Talking a book

There is a great art to talking a book.
Sharing a title that hit you just so is easier...

• if you can recall the details over time
• if you can tell enough to convey why it was good or interesting
• if you can do the above WITHOUT giving away too much
• if you can recall the author

Wandering the shelves or using an online tool : library catalog or google search can provide a book cover image which can help. Generally speaking this if process is easier if you work on it. Memory jolts can help. Just like writing a to do list helps to cement it in your mind. Writing a three line review can help your recall on a book. My efforts this year:

January
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The story of two sisters each running from their warped version of their shared past. They discover, when circumstances throw them together, that in making the efforts to save each other, they are able to heal themselves. Having a special garden is just an added bonus!

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The modern history of Afghanistan as told from the day to day perspective of an outcast woman. This story will give you a renewed appreciation of all the things we take for granted.

February
East by Edith Pattou
This a young adult book offers a new take on the Beauty and the Beast story. Perfect for an icy cold day it involves travel throughout Greenland and the Scandinavian countries.

March
"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan, a book for young readers and readers that are young at heart. Percy Jackson is having troubles in school and at home. His mother sends him to a summer camp where he learns that he is a demigod. He and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods...

April
"Beardance" by Will Hobbs .
This book continues the story of "Bearstone" an award winning book for boys and girls.
Both books are set in the wild mountain area of Colorado at the continental divide.
Cloyd has a connection with the bears but it seems the more he tries to help them, the more trouble they face.

"Small Steps" by Louis Sachar.
It is a sequel to "Holes" and tells the story of Armpit and his life after Camp Green Lake.
The central message from his parole office is to take change in small ways, or by small steps, then life won't overwhelm you and sweep you away. This lesson is tested when a national pop star singles him out for love.

October
I just finished reading "Just Ella" by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This version of Cinderella is a tale of an independent girl making the most of circumstances beyond her control. There is a logical explanation behind every one of the "magical" elements of the Cinderella Fairy Tale. Learn why her father married such a shallow woman, understand the glass slipper and the need to leave the ball by midnight, and think twice about the prince named "Charming." Read this book to remind yourself that there such a truth as "happily ever after."