Tuesday, September 01, 2009

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe



Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer working on her dissertation But her mom calls her last minute asking for help to go through Connie's grandmother's house. While going through her grandmother's house, she comes across a key with the words Deliverance Dane written on a piece of paper attached to it. This launches Connie onto a quest for a book that will help her understand not only her family history but the Salem Witch Trials as well. She starts to have nightmares and begins to wonder if she is tied to that part of history more than she could ever imagine.

Katherine Howe has a great debut novel on her hands. Not only because of her love of history but the detail was really good. Yes some liberties were taken but not much at all. I was impressed how well the book flowed from the past to the present. The characters had depth and the bad guys were not always so easily figured out. The journey she had Connie take was one that took some time but never felt like it ended abruptly.

I really liked Connie from the beginning. She didn't follow the normalcy in life but she knew something was out there for her. It was just a matter of time to finding out what that could be and possibly could be used for her dissertation Her best friend Liz kept her grounded and asked her the tough questions even more so than her mentor Professor Chilton. Professor Chilton drove me bonkers. I understand wanting to push the limits and do your best. But there were times that I felt he was going a little too far. Behind the scenes was Connie's mom Grace. She knew the job ahead of her daughter wouldn't be an easy one. Yet she kept encouraging her to seek deeper. There were times that I found Grace a little out there but as the story unfolded things made a lot more sense.

This is one book that captivated my attention and I was so excited to get my hands on it! Katherine Howe weaves a story that just won't let you go from the beginning to the last page. The twists in the plot had me guessing to see what the book really was. The ending surprised me quite a bit and I was pleased with how it ended. I cannot wait to see what this author does next and hopefully it's something soon. Even if that means it's an entirely different subject.

Katherine Howe/New Author/ Salem Witch Trials/ Magic/ 371 pages/ Favorite of the year/ 5 out of 5

I was going to wait till tomorrow but I cannot! This book was sooo good! I just had to share. My friend Nancy on Bookfoolery and Babble read this one and I had to pick it up! Great story and I hope this author writes more!!

August Stats and Reads!

Books I read:
1.Lords of Corruption by Kyle Mills 07-31-08 through 08-03-09 B
2.The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne 08-03-09 through 08-04-09 A+ (another fav)
3.The Agency by Ally O'Brien-DNF
4.The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White 08-05-09 through 08-12-09 B
5.Stalked by Brian Freeman 08-13-09 through08-14-09 A
6.In the Dark by Brian Freeman 08-14-09 through08-16-09 A
7.In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White 08-16-09 through 8-20-09 A+
8.The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf 08-21-09 through 08-23-09 A
9.Nefertiti by Michelle Moran 08-23-09 through08-27-09 B

Stats:
Total Books I Read: 8
New Authors: 6
Fiction: 7
Non-Fiction:1
Chunkster: 1
Mystery:2
Romance: 0
From the Stacks: 2
Books for Review: 1
Books I Bought: 0
Total Pages Read: 2, 722 pages

I was hoping to have the current book I am reading done but was very tired last night after work. So will finish that one up today! :)