August « 2023 « Kate's blog

31 Aug 2023, 3:59pm
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Kate’s 2¢: “Fire And Ice” by Erin Hunter

“Fire And Ice” by Erin Hunter

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

I’m hooked and this is only Book 2 in the series “Warrior Cats”. These cats never let you forget that they are cats, yet, their thought processes are very human.

www.warriorcats.com

Warriors (also known as Warrior Cats) is a series of novels based on the adventures and drama of multiple Clans of feral cats. The series is primarily set in fictional forests. Published by HarperCollins, the series is written by authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, as well as others, under the collective pseudonym Erin Hunter. The concept and plot of the pilot series was developed by series editor Victoria Holmes.

There are currently eight sub-series, each containing six books: The Prophecies Begin, The New Prophecy, Power of Three, Omen of the Stars, Dawn of the Clans, A Vision of Shadows, The Broken Code, and A Starless Clan. Other books have been released in addition to the main series, including lengthier “Super Edition” novels, several novellas, seven guide books, and several volumes of mangas. The series has also been translated into several languages.

Inspiration and origins[edit]

A picture of the forest which was the inspiration behind the setting of the ”Warriors” universe.

New Forest, which became the base for the forest the cats live in

The series first began when publisher HarperCollins asked Victoria Holmes to write a fantasy series about feral cats. Holmes was initially not enthusiastic, since she “couldn’t imagine coming up with enough ideas.” She worked with the concept, however, expanding the storyline with elements of war, politics, revenge, doomed love, and religious conflict.[1] Although the original plan was for a stand-alone novel, enough material was created for several books, and the publisher decided on a six-volume series.[1] The first volume, Into the Wild, was written by Kate Cary under the pseudonym “Erin Hunter” and was completed in about three months.[2] Holmes then began to work behind the scenes, editing and supervising details.[3] Cherith Baldry joined the team to write the third book, Forest of Secrets. Later, after she wrote the first Warriors field guide, Tui Sutherland became the fourth author to use the pseudonym Erin Hunter.[4]

The authors have named several other authors as sources of inspiration when writing the novels. In an online author chat, Cherith Baldry listed the authors that inspire her as including Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Shakespeare. In the same chat, Victoria Holmes stated that Jacqueline Wilson, Kathy Reichs, and J. K. Rowling are some of the authors that inspire her.[4] According to the official website, other authors who have inspired the writers include Enid Blyton, Lucy Daniels, Ellis Peters, Tess Gerritsen, Kate Ellis, Lisa Gardiner, and Meg Cabot.[5] The authors have also mentioned several other sources of inspiration. The New Forest in southern England was the base for the forest where the series takes place.[2] Other influential locations include Loch Lomond,[6] as well as the Scottish Highlands. Nicholas Culpeper, a physician who used materials occurring in the natural world as medicine, also had an influence on the Warriors series. His book, Culpeper’s Herbal, is used as a source by the authors for the many herbal remedies that the cats use.[7] The film series Rambo has also been cited as a source of inspiration.[8]

Setting and universe[edit]

www.warriorcats.com

Warriors (also known as Warrior Cats) is a series of novels based on the adventures and drama of multiple Clans of feral cats. The series is primarily set in fictional forests. Published by HarperCollins, the series is written by authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, as well as others, under the collective pseudonym Erin Hunter. The concept and plot of the pilot series was developed by series editor Victoria Holmes.

There are currently eight sub-series, each containing six books: The Prophecies Begin, The New Prophecy, Power of Three, Omen of the Stars, Dawn of the Clans, A Vision of Shadows, The Broken Code, and A Starless Clan. Other books have been released in addition to the main series, including lengthier “Super Edition” novels, several novellas, seven guide books, and several volumes of mangas. The series has also been translated into several languages.

Inspiration and origins[edit]

A picture of the forest which was the inspiration behind the setting of the ”Warriors” universe.

New Forest, which became the base for the forest the cats live in

The series first began when publisher HarperCollins asked Victoria Holmes to write a fantasy series about feral cats. Holmes was initially not enthusiastic, since she “couldn’t imagine coming up with enough ideas.” She worked with the concept, however, expanding the storyline with elements of war, politics, revenge, doomed love, and religious conflict.[1] Although the original plan was for a stand-alone novel, enough material was created for several books, and the publisher decided on a six-volume series.[1] The first volume, Into the Wild, was written by Kate Cary under the pseudonym “Erin Hunter” and was completed in about three months.[2] Holmes then began to work behind the scenes, editing and supervising details.[3] Cherith Baldry joined the team to write the third book, Forest of Secrets. Later, after she wrote the first Warriors field guide, Tui Sutherland became the fourth author to use the pseudonym Erin Hunter.[4]

The authors have named several other authors as sources of inspiration when writing the novels. In an online author chat, Cherith Baldry listed the authors that inspire her as including Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Shakespeare. In the same chat, Victoria Holmes stated that Jacqueline Wilson, Kathy Reichs, and J. K. Rowling are some of the authors that inspire her.[4] According to the official website, other authors who have inspired the writers include Enid Blyton, Lucy Daniels, Ellis Peters, Tess Gerritsen, Kate Ellis, Lisa Gardiner, and Meg Cabot.[5] The authors have also mentioned several other sources of inspiration. The New Forest in southern England was the base for the forest where the series takes place.[2] Other influential locations include Loch Lomond,[6] as well as the Scottish Highlands. Nicholas Culpeper, a physician who used materials occurring in the natural world as medicine, also had an influence on the Warriors series. His book, Culpeper’s Herbal, is used as a source by the authors for the many herbal remedies that the cats use.[7] The film series Rambo has also been cited as a source of inspiration.[8]

Setting and universe[edit]

Kate’s 2¢: “Into The Wild” by Erin Hunter

“Into The Wild” by Erin Hunter

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

I’ve always tried to read whatever my children are reading. Last year, I read many of the “Wings of Power” books by Tui Southerland (featuring dragons of all shapes and sizes), because my grandson was reading them. This year, he’s into *, which features cats. “Into The Wild”, he tells me, is the first book and I should read it first. So, I did.

The reader can never forget the characters are cats, as they will meow, howl, lick their paws each other, and move like cats. They do, however, have all the thinking processes that humans have. I enjoyed this book and will read several more, but Hunter is extremely prolific and I do have other books I want to read also.

Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia

Erin Hunter is a collective pseudonym used by the authors Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Clarissa Hutton, Inbali Iserles, Tui T. Sutherland, and Rosie Best in the writing of several juvenile fantasy novel series, which focus on animals and their adventures. Notable works include the Warriors, Seekers… See more

History

In 2003, HarperCollins asked Victoria Holmes to write a fantasy series about feral cats, but, not being a reader of fantasy, she was less than enthusiastic despite her love of cats. After writing one storyline, Kate Cary … See more

Members

Victoria Holmes

Victoria Holmes was born in Berkshire, England. Holmes was the original author of the series with See more

Book development

In Warriors, Seekers and Bravelands, a specific order is followed. First, Holmes, the editor, sends in the preliminary script and outline to Cary, Baldry or Sutherland, depending on who depending on who writes the book. Then, the author develops Holmes’ ideas into a single book which is sent back to Holmes for one last check-over and edit. After she finishes, she sends it to HarperCollins for publication.[42] After Holmes stepped back from editing under the Erin Hunter name in 2017, a team of editors took over the writing of the preliminary scripts and the editing of drafts.

For the Survivors series, there was a different approach taken. The whole team got together and created a detailed story outline and developed the characters together. Then, the writing itself was done by a single author, who was still allowed to change something significant about the plot or characters if they felt that a certain character would not act a specific way.[43]

Writing style[edit]

With four different authors, Holmes has said that the book “‘sounds’ like Erin, because she has a very distinctive voice”. She compares the style of the authors to a different language where a stray line or word can stick out. Holmes says that she is in charge of editing and making sure that the book sounds correct.[42] Erin Hunter books are all told in a third person limited narrative, though the focal point character changes from series to series, book to book, and sometimes from chapter to chapter.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Into the wild DB66677

Hunter, Erin. Reading time: 7 hours, 31 minutes.

Read by Patrick Downer.

Adventure

Fantasy Fiction

Animals and Wildlife

A young house cat, Rusty–later renamed Firepaw and then Fireheart–leaves home to join the endangered ThunderClan, one of four rival clans of wildcats claiming the forest. With noble warrior cats mysteriously dying, Rusty trains to become a warrior, a hunter, and a survivor. Some violence. For grades 4-7. 2003.

Downloaded: August 21, 2023

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21 Aug 2023, 5:12am
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Kate’s 2¢: “A Wind In The Door” by Madeleine L’Engle,

“A Wind In The Door” by Madeleine L’Engle,

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

“Wind In The Door” is the second book. I liked it, but it seemed to have more historic, academic discussions than “The Wrinkle In Time”. However, dragon-like creatures and time travel is always captivating to our imaginations.

“…It isn’t just in other galaxies that strange and terrible things are happening. Unreason has snuck up on us so insidiously that we’ve hardly been aware of it. Think of the things happening in our own country that you wouldn’t have thought possible a few years ago…”

I thought the comparison of sizes from the large galaxies down to where the Echthroi invades Charles Wallace’s mitochondria were good.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Madeleine L’Engle (/ˈlɛŋɡəl/; November 29, 1918[1] – September 6, 2007)[2] was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Her works reflect both her Christian faith and her strong interest in modern science.

Early life

Madeleine L’Engle Camp was born in New York City on November 29, 1918, and named after her great-grandmother, Madeleine Margaret L’Engle, otherwise known as Mado.[3] Her maternal grandfather was Florida banker Bion Barnett, co-founder of Barnett Bank in Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother, a pianist, was also named Madeleine: Madeleine Hall Barnett. Her father, Charles Wadsworth Camp, was a writer, critic, and foreign correspondent who, according to his daughter, suffered lung damage from mustard gas during World War I.[a]

L’Engle wrote her first story aged five and began keeping a journal aged eight.[5] These early literary attempts did not translate into academic success at the New York City private school where she was enrolled. A shy, clumsy child, she was branded as stupid by some of her teachers. Unable to please them, she retreated into her own world of books and writing. Her parents often disagreed about how to raise her, and as a result she attended a number of boarding schools and had many governesses.[6][page needed]

The Camps traveled frequently. At one point, the family moved to a château near Chamonix in the French Alps, in what Madeleine described as the hope that the cleaner air would be easier on her father’s lungs. Madeleine was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. However, in 1933, L’Engle’s grandmother fell ill, and they moved near Jacksonville, Florida to be close to her. L’Engle attended another boarding school, Ashley Hall, in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father died in October 1936, Madeleine arrived home too late to say goodbye.[7]

Education,

L’Engle attended Smith College from 1937 to 1941. After graduating cum laude from Smith,[8] she moved to an apartment in New York City. L’Engle published her novels The Small Rain and Ilsa prior to 1942.[9] She met actor Hugh Franklin that year when she appeared in the play The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov,[10] and she married him on January 26, 1946. Later she wrote of their meeting and marriage, “We met in The Cherry Orchard and were married in The Joyous Season.”[8] The couple’s first daughter, Josephine, was born in 1947.

The family moved to a 200-year-old farmhouse called Crosswicks in the small town of Goshen, Connecticut in 1952. To replace Franklin’s lost acting income, they purchased and operated a small general store, while L’Engle continued with her writing. Their son Bion was born that same year.[11] Four years later, seven-year-old Maria, the daughter of family friends who had died, came to live with the Franklins and they adopted her shortly thereafter. During this period, L’Engle also served as choir director of the local Congregational church.[12]

Writing career

L’Engle determined to give up writing on her 40th birthday (November 1958) when she received yet another rejection notice. “With all the hours I spent writing, I was still not pulling my own weight financially.” Soon she discovered both that she could not give it up and that she had continued to work on fiction subconsciously.[13]

The family returned to New York City in 1959 so that Hugh could resume his acting career. The move was immediately preceded by a ten-week cross-country camping trip, during which L’Engle first had the idea for her most famous novel, A Wrinkle in Time, which she completed by 1960. It was rejected more than thirty times before she handed it to John C. Farrar;[13] it was finally published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1962.[12]

In 1960 the Franklins moved to an apartment on the Upper West Side, in the Cleburne Building on West End Avenue.[14] From 1960 to 1966 (and again in 1986, 1989 and 1990), L’Engle taught at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s School in New York. In 1965 she became a volunteer librarian at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, also in New York. She later served for many years as writer-in-residence at the cathedral, generally spending her winters in New York and her summers at Crosswicks.[citation needed]

During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, L’Engle wrote dozens of books for children and adults. Four of the books for adults formed the Crosswicks Journals series of autobiographical memoirs. Of these, The Summer of the Great-grandmother (1974) discusses L’Engle’s personal experience caring for her aged mother, and Two-Part Invention (1988) is a memoir of her marriage, completed after her husband’s death from cancer on September 26, 1986.

On writing for children

Soon after winning the Newbery Medal for her 1962 “junior novel” A Wrinkle in Time, L’Engle discussed children’s books in The New York Times Book Review.[15] The writer of a good children’s book, she observed, may need to return to the “intuitive understanding of his own childhood,” being childlike although not childish. She claimed, “It’s often possible to make demands of a child that couldn’t be made of an adult… A child will often understand scientific concepts that would baffle an adult. This is because he can understand with a leap of the imagination that is denied the grown-up who has acquired the little knowledge that is a dangerous thing.” Of philosophy, etc., as well as science, “the child will come to it with an open mind, whereas many adults come closed to an open book. This is one reason so many writers turn to fantasy (which children claim as their own) when they have something important and difficult to say.”[15]

Religious beliefs

L’Engle was a Christian who attended Episcopal churches and believed in universal salvation, writing that “All will be redeemed in God’s fullness of time, all, not just the small portion of the population who have been given the grace to know and accept Christ. All the strayed and stolen sheep. All the little lost ones.”[16] As a result of her promotion of Christian universalism, many fundamentalist Christian bookstores refused to carry her books, which were also frequently banned from evangelical Christian schools and libraries. At the same time, some of her most secular critics attacked her work for being too religious.[17]

Her views on divine punishment were similar to those of George MacDonald, who also had a large influence on her fictional work. She said “I cannot believe that God wants punishment to go on interminably any more than does a loving parent. The entire purpose of loving punishment is to teach, and it lasts only as long as is needed for the lesson. And the lesson is always love.”[18]

In 1982, L’Engle reflected on how suffering had taught her. She told how suffering a “lonely solitude” as a child taught her about the “world of the imagination” that enabled her to write for children. Later she suffered a “decade of failure” after her first books were published. It was a “bitter” experience, yet she wrote that she had “learned a lot of valuable lessons” that enabled her to persevere as a writer.[19]

Later years, death, and legacy

L’Engle was seriously injured in an automobile accident in 1991, but recovered well enough to visit Antarctica in 1992.[12] Her son, Bion Franklin, died on December 17, 1999, from the effects of prolonged alcoholism.[20] He was 47 years old.[21]

In her final years, L’Engle became unable to teach or travel due to reduced mobility from osteoporosis, especially after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage in 2002. She also abandoned her former schedule of speaking engagements and seminars. A few compilations of older work, some of it previously unpublished, appeared after 2001.

L’Engle died of natural causes at Rose Haven, a nursing facility close to her home in Litchfield, Connecticut, on September 6, 2007, according to a statement made by her publicist the following day.[22] She is interred in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan.[23]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

A wind in the door DB41596

L’Engle, Madeleine. Reading time: 5 hours, 25 minutes.

Read by Madelyn Buzzard.

Science Fiction

Evil in the form of the Echthroi is spreading throughout the galaxy, but Meg Murry is not involved in the struggle until the Echthroi invade her younger brother. Sequel to A Wrinkle in Time (DB 48972). For grades 6-9.

Downloaded: August 12, 2023

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21 Aug 2023, 5:11am
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Kate’s 2¢: “shipkiller” by Justin Scott

“shipkiller” by Justin Scott

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

Mark Ashby did a good job of reading this story for the NLS. I suspect that is you were reading this book as a hard copy, you’d skip over some of the more minute details of the running of a ship, unless, of course, you’re a sailor. I listened to all of it and couldn’t put it down until the pontoon boat sailed off into the proverbial sunset.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.justinscott-paulgarrison.com

Justin Scott is an American novelist. Scott sometimes uses the pseudonyms Paul Garrison and J. S. Blazer.

Early life[edit]

Scott was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. Scott’s father was A. Leslie Scott, a novelist. Scott’s mother, Lily K. Scott, was also a novelist. Scott grew up on Long Island’s Great South Bay. His sister, Alison Scott Skelton, is also a novelist.[1]

Career[edit]

Scott has written fourteen books under his own name, including the Ben Abbott Mystery series. He has written seven books under the pseudonym Paul Garrison and two under the pseudonym J. S. Blazer. He has coauthored ten books with Clive Cussler. These are the first ten books of the Isaac Bell series.[2][3][4][5][6]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Shipkiller DB112949

Scott, Justin. Reading time: 13 hours, 24 minutes.

Read by Mark Ashby.

Suspense Fiction

“It was the largest moving object on the face of the earth, but for Carolyn and Peter Hardin it was a towering wall of steel bursting out of a squall at full speed, bearing down on their ketch Siren. In a few dramatic moments, Siren was shattered by the indifferent juggernaut. Struggling for his life, Peter Hardin felt the hand of his wife being torn from his grip as the huge white letters on the supertanker’s stern – Leviathan – steamed away. Thus begins an odyssey of revenge that embraces the distant waters of the world, from the titanic storms of the South Atlantic to the oil-slicked reaches of the Persian Gulf. Now back in print for the first time in twenty-five years, The Shipkiller is the story of one man determined to win at sea the justice he has been denied on land.” — Provided by publisher. Violence, strong language and descriptions of sex.

Downloaded: July 14, 2023

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18 Aug 2023, 5:36am
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Kate’s 2¢: “Rising Tiger” by Brad Thor

“Rising Tiger” by Brad Thor

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

I enjoyed the descriptions of the environment in a country I’ve never been to. The story gets a little confusing, but read on, there is a method to his apparent madness.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (September 2019)

Bradley George Thor Jr. (born August 21, 1969)[citation needed] is an American thriller novelist.[1] He is the author of The Lions of Lucerne, The First Commandment, The Last Patriot, and other novels. His latest novel in the Harvath series, Rising Tiger, was released in July 2022. Thor’s novels have been published in countries around the world. He also contributed a short story entitled “The Athens Solution” to the James Patterson-edited anthology, Thriller. Thor also makes frequent appearances on Fox News and The Blaze.

The Last Patriot was nominated for “Best Thriller of the Year” by the International Thriller Writers Association.[2][non-primary source needed] His novel Blowback was voted by National Public Radio listeners as one of the “100 Best Ever” Killer Thrillers.[3][4]

Early life[edit]

Thor was born and raised in Chicago, and lived in Park City, Utah for eight years.[5]

Thor is a graduate of the Sacred Heart Schools, the Francis W. Parker School (Chicago), and the University of Southern California (cum laude), where he studied creative writing under author T.C. Boyle.[6][non-primary source needed]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Rising Tiger DB109625

Thor, Brad. Reading time: 10 hours, 34 minutes.

Read by Armand Schultz.

Suspense Fiction

Spy Stories

Adventure

Political Fiction

Bestsellers

“An unprecedented, potentially nation-ending threat has materialized on the world stage. Fearful of the global consequences of engaging this enemy, administration after administration has passed the buck. The clock, however, has run out and doing nothing is no longer an option. It is time to unleash Scot Harvath. As America’s top spy, Harvath has the unparalleled skills and experience necessary to handle any situation, but this assignment feels different. Thrust into a completely unfamiliar culture, with few he can trust, the danger begins mounting the moment he arrives. Amidst multiple competing forces and a host of deadly agendas, it becomes nearly impossible to tell predator from prey. With democracy itself hanging in the balance, Harvath will risk everything to untangle the explosive plot and bring every bad actor to justice.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.

Downloaded: April 25, 2023

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18 Aug 2023, 5:34am
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by kate

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Kate’s 2¢: “A Wrinkle In Time” by Madeleine L‘Engle

“A Wrinkle In Time” by Madeleine L‘Engle

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

Madelyn Buzzard did a really good job of reading this story for the NLS. She had a little bit different voice for each character, but not enough to be distracting from the action.

I can see the appeal this story has for young readers, as well as, Disney to make a movie from this story.

This is the first in a trilogy, which I’ll be reading in order.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Madeleine L’Engle (/ˈlɛŋɡəl/; November 29, 1918[1] – September 6, 2007)[2] was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Her works reflect both her Christian faith and her strong interest in modern science.

Early life

Madeleine L’Engle Camp was born in New York City on November 29, 1918, and named after her great-grandmother, Madeleine Margaret L’Engle, otherwise known as Mado.[3] Her maternal grandfather was Florida banker Bion Barnett, co-founder of Barnett Bank in Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother, a pianist, was also named Madeleine: Madeleine Hall Barnett. Her father, Charles Wadsworth Camp, was a writer, critic, and foreign correspondent who, according to his daughter, suffered lung damage from mustard gas during World War I.[a]

L’Engle wrote her first story aged five and began keeping a journal aged eight.[5] These early literary attempts did not translate into academic success at the New York City private school where she was enrolled. A shy, clumsy child, she was branded as stupid by some of her teachers. Unable to please them, she retreated into her own world of books and writing. Her parents often disagreed about how to raise her, and as a result she attended a number of boarding schools and had many governesses.[6][page needed]

The Camps traveled frequently. At one point, the family moved to a château near Chamonix in the French Alps, in what Madeleine described as the hope that the cleaner air would be easier on her father’s lungs. Madeleine was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. However, in 1933, L’Engle’s grandmother fell ill, and they moved near Jacksonville, Florida to be close to her. L’Engle attended another boarding school, Ashley Hall, in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father died in October 1936, Madeleine arrived home too late to say goodbye.[7]

Education,

L’Engle attended Smith College from 1937 to 1941. After graduating cum laude from Smith,[8] she moved to an apartment in New York City. L’Engle published her novels The Small Rain and Ilsa prior to 1942.[9] She met actor Hugh Franklin that year when she appeared in the play The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov,[10] and she married him on January 26, 1946. Later she wrote of their meeting and marriage, “We met in The Cherry Orchard and were married in The Joyous Season.”[8] The couple’s first daughter, Josephine, was born in 1947.

The family moved to a 200-year-old farmhouse called Crosswicks in the small town of Goshen, Connecticut in 1952. To replace Franklin’s lost acting income, they purchased and operated a small general store, while L’Engle continued with her writing. Their son Bion was born that same year.[11] Four years later, seven-year-old Maria, the daughter of family friends who had died, came to live with the Franklins and they adopted her shortly thereafter. During this period, L’Engle also served as choir director of the local Congregational church.[12]

Writing career

L’Engle determined to give up writing on her 40th birthday (November 1958) when she received yet another rejection notice. “With all the hours I spent writing, I was still not pulling my own weight financially.” Soon she discovered both that she could not give it up and that she had continued to work on fiction subconsciously.[13]

The family returned to New York City in 1959 so that Hugh could resume his acting career. The move was immediately preceded by a ten-week cross-country camping trip, during which L’Engle first had the idea for her most famous novel, A Wrinkle in Time, which she completed by 1960. It was rejected more than thirty times before she handed it to John C. Farrar;[13] it was finally published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1962.[12]

In 1960 the Franklins moved to an apartment on the Upper West Side, in the Cleburne Building on West End Avenue.[14] From 1960 to 1966 (and again in 1986, 1989 and 1990), L’Engle taught at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s School in New York. In 1965 she became a volunteer librarian at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, also in New York. She later served for many years as writer-in-residence at the cathedral, generally spending her winters in New York and her summers at Crosswicks.[citation needed]

During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, L’Engle wrote dozens of books for children and adults. Four of the books for adults formed the Crosswicks Journals series of autobiographical memoirs. Of these, The Summer of the Great-grandmother (1974) discusses L’Engle’s personal experience caring for her aged mother, and Two-Part Invention (1988) is a memoir of her marriage, completed after her husband’s death from cancer on September 26, 1986.

On writing for children

Soon after winning the Newbery Medal for her 1962 “junior novel” A Wrinkle in Time, L’Engle discussed children’s books in The New York Times Book Review.[15] The writer of a good children’s book, she observed, may need to return to the “intuitive understanding of his own childhood,” being childlike although not childish. She claimed, “It’s often possible to make demands of a child that couldn’t be made of an adult… A child will often understand scientific concepts that would baffle an adult. This is because he can understand with a leap of the imagination that is denied the grown-up who has acquired the little knowledge that is a dangerous thing.” Of philosophy, etc., as well as science, “the child will come to it with an open mind, whereas many adults come closed to an open book. This is one reason so many writers turn to fantasy (which children claim as their own) when they have something important and difficult to say.”[15]

Religious beliefs

L’Engle was a Christian who attended Episcopal churches and believed in universal salvation, writing that “All will be redeemed in God’s fullness of time, all, not just the small portion of the population who have been given the grace to know and accept Christ. All the strayed and stolen sheep. All the little lost ones.”[16] As a result of her promotion of Christian universalism, many fundamentalist Christian bookstores refused to carry her books, which were also frequently banned from evangelical Christian schools and libraries. At the same time, some of her most secular critics attacked her work for being too religious.[17]

Her views on divine punishment were similar to those of George MacDonald, who also had a large influence on her fictional work. She said “I cannot believe that God wants punishment to go on interminably any more than does a loving parent. The entire purpose of loving punishment is to teach, and it lasts only as long as is needed for the lesson. And the lesson is always love.”[18]

In 1982, L’Engle reflected on how suffering had taught her. She told how suffering a “lonely solitude” as a child taught her about the “world of the imagination” that enabled her to write for children. Later she suffered a “decade of failure” after her first books were published. It was a “bitter” experience, yet she wrote that she had “learned a lot of valuable lessons” that enabled her to persevere as a writer.[19]

Later years, death, and legacy

L’Engle was seriously injured in an automobile accident in 1991, but recovered well enough to visit Antarctica in 1992.[12] Her son, Bion Franklin, died on December 17, 1999, from the effects of prolonged alcoholism.[20] He was 47 years old.[21]

In her final years, L’Engle became unable to teach or travel due to reduced mobility from osteoporosis, especially after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage in 2002. She also abandoned her former schedule of speaking engagements and seminars. A few compilations of older work, some of it previously unpublished, appeared after 2001.

L’Engle died of natural causes at Rose Haven, a nursing facility close to her home in Litchfield, Connecticut, on September 6, 2007, according to a statement made by her publicist the following day.[22] She is interred in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan.[23]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

A wrinkle in time DB48972

L’Engle, Madeleine. Reading time: 5 hours, 39 minutes.

Read by Madelyn Buzzard.

Science Fiction

Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace, and her neighbor Calvin are transported to the planet Camazotz as they search for Meg’s lost father, a scientist studying time travel. Prequel to A Wind in the Door (DB 41596). Newbery Medal. For grades 5-8.

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17 Aug 2023, 4:33pm
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by kate

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Kate’s 2¢: “Acts of Revision” by Martyn Bedford

“Acts of Revision” by Martyn Bedford

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

Wow, this is a weird one. Eventually, the style becomes evident, but it takes a few chapters to catch on what is happening. Bedford does a good job of character development. Gregory Lynn emerges as a brilliant man, but a certifiably mental case.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martyn Bedford (born 1959) is a British novelist and literary critic.

Life and career[edit]

He is an alumnus of the University of East Anglia.[1]

The first twelve years of Martyn Bedford’s writing career were spent as a journalist on regional newspapers. His initial book Acts of Revision won the Yorkshire Post “Best First Work” Award.[2] He later became the director of the novel writing programme at the University of Manchester, and is fiction critic for the Literary Review.[3] Currently, Bedford teaches the Creative Writing module at Leeds Trinity University.[4]

In 2008–10, he was Academic Writer-in-Residence, Royal Literary Fund Fellow.[1] Bedford lives in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, with his wife and two daughters.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Acts of revision DB45805

Bedford, Martyn. Reading time: 7 hours, 58 minutes.

Read by John Horton.

Psychological Fiction

After the death of his mother, reclusive bachelor Gregory Lynn uncovers a trove of old school reports that evoke bitter memories of his childhood. Lynn is thus provoked to wreak vengeance against the oppressive teachers who, he believes, doomed him to a failed life. Strong language, violence, and descriptions of sex.

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17 Aug 2023, 4:32pm
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Kate’s 2¢: “Best of Prairie schooner: fiction and poetry” by Hilda Raz

“Best of Prairie schooner: fiction and poetry” by Hilda Raz

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

The variety of personal essays in this anthology is fun to read and gives the reader a glimpse of these writers thoughts.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hilda Raz (born 1938) is an American poet, educator, and editor. Raz is the author of over 14 collections of poetry and creative nonfiction.[1] From 1987 to 2010, Raz was the editor-in-chief of Prairie Schooner and English and women’s studies professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2021, the University’s Libraries collected her papers in its archives and special collections.[2] Raz’s awards include the 1988 Nebraska Literary Association’s Heritage Association’s Literary Heritage Award, 2017 Nebraska 150 Books honors for Divine Honors and Best of Prairie Schooner, the 2010 Stanley W. Lindberg Award. Poet Kwame Dawes describes Raz as “a big figure in American Poetry and in the business of American poetry. We owe her a lot as a university and a state. If we value poetry in the world, we should give her a tremendous amount of credit.”[3]

Raz is the poetry series editor for the Mary Burritt Christiansen Poetry Series at the University of New Mexico and Basque Press’ Poetry Editor.[4]

Raz’s work Divine Honors focuses on breast cancer.[5] Trans describes Raz’s son Aaron’s gender identity.[6] The Nebraska-centered Letters from a Place I’ve Never Lived: New and Collected Poems 1986-2020 is edited by Kwame Dawes with an introduction by John Kinsella.[7] In 2010 Prairie Schooner published an issue devoted to Raz’s influence.[8

FromNLS/BARD/LOC:

Best of Prairie schooner: fiction and poetry DBC02025

Raz, Hilda. Reading time: 9 hours, 26 minutes.

Read by Kandra Hahn. A production of Nebraska Library Commission, Talking Book and Braille Service.

Literature

Includes some of the best essays that have appeared in Prairie Schooner since 1980. This anthology of works by poets, novelists and critics will delight readers who seek thought-provoking fiction and poetry. Strong language.

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13 Aug 2023, 5:40pm
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Cornucopia: Blind Blooper: Visiting the Vet

Blind Blooper

By Kate Chamberlin

My husband and I needed to take my guide dog in for her annual vet check-up. We brought along our 3-year-old and 5-year-old boys with us.

They were busy visiting with other people and their pets in the vet’s waiting room. They’d ask about the pet, then, come sit next to me. Someone new would come in and they’d be off to see the new pet.

When one of them sat, touching my hip, I felt his shirt was not tucked in. I started to tuck it into his belt when a man’s voice said: “’Excuse me?”

“Oh, you’re not my son!” I chuckled, turning crimson, apologizing to the stranger who had unknowingly taken my son’s place.

13 Aug 2023, 5:36pm
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by kate

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Cornucopia: Hurricane Hazel, memoir

Hurricane Hazel (360 words)

By Kate Chamberlin

Hurricane Hazel, between October 5 and 16, was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 hurricane season and was the strongest and only Category 4 hurricane to ever hit the North Carolina coast, at that time.

I would have been nine-years old then and I remember it for two reasons. We were living in Cedarcroft, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in a ranch-style home. The bedrooms were on one end of the home and the kitchen on the other end. The living room in the middle, had a, to mee, huge, open, brick fireplace.

When Hurricane Hazel started to bend the deciduous trees in the dense woods behind our home, my Dad took my 12-year old brother and me by our hands and walked to the top of Symington’s hill overlooking the meadow where we’d go sledding in the winter. If the three of us hadn’t been holding on to each other, one of us would have been knocked down to swirl around with the leaves at our feet. The strength of the winds is what has remained with me all these decades.

While we trekked home, the wind knocked out the electricity in our neighborhood. Dad lit a fire in the big fireplace for warmth and light. The four of us plus our St. Bernard mix dog Prince all sat together in companionable silence, listening to the wind howl around our snug home and peering at the dancing flames. Then, we heard our terrified cat, Thanatopsis, meowing to come in, too. He wasn’t as terrified as the small, drenched bunny he had in his mouth.

He dropped the little bunny in front of the fireplace. It happened to be near the paws of Prince, who looked at it with great interest. After watching the bunny for a time, the cat went to pick it back up. Prince growled at him and drew the bunny toward his chest with his chin. Thanatopsis sulked into another part of the house. It was the only time we ever heard Prince growl.

I’ve lived through many storms, cats, and dogs, but those two memories of the wind’s strength and our dog’s compassion remain sharp and clear.

“Magnets and Ladders: 2023Fall/Winter Issue

← Kate’s 2¢: “Absent in the spring” by Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie) Cornucopia: Blind Blooper: Visiting the Vet →

Older Posts →

Kate’s 2¢: “Fire And Ice” by Erin Hunter

Kate’s 2¢: “Into The Wild” by Erin Hunter

Kate’s 2¢: “A Wind In The Door” by Madeleine L’Engle,

Kate’s 2¢: “shipkiller” by Justin Scott

Kate’s 2¢: “Rising Tiger” by Brad Thor

Kate’s 2¢: “A Wrinkle In Time” by Madeleine L‘Engle

Kate’s 2¢: “Acts of Revision” by Martyn Bedford

Kate’s 2¢: “Best of Prairie schooner: fiction and poetry” by Hilda Raz

Cornucopia: Blind Blooper: Visiting the Vet

Cornucopia: Hurricane Hazel, memoir

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