The Hangman’s Daughter – Oliver Potzsch

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I had back surgery a little over a week ago. The operation was a great success, but it was a long week recovering in bed. I stared at hurricane Isaac for hours. I yelled “higher” at the Price is Right contestants. She would have won both showcases if she would have only listened to me. I had staring competitions with my dog (he won) and organized the top drawer in my nightstand. In all that excitement I found time to organize my Kindle and discovered a book I read a few years ago that I absolutely loved. It is a historical mystery about a witch hunt that takes place in 17th century Bavaria and I had to share it.

The book is called “The Hangman’s Daughter” by Oliver Potzsch. The book was originally written in German but is translated to English by Lee Chadeayne. The book begins with the death of a child in a small town.  The death is suspicious and when a strange mark is found on the child, the town immediately suspects the work of the devil. With no immediate devil coming forward the town council decides to blame a midwife who they also believe dabbles in witchcraft. She is a strange woman and although she delivered most of their children the citizens of the town need someone to blame. They arrest the woman, throw her into prison and begin to elicit a “confession”.

Well, the way things go back in Ye Olde 17th century Bavaria is that if someone accuses you of a crime you are tortured until one of two things happen: (1) You confess and then are executed or (2) You die from the torture. Talk about a no-win situation. The job to carry out this task falls upon the town’s hangman, Jakob Kuisl. It turns out Jakob is a very intelligent man and deep down loathes executing people. After speaking to the midwife he is convinced of her innocence; however, the only way to save her is to find the real killer. Jakob reluctantly enlists the help of his daughter and the son of the town’s doctor to figure out what is happening in the small town. As more strange markings begin to appear on children the town grows witch crazy and demands that Jakob obtain a “confession” before any more children die. Jakob and his daughter must solve the mystery or the innocent woman will be put to death by Jakob himself.

The storyline and character development in this mystery are superb. As a reader we are given a glimpse into the mind of a man caught between civic duty and a higher calling. The writing is simply amazing and the characters come alive in a way that is rare among historical mysteries. The storyline is every bit a history lesson as it is a fast paced thriller with twist after twist. The other thing that makes this novel special is that the author is actually a descendant of a 17th century hangman’s family.  This discovered connection prompted the writing of the book and the detailed historical accuracy.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you are looking for something a little outside the norm with a little brain stirring, check it out. This one will have you hooked in no time.

 

 

Healing Grief, Finding Peace

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My father passed away last week, and as I do not have the time or financial resources to sit down with a grief counselor, I chose to do the next best thing—I bought a book written by an expert in bereavement.

I’ve come to the conclusion that shopping for a book which deals with grief is a highly individualized process for each person. While grief is universal, each person’s process of doing so is unique, so needs will vary. After browsing through available selections, I chose Healing Grief, Finding Peace: 101 Ways to Cope with the Death of Your Loved One by Dr. Louis E LeGrand.

I have not made my way through the entire book yet, but what I like so much about this particular offering is that you don’t have to read the chapters in chronological order. You can pick and choose what you feel you need to read given your current coping requirements. And what I have read so far has been more than helpful.

Please feel free to pass this recommendation on to those who might be interested. And if you have any suggestions of your own, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

If You Were Here – Jen Lancaster

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It was the book that I wanted to love.

Like Duckie dreamed of Andie (in Pretty in Pink) or Keith idolized Amanda Jones (in Some Kind of Wonderful) I yearned to fall in love with Jen Lancaster’s fiction debut, If You Were Here. Having read my way through Lancaster’s catalog of memoirs, I anxiously awaited this title. And then anxiously awaited again while Kindle figured out how to streamline those pesky (and much loved) footnotes that define Lancaster’s style. And I finally sat down to read it.

And I did not fall in love (which is why I name-checked Duckie and not Blaine, Amanda and not Watts). There are so many points that should make me fall in love with it, but it just didn’t happen. The book features multiple John Hughes movie references (including a house that plays a pivotal role in a movie that also featured the song that is the same name of the book. Too obtuse? Sigh; Sixteen Candles! It’s Jake Ryan’s house!), an almost gang war with a gang of bumbling idiots and a self-important heiress with a name out of a reality show and ripped-from-the-tabloid antics. And then she threw in two obscure, awesome references from my childhood — Mr. Yuk stickers & Gamera the Japanese monster movie turtle for whom my pet turtle is named.

But it didn’t mesh like I wanted it to. And it might be just because Lancaster’s other books are so damn well-written, this one just doesn’t reach the bar that she’s set.

Secrets, Lies and Finding Fictional Truth

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How do you tell your secrets? Your stories? Your secret stories?

I’m reading Writers And Their Notebooks, the subject of which has always fascinated me. Today’s post is less about one book, and more about your books, your notebooks, to be exact. What is the difference in your mind between a diary and a journal? Is there one? Going forward, I am going to assume that most of you reading this use one for some part of your life. For writers, it has long been the studio of creation, the birthplace of thought and creativity. To me, a diary is who you tell your secrets to. A journal is who you tell your lies to. It could be a workbook for your stories, characters, dialogue. Where you take your loose fanciful ideas and try and put some support under them. It is a record of travels, real or imagined.

What kind of a notebook do you use? A nice leather bound one? Spiral notebook? Moleskin? Or those old trusty marbled composition notebooks? Perhaps another? Several years ago I found a company here in Austin that made the most beautiful handmade leather journals. Even the paper was handmade. I used them to record a couple of trips I made throughout New England. But for good old fashioned brainstorming? I haven’t quite found my home yet. The spirals are nice because they are highly disposable. Writing something, don’t like it, tear it out!  For me this is a bit of a negative. It’s TOO easy to rip out. The composition books seem more suited for the keeping of ideas. Although the pages can still be torn out, it’s a little harder. A little messier. It kind of forces you to sit with the page a little. I do love my Moleskins though. I am never without one in my pocket. I just noticed on their website they now have regular sized purple ones. This is trouble for me.

So what about you, you note takers of notoriety? What kind of tools do you use? And how do you use them? I’m truly curious.  What about you Techie Types? I will admit to using apps on my iPhone more and more for the convenience of continuing to work on it later. But for me, there is still nothing like the hand moving across a page leaving its purple (in my case) artifacts of thought and possibility.

Mari Farthing – Five In The Hive

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Joining us today for a Five In The Hive chat is our own beloved Book End Babe, Mari (Hestekin) Farthing. *applause*

Mari is stopping by today as a guest so we can chit-chat about her upcoming debut in the YA anthology, SOMETHING WICKED from Buzz Books, USA. The five authors from PROM DATES TO DIE FOR have returned to SOMETHING WICKED for more ghoulish fun and this time, much like a zombie apocalypse, they’ve invited Mari to be, “one of them. . . one of them.” *insert appropriate zombie noises here*

In SOMETHING WICKED, Mari tells a tale of TROLLS. And these aren’t persnickety cranky trolls that hide under bridges and make you answer random trivia questions to pass. Nope, these hairy beasts are out for blood, and vengeance. The girl with the recurring dream, the boy with the notebook of secrets and the “hunters” must come together to defeat the trolls. But who are the trolls, really, and what do they want? Find out when the book is released, October 1, 2012.

Okay, Mari, time to play along and answer the Five In The Hive questions:

Book you can’t get out of your head: A Simple Plan. A couple finds a large sum of money and chaos ensues in such a way that I could totally picture myself falling into that downward spiral. Brilliant read. It was later made into a movie starring Bridget Fonda, Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton, but the book far eclipsed the movie.

Book character crush: Ooh, good question. I love Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse books (yeah, that’s not a very literary answer!)

Most unusual place you’ve written: On a receipt is the weirdest thing I’ve written on. In the way-way back of my parent’s van on the way to the airport in High School is the weirdest place I ever wrote. It was a very Jim Morrison-esque poem about the highway. I still remember it.

Lipstick or lip gloss: Copious amounts of both.

In a battle between Frankenstein and Dracula, who wins: Dracula, of course. Frankenstein is adorable, but rather slow. Dracula could run circles ’round him. Then there’s the whole turning into a bat and flying away thing. Unless it’s a daytime battle, Dracula wins.

Mari (Hestekin) Farthing

Mari is a military wife, mom of two, a technical writer, a magazine editor, and Senior Editor at Buzz Books. In her free time (all 15 minutes of it), she likes to cook, discover new music, read, watch movies, run and share drinks with friends … not necessarily in that order. Mari firmly believes that life is best lived with a wicked sense of humor, a willingness to listen, a stash of cute accessories, an open heart for others, and a very dirty martini. Follow her on Twitter @marifarthing.