Witches were a bit like cats. They didn’t much like one another’s company, but they did like to know where all the other witches were, just in case they needed them. — “A Hat Full of Sky,” Terry Pratchett

Good morning and happy Monday.

I finished “Big Brother”; the review will be out next week. I won’t repeat myself here, but I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The ending is not what I expected, but it’s overall well constructed and carefully developed. I really love books that are about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and “Big Brother” definitely is one of those.

I’m moving on now to something completely different: Terry Pratchett. “Hat Full of Sky” is the sequel to “The Wee Free Men,” which I wrote about in the summer reading thread (still accepting ideas, by the way, and just added one myself in the comments).

There was a Q&A in Sunday’s paper with Roanoke native Liza Mundy who has a book out called “The Richer Sex.” It examines the challenges of women who are the breadwinners in their households. “I think we are having a really robust conversation about working parents and working mothers,” she told Danielle Dunaway. I am tempted by the book, I love this kind of topic.

If you were using Twitter on Sunday evening, you probably saw #thewhitequeen trending. It’s a 10-part BBC adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s book about Elizabeth Woodville who married Edward IV. In the tumultuous decades after, we got Richard III, the War of the Roses and the Tudors.  I’ve the read the book and it was … OK. I have “The Red Queen” at home and have yet to crack it open. I did read “The Kingmaker’s Daughter” about the Neville sisters (Anne Neville married Richard III), and I enjoyed that one.

Anyway, I quite like BBC productions, so I might get into “The White Queen” if it makes it onto Netflix or Amazon prime. It is nice to see a medium move away from the Tudors, I feel they’ve been done to death.

*     *     *

Whenever I encounter a picture of myself, the first thing I assess is my weight. I am attached to particular photographs not because they memorialize a signal occasion, but because they depict me as thin. I could probably arrange my every photo in a precise order of preference that would perfectly correspond to a continuum of my size. — “Big Brother,” Lionel Shriver

Hey ho, I am still immersed in my Lionel Shriver novel. It is, if you will pardon the pun, delicious. It tackles so many relationships — with food, with partners, children, siblings. Shriver has a real talent for articulating ideas I personally have a hard time putting into words, and for presenting thoughts of which I was not conscious (see the quote above about photographs).

In book news, Iain Banks, author of “The Wasp Factory,” has died. Who here has read it? I have heard of it, and I’ll put it on my reading list. I’m interested to hear from anyone who has read Banks’ work.

We’ve had some beautiful, sunny days the past week, and I’ve been more inclined to go out on the greenway with the dog than open my book. Have you read anything good this weekend?

If you’re in the market for something good, “Inferno” by Dan Brown is still atop the best-sellers list. This is the last week of my competition to win a hardback copy; I’ll pick a winner Friday. I’ve had some really interesting responses; this is not going to be easy!

*     *    *

I propose: food is by nature elusive. More concept than substance, food is the idea of satisfaction, far more powerful than satisfaction itself, which is why diet can exert the sway of religion or political zealotry. Not irresistible tastiness but the very failure of food to reward is what drives us to eat more of it. — “Big Brother,” Lionel Shriver

Read that quote up there and tell me Lionel Shriver doesn’t have a point. It jolted me; I admit I have a complicated relationship with food, and Shriver’s words hit me in the heart. I knew as soon as I read that that this book was going to be great. It is. I’m not that far into it, but it’s wonderful. The review should be out this month. If Lionel Shriver sounds familiar to you, she — and yes, Shriver is a woman — wrote the critically acclaimed “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” about a fictional school massacre. I haven’t read it, but “Big Brother,” which explores relationships between family and food, makes me want to sample other of Shriver’s work.

If you read the news last week, we’ve had a couple of book-related items. Amanda Codispoti, who runs the Storefront blog, previewed an independent book store that opened in Wasena over the weekend. If anyone went, let me know, because I’m interested in what kind of selection they have. Bravo to them; opening any kind of store is risky business, but especially a book store in an age where most people order their books online or use an e-reader.

My co-blogger Dana Bailey did a Q&A with Roanoke author R.S. Belcher who wrote “The Six-Gun Tarot.” He talks about the process of writing that book, plus what he’s working on now. We ran a review of “The Six-Gun Tarot” back in April. You can still comment on that review, by the way, or talk about the book here.

Finally, in national news, today is the first day of an antitrust trial involving Apple. The Justice Department accuses the company of conspiring to raise e-book prices as it competes with Amazon.com. I’m sure you can get the latest news from Googling, but The L.A. Times lays out what’s going on in a preview story.

Whew! Lots of book stuff going on. Everything is fair game for comments, plus, as always, tell me about your own reading — that awesome free book you scored for your Kindle, that library book that sounded better on the cover, that book you can’t wait to come out. I’m still taking recommendations for summer vacation reads; and “Inferno” by Dan Brown is up for grabs. I think I’ll let the competition ride out at least another week, maybe a week and a half, then pick a winner. Spread the word, the more the merrier!

When I think of summer, I think of vacation; and when I think of vacation, I think of what books I’m going to pack.

You could argue that for avid readers, there’s no such thing as summer vacation reading, that we read what we like to read and the location doesn’t matter. I disagree. A few years ago, I went on a cruise. The sun shone, the ocean sparkled, the food was delicious, and I had a wonderful time—except for those couple of days when I read “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. It’s so depressing, even the punctuation had abandoned it. No matter how beautiful my surroundings, those were a sad couple of days.

The answer to what makes a great summer vacation read varies from person to person. I want something light, yet still substantial. There’s a good chance I’ll take a nap or wander off for a snack midchapter, so a book I can return to easily. Something that makes me think, but doesn’t weigh on my mind.

Below are my top picks for summer vacation reading. There’s a mix, because who packs just one book, right? But they meet my criteria: fun, simple and engaging. You might have a different list, and I want to hear it. The plan is to run a compilation in the newspaper, just when summer really kicks in. So tell me what you think makes a good summer vacation read and recommend some titles.

“The Wee Free Men,” by Terry Pratchett

If you love fantasy and satire but aren’t familiar with Terry Pratchett, let’s change that. Pratchett has been writing the Discworld series for about 30 years, and he gets better and better. Discworld satirizes our own world; Pratchett riffs on diplomacy, sport, Hollywood, religion, just about every institution and facet of society. There are plenty of recurring characters, and the books occasionally refer to past events, but you don’t have to read them sequentially.

“The Wee Free Men” is one of Pratchett’s few novels for children rather than adults. The heroine is 9-year-old Tiffany Aching, and when the queen of the elves steals her little brother, she taps into her latent witch powers and goes to get him back, with the help of little blue (usually drunken) creatures called the Nac Mac Feegle.

I admit that when I first got this book, I wasn’t sold on it. I enjoy plenty of young adult fiction, but 9 is a little young for a heroine, and the little blue creatures seemed obnoxious. But I’m a big Pratchett fan, and his Discworld novels are so funny and smart, so I gave it a whirl. And I loved it. It might be geared toward kids, but it’s something adults can enjoy, like Pixar in a book. Neither the plot nor the writing is as sophisticated as Pratchett’s other novels, but there was enough sass and sparkle to hold my interest all the way through. For lovers of young adult fiction, or fantasy in general, I recommend it.

 “The Little Women Letters,” by Gabrielle Donnelly

This is a book I likely never would have read had it not tied in to a book I’ve read many times: “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott.

The story revolves around three sisters. There’s smart, stubborn, unconventional Lulu who is trying to find her direction in life; big sister Emma, responsible and successful; and young, artistic, pretty Sophie. I’ll let you figure out how they correspond to the March sisters—Jo March, by the way, is the women’s great-great-grandmother, and letters she wrote to her own sisters decades ago are woven into the story of these three descendants. Lulu, Sophie and Emma have a wise, compassionate, patient, understanding mother, too. Guess it runs in the family.

It’s fluff, I won’t deny it; however, the “Little Women” angle makes it stand out a little more than other fluff. If you enjoy “Little Women,” you might enjoy comparing the March sisters and this crop, and Jo’s letters correspond to her own adventures decades ago (or at least they do as far as my memory takes me). Lulu’s mother is eye-rollingly saintly at times, but the other characters are likeable enough, and the book as a whole is easy on the brain. It’s not a bad way to while away the hours.

“Raiders From the North,” by Alex Rutherford

Historical fiction holds a special place in my heart, and it’s the bulk of what I review.  Most of the stuff I read is very Euro-centric, so it was nice to step away from that into 15^th- and 16^th-century Asia, with characters I’d never heard of in a setting unfamiliar to me.

The main character in this book is Babur, who becomes ruler of a land near Afghanistan as a young teen. It’s a dangerous age at which to assume power, and soon he is ousted and roams as far as India, maturing and conquering along the way.

This isn’t glitzy, breezy historical fiction, but nor is it ponderous. It’s a nice, middle-of-the-road balance, well written and well paced. There are enough details to keep the book interesting, but not so many it bogs the story down. The characters are strong and consistent, and if Babur’s feats seem a bit extraordinary, well, they aren’t outrageous enough to detract from the story. In all, it’s a good, solid read.

“Ex-Heroes,” by Peter Clines

This book came out as a reprint earlier this year and has received many positive reviews, with some saying it has tones of “The Walking Dead.”

The book is set in Los Angeles after zombies have overrun the United States (possibly the world). A community of humans is holding out in a former movie studio; their guardians are superheroes, who usually have no problem keeping the zombies at bay, or the gangs that roam the city. But a new type of zombie has appeared with powers that will test the will and strength of everyone.

Much as I enjoy a good superhero novel, I’m not fond of zombies. I find them more creepy than fun, but this combination really intrigued me. The novel gets off to a shaky start—there are loads of characters, and it switches from present to past in a way that requires some adjusting—but the book soon finds its feet, and there’s some light humor in the occasional mention of zombie celebrities. The science behind the zombies is fairly interesting, the reveal of the virus’ cause is a nice twist, and the final battle between heroes, zombies and gang members is flat-out awesome. For a novel with a shaky start, it sure accelerates into a smooth ride and spins to an elegant stop.  Well done, that writer.

Do you read differently when you’re on vacation? What are your top books for a summer vacation read?

I don’t own an e-reader or a tablet; like a lot of people, I like how books feel in my hands, how they smell, how they look in colorful rows on my shelves (and I’m afraid I’d break the thing in 24 hours). But when I think of e-readers, the first name that springs to mind is the Kindle, followed by the Nook. Those are the brands my friends and family use. Popular as Apple products are, it’s hard to imagine the company breaking past Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

I’ve yet to meet anyone who regrets buying an e-reader. The users I know rave about how portable and convenient they are, and that you can get books so cheaply. A copy of “Inferno” by Dan Brown costs $12.99 for the Kindle; the hardcover will set you back $17.15, down from the retail price of a whopping $29.95. Barnes and Nobel is selling the e-book for the same price and the hardcover is just a few cents more. (But you can get the hardcover for free on the blog.) An e-reader is a wise investment, because it will save you money in the long run. Plus, you can find older books for just a few dollars, and many self-published authors offer their books for free. A few people have recommended such free or almost free e-books.

Me, I’m going to wait until I’ve gone through all the unread books here at home before I think about buying an e-reader. No sense buying the electronic version when the paper version is right here. But when I am ready for it, which e-reader would you recommend I buy? If you use Apple to read electronic books, has the lawsuit affected your view of the company or use of the product?

Photo by Associated Press | File 2010

I was really pleased by the responses to the first book giveaway, and delighted to see a couple of mysteries I’d never heard of. But I’m picking Elizabeth as the winner for her comment about the spiral staircase in Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. That was a new one for me, and I can totally see Dan Brown incorporating it into a future novel — tiny, obscure symbols carved in hidden areas, a stranger who seems to know a lot about the original carver but guards his secret…. And “Spiral” is cool name for a novel.

Elizabeth, I’ll need your address to get the book to you. You can e-mail me at suzanne.wardle@roanoke.com. I’ll e-mail you this weekend, too.

Thanks to everyone for participating. There will be another book giveaway at the end of the month. Brush up on your Civil War knowledge!

*     *     *

I was going to wait until next month for the first book giveaway, but I can’t pass this one up. It’s on the best-seller list, it’s gotten great reviews, and even if you don’t want it yourself, surely you know someone who does? It’s a pristine, never-been-read hardback. So pretty!

I admit I’m not a big Dan Brown fan; “The Da Vinci Code” was enough for me. I read it when I was in college and was taking art history at the time. Thus when Robert Langdon was stroking his chin thoughtfully in the Louvre as he tried to name that painting, in my head I was screeching, “Madonna on the Rocks. HOW CAN YOU NOT TELL THE ANSWER IS MADONNA ON THE ROCKS?” I know that’s not fair, and I’m sure Robert Langdon could run rings around me in any art/history competition (with his only problem being he doesn’t exist), but it soured the book for me. I haven’t read any of Brown’s other books.

However, I do respect how Brown uses history and art as a springboard for his stories. History in particular fascinates me, and I do love a good history-mystery combination. So I’m setting up a related competition for “Inferno”:

 Which historical/artistic mystery fascinates you the most, and what do you think the answer to it is?

You get points for originality and eloquence. How long the competition runs depends on how many responses I get; the more, the better, and the sooner I’ll pick a winner. So if you’re keen to win a copy of Dan Brown’s best-selling latest, share the competition with friends, just make sure they aren’t as clever as you.

By the way, if you’ve already read “Inferno,” talk about it on the Monday open book stuff thread, or recommend it as a summer vacation read.

Good luck!

Read the rest of this review, and more, at roanoke.com.

Read the rest of this review, and others, at roanoke.com.

Brian Clegg, a writer with a background in physics that includes a degree from Cambridge University, takes on this broad and poorly defined field to suggest how our understanding of the forces that might be involved can lead us to accept or reject the plausibility of these psi phenomena.

Read the rest of this review, and others, at roanoke.com.

Apparently I walk and stand like my dad. I like SUVs like my dad. I’m an adventurous eater like my dad. We have the  same personality, which made my teenage years so much fun, ha ha.

But dad and I differ in key ways. He is up like a lark, I keep hours like an owl. He downs multiple mugs of tea every day, I can’t abide the stuff. I think “Happy Gilmore” is hilarious. My father, the avid golfer, well, he doesn’t.

And we like to read different things. My dad likes thrillers, crime and “Day of the Triffids.” I rarely foray into  those genres. Similarly, my dad isn’t likely to settle on the sofa with Jane Austen or the latest Terry Pratchett.

However, he does love to read, and although my mother has introduced me to many favorite authors, my dad does get my  relationship with books. When my mother suggested I prune my children’s books, it was my dad who understood why the idea pained me. He’s never articulated it, but I think he understands I have memories, experiences and emotions tied up in these blocks of paper to which I’ve clung possessively over decades.

Not an actual image of my father. | Image courtesy of redwalldictionary.webs.com

My favorite book-father memory is from when I was 11 years old, maybe younger. My dad was doing some work at my grandparents’ house. I was reading a Redwall book by Brian Jacques, one of those series with talking animals that attracts many a little girl. In the Redwall books, the moles talk with a rustic English dialect — something like, “Oi loik zoop, zoop is noice, boi ‘okey, hurr hurr.” I loved sounding this out, it was so different to my own speech. But how to make sure I was doing it right? Ask dad, of course.

I remember the moment well: There’s my dad, in work boots and shorts and a faded golf shirt, sweaty from working, probably doing something quite labor- and time-intensive. And there’s me, fixated on how make-believe talking moles actually sound, suddenly popping up and asking him to “read this bit.”

And he did, rustic accent and all.

So as Father’s Day approaches, I want to say thanks, dad. Thanks for pretending to be a talking mole (hurr hurr), thanks for letting me hold on to my books and, most of all, thanks for all the millions of times you’ve interrupted yourself for my sake.

What’s your favorite father-related memory of books? Dads, what special book-related moments have you shared with your kids?

Jun 8
2PM – 6PM  Sarah Kennedy – The Altarpiece
3PM – 6PM  William Crisp – Air Assault: Sharing the Military Experience
6:30 – 9PM   A. J. Haynes – Home Again

Jun 13
4PM – 7PM  Marian McConnell – Murder Hole

Jun 15
1PM – 5PM  Peggy Wade – In Full Armor: The Life of Clifford F. Frith
3PM – 6PM  Deborah Edwards – Maddie Gets a New Home

Jun 16
1PM – 3PM  Nancy Johnson – My Life As A Border Collie

In crafting this book of instructions for his boys, Weber has created a blueprint for parenthood that transcends its purpose. This book is a living example of the courage needed to face the rigors of combat and the rigors of life. There is no pathos in this book. There is nobility and the kind of courage we all need to face the challenges that find us and challenge us every day.

Read this review, and more, at roanoke.com.