Book Review: Graceling

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

On the back cover of Graceling, you'll read a snippet of a review comparing the book to Twilight, and of course the publisher would want to appeal to the legion of Twilight fans who are hungry for something new to read, now that Stephenie Meyers' series is finished. If I were to compare this book to anything in the pop culture consciousness, however, I'd lean towards Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes, it is a fantasy novel with a romantic vein, but this is above all a book about a young woman who is strong and independent and who wants to empower other girls to take care of themselves.

Gracelings are indentifiable by their eyes, which are of two different colors, and each Graceling has his or her own unique abilities. Some are more mundane than others--they can range from an affinity for cooking to psychic knowledge of weather patterns. Katsa's Grace manifested itself when, at eight years old, she killed an uncle who was making inappropriate advances toward her. Since then, Katsa has been employed by another uncle, King Randa of the Midlunds, as his personal assasin and enforcer. She has trained and honed her superhuman skill for killing and maiming until she can take out an army of men on her own.

Although she is forced to deliver horrible and often unfair punishments to her uncle's subjects, the injustices Katsa sees all around her lead her to form a secret Council that works to save victims of tyranny and abuses of all kinds. On one such mission, rescuing an elderly prince from the dungeons of a neighboring kingdom, Katsa meets a stranger who will change her life and everything she believes about herself and her Grace.

Prince Po of the island kingdom of Lienid is also Graced with fighting abilities, and he is searching for his grandfather--the same prince that Katsa helped to rescue from prison. Together, Po and Katsa seek to discover who kidnapped the elder Lienid prince and for what dark purpose.

I was thrilled to read this book, with a heroine whose strength and independent spirit does not give way at the entrance of a handsome, romantic young man. Though she doesn't always understand it, Katsa embraces her strength, protecting others and teaching them to protect themselves. The men she allows close to her are not intimidated by her power but respect and love her for that very strength. This is a book I am very happy to recommend to young women--and young men--looking for a story full of action, adventure, and romance, with characters they can cheer for and admire.

[Note: Graceling has just been published in paperback. Fans will be eager to read Cashore's next book, Fire, which is about different characters, but still set in Katsa's world.]

[Note, part II: Check out Kristin Cashore's website and blog for more information about the author and her books and books-in-progress!]

With my glass half-full

There are pessimists who will note, with some pride, that their view of the world ensures that they are never disappointed when things go wrong and often surprised when things go better than expected. I prefer to be optimistic, but as it turns out, a bit of pessimistic planning ahead might have been a good thing this week.

As some of you may know first (or second) hand, our anticipated event with Bernd Heinrich this past Tuesday didn't take place because the author was unfortunately unaware that he had a speaking engagement at The Galaxy Bookshop at all.

It was, certainly, an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved. For me, it was also a learning opportunity.

Lesson #1: ALWAYS re-confirm events with the author or publicist near the date of an event. The publisher may have a whole department working on author tours, and the event may be posted to the official website, but that doesn't mean that things can't slip between the cracks.

Lesson #2: Be prepared for contigencies. Within minutes after I made the announcement that Bernd would not be attending, I began thinking of ways in which I could have softened the blow and created some organization for everyone as we worked on our Plan B. Because I didn't get people's contact information, I have to hope that we will be able to reach them through our website, via our email newsletter, here, on Facebook, in advertisements, etc., in order to let them know that....

Lesson #3: Know that there is a way to rectify the situation (i.e. Don't Panic!). The happy outcome of our canceled event is that Bernd  Heinrich made a point of stopping by the following day, on his way to Maine, to sign books for us. We now have a number of signed copies of Summer World and some of Bernd's older books that we'd be happy to exchange for unsigned copies for any of the people who were here on Tuesday evening.

We are also working on rescheduling this event, which will either take place in October or in the spring, when Bernd's next book (Nesting) is published. We will let everyone know as soon as we have a date--and promise (barring emergencies) that we'll get the author to the book signing on time.

One more thing I took away from Tuesday evening--our people are good people. Though it would have been understandable for folks to get angry, annoyed, frustrated, vocal...it didn't happen. At least, they didn't show it. Instead, they were kind and understanding, voicing hopes of meeting Bernd here another time and offering sympathy for the situation we found ourselves in. Some people even helped us fold and stack chairs--a gesture that, on a hot and stuffy night, did not go unappreciated.

So, I will continue to be an optimist, but an optimist with a back-up plan.

Those "lazy" days of summer

How does the week fly by so fast? Here it is, Friday again, and August is halfway over. There's so much to do during these last weeks of summer, as we try to pack in as much activity as possible before vacation is over. On top of that, it looks like we have one of the most gorgeous weekends of the summer ahead!

Here are a few of the events you might want to enjoy, right around our community this weekend:

Circus Smirkus! Final shows of the season are in Greensboro--Saturday, August 15 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, August 16 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. (It's recommended that you get there quite early if you haven't bought tickets in advance--lines can get long.)

The Vermont Philharmonic Pops Concert at the Hardwick Town House--Saturday, August 15, at 7:30 p.m.

Catch folk musicians Rick & Bec at The Music Box in Craftsbury--Saturday, August 15, at 8 p.m.

Enjoy music on the water at Landon Lake Cottage on Caspian--Sunday, August 16, at 7:30 p.m.

And, don't forget, The Galaxy Bookshop has two events coming up next week:

Dinner and book signing with Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese--Monday, August 17, 6 p.m. at Claire's Restaurant. Seating is limited, reserve tickets in advance at The Galaxy Bookshop.

Reading and book signing by naturalist Bernd Heinrich--Tuesday, August 18, 7 p.m. at the bookstore. Free, and no reservations necessary.

Have a great weekend!!

We've got 'em, signed!

Wow, Friday just snuck up on me--which is why this post is so late...and brief.

The wonderful Richard Russo very generously agreed to stop by The Galaxy Bookshop today to sign books for us! We have many autographed copies of his new (and very enjoyable) book, That Old Cape Magic, available now. Call (802-472-5533) or email us if you'd like to reserve a copy! We also have signed copies of some of his previous books, including Empire Falls and Bridge of Sighs.

Read an interview with Russo at the Wall Street Journal or listen to his NPR interview (and read an excerpt from the book) on  Morning Edition.

The Washington Post printed a great review of the book (I think it sums up everything I thought about it, in better words than I could have found.)