Book Review: The Witch Who Made Adjustments

As I (sorta) mentioned last month, I am a sucker for free Kindle books.  I'll read almost anything and on a limited budget, the last couple of months I've been stuck with trashy romance, Christian romance which are in no way trashy (Surprise!  You never see those coming!), and pretty bad suspense stories.  But considering I have over 100 books saved to my Kindle, and I'm back to reading about a book a day, I'm clearly surviving.

Before I get to the book review, I often get questions about how I find said free books.  Honestly, once a week or so I go through the "Best Sellers" and download anything free that sounds remotely interesting.  Anything not-free I save to a wish list until I'm ready to read it.  That's my secret to keeping the Kindle costs down.  I never pay for anything until I'm ready to read it, that way I'm not wasting money.

I digress...

I had a pretty rotten afternoon so I came home and picked up my Kindle and a glass of the aforementioned Trader Joe's red wine and sat on my porch until my toes got too cold.  The first "new item" at the top of my Mystery Suspense Horror collection* was a novella called The Witch Who Made Adjustments which sounded interesting.  I think it's technically a long children's story and honestly, it would be excellent to read with older children so that wouldn't be wrong.

The story is about a woman who enters a town and makes "adjustments" - basically switching products between the town's stores - and then seats herself in the middle of the town until Halloween.  The story follows a (presumably) young boy who works at one of the town's stores.  It's a simple enough story loaded with meaning.  I knew I was hooked from the first paragraph.

The witch came into town in the early days of autumn, when the first curling leaves fell from the maple boughs and the breath of the world cooled along the cobblestones.  She was exactly what a witch might look like, except she wasn't.  She was neither old, nor ugly or wart-nosed, or stooped over.  Neither did she wear grimy black clothing or a pointed hat.  But somehow everyone knew what she was, with her large, dark, bruised valise, and a sizeable aspen-wood walking stick. 

After a grouchy day, that paragraph was exactly what I needed.

The story continues in such a manner.  It really is simplistic.  Nothing about it is difficult but it still manages to explore some pretty incredible themes (friendship, longing, losing and finding, first impressions) and allows you to grow as a reader (perhaps as a person?) while enjoying the story.  The story is technically a "Halloween" story but since the weather has dropped sharply here from the early start of spring, that didn't bother me in the least.  I can't wait to read it out loud, snuggled next to a campfire, with a child on either side of me.

The book was free when I downloaded it but it's now available for less than $2.  It would be a great book club read for people who never have time to finish the book - my book club is the worst at this! - as it took me less than 30 minutes to read (probably an hour for the average reader).  There are so many things about this book that I would love to discuss.  Apparently I'm also able to lend it to someone for free so if you're interested let me know and I'll try sharing it with you.  If you don't have a Kindle, you can still read Kindle books online or using an app for your computer or phone.



*Am I the only one who names "collections" in such seemingly vague and weird ways?  You should see my Pandora station list.  I honestly have stations called "Hauntingly Beautiful," "Dad's Music," "Work Safe Rock," and "Late 1990s and Early 2000s Awesomeness."  That's what they are to me!

Hunger Games

Last Sunday, I spent all day in bed reading.  I haven't allowed myself to do that in ages.  I don't even think I turned the television on.  Saturday night I didn't get home until 2:00am so I slept in on Sunday, rolled over and remembered there was a book on the nightstand.  I should have known then that if I wanted to get anything done that day, I should have ignored it.

I read the first two Hunger Games books not long after they came up.  For whatever reason, I never got around to reading the third.  A few weeks ago I borrowed what I thought was the third (clearly we'd had one too many cocktails by the time we were discussing the book) and discovered the next day I had in fact brought home the first.  So of course, I reread it.  Considering how much I enjoyed it the first time around and the fact that the movie comes out in just over a month, I figured it was a good use of my time.

The first book is so incredibly engaging.  You have to wonder what you would do in the same situation. 

What if you were forced to put your own life on the line to save a family member?  I certainly hope that I would do the same thing that Katniss does.  But what if, like in the books, it was an annual occurrence?  By saving her this year, that does not ensure she will be saved in the future.  I know that when we were children, my baby sister would have stepped up to take my place any time and I know that I would do the same.  In fact, she's probably more equipped to deal with a situation like the Hunger Games than I am.  But I cannot imagine subjecting her to the torture and not stepping up to take her place.  But again, we say that now, in a world where chances are I'll never have to make that decision.  What if I had to potentially make that decision multiple times in one year?  What if that were hanging over your head constantly?

Could you, really and truly, hunt other human beings in order to save yourself?  To make your family's life better?   I really don't know.  There are characters in the second book that very much step up so that others do not have to die.  They are not there to kill, however.  What would I do?  Could I kill an innocent on purpose to save myself?  I hope that I would, again, be like Katniss, who really only kills when necessary.  She is not a hunter while playing the games.  She is a survivor.

If given the opportunity, knowing that people in power could make your family's lives so horrible, would you rebel against the situation in any way?  Again, I don't know what I would do.  I can't help but think of the many times in our history that people were just swept along into a situation and couldn't do anything once they realized it was wrong (slavery, Hitler, pretty much every war).  What do you do when doing the right thing could get everyone you love killed?  I'd like to think I'd do the right thing.  But even that isn't so easy because what is right and wrong in a world where the norm is so obviously unethical?  And what if you unknowingly started the rebellion?  Do you try to stop it in order to save yourself, your family?  Do you keep the momentum going?

These books make you ask yourself so many questions.  So after rereading the first book, I couldn't wait to get through the second and third.  I will say that I was a little disappointed with the third book - it just wasn't how I saw the series ending and I think it was a bit of a cop out - but I still read it in one sitting.  From 11am-11pm on Sunday I laid in bed and read both two and three.

Touching Base

I'm going to start writing again.  Or at least try to start writing again.  We'll see how it goes.

I've actually been reading again.  For fun.  Even though I'm working long hours and not getting enough sleep, I'm reading a lot.  I need something to escape to and for as long as I can remember books have been my escape.

As a child, I did it in my little twin bed, using a flashlight to read a book under the blankets, my dog curled up on the floor next to me.  I read all the classics - Little House on the Prairie, Little Women, Charlotte's Web.  I loved (and still do love) books.  I don't just read them, I live with them.  The pages are tattered, the corners dog eared, there are notes in the margin of even the most mundane and pedestrian stories, and the covers of my favorites have literally fallen off.

These days, not much has changed,  I carry a book everywhere with me, recently purchasing a purse specifically because it would hold a hardcover book or Kindle.  I have been known to pull out whatever I'm reading at the time while waiting in the grocery store checkout line.  I am not ashamed of the fact that I cannot stop devouring stories.  I end almost every day in my gloriously big and cozy queen sized bed, my Kindle in my hand, and my cats curled up on either side of me.  Not much has changed since elementary school.

I recently read a trilogy that I wish had been around back in the day of flashlights under the blankets.  I hesitate to recommend them as they are obviously a young adult read but I couldn't get enough.  The stories focus on a young girl, Cass, who stumbles through a worm hole (for lack of better explanation) onto a deserted planet.  She spends time alone in survival mode, before being discovered by an "alien" civilization.  The beings who find her are very much human, although they are more in tune with their psychic abilities.  This all sounds so ridiculous as I'm writing it out, so just go and look at the description on Amazon.  I will leave it with the fact that there's a strong female protagonist, a sexy male love interest (not in a throw-it-in-your-face-sorta-way...) who is still haunting my dreams, and enough science fiction to keep it interesting but not so much that it was truly "sci-fi."  Talk about something that offered escape.  I was home sick a few weeks ago and spent the entire 3 days in bed reading this books.  These books will be re-read many times.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Didn't Change My Life But Did Inspire Me to Write

Ok, here I go.  First crack at this blogging thing in a while.  I haven't blogged in ages, mostly because it turns out I'm a rather boring person when I try to talk about myself.  And people can only read so much about my cat before they get a bit bored.  But books - I could talk about books all day and people usually appreciate my recommendations.  So here it is world.  My first book recommendation.

First some background.  I am an avid reader, which is probably obvious.  I'll read almost anything.  I moved to Lexington a few short months ago and the only people I've really gotten to know are the librarians at my local library - which is fine by me, in case anyone was wondering.  Like I said, I'll read almost anything. Mysteries, romance, sci-fi or fantasy, non-fiction (I have this weird love for biographies about relatively obscure people), popular fiction, chick-lit, books with good cover art, books with attractive authors, books translated from other languages, those written 100 years ago, those published last week, academic fiction... Just about anything.  I'll give most authors at least one chance, and usually 4 or 5 chances if I can't make up my mind the first time around.

Last week, a book jumped off the shelf at me while I was browsing the library* about a small-town library cat that I vaguely remember hearing about on the news or something some time back.  Knowing that I was probably going to go home that evening, make dinner, and lay on the couch reading a book with my kitty curled up next to me, I figured bringing home a story about a cat wasn't the end of the world.  I live alone.  No one would have to know - unless of course I decide to start a blog to tell the world about the books, but that's another story.

The short story about how Dewey became famous (for a cat) goes like this.  The librarian lady lived in Iowa and found a cute kitten one morning in the book drop.  They named the cat Dewey Readmore Books - cheesy but my cat's named Lady Bug so I can't really say anything about stupid cat names - and it turned out to be a friendly cat that everyone loved.  The town was falling apart and Dewey made their days a bit happier and ultimately better.  Then he got old and died.  The end.

Of course there's more to the story - there always is.  Honestly, I loved the book.  Trying to tell about it sounds pretty stupid, but really, it's a rather charming tale about a woman and her pet.  And those of us who have pets know the impact they can have not just on one life, but on an entire community of people.  The story is also about the library in a small town.  Basically it combined my two favorite things on the planet (books and a wonderful cat) and wrapped them together in a big, old, sappy story.  I confess, I cried and then hugged my baby and realized that I'm not crazy and pets really can have that big of an effect on people's lived.

So here's where the blogging gets tough for me.  What do you all want?  I give it 3 out of 4 stars... 1 and a half thumbs up... It's good enough to waste some time reading?  I don't want to be one of those book reviewers, because I don't see books that way.  They become a part of my life.  Every book I read, I can relate back to something going on in the rest of my world.  Like this middle school girls who glean advice from the most benign love song on the radio, I always think I can take away great insight from whatever it is I've just read.  So maybe I'll share that.  Dewey was a silly story, yes, and I probably should find more of a social life so I don't spend Tuesday nights on the couch reading books about cats with my cat laying on my lap.  I'm only 25 for pete's sake!  But it was heartwarming.  It made me happy that small-towns still exist (even though I'd never want to live in one).  It made me thankful that my dad taught me the love of reading when I was merely 3 years old.  It made me smile at the thought of the many libraries I've visited in every city I've lived in.  And most of all, it gave me a reason to hug my little Lady, sniff in the smell of sunshine (long story... I'll tell it someday), and tell her I love her.  Which of course prompted her to kiss my nose and snuggle up against my shoulder.  That is love.  And ultimately, that's what Dewey's story was about.  Love.

And couldn't we all use a little more love in our lives?  There's way too much oil spilling, family shooting, and war fighting going on in this world.

*Ok, I was browsing in the cat section and yes, I know that makes me a crazy-cat lady.  But so does the 3 other books I got about cat personalities.  The Dewey book was at least a story.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World