Sara Halleman

By Sara Halleman

This week, as I was joining Scholastic’s social network YouAreWhatYouRead.com, I was faced with the question of what five books have most influenced my life. This brought me to look through my own bookshelf at home to search for those books that have been destroyed by my constant re-reading. I came across Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a book I read back in Fiction 101 my sophomore year of college. I remember that we were given about two weeks to read it and I finished it in days. I had not opened the book in a year or two so I found a quick re-read very necessary followed by an even more necessary book review.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is told through first person narrative of Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old boy living with autism. The book opens up to Christopher’s discovery of his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington. The boy decides to investigate the situation but is faced with many obstacles because of his autism. For example, when a police officer touches Christopher, he hits the policeman and is taken to the police station. It’s scenes like this that are so interesting because in a situation that should be highly emotional, the narration will change to what Christopher knows best and what he feels comfortable with. He often gets side tracked and displays his high intelligence in mathematics. He even takes the time to explain prime numbers in the middle of telling the reader he is arriving at a police station. This occurs a number of times through out the novel and may be at times frustrating. However, it is necessary in understand the protagonist and his story.

As Christopher investigates the incident with his neighbors dog, he starts to uncover many secrets that his father has kept to protect his emotional state. With each lie that is discovered Christopher becomes a different person than you were originally introduced to. He begins to shut out his father and you realize what its like to be close to a person with autism. As a reader, you feel just as helpless as Christopher’s father. Christopher is literally unable to comprehend emotional situations and he shuts down completely, referring to these episodes as ‘back-outs.’ After these ‘black-outs’ he will once again return to what he knows and talk about his upcoming A-level mathematics exam.

The book can be described as a unique coming of age novel. This young autistic boy steps out of his bubble for the first time and takes the reader with him. You meet new people with him, as well as experience his first train station with him and learn about his ultra-sensitivity to crowds and noises. Going into this book I knew very little about autism. After finishing it I feel I have a better understanding for the disorder. Haddon has created a unique and intelligent novel that I believe is a definite must read and a book that has ultimately changed my perspective.

By Sara Halleman

This week I would like to celebrate what I call “intelligent social networking.” I have recently had a falling out with the network site Facebook. Basically I quit the addictive site cold turkey just to prove I could. Well as the 3 week itch is coming around the bend I have reached out to find other websites that might officially cure this addiction. Here is a list of a few that I find refreshing:

1. www.YouAreWhatYouRead.com - This is an “intelligent social networking site” run by Scholastic. This site allows you to create a profile by choosing five “Bookprints” or novels that most influenced your life. The site is free and loaded with great features like “Pass It On,” a book suggestion tool or “Names You Know,” which connects you with celebrities on the site. There are a variety of celebrity users that range from Scarlett Johansson to President George H.W. Bush. Another great thing about this site is that you do not have to create a new log in name and password. You can simply connect through an existing account such as Facebook or Twitter.

2. www.GoodReads.com This site allows you to create a virtual bookshelf where you can list books you have read and books you want to read. Users can post book reviews as well as suggest books to others. This site can become time consuming at first while you are trying to remember every book you’ve read so that your book shelf expands accordingly. There is a feature on the site that allows you and your friends to take a books comparability test to see what books you have in common. This site is free and you can also connect through Facebook or Twitter.

3. www.LibraryThing.com This site is more focused on a book club aspect. This would be the place to go to join a forum or group and talk about a book that you and others are reading. I think this would be a great way to keep in contact with friends and create a virtual book club. You can organize your books into groups such as ‘currently reading’, ‘read,’ ‘read but not owned,’ and ‘wish-list.’
This site links to Amazon where you can purchase books that you have placed under your wish-list. A really useful feature that this site includes is local literary events in your area. It links to these events on your home page.The site is free to join, however you have to create your own personal account for the site.

By Sara Halleman

As I am sure you already know it is NaNoWriMo, or for you nerds out there who do not know what that means it is National Novel Writing Month. November is the month that is dedicated to your writing! Participants, known as Wrimos, are taking the bet to write a 175 page novel throughout the month. The website www.nanowrimo.com has set up a timeline to help you keep up with other Wrimos. You can stay connected and offer encouragement to others. NaNoWriMo is meant to get you out there and start writing. We've all thought about writing a book at one point or another in our lives. But for some people, there is always something that stops them. Whether its time, laziness, or lack of confidence, this month is set aside for you to jump those barricades and start being creative! It doesn't matter how bad it turns out because, as the website states, this month is about quantity not quality. I'm sure December will be soon known as National Novel Revision Month (NaNoRevMo anyone?). I mean what else do you have going on this time of year, right? I can only imagine how many publishers receive submissions from unedited works starting in December. Come one people don't be lazy! You just worked your butts off to overcome your own writers block to pump out a novel in a month. Now take the extra time to do the most important part: EDIT EDIT EDIT!

If you are participating in this year's NaNoWriMo I'm sure by now you are hitting some sort of wall. Well here are some helpful tips and tricks:

1. Push yourself: http://writeordie.drwicked.com/ This website offers the same kamikaze effect as NaNoWriMo. This one is a bit more intense. You set your word goal and time goal and begin writing. If you aren't keep up with your goal it will begin to erase your work gradually. Sounds like a writers worst nightmare huh? It is actually very helpful and it will get the job done.

2. Create your own time table: NaNoWriMo’s schedule may not work for you so don’t be afraid to start your own! Set your own deadlines while still keeping the major deadline in mind (Nov. 30th!) Create a calendar and mark your word count goal for each day. On days that you know you will be busier use a lower count and vice versa. Being realistic will lower your stress and allow for a better work of literature!

3. Take a break: If you are really hitting a wall maybe it is best to walk away, literally. Enjoy the last few days of the fall season by taking a walk outside. Getting some fresh air can help clear your mind and refresh your thoughts. If you prefer a more thought-based break then I suggest www.sporcle.com the website of “mentally stimulating diversions.” This will keep you occupied during a necessary break from writing.

Happy Writing!

By Sara Halleman

WritersNewsWeekly had the pleasure of speaking with horror fiction author Robert Freese this week. We discuss his two releases this month and why he is so drawn to the genre.

WNW How long have you been writing?
Freese I’ve been writing since I was a kid, putting together my little stories like books with tape and staples. I used to draw my own comics too. It seems like I’ve always been writing something. The first time I was actually published and paid for what I wrote was the Fall 1994 issue of Femme Fatales, a sister publication of Cinefantastique. I was given the opportunity to interview guys like Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski and it was a blast. My first fiction sale soon followed.

WNWWere you always interested in horror fiction?
Freese Yes, absolutely. I grew up during a great time in the 80s when there were a lot of horror movies and a lot of horror novels. I consumed every flick I could see and every book I could get my hands on. As I pursued writing I gravitated toward horror immediately. I wanted to scare people.

WNWWho is your favorite horror fiction writer?
Freese Wow. There are so many. The guy who absolutely knocked me out and who made me want to write scary tales was Robert Bloch. His novel Psycho II was the first book I had ever read that I couldn’t put down. I literally stayed up all night reading and finished it in the morning. It blew me away. Bloch wrote much more than just horror but his horror thrillers really clicked with me. There are other guys too whose work has been very influential- Joe Lansdale, John Russo, Ray Bradbury, Gary Brandner, Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Richard Laymon, to name a few.

WNWHow do you find inspiration for your scary tales?
Freese Just out of every day life. Something might strike me as creepy or weird so it sits in my head for a while until I can use it. Or I see something and kind of twist it around into something scary. My wife helps a great deal too. I bounce ideas off her all the time. We can talk and she’ll make a suggestion that just totally knocks me over. She’s had a huge influence on my work, directly and indirectly. She may suggest something that ignites another idea that I would not have had otherwise. Inspiration can come from anywhere at any moment. Writers have to pay attention to the world around them.

WNWWhat types of horror stories scare you?
Freese All kinds of horror stories scare me. Some ghost stories and haunted house stories, when they’re done right, really get to me. James Herbert did one a number of years ago called Haunted that really did a number on me. Joe Lansdale writes some of the best psycho thrillers. He does the most horrible things to his characters sometimes that you literally feel like he’s punched you in the stomach it’s so shocking. Bloch’s Night World and American Gothic also come to mind as gripping and disturbing tales.

WNWYou recently released Paranormal Journeys, a book about real life paranormal investigations. Was there anything that really freaked you out when you were doing your research?
Freese Oh, yeah. All of it freaked me out to a certain degree, but if I was working on it and my wife was home I was okay. If I heard any little noise or strange sound, I just wrote it off as her. One rainy afternoon I was alone and working on the chapter about this place known as Corpsewood Manor. It was the site of a brutal double murder, just really grim, gruesome stuff. Between being in the mind frame of writing about this tragic place and the raging storm with the howling wind and all that, I had to walk away from it for a little while. It got to me. I had this overwhelming feeling that someone was watching me. That’s the best way to describe it. Some of that stuff is just so disturbing. I wrote the book with Paul Cagle, who is a paranormal investigator, and none of it bothers him. I think he’s used to it because he’s been investigating for so long, but I’ve already heard from readers who started the book alone in their house and they had to put it down because it was getting under their skin. They couldn’t handle it.

WNWYou have a second book, Bijou of the Dead, that will be released on Halloween. Tell us about that book.
Freese Bijou of the Dead is my first novel. Basically, it is a revenge tale involving living dead voodoo zombies attacking a rundown movie theater during a horror movie double feature. I actually wrote it and self-published it in 2007. I am very proud that it was picked up by StoneGarden.net Publishing. I am referring to the StoneGarden.net release as its “official” release. It’s a fun book, especially for people who like bloody zombie novels. I love movies so it takes place in a one-screen bijou, which is a word most people no longer use but I found it appropriate for the tone I set for the story. It’s not your typical “shoot ‘em in the brains” undead romp. I went with a different set of rules and people seem to enjoy it. My wife was not fond of the idea at first but fell in love with it after reading it. It’s won over a lot of staunch zombie fans who were reluctant to give it a chance. The zombies have an agenda- they have a reason for coming out of their graves. They use power tools. It’s a fast moving horror adventure with guts. Lots of guts. Guts everywhere.

WNWWhat do you think makes a great horror novel?
Freese Compelling characters. As long as I believe in the characters on the page I’ll accept anything you throw at them. It doesn’t matter if the menace of the story is a vampire, a serial killer or rabid dust bunnies. As long as the reader can relate and believe in them, the writer can create real horror. It is essential for the reader to care about what happens to the characters in a horror story. If not, the author has no chance of creating any real suspense.

WNWHave you ever thought of stepping out of horror and into other genres?
Freese Well, when you write horror, you have the opportunity to write in a lot of different genres. Horror can take place in any place or time, so some horror tales have a flavor of fantasy, science fiction or even a western. Romance can find its way into a horror story as can humor. I think humor can really help some types of horror work better. So even though you are working in horror, you can work in these other genres too. Now, I have worked in a number of different genres. When I was starting out, I found a website that published horror, science fiction, romance and fantasy stories. I wrote stories for all four genres every two months for a couple years. It was great training, learning different techniques, trying different ideas. Some of those stories I would never show people today, but many of them were essential in my growth. I would like to work more in other genres, but something tells me a little horror will no doubt work its way into the story somewhere.

WNWAre there any future projects in the works?
Freese I’m always working on something. I’ve just talked to my partner on the paranormal book. Our publisher seems interested in a follow up book, so we’re kicking around a couple ideas. I have a number of short stories appearing in upcoming anthologies like The Undead that Saved Christmas, Strange Tales of Horror and Daily Bites of Flesh: 2011. Earlier in the year I had a post-apocalyptic, action, sci-fi story published entitled “2017: Frankenstein and the Warriors of the Lost City.” It was my homage to all those great Italian rip-off movies made after Mad Max and Escape from New York. I’ve got an idea of expanding that story into novel length. I also have a werewolf western I’m working on. In addition, I write for a number of different magazines. One is Videoscope, which I contribute movie reviews and interviews. I’ve been approached by a publisher to collect some of the interviews that I’ve done in a book, so I’d like to get to work on that soon.

To find out more about Robert Freese check out his website at www.robertfreese.com , which will soon be updated with his recent projects. His books can be found through bookstores and various online book dealers as well as his publishers at www.stonegarden.net and http://etreasurespublishing.blogspot.com/

By Sara Halleman

Crime. Murder. Suspense. These are three terms that basically sum up a typical Agatha Christie novel. The first book I read by the famous author was Murder on the Orient Express. The book fits the mold of true detective fiction with plot twists, shady events, and dynamic characters.

The story is set on a train traveling from Istanbul to France carrying famed detective Hercule Poirot. The detective is confronted by the man in a neighboring compartment with a proposition. The man, named Rachett, believes that he has an enemy who is out for blood and offers to hire Poirot to prevent any trouble. The detective turns down the hefty amount of money and as the day turns to night Rachett is found dead in his compartment. Agatha adds extra coincidence with a snow storm that forces the train to stop. To avoid attention, the director of the train, M. Bouc, asks his detective friend to solve the case before foreign police get involved.

The mysterious clues come one after another when the detective and co. interview all suspects with valid alibis. After further inspection of the victim’s body, it appears that Rachett has been stabbed twelve times. The wounds ranged from deep powerful lacerations to quick slashes. Detective Poirot’s expertise also identifies that the wounds were made by a left AND a right hand. Among these strange occurrences is an array of evidential objects. A knife soaked with blood, a broken pocket watch, a pipe cleaner and a monogrammed handkerchief are among several items that Poirot uses to crack the case.

Chrisitie certainly knows her detective fiction and it definitely shows with this novel. She understands the intelligence that goes behind cracking the case and includes this trait in her detective protagonist. The book is filled with entertaining and descriptive events that will leave readers anticipating more. This detective story comes to life with these descriptions and the exciting dialogue between the well-rounded characters. Everything comes together to finish the novel with another case solved by detective Poirot.

By Sara Halleman

We did the mash! We did the literary-monster mash up... and it was a literary smash! Its the publishing fad that has been taking our beloved classics and turning them into monster parodies. It all started in 2009 with Seth Grahame-Smith’s monster mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The book follows along the same general plot with just a few slight changes. The most obvious being that zombies, or ‘unmentionables,’ roam the English countryside. The Bennett sisters are trained in martial arts and weapon training and Elizabeth and Darcy regularly fight off armies of the undead together. The book quickly gained much popularity and eventually ending up on number three on New York Time’s Bestsellers list and remained on the list for 41 weeks.

With the book being such a huge success its no wonder that it has sparked many more monster parody novels.To follow the zombie fighter Elizabeth Bennett is Elinor Dashwood’s attempts to survive in a world of man-hunting sea creatures in Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Once again the plot of Jane Austen’s classic is twisted into a world of survival. However, the author, Ben H. Winters, manages to keep the story intact.

Author Michael Thomas Ford follows with a different approach. In December of 2009 he released the first of his three book series about the famous author Jane Austen who he portrays as a vampire. In the part one of the trilogy entitled, Jane Bites Back, the undead New York bookshop owner must balance two suitors and a dark presence. The second book, which will be released in 2011 is entitled Jane Goes Batty.

Although none of the books following Pride and Prejudice and Zombies have reached the same success, this trend shows no sign of slowing down. One by one monsters has been taking over these famous novels and it seems that no book is safe. Some people feel annoyed that this fad is creeping into the classics but those same people can’t deny that it is also bringing a new generation of fans to the work of these famous authors. Sure its not the same book that the authors intended, but the characters and themes are still present. These mash-up authors are careful not to take away from the story, just give them a quirky, new perspective.

So who’s next for these monster mash-ups? Surely this theme cannot be limited to just Austen novels. I would be interested to see a twist on Shakespeare, Steinbeck or Salinger. I personally don’t see these twisted novels going anywhere soon. There is endless possibilities and a demand for supernatural literature in pop culture. If it takes a few vampires and zombies to get the younger generation interested in the classics than so be it! I say whatever keeps people interested in literature can never be a bad thing.

By Sara Halleman

WritersNewsWeekly had the pleasure of chatting with Fictionwise #1 Best-Selling and Eppie nominated author, Howard Hopkins. Based in Maine, Hopkins writes horror fiction, westerns, pulp fiction, comic books and graphic novels. Read more to learn about why horror intrigues Hopkins.

WNW How long have you been writing?
Hopkins I started writing articles for fanzines in the early ‘80s, then fiction about the mid-‘80s. I did roughly 50 short stories before switching to horror and western novels.

WNW What makes a great horror novel?
Hopkins Basically, real characters caught in horrendous situations, persevering against that unspeakable terror. I tend to favor the “things you can’t see” approach, as opposed to splattering lots of blood and body parts. Not that I don’t get graphic at times, but I think the mind can conjure way more terrible images than an author can describe in words. The shock stuff wears thin pretty fast, too. One reason classic horror books and movies still scare. I strive for that with my horror heroine, Chloe Everson, in my paranormal mystery/horror series The Chloe Files. Chloe, though she has a rather “exotic’ job, is a real woman facing unreal situations. She is frightened but courageous, and faces everything thrown at her with humor and courage.

WNW What draws you to the horror genre?
Hopkins I have always loved the spooky stuff. As a kid I devoured the gothic soap Dark Shadows, and Marvel Comics monster titles, CBS Radio Mystery Theater—anything creepy. I love the fact that the scary things can be “contained”. When you shut off the movie or close the book…the bad stuff goes away. You have “control” over it, unlike the horrors of the real world. It’s the perfect escape and power trip! If only we could do the same in our real lives to those terrible situations.

WNW What authors inspire you?
Hopkins I was always very inspired by Lester Dent, writer of the majority of the Doc Savage pulp series, for his incredible gift of bringing characters to life and fast-paced quirky prose. I owe him much. I am also a big Poe fan. He was the master of the macbre. A tragic dark soul who had inimitable talent.

WNW You write both adult horror and children horror. Do you find it difficult to switch between the two?
Hopkins Not at all. It’s automatic, really, and I am still a big kid at heart.

WNW Which do you find more challenging?
Hopkins They both come with their own challenges, I guess, so neither is more so than the other. Adult horror is more graphic, more in-depth as far as what you can portray. With children’s, I think the writer has a bigger responsibility to his audience and their parents in presenting decent role models and handling situations age appropriately.

WNW What scares you?
Hopkins Politicians! Snakes…or is that the same thing? Not a lot, otherwise. I fear flying after being in a near miss landing accident, and the normal human fears of losing the people precious to us.

WNW What are you currently working on/future projects?
Hopkins I’m currently working on a number of “pulpy” things. I’ve recently had the honor of creating my own pulp heroine comic book character for Moonstone called The Veil, who will make her debut in a special comic book I’ve written with Wicked author Nancy Holder, and I am writing the adventures of The Golden Amazon for them as well. Also doing a number of other projects pulp related for them, such as The Spider widescreen novel adaptations, various short stories for anthologies like The Green Hornet Chronicles and Captain Midnight Chronicles, and I am co-editing The Avenger Chronicles anthologies and a Sherlock Holmes original short story anthology for them too. Also working hard on promoting my adult paranormal mystery series The Chloe Files and my Children’s horror series The Nightmare Club for Halloween.

I invite folks interested to check out my webpage at www.howardhopkins.com for more info on these series, my horror, pulp and westerns writings. You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/yingko2 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/howardhopkins too.

By Sara Halleman

To get into the Halloween spirit I have decided to read a book that is toping horror’s book list since its publication earlier this year. The book, The Passage by Justin Cronin, extends to a hefty 784 pages but reads at the pace of half of that. At first glance Cronin’s novel can be mistaken for another vampire fantasy story. However, once you commit yourself to the tale you will see there is much more to it. Cronin adds in government conspiracies and a viral epidemic to give the vampire tales a unique twist.

The Passage takes you on a journey that spans a century as Cronin leaps from character to character creating several different story lines. The book is set up in a way that each chapter follows a different tale but eventually they all come together to the same plot line. This helps to break up the lengthy book and makes it an easier read. Cronin fills the novel with emails between characters, articles, and diary entries allowing the reader to piece together the story on their own.

At the start of the story the United States government has engineered a virus that creates a superhuman race. What could possibly go wrong? Jump forward a few decades and the human race is almost extinct except for a group of survivors known as the “Colony.” The survivors rely on a light source that keeps away the viral beings. The only problem is they are dependent on a technology that is quickly falling apart. As the survivors race to find a solution, a little girl named Amy is introduced to the story. She appears to be on of the ‘virals’ but lacks the vicious quality that makes them so dangerous. Amy can communicate with the viral beings but is on the human’s side. The Colony now has hope of returning the world to normal with the help of Amy and her exceptional situation.

The Passage, the first installment of Justin Cronin’s trilogy, ends with much anticipation for the next book. The future of the world is hopeful but still unsure. Readers of this novel will find the collaboration of different genres refreshing to the vampire-fiction world and will put down the book wanting more.

By Sara Halleman

This week WritersNewsWeekly talked with Carlo J. Vella, author of historical fiction novels. Vella was born in Australia and is currently teaching English in Barcelona, Spain. When he is not teaching, he is writing and working on his trilogy about an ancient mystery. The first book of the trilogy, The Book of Secrets, was released this past January. Read as he answers questions about his books and writing about rich cultures filled with mystery.

WNW Have you always been an avid writer?
Carlo J Vella Not Always. In my earlier days I wrote quite a lot and wrote my first book. I gave up hope when I kept getting rejection letters from publishers and decided to stop writing. Now, I can’t get enough of it.

WNW What authors inspire you?
Carlo J Vella There are many authors that inspire me but the ones that I call muses would be Paul Coelho, Julia Novarro to name just a couple.

WNW You teach English in Barcelona, Spain. What is more difficult; teaching or writing?
Carlo J Vella Writing would be more difficult than teaching. When you teach there is a set method which you follow unlike writing, for me anyway. Because of the different plots, characters etc, one must ensure that you keep the flow and not take a wrong turn anywhere and disrupt the story. A bit of concentration is required.

WNW Does living in a historical city, like Barcelona, help you in writing your genre historical fiction?
Carlo J Vella Definitely! You asked about who inspires me? Well, what inspires me is this wonderful country, the history it holds and stories one hears about the “old” days. For me it is not just wondrous but also magical.

WNW What draws you to this genre (historical fiction) ?
Carlo J Vella I have always been intrigued and interested about the way people lived in the past; the way of life, the architectures and so on. It is an educational journey and I think we can learn a lot from the past. Writing about historical events not only thrills me as I venture into a time where life was not an easy task: bloodshed, wars and evil in human form, religion and politics together in power to conquer civilizations. Has it changed from all those years to how we live now? Unfortunately not much has changed. Religion and Politics still rule and always will .I like to change these historical events and join the past and the present to conform one entity, as really, we are no different from societies that grouped together hundreds and thousands of years ago.

WNW Tell us about your novel The Book of Secrets and its follow-up.
Carlo J Vella The Book of Secrets is about one man’s journey to locate a tome supposedly written by Angels and the secrets it holds to man’s destiny. It is one of many treasures The Templar Knights carried with them and a treasure a few people want for themselves; this includes the Vatican and a secret society that deals with paranormal activity. To read more about the story you can visit: http://carlobookofsecrets.blogspot.com

The follow up is called The 13 Tortures which is based entirely in Barcelona and tells the story of Barcelona’s patron saint Santa Eulalia in the 1st century. It also deals with witchcraft. Though the second book doesn’t have much to do with the first story, the characters are the same and it does deal a little with Angelic beings.

WNW Are there more books to be added to the series?
Carlo J Vella It will be a trilogy. The third book will end in Malta. I go there on a yearly basis and study the archeological findings and history of the island. The Book of Secrets will conclude with the story of Saint Peter and the Knights of Malta.

WNW Any other projects in the works?
Carlo J Vella I am looking at collating short stories from other writers who have not been published. I have read a few and they are great stories. Excellent talent out there but unfortunately their writing is not being recognized.

To read more about Carlo J Vella visit his website www.carlojvella.com. His novel The Book of Secrets can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com/Book-Secrets-Carlo-J-Vella/dp/0557172756

By Sara Halleman

There has always been a dilemma when reading a book and then seeing it turn into a movie. Hollywood always seems to destroy your perspective of your favorite novel. For the first time ever, I saw the movie first and then read the book. My experience was different than before. Peter Mayle’s A Good Year was turned into a movie that didn’t have much success despite the great story. When I read the book after I watched the movie I was still able to have my own mental take on the characters and events in the novel. Perhaps this was the case because of the great detail that Mayle puts into his writing. As a reader you will feel like you are in any scenario he puts you in, whether it be jogging along side the protagonist on a rainy London street or working in a vineyard on a sunny day in the south of France.

A Good Year tells the story of a middle-aged man named Max Skinner who inherits his favorite uncle’s vineyard. Timing couldn’t be more perfect because Skinner has just quit his successful job in London. With nothing to lose, the spontaneous protagonist heads to the South of France to see what he can make of his new belongings. As he settles in to the location, Max comes in contact with many characters. Among others, there’s a goofy, protective caretaker named Claude, a gorgeous real estate lawyer, and a nosy cleaning lady. Mayle portrays these characters with great detail and doesn’t slack off on the traits for the less important people of the story. Max tries hard to fit in with the French people as he explores his new town. Mayle really shines with his descriptions of the vineyards and cafés of southern France. He knows and understands the culture and it definitely shows in this book.

There are more twists and turns in Mayle’s A Good Year that can surprise you, in a good way. A wine scandal occurs that proves that Max cannot trust many of the locals. Max learns about his uncle’s illegitimate child that shows up at his doorstep one summer day. A love affair forms with Max and a popular waitress. All these sub stories come together to form a strong plot filled with culture, romance, suspense, and humor. Although you are never quite sure where the plot is heading as you read, you’ll definitely be happy when you get there.