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Anna was Here
Jane Kutz
middle grade

I'm stretching ye olde reviewing skills again with my first review after the summer siesta of the Book Review Club. Fortunately, Jane Kurtz makes my work so much easier. Anna was Here was a fun, entertaining, timeless story. Dare I say, it's a meat and potatoes book cloaked in chocolate pudding. They don't get any better than that!

Plot synopsis: Anna, daughter of a minister and university professor, must move to Kansas when her father accepts a temporary post as pastor to an ailing church in a small town. Catch: the small town is filled with relatives and uneasy family history.

This story is as much about mending broken ties in a community and family as it is about the change and discomfort that comes from a big move and new start. What struck me is how evenly balanced this story is. All of the parts - character, plot, setting - work in harmony. None is louder than the others. They each take center stage for appropriate but not prolonged solos.

While there is a religious element to this story, Kurtz does an excellent job of, again, balancing. Religion doesn't take over. The story doesn't become about religion, or faith, or belief, or what one person believes in lieu of another. Rather, it remains another story element, nicely blended, fulfilling the role Kurtz sets out for it, which is, interestingly, both dividing and unifying. 

All of that got me to thinking about voice. I've heard the term described as so many different things, not the least of which is the tone of a piece, or an author's style. Anna was Here made me rethink those. After all, they already have their own iconic terminology. But voice is still missing its fundamental definition (at least for me, it was). So I came up with my own: voice is the result of a writer's blend of style, tone, character, setting, plot, and the various other parts of story. In other words, voice isn't any one thing. It's what is created when all of the parts are blended and create something greater than the sum of those parts = voice.

I'm pretty sure I haven't reinvented the definitional wheel on voice, but it finally makes sense to me. Thanks Jane Kurtz!

Other fall delights, are a finger's stretch away at Barrie Summy's blog. Happy reading!

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NYTimes is reporting on a history buff who discovered items he knew to be institutionalized on ebay and assisted authorities in catching the thief. Daniel D. Lorello, who worked at the New York State Library Archives for 29 years, admitted to stealing 300-400 items in 2007 alone...and he began stealing material back in 2002. Apparently much/most of it was minor material and was sold either to local dealers or on ebay.

The local dealers who bought from him will undoubtedly do their best to assist in returning material to the Library. Ebay, of course, doesn't care at all if items sold through them are stolen or not.

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National Novel Writing Month--November--is no time to blog!

I'm at 47,000 words on my most recent novel, thanks to the blitzkrieg of NaNoWriMo. My back aches. My wrists are sore. My eyes feel like dried up bits of pain in my face. And my characters keep going off on tangents instead of getting on with the story so I can wrap things up by 50,000 words.

Looks like I'll still be writing into the 60's. Aargh.

So although there are some rants and drones that have come to my brain at times during the last few days (especially today, with our illustrious congressmen passing a resolution to stifle free speech and invite another haole American to "go back where he came from"), they'll have to wait.

Must novel on!

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It is late and I must be to bed. Back from Northampton fair, more on this to follow, too tired now. It will likely not be tomorrow (perhaps late in the day) as I am heading north to an auction. Too much driving (and flying) of late.

I feel minorly obligated to be more diligent about posting (and/or being somewhat salient when doing so). I have had at least a dozen people at the last two fairs tell me how much they enjoy this blog. The first few I could write off as people with too much time on their hands and/or *really* low standards...but the total number has compelled me to conclude that there are an unreasonable number of humans "out there" reading this drivel (*or* there are a *lot* of people with too much time on their hands and/or really low expectations). Regardless, I will try to do better going forward.

Some interesting things afoot: two interesting auctions this week and some short and some tactical decisions in the works. Much fodder for my ramblings...and an overview of Northampton (with pictures of this and Seattle booths for your viewing pleasure (and/or amusement).

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I know, I know. I am a very bad blogger. It is summer, I am up to my eyes in work, projects, family and a bizarre assortment of other distractions. I'm sorry. I'll try to do better.

I offer, for all who have not seen it previously, the following vid of Andy Rooney on the NY ABAA fair. It is a great piece. Sorry re the link, but CBS does not allow embedding and I could not find a copy elsewhere:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2830217n

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Ok, I admit, it is early Monday morning and my defenses are down...but I would have less contempt for the political process (such as it is) if all national election material was executed with this amount of creativity, humor and...er...silliness.

I know I've been silent of late. Things have been crazy busy (new collection and 67 lots from a recent auction to be catalogued and writing projects that I could not duck). I'll catch up soon...thank you for the snarky messages.

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Thank you for your notes, pleasant, pleading and snarky. I do apologize for my silence of late. I have *many* things to post about and no time at all to do so. However, I will find the time in the next few days. As a teaser, posts will included, but not be limited to, the following:

1: Auctions adventures (I've had great luck and fun of late)
2: Princeton reunions (and books their special collections)
3: Coffee (Ahab's Revenge and other great roasts)
4: Preparing for bookfairs (Portland bookfair is this coming weekend, come one, come all)
5: The joys of laser prints and technology in general (aka, the revenge of unintended consequences)
6: Book hunting, book hunters, the good, the bad and the downright rude and surly.

More to follow...promise...really.... Read the rest of this post

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