without the issues with rank she experienced in her own pack. While waiting to testify, it becomes Kitty’s mission to find out more about Reverend Elijah Wood-head of a church that reportedly cures vampirism and lycanthropy-and Flemming, who works at the Center for the Study of Paranormal Biology. Kitty isn’t in DC for long before her life is threatened. KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON is an excellent sequel and provides the same action and satire as the previous book. The story line is fast paced and exciting. The characters are extremely well-developed. A must-read for any fan of vampire/werewolf fiction.

VIA rachel zoe project 2011 best top news

VIA Rachel Zoe is Pregnant 3is selling her jewelry

Hirshhorn Museum (Washington)

Hirshhorn Museum soon will cardinally change appearance, and without especial and cardinal changes. The New York architects from bureau Diller Scofidio + Renfro will add an existing complex with two easy structures in the form of blue spheres which will allow a museum to open additional spaces during a season. The sphere on a roof precisely reminds eggs on a museum of El Salvador of the Distance.

The Unusual Museum in Washington

In one of spheres the audience on 1,000 visual places will take places. Through transparent walls of a sphere spectators can enjoy not only a show, but also possibility to peep for the visitors of a museum walking on galleries. In the friend, a smaller sphere on the size there will be a cafe.

Estimated cost of realization of 5 million dollars, now the project is in a stage of study of the concept. Under plans, pavilions will open in 2011 year. However, if statements Fine Arts Commission) be required and National Capital Planning Commission, realization will be postponed for couple of years.

VIA «Temporary Pavilion For the Hirshhorn Museum»

VIA Bin Laden home videos expected to be released

The guest reviewer for this post is none other than my husband, John. John is a huge fan of politics, so when I heard about the blog tour for American Lion

I knew he'd be interested! So everyone, please welcome John to Jenn's Bookshelf!

Hello to all the dedicated and casual readers of Jenn’s Bookshelf. I was somewhat perplexed and surprised that Jenn asked me to write this guest review. Unlike my wife, I read not for entertainment, but for information. However, I found Jon Meacham’s American Lion

reached both objectives and should be an interesting read to virtually anyone who chooses to open the cover.

Andrew Jackson is, arguably, one of the most controversial presidents ever to occupy the residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Some have described Jackson as one of the best executives of an early United States to lead the country; second only to George Washington. Others have portrayed him as a bully on the cusp of tyranny, capable of viewing the world only from the lens of his own narrow convictions. While many of his contemporaries considered our seventh President to be a simple man with a less than honorable background, Mr. Meacham illustrates a complex man, full of contradictions that continue to fuel the controversial perception of President Jackson even today.

Meacham continually portrays Jackson as a man, who orphaned as a young boy was determined to make his way in life of his own accord. Yet, Jackson places the highest regard on the institution of family, both his own personal, as well as the national “family” he sought to represent and defend. Additionally, Meacham describes a singularly devoted husband, who defends the honor of his wife against political adversaries; even though Jackson engaged in courting her and potentially married her while, she was married to another man. Jackson also earns a reputation as a determined General, brutally leading battles against Indians on the frontier to protect the interests of American citizens. Nevertheless, he shows compassion by taking as his own adopted son, the orphan of a fallen adversary, only to later lead the charge as President of removing all Indians, east of the Mississippi river, from their ancestral lands and transplanting them in the west for the economic benefit of the American people.

Mr. Meacham offers a very personal view, given through the observations and writings from family, adversaries and compatriots, of the transition of a nation from infancy to adolescence. The multiple accounts from the various players of the time provide an intimate perspective of Jackson. They describe the man that they know personally, not just the President of the United States. The book demonstrates his generosity and stubbornness, along with nobility and character flaws. We remember most presidents for a single dominant trait that defines them and/or their administration. Washington was gallant; Lincoln was melancholy; Teddy Roosevelt was relentless; FDR was a manager of crisis; Kennedy was regal; Reagan was a great communicator and Clinton was a persuasive pragmatist. Jackson demonstrates each of these traits, for better or worse throughout the course of his life. Meacham captures the full measure of the man, letting these traits shine through in a balanced manner rather than a vehicle of praise or condemnation.

I highly recommend this book. It will capture the interest of the most ardent historian to the individual looking for a good tale for an escape. The book will touch you on many emotional levels, causing you to laugh all the way to cringing in embarrassment. Most of all you will learn much more than the standard information passed to us as history in our youth. Do read and enjoy.

Thank you, John, for the review! Also, thank you to Pump Up Your Book Promotions for allowing me to join the blog tour, and the publisher for providing John a review copy of the book!

Jane Hoffman and Gwen Baker have been friends for decades. Jane was there for Gwen when her husband, Theodore, left her to raise two young children alone. They’re raised their children together and through the years their friendship has endured as well. Now, they are in their 40s and are facing larger, more painful crisis. Jane comes home early to find her husband, Arnold, in bed with another woman. Their marriage has never been a strong one. Arnold’s always been an empty shell of a man, more concerned about his needs than hers. And when Arnold attempts to walk right back into her life, rather than conceding to him like she’s done for their entire marriage, Jane begins to think first about what she wants. And when their daughter, Caroline, comes to her with news that will change their lives, Jane must be there to support her in a way her own mother was never able to do.

Gwen has been in a relationship with Daniel, a married man, for several years. When he tells her that he’s going to leave his wife, she begins to wonder if this is what she really wants. She’d become used to having her own space, but now Daniel wants to move in with her. She can’t help but flash back to her marriage to Theodore and all she was forced to give up for that relationship. Is she ready to give up her independence again?

Schieber tells an endearing tale about the friendship of two women. Despite the many challenges they each suffered in life, they never take for granted their friendship. Through the years as their friendship grows, they both discover a bit about themselves as well. Shieber’s lesson is an important one: value the needs of others but never forget the value of one’s self.

About the author:

The first great irony of my life was that I was born in a Catholic hospital. My parents, survivors of the Holocaust, had settled in the South Bronx among other new immigrants. .In the mid-fifties, my family moved to Washington Heights. The area offered scenic views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, as well as access to Fort Tryon Park and the mysteries of the Cloisters. I graduated from George Washington High School. I graduated from high school at sixteen, went on to Bronx Community College, transferred to and graduated from Herbert H. Lehman College with a B.A. in English and a New York State license to teach English. I earned my M.A. in Literature from New York University and later my M.S. as a developmental specialist from Yeshiva University. I have worked as a high school English teacher and as a learning disabilties specialist . My first novel, Strictly Personal, for young adults, was published by Fawcett-Juniper. Willing Spirits was published by William Morrow. My most recent novel, The Sinner's Guide to Confession, was released by Berkley Putnam.

Contest:

Thanks to the author, I have an extra copy of Willing Spirits to give away!

To be entered once, comment about this posting.

To be entered twice, blog about it. Be sure to include a link to your posting in your comment.

To be entered three times, become a follower of this blog.

US and Canadian residents only, please.

Winner will be announced Saturday, March 28.

The move follows investigations led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in New York, Baltimore, Austin, Texas, and New Haven, Connecticut, the department said in a statement.

One of the most significant items that was returned is a limestone statue depicting the head of the Assyrian King Sargon II, an eighth century B.C. ruler.

Immigration and Customs agents seized the looted artifact in August 2008 after an antiquities dealer based in Dubai shipped it to New York. The investigation led to the identification of an international network dealing in illicit cultural artifacts, the statement said.

Other artifacts repatriated to Iraq include gold-plated items, such as a soap dish, looted from the private airport and palace of executed former President Saddam Hussein.

Bronze objects, including a Luristan ax from early Sumeria, and clay reliefs and glass objects were also returned.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit has returned more than 1,200 items to Iraq in four repatriations since 2008, the statement said.

Source: Reuters [March 16, 2015]

I really do like The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday feature. I don't participate terribly often, but I am a devoted rereader and just couldn't pass this one up. I'm also terribly guilty of rereading just my favorite parts of books again, but this list is going to be specifically for those books that demand to be read as a whole unit. Hopefully, I'll be able to stop at ten... : P

#1- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: Normally, the order in these types of posts is more a matter of which order I thought of the books than an actual number one thing. But this book — DEFINITELY belongs on my number one spot. My teacher read this book to my class in 4th grade & I had to leave the class because my 'allergies' were acting up. I have read it (no lie) over 50 times since then and every time I read it, it's a new and wonderful experience. Oh ya. And, I sob every single time I read this book. When I was a kid — I legitimately thought that I was going to go to the Ozark Mountains and retrieve the ax and lantern that Billy left there. It was that real to me. (And honestly — a small part of me is still pretty sure that if I looked hard enough, I'd find it...)

#2 — Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: If any of you are surprised to see this book on my list — I don't think we can be friends any more... No seriously. If you don't know how much I obsessively love this book, then I have failed you as a friend. It's one of the most complex, captivating and compelling books I've ever read. This is a book that slips inside your soul and makes your heart weep. I don't think it is possible for another book to surpass this one in my mind.

#3 — The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart: One of the smartest, wittiest books I've ever read. Seriously guys — I want to be Frankie, but I definitely get that I will never be that cool...

#4 — The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: I'm pretty sure these books will be on a lot of lists. I've read the first books SO many times. I always read all the previously published books to prep for a new release, and sometimes, during the long waits between books, I'd read them all again anyway. But, I haven't read any of them since the release of the 7th and I've only read it once. No doubt there is much I missed in my desperate race to know how it all would end. These books were a huge part of growing up for me. I literally grew up with Harry (read the first book at 11, the last at 18) and it's a series I will love forever.

#5 — Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson: Everyone talks about Speak and while I absolutely and wholeheartedly love and recommend that one as well (and really need to reread it too) I feel that Twisted is often overlooked, and let me tell you — that's a shame. It's one of the most honest and authentic teenage boy POVs I've ever read, especially coming from a female author. I connected to Tyler, felt his pain and hurt right along with him. But when he starts to learn who he really is, and step up to it — Whoa man. Seriously — Love this one.

#6 — The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: I really enjoyed this book and there was so much to it that really struck me. The narration by Death is one of the most unique and heartrending I've ever come across. But I didn't connect to it quite the way I had expected (oddly enough, the part that I felt the most disconnected to was actually the theft of the books) but I want to revisit it, because there is so much to this story to love. Amazing book, and I'd love to go back to it, and see if it's even better on the reread.

#7 — Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl: I wasn't very interested in science fiction when I was younger, pretty well convinced that it was lame and boring and so not for me. Who needs aliens. Seriously. I read this book because it was on the Newbery Honor list and it totally changed my perspective on Science Fiction. I loved this book, connected with it, really felt it, and I so want to go back and read it again to try and recapture that.

#8 — The Novels of a Kingdom by Cynthia Voigt: These four books (Jackaroo, On Fortunes Wheel, The Wings of a Falcon & Elske) are each amazing on their own (and can be read as standalone) but reading them together, realizing the connections and living these stories is something that I miss. These are a strange genre to pin down too. I think of them as fantasy, but there is nothing magical about them. They feel magical and have a Feudal/Medieval setting. I don't know what else to call them, but I can't really get over how much I truly do love and miss these books! (Honorable mention — The Tillerman Saga. Changed my life, these books did. I LOVE them)

#9 — Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott: Dude. This book is awesome. It was the first time that I can remember reading a villain that truly confused me. Seriously awesome stuff. And, the action, the writing, the setting, the characters — all of it. LOVE! Zoe is pretty brave with a lot that she does in this novel, but it's truly a gripping, compelling and strong story. I loved it so much, that I totally talked to a stranger on a bus in Washington DC about this one. (A stranger who was knitting plastic grocery sacks, no less...) LOVE this book.

#10 — A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb: I don't read many ghost stories, and paranormal isn't really my favorite genre, but this is one that kept me up all night reading. I intended to read the first 1-3 pages of this and about three other books before bed, because I couldn't decide what to take to work with me, since I had a minimum of an hour commute, both ways. It was late & I needed to get my bag for tomorrow reading, so I read the first few pages, and then needed to finish the chapter, but then, just one more. Well, one more is okay. I might as well read to page 50. Oh, have to finish this chapter. One more and so on and so forth until I was finished. LOVE.

Note- This intentionally doesn't include any of the books I've read since I began blogging. There's just too many, so these are all books it's been close to 2 years (or longer) since I read. I'm serious when I say I'm a devoted rereader. It's been so long since I've really been able to just sit and reread like I really want to and I miss that. I think, that once I get through some of the books clamoring for immediate attention, I'm going to start rereading again and spend a lot more time with these books I just love and want to see again.:)

I recently read an article that discussed how more adults are reading young adult fiction than ever before. I trace this back to the amazing Harry Potter books by J.K Rowling.

I became one of these such adults this weekend, when I finally read book one of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I was skeptical when I started reading...I didn't think I would be drawin in, but not 20 pages in and I was hooked.

Seventeen year-old Isabella moves to a small town in Washington. A quiet, dull, boring town, so she thinks. That is, until she meets Edward, a classmate of hers that just happens to be a vampire. Edward's "coven" aren't just any ordinary vampires--they've given up feasting on human blood and instead decide to hunt animals.

The romance and suspense draw the reader in immediately. The descriptive language captivates the reader...no matter their age.

The bronze sculpture, dated from 350 BC, once graced the halls of the Renaissance-era Palazzo Medici Riccardi in central Florence, and has been described as a masterpiece of Greek classical art.

But after it slipped from the grasp of the Medici clan it began to deteriorate as it found its way into the archaeological museum in 1881 where it is now said to be in serious need to restoration.

Researchers at Florence's National Research Council have been investigating problems of conservation and restoration related to such ancient materials as the alloys and gilding used in the bronze horse head.

The work is to be carried out inside the museum and can be viewed by the public during the museum's opening hours until March 8.

After that, it is scheduled to be included in an exhibition titled Power and Pathos at Florence's Palazzo Strozzi, along with other bronzes from the Hellenistic style.

Power and Pathos continues until June 21 before travelling to an exhibition in Los Angeles at the J. Paul Getty Museum and later in the year, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Source: ANSA [February 19, 2015]

In this sequel to Wicked Lovely, we find Aislinn, the new Summer queen, quickly adjusting to her new role. Her relationship with her mortal boyfriend, Seth, is threatened by her inexplicable attraction to Keenan, the Summer king.

Keenan is having his own relationship troubles. He's madly in love with Donia, the Winter queen. She refuses to share him with Aislin, and the powers they wield are a physical barrier. All attempts at closeness are quickly thwarted by physical injury.

Seth witnesses the closeness between Aislinn and Keenan. He realizes that, as a mortal, his time with Aislinn is limited, compared to the . If he became a faery, he and Aislinn would be together for all time. He disappears, leaving Aislinn questioning their relationship. In his absence, she becomes closer to Keenan. Will Seth return in time to quelch the budding relationship between Aislinn and Keenan?

The world that Marr creates is absolutely addictive. The vivid language draws you in and the detail put in to each of the character holds your attention for the entire book. Marr did a great job of adding more depth to each of the characters introduced in Wicked Lovely. We learn a great deal more about Seth and the characters that make up the Dark and High courts. This series is highly addictive and promises Marr never-ending success in in the young adult publishing arena.

About the author:

Melissa Marr grew up believing in faeries, ghosts, and various other creatures. After teaching college literature for a decade, she applied her fascination with folklore to writing. Wicked Lovely was her first novel. Currently, Marr lives in the Washington, D.C., area, writes full-time, and still believes in faeries and ghosts.

Giveaway:
To be entered into the giveaway for my advance reader copy of Fragile Eternity, simply answer a trivia question about the author, Melissa Marr. If there are multiple correct answers, I will use random.org to generate the name of the winner. The winner will be revealed on Friday, May 1.

Question: What young adult novel made Marr "pause in awe?"

To enter, please follow this link

What better bookish memory to talk about on Halloween than R.L. Stine?! Seriously. When I was a kid he was the big deal. In 5th and 6th grade, all the kids I knew were reading R.L. Stine. We were too 'old and mature' to read the silly old Goosebumps books, but those Fear Street stories were deliciously creepy and freaky, especially because really, for the most part, it was stuff that could actually happen. No creepy nasties under the bed. Oh no. We are talking psycho crazy best friends, stalkers, wannabees and more. Some of them did dabble a bit into the paranormal, but it was all much more subtle in the Fear Street series than in Goosebumps.

I remember reading his Seniors series. One of the girls in the Fear Street senior class has a vision, of all the seniors lying in coffins by graduation day. Some people believe her, because apparently (if I'm remembering right) her family has a history of eerily accurate visions, but a lot of people scoff. And then, one by one, the seniors do start dying. The beginning of each book includes a 'yearbook page' with all the senior pictures. And with each new book, more and more of their pictures are altered as the students die.

There were 12 books, and I read 10 of them. This is the only series to date that I remember knowingly reading out of order. The books were in such high demand by all the morbid 5th and 6th graders out there, just itching to get their hands on the books that if you waited to read them in order, you'd never get a chance to read them at all. But I did resist the last book in the series, wanting the conclusion to be the actual conclusion. But book 10 never came and never came, and then I moved and no one in Idaho seemed to be as consumed with the thrill of R.L. Stine the way the kids in Western Washington were and the library didn't carry the series and I couldn't find the books and so I just... never finished reading them. I still don't know if the whole senior class ended up dead. I have no idea how it ended. And ya. It bugs.

Any of you read R.L. Stine? What about the Seniors series? For how popular I remember them being as a kid, I have met very, very few people since then that have heard of them, let alone read them. Makes me wonder if I exaggerate their popularity in my mind, but somehow doubt I could be misrecollecting the annoyance when non of the books were on the shelves, or the only one you could find was the one you'd read three books ago or who incredibly exciting it was to find a new one sitting there, just waiting to be snatched, read and inhaled by you!! Don't ask my why, when I had my library card memorized by age 9 because I put so many book on hold, I didn't think to put these books on hold, because I couldn't tell you. But I can tell you that the searching, the looking and the finding was so exciting, almost as much fun as reading the books themselves. This is definitely a series I'm going to have to revisit. Maybe I'll actually read them in order this time. At the very least, now that I can't remember any of their names or stories, at least I'll know if someone manages to escape the vision.

Today is your last day to enter to win the entire set of Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville/Werewolf DJ series! Just comment on either one of my Kitty posts, linked below for your convenience. I've been diligently reading the remaining books in the series and will post reviews for those shortly.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington

Four airplanes from various locations in the world are blown out of the sky. The world is thrown into a panic. Marie Peterssen, an American reporter, begins to investigate the attacks. Peterssen meets Julian Granot, an Israeli operative and FBI agent Morgan Easely in her hunt for answers. They soon uncover another terrorist plot, this time set to occur in New York city. The team must risk everything, including their lives, to find out the truth. RED SEA is a action-packed, heart-pounding read from page one. The possibility of such an act on the citizens of the world make the story even more realistic.

About E.A. Benedek
E.A. Benedek is a journalist and author whose articles and essays have appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Glamour, and on NPR, among others. Benedek spent a year following an FBI special agent working counterterrorism and wrote about an F-15C fighter pilot who flew in Operation Shock and Awe. Red Sea is E.A. Benedek’s first novel.

Click to purchase Red Sea: A Novel

Author's website

TLC Booktour web site

Grace by Elizabeth Scott is my 5th Scott Contemporary (although it is arguable that this is not quite Contemporary) and it has firmly cemented the idea that I (quite atypically) much prefer Scott's lighter Contemporary novels to her darker more... issue-y set. Grace is a good book, don't get me wrong, but that's all it was. Just a way to spend an afternoon, flipping pages, which is, I assume, not what you are supposed to feel when reading a book about a suicide bomber who decides she doesn't want to die.

Grace was an angel — raised from birth, or just after, that she would be blessed to die for the cause, to die in a fight for freedom against tyranny. But when it comes time to actually die, she places her bomb and walks away, knowing that it will go off, but that she will go 'free'. Now she is on the run and she meets up with a man at the train station, running from something himself. They talk, because sitting on a train for hours, there's not really anything else to do and both learn things that will change their lives.

I never really connected with Grace or the man she travels with. I knew that there stories were ones that should have been emotional but I never felt it. And Grace had such a disregard for life that I had a hard time with her. I understand why — When you have known your whole life that you are going to die for the cause and that it is an honor, and that your death is more important if you are able to take other lives with you — life doesn't mean the same thing as it does to most people. But it took her so long to realize that what she had done — setting that bomb and walking away — was wrong, because people still got hurt and people died. She never even thought about it. And then, there is a scene on the train when Grace should have been taken off by soldiers for being one of the rebels, but they sacrifice another, completely innocent woman instead. That's not okay with me — Your life isn't more important than anyone else's and sending innocent people to death so you can live isn't okay with me. I will say that the ending to this book was solid. Grace learns a lot about what it means to be human and it's something that will really make you think.

But, even with that solid ending, while I didn't hate this book, I didn't particularly like it either. I felt like the story was too vague. They spent the whole time talking around things and never really talked about them. If you want to try it — go for it. There are others out there who really connected to it. It's just... not for me.

On a totally different note:

So Much Closer was my first book by Susane Colasanti, and while I didn't love this particular book, I can see why so many people really love Colasanti's writing. I actually loved the way the story was written, but the story itself was a little... off for me.

Brooke has had a huge crush on Scott for years. She just knows that he is the one for her, despite only having had one, maybe two conversations with him. So, when he announces that he's moving with his family to New York City, she decides to follow him and move in with the dad she hasn't spoken to since he walked out on them 6 years ago.

Okay — Seriously?! SERIOUSLY?! Who DOES that?! Who honestly thinks that's a good idea?! I don't care who you are — that's creepy stalker behavior and NOT a good idea. Note to Brooke — also not a good idea to tell him about it... So, poor Brooke has chased this guy to New York only to realize that he barely knows who she is and he already has a girlfriend.

But luckily for Brooke, she has always wanted to live in NYC, so even though she's not with her dream guy, she's living in her dream city. And honestly, I would have liked this book so much better if the romance with Scott had been left completely out of it. Have her decide to move because Scott broke her heart (still kinda pathetic, but way less creepy) or because she has just decided to stop dreaming about living in New York and actually get there. Or, it could have been about her dad. She hasn't spoken to him in 6 years, although he has tried a few times, so maybe it's time to mend that relationship. Instead, it ended up being a convinient plot device, giving her a way to follow Scott. I felt that the story line with her father ended up being a lot of wasted potential. It could have added so much to her growth as a character, so much to the story, but instead, dad was just the facade for an apartment for Brooke to legally sleep in at night.

I had such a hard time believing in, or relating to Brooke's character, but I totally felt her love for the city. The descriptions of New York were phenomenal and just made me want to revisit the city. I spent a weekend there when I was doing an internship in Washington DC and I loved it (although, since it was February, it was really cold). I loved reading while Brooke discovered the city. I also really liked the new friends Brooke makes at school, especially John and Sadie. They brought so much to the story and I just loved reading about them, watching them form a solid friendship.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the book. EXCEPT for Scott. Seriously. If Scott had just been completely erased from the book, I think I would really have enjoyed it. They wouldn't even have to change the title, it could just mean so much closer to her dreams, instead of to some random guy. There is enough other stuff happening in the story that Scott really wouldn't have been missed much. Or, he could have been a totally different character with a much smaller part. Maybe I'll just pretend he isn't real and only remember the awesome New York scenes and the awesome times she has with the new friends she makes.

Hi Everyone,

My name is Mindy Hardwick, and I’m happy to be guest blogging today on my favorite young adult book—Homecoming. I am both a published children's writer and educator. Some of my stories and articles have been published with The Washington State History Museum’s on-line magazine, ColumbiaKids including: a middle grade story, “Tales of the Lighthouse Keeper,” and articles about Rachel the Pike Market Pig, and the Fremont Troll. I run a weekly poetry workshop with youth in a juvenile detention center in Everett, WA. You can read some of the youth’s poems at www.denneypoetry.com. You can also find a couple of my flash fiction pieces, Directions and Night Crimes, which were inspired by the detainees, on Sarah LaPolla’s blog, Glass Cases. I keep a blog at www.mindyhardwick.com

I first read Homecoming in my sixth grade reading class. When I reread the book for this post, I took a quick look at the copyright date. My sixth grade year would have been the year the book was published!

In middle school, I was lucky to have both a language arts class and a reading class. Our reading teacher, Mr Stobie, dedicated the entire hour to reading. He filled the room with young adult novels, which at that time, would have been the problem novels of the 80’s. (Young adult novels which focused on a character who was usually trying to deal with an issue such as death in Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume). In sixth grade, we spent our class time reading and journaling about young adult novels. I thought this was Heaven! I didn’t have to worry about reading under the covers with a flashlight, now I could tell Mom and Dad that I was doing homework! Later, when I became a seventh grade language arts teacher myself, I used this same classroom teaching style.

Ironically, at the same time I started teaching, my collection of young adult novels resurfaced at my Mom’s house. She even found the same yellow bookcase where the books had always been stored. I was amazed to see that the books had survived moves across the country as well as decades of being stored in boxes. I unpacked the books and used them to set up my classroom library. And of course, the first book, I found was Homecoming.

Over the years, I’d seen copies of Homecoming at the bookstore, and the cover had changed from the one I remembered. At one point, I attended a library book sale to buy books for the classroom library. That day, I found a copy of Homecoming with the same cover that I remembered. I purchased the book, and never loaned that copy out to students!

When I began taking writing classes, we often studied first lines of novels. But, to me, no first line ever came close to the line in Homecoming: “The woman put her sad moon — face in at the window of the car.” And even though I studied many young adult novels during my coursework in Vermont College’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adult program, Homecoming still remained my favorite book. I discovered that there was something about Homecoming which had never left me. Something about Dicey’s character that had grabbed me and continued to hold onto me. Maybe it was the way she so carefully dolled out money for each meal, buying apples and a loaf of bread for 88 cents, or maybe it was all those hot, dusty miles they walked along strip malls on their way to Bridgeport. But, a few years later, when I started writing my own young adult novel, Dicey’s story crept into mine. My character, Jasmine, had also been abandoned by a parent, and just like Dicey, Jasmine goes to live with an extended family member. As Dicey does in the second Tillerman series, Dicey's Song, my character Jasmine must also create a new life for herself. Later, I realized I even named one of my secondary characters, Sammy, and that was the same name as Dicey’s younger brother.

As a writer, I can look at Homecoming and see so many qualities which I try to mirror in my own work: A main character with a strong want and motive. Secondary characters that are just as complex as the main character. Description which is so neatly woven into each scene. A plot which keeps me turning the page.

But as both a reader and writer, I think what strikes me the most about Homecoming is Dicey’s determination to get her family to a safe home. It is Dicey’s determination, all these years later, still inspires me in my own life and reminds me not to give up. Dicey’s story reminds me to keep walking across the endless, hot concrete sidewalks and to keep dolling out that money for bread and peanut butter until I reach that end destination and find “home”. __________________________________________ Thank you so much Mindy! What a wonderful post! Homecoming and the whole Tillerman Saga were really life changing books for me. I loved the whole series and I love hearing what you remember about them! Dicey really is a truly amazing character! Thank you again for participating! Also — to the rest of my readers out there — If you would like to be a Memory Monday guest, in my blog for more information or send me an email! I'd love to have you!

The National Book Festival is being held September 26, 2009 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. There is an amazing line-up of authors scheduled to appear, including some of my favorites:

Shannon Hale
Mo Willems
David Baldacci
Lee Child
James Patterson
George Pelecanos
Judy Blume
Patrick Carman
Rick Riordan
John Grisham
John Irving
Katherine Neville
Jodi Picoult
Nicholas Sparks
Jeannette Walls

(for a full list, visit the Library of Congress Web site).

Several local bloggers are working together to plan a DC TweetUp, which is basically a get together for anyone that will be in town to attend the National Book Festival. If you will be in DC that weekend, and are interested in joining up with us, please sign up for the DC Tweetup group. We're also planning a tour of the Library of Congress Building, so sign up for the group to receive updates as they become available!

I’m a member of an amazing online bookclub, Pageturners. We formed after Oprah reinstated her book club about 5 years ago. In that time, we’ve grown to be close friends. Together we have experienced the birth of one "Pageturner Baby" and at least 4 "Pageturner Grandbabies". Our members range in age from late twenties to early fifties. We live all over North America—CA, OR, MO, TX, MS, FL, MD, NY, VA and Canada. In the past few years, we’ve tried to arrange an annual Pageturner Convention. The first “official” convention took place in CA, last year was MD, and this year Pageturners hit D.C.!

The convention took place over a long weekend. We visited the Library of Congress and saw Thomas Jefferson’s amazing library. We walked up to the Capitol and then down to view the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, and the White House. Our final full day together was spent in historic Harpers Ferry VA.

Do you belong to a bookclub, online or face to face? Do you plan gatherings like this, or do your book clubs meet just to discuss books?

Caption: Pageturners in front of Capitol Building. From L-R: Vicki (MD), Sherry (MO), Jenn (VA), Tracy (NY), Marie (FL) and Toni (CA)