The BookFetish Blog

Debora Geary is back with the charming second book in the Modern Witch series, A Hidden Witch.

Elorie Shaw has grown up with the witches of Nova Scotia. Despite never showing magical skills, Elorie helps train young witchlings. So when a fetching spell summons Elorie, she assumes it is a mistake. After all, she’s grown up with the most powerful witches of the age. Surely, if she were a witch, they would have discovered it. Is there a chance that Elorie’s deepest desire might be within her grasp?

I loved A Hidden Witch for a number of reasons.  I like how although the story is focused on Elorie, the beloved characters from A Modern Witch are back and play a major role in Elorie’s journey.  It’s like a visit with old friends while making new ones. I love the idea of magic, and because of that, I love how magic symbolizes so many other things in Geary’s world.

Once again, we’re taken into a community of people who truly care for each other and want the best for each other.  Even when there are sad moments, this series makes me happy because of the love the characters have for each other. It’s all manifested in the witching circles that are called. It’s quite interesting when you start applying the magical imagery to what it relates to in our non-magical worlds.

Once again, Geary has given us a story of hopes and dreams, of friendship, love, and community and packaged it in a way that illustrates the magic all around us- both in nature and perhaps in the most unexpected of places.

Amanda Strong’s With Just One Click explores the impact of social media, specifically Facebook, on three different women, with a ring of authenticity sure to resonate with anyone who has a Facebook profile.

You can find nearly anyone on Facebook these days, and when that person from the past comes back into the picture, it can wreak all kinds of havoc.

Chloe’s first love ended things between them suddenly, leaving her with a wealth of questions she may finally get answers to, but what if reconnecting means she gets hurt again?

Morgan goes from that mom who posts only about her kids and how wonderful her life is to jealous and suspicious when she sees the comments being left by her husband’s old girlfriend.

Brynn is lonely. While she appears to have everything, her teenaged children are growing up and don’t need her as much anymore. Her husband is a workaholic she never sees.  Brynn finds the connections and camaraderie on Facebook that have been missing from her life.  But one particular connection could destroy everything in her world- and part of her wants it to.

We all know people like this- we’ve all seen something like this unfold on Facebook, either through our own pages or those of a friend.  With just one click, Chloe, Morgan, and Brynn could change their world.

What I liked about the book is that each character steps outside herself. Chloe takes the very brave chance at happiness, with no guaranteed outcome.  Morgan challenges herself, stepping outside her role as wife and mother, and fights for what she wants. Brynn risks her whole world and faces up to past regrets. Nothing is neat- these clicks open up seemingly nice normal lives to a bit of messy. But the messy is what makes life intriguing and worth living.

Strong also gives the characters very realistic posting practices, particularly two that drive me mad amongst some of my own FB friends.  Initially, Morgan is that one who posts only pictures of her children and what is going on with them.  We don’t really see Morgan- we see her in her role. When she sets a particular challenge for herself,  we actually start seeing her in her whole self as she posts.  Brynn does the other thing that drives me mad on Facebook- the cryptic posts that imply something is going on but don’t provide any details. I liked the realism of the posting practices, despite the fact that they drive me crazy and I would have hidden these people had they been in my own friend list.

In With Just One Click we have three women embarking on three very different journeys.  We’re rooting for them all to find happiness, whatever that might be for them.  Amanda Strong gives us a compelling story with likable characters with whom we identify. She gives us a relatable, story. I know I’ve wondered “what if” before when I’ve accepted particular friend requests. I enjoyed reading With Just One Click, and I’ll definitely read more Amanda Strong.

Due to a large amount of incoming spam mail, the “Contact Me” feature on the blog has been temporarily suspended. I still want to hear from you, though, so please visit the “About Me” section of the blog for details.

Thanks,

TBF

We’ve known for nearly four years now how the story of Harry Potter ends.  The book came out on 21 July 2007, and just six days shy of four years later, the final film in the saga will debut.

It’s a bittersweet time for many of us fans.  I didn’t grow up with Harry.  I was a full-fledged grown up when the series debuted in 1997 and when I started reading the British versions in 1998.  But Harry, and the world J.K. Rowling created, captivated me and millions of others.

And I remember, ten  years ago, sitting in a theater with my cousin Jennifer to watch the first film adaptation of the novels.  Looking around at our fellow moviegoers, Jennifer and I commented that it was, fittingly, a rather geeky crowd. And then the film started.  J.K. Rowling’s magical world was alive in front of us. And from then on, I was hooked on the films and looked forward to each release with the same excitement as I did the release of each new book.

I’m excited to see the final movie. I think Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the best adaptation since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  I have high hopes for this last installment.  Everything that I have heard is that it does justice to the end of the series.  At the same time, I’m dreading it. When I finished reading  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I walked around in a bit of a fog for a few days, trying to absorb everything that happened. I’m a little bit afraid of going back to that place when I see the movie on Friday.

This post is my “Thank You” to Jo Rowling, first and foremost for the books, but also for the films.  It is also a thank you to the writers, producers, directors, and cast of the films who have lived with this franchise for the last ten years. They brought a wonderful literary world to life on the screen. And although I know plenty of  people will disagree with this statement (we are protective of our beloved characters, after all), I think the actors became in many ways the characters we read about.

I know Pottermore is coming out- and we’re all incredibly excited about that- but in a way this really is THE END of the saga. There won’t be another chapter to the story. There won’t be another film premiere.  There will be re-reads of the books and DVDs and Blu-Rays to watch the movies over again, but nothing like the anticipation of each new book and film.  And I will be surprised if there is another book that changes the people who read it- and subsequently, the world- in my lifetime.

I love the Harry Potter series because it celebrates loyalty and friendship.  It celebrates the freaks and geeks amongst us.  It shows us that ordinary people can be heroes and heroines when faced with extraordinary circumstances.  It shows us that creativity and imagination and dreams are wonderful things.  It teaches us that love is a powerful, powerful thing.  It makes us take a second look at the things around us, for things are not always what they seem, and there is so much more of the world for us to see if we just open ourselves to the experience.

I love the series because of the wonderful role models the female characters are to the girls who read the books: Hermione is brilliant and loyal and caring; Luna is quirky and odd and wise; Ginny is outspoken, independent and athletic. Sure, they all have insecurities, but overall they are strong and self-confident, but love fiercely.  And they paved the path for many of the heroines we see in young adult literature today.  If I ever have a daughter, I want her to be a Hermione, Luna, or Ginny over a Bella any day.

The series gave me a whole new set of friends who are just as enamored of the series as I am. People of all ages, who grew up with books or, like me,  were adults when they first read them.  These are other freaks and geeks that I am happy to call a part of my tribe, and people I would have never met had I not had this love for a boy wizard and his friends.

So, thank you, Jo Rowling for creating and sharing this world with us.  You’ve changed and enriched more lives that you can ever know. My life is better for knowing Harry.

In Heather Wardell’s A Life That Fits, Andrea’s life is thrown into a tailspin when, at twenty-eight, the man she’s loved for half her life tells her he’s leaving her for another woman, a woman as opposite to Andrea as possible.

In the midst of her devastation, Andrea decides to become the “anti-Andrea” in order to win back Alex, her lost love.

So Andrea starts doing all kinds of things to break out of her rut and get Alex back- new clothes, new friends, new hobbies.

WARNING: Potentially spoilery stuff here.  The things I want to say may give away some hints as to what happens, although I am not intentionally giving away any more than the Amazon summary.

As Andrea is creating this amazing new life for herself and learning who she is without Alex, she starts to realize that there may not be a place for Alex in her life, even if she changes enough to win him back.  This is where I really got into the story.  Andrea inspired me.  Yes, I know she’s a character. But she was doing all these really cool things, and learning to be more open and authentic and do what felt right to her.  I loved that.  I found myself putting down the book to Google- and actually act on-  things I’ve always wanted to do but never have.

I don’t know if Heather intended Andrea to be such an inspiration to readers, but all I kept thinking while I was reading was “Live with no regrets” and “You can sit there and let life pass you by, or you can LIVE it”.  It almost became irrelevant whether or not Andrea and Alex got back together. Except that Wardell didn’t take that path and let the resolution become irrelevant.

Life’s often messy and complicated, even when we’re at our best and most honest self, and that’s no exception in this story.  Heather throws in a couple of plot twists that put Andrea’s relationships to a true test, with no certainty of a happy ending. And while the ending is certainly satisfactory (and, I thought, quite appropriate) it is far from tied up in a neat package with a fancy bow, as so many tales are.  That’s just one more piece of authenticity in the book.

I don’t know if Heather intended this much thought in the story, but I’m intrigued when something that could have been formulaic and could have been “just another book” makes me stop and take a look at my own life and contemplate change.