Spread the Awesome! (And a book to boot.)

Thanks for all the kind wishes I received during my blog hiatus. It was wonderful to focus on my family for awhile, though admittedly hard to stay away from blogging. I missed some dang good posts and updates about my friends!

And I’m happy to say that the surgery went well for my son and the surprise birthday party was a hit for my oldest daughter.

But that’s not why I’m posting. I’m posting because today, it’s Spread the Awesome Day! Brain Child of Elana Johnson, around 60 bloggers are linked up to broadcast their mad-passion for some amazing books and authors.

My chosen topic?

Elizabeth Bunce!

Her first (and oh so lovely) book, A Curse Dark As Gold, came out in 2008 and was/is brilliant! (It even won the William C. Morris Debut Award.)

I like what the School Library Journal had to say about it: “Too stubborn to let go of the troubled mill that has supported her community for generations, Charlotte Miller takes over after her father's death, fighting impending disaster with bargains with a mysterious Jack Spinner that eventually threaten her infant son. Set in a rural valley in the late 1700s, this reworking of the "Rumplestiltskin" story includes ghosts, witchcraft, elements of Georgian society, and much earlier folk magic in the guise of a novel of manners. The leisurely paced narrative gathers steam as it becomes clear that the family and the mill have not simply had a long run of bad luck, but are seriously cursed. Readers need not be familiar with the folktale to see where Charlotte's efforts to save her mill are headed. Though their roles in the narrative are clear, secondary characters are distinctive: foppish Uncle Wheeler is more than a stereotyped villain, and Charlotte's eventual husband is an admirable romantic lead with unsuspected talents. A rich opening to Jane Austen's world for teens.”

My own two cents: The book is lush with history and deep characterization. While it’s not a nail-biting thriller, the pace picks up when it develops a ghostly exchange between the main character and her tormentor. What I like most about this book? It’s ambitious! Bunce takes on a fairy tale that is not only weird, but hard to follow. (A short impish guy wanting babies? Come on—I can’t even get my husband to smile at any baby that’s not his own. Then again, he’s not a short, impish guy….) She takes the story, adds a highly developed setting to it, and makes it believable and meaty. She makes it her own. 

And what’s better than this well-thought out book? Another one on the way! Ms. Bunce has her second Young Adult (YA) Novel, Starcrossed, coming out October 1st. Here’s the PD on it: “16-year-old Digger thrives as a spy & sneak-thief among the feuding religious factions of Gerse. But when a routine job goes horribly wrong and her partner & lover Tegen is killed, she disguises herself in a group of young nobles & sneaks out of the city. Accepted as a lady-in-waiting at the stronghold of the powerful Nemair, she finds new peace & friendship (*and* some new targets). But when an old client from the city comes to the castle, she realizes her hosts may be planning the ultimate uprising against the king and rather than true peace, she may be at the heart of the rebellion.”

Now to spread some fun on to you: Leave me a comment! If you need a topic, I would love a YA or MG book reccomendation (preferably a Historical Fiction but it doesn't have to be) and I’ll enter you in to win your own copy of A Curse Dark as Gold. If you already have this one, I’ll preorder Starcrossed for you. How’s that for neighborly, eh? I will draw a name on Monday, May 10th (8 pm PST) and as soon as I know the winner, you’ll know.

So bring on those book recommendations—my bursting-at-the-seams shelves need more company! And then after you’re done wowing me with your favorite books, go to my link-up buddy, Rebecca @ Sometimes Nonsense for more Spread the Awesome fun. You won’t regret it (and those of you obsessed with books will thank me)!