Giveaway: The Underside of Joy
Feature Friday: Bookcase (64)
47 minutes ago
Friday, February 3, 2012
Author Interview: Sere Prince Halverson
In January, Julie reviewed the debut novel The Underside of Joy
GJR: You are a mom and a step-mom, how hard was it to write from only one perspective?
Sere Prince Halverson (SPH): Ella’s situation was different than mine. My own stepdaughters’ mom was always present in their lives. But when Ella met Annie and Zach, their mom wasn’t around. So Ella became mom to them. In a way, I did write from the mom and stepmom perspective, because Ella had to make the difficult transition from being the only mom in their lives to sharing them, to becoming their stepmom.
GJR: From the very first pages of the novel, I loved Ella instantly. Was she based on anyone? What is it about her that you want your readers to connect with?
SPH: When I first met Ella, she was lying curled up on a bed with a blanket over her, feeling that she’d once had everything she’d ever wanted and had now lost it. I thought I was writing about woman in the early 1900s! But Ella was her own person and wanted me to know her story. I really didn’t base her on anyone, although I did connect with her right away. She obviously loved Annie and Zach and Joe. She was open about her imperfections (at least the ones she was aware of at the opening of the book), and I admired her garden and her love of nature. I definitely wanted to hang out with her.
GJR: For the reader, we are set up to not like or trust Paige almost immediately. Was this intentional or do you think it’s because the reader gets attached to Ella so easily?
SPH: I think both Ella and I were intimidated by Paige. She seemed to possess the confidence Ella lacked, and her flawless beauty was a bit unsettling. Besides, Ella is reeling from Joe’s death but has made it clear she’s going to be there every step of the way for Annie and Zach, who, let’s face it, Ella needs just as much as they need her. We’re rooting for Ella. And then Paige walks up in her heels with her computer-enhanced hair, calling Annie “Sweet Pea.” Not exactly a welcome sight.
GJR: You deal with a variety of issues in this book; motherhood, family history, depression. Which part came first and how did it evolve?
SPH: It began with the character of Ella. Then Paige walked in. I realized I had a story about a mom and a stepmom. I knew Paige had left, and had a reason for leaving. Slowly I began to understand her. The Capozzis were keeping something quiet too. But I didn’t know what it was until I’d written numerous drafts of the story. My friend Kelly, a history teacher, said to me one day, “Did you know Italians in this area were interned during WWII? I hadn’t known. But now I knew what was up with the Capozzis.
GJR: Joe is very much a central character in the book and yet he dies with in the first 20 pages; how did he shape/influence the story?
SPH: Without Joe, there would be no story. Joe’s death was the inciting incident and he had a hand in much of how the novel was shaped. We learn more about him through the other characters—through Ella, Frank, Marcella, Joe Sr, Lizzie, David and finally Paige. Annie and Zach reveal a lot about the kind of father Joe was to them.
GJR: Are you currently working on a 2nd novel? If yes, what writing stage are you in?
SPH: I have recently completed another novel, and it too is a story I’ve been working on for many years. It’s a completely different setting—in Saudi Arabia, where I lived for a short time in the early eighties.
GJR: When you write, do you have to have background noise or total silence?
SPH: I like it quiet. Sometimes I’ll listen to music when I’m working, but it can’t have words. I hate the sound of TV or people talking when I’m writing. For a long time, I had kids at home, so I’d get up in the wee hours of morning and write before they woke and then when they were at school. That habit stuck and I still get up ridiculously early. I love to work in the quiet.
GJR: You live in Northern California, what are your favorite activities to do there?
SPH: I love living here. I enjoy hiking. There’s a woods right out my back door. I like to go to the ocean and the river. My husband and I have kayaks. We have a large extended family and there’s a lot of get-togethers that always involve an abundance of food. (But my in-laws are Norwegian/Swedish, not Italian!) My husband and I like to cook and go out to dinner. We love hanging out with our kids when they’re home for a visit, watching movies and playing games. My very favorite thing to do when I’m not writing is reading a good book.
GJR: If you were stranded on an island, what book would you want to have with you?
SPH: If you really mean book singular, without an s, then I’d have to say whatever book I happen to be working on at the time.
GJR: You’re having an author get-together, dinner party. Who’s on the guest list, which recipe would you grab, and why?
SPH: I’d grab my husband, who is a splendid cook, and ask him, “Honey? What are you making for dinner?” The answer might be paella, or perhaps grilled vegetables along with some amazing grilled flank steak and salmon. I always make the salad. We’ll keep it simple but delicious.
The guest list? At first, I started typing up the names of the authors I worship, but the very thought of talking with them makes me quake in my Uggs. So I’ve changed my mind. The food will be good and I don’t want to be too nervous to eat. I belong to a private online group of 25 debut authors called Book Pregnant. We all have our first books coming out. It’s such a fun and supportive group of authors. They’re all invited. We’ll need to toast all 25 debuts!
Thanks so much, Julie, for these great questions. You gave me a lot to think about it!
Thanks so much to Ms. Halverson for taking time to answer our questions. For more information about her check out her website, her blog or follow her on Facebook.
Continue reading the review...
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Giveaway: The Marriage Plot
Group Review: The Marriage Plot
As Madeleine tries to understand why “it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth-century France,” real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead—charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy—suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old “friend” Mitchell Grammaticus—who’s been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange—resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.
Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology Laboratory on Cape Cod, but can’t escape the secret responsible for Leonard’s seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.
Are the great love stories of the nineteenth century dead? Or can there be a new story, written for today and alive to the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenups, and divorce? With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the Novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives. ~product description
Jenn's Review: One of the marvelous things about our reading challenge is that it gets each of us to step outside our genre comfort zone. That being said, this book is not of a genre I particularly enjoy. I wouldn't say I had low expectations for this book, I was actually quite hopeful... I'm really looking forward to reading Alice's and Julie's reviews, because maybe they can point out something I missed, because I don't get it.
Seriously? That's it?!? I feel like I just sat through Remains of the Day again. I just kept waiting for something to happen -anything to happen- and nothing ever did. I would say that the story ends right where you expect it to, but, no, I actually think it ends just before that (perhaps as an effort to prevent anything from happening?). I am a firm believer that a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's why I don't write. I only ever have two of the three. For me, The Marriage Plot was all middle.
The characters were mildly interesting, but I wasn't really attached to them I think it's actually a credit to Jeffrey Eugenides writing style that he kept me engaged enough to not set the book down. It reads like three separate diaries and while I'm not sure why I should have taken an interest in any of them, I found his narrative style enjoyable. However, I found it extremely odd that Madeleine has no genuine female friends. I know dealing with mental illness can be isolating, but this detail was just downright strange. I'd chalk it up to the fact that we just didn't see them because the story was about her relationship with Leonard (and her lack of relationship with Mitchell), but those are exactly the things you involve your girlfriends in. It just doesn't fit.
Though I liked Jeffrey Eugenides narrative style, I obviously didn't care for his narrative. I didn't feel like any of the characters really learned anything or changed. They were just amplifications of who they were when the novel began. I hope my friends can enlighten me. I'm mystified.
Final Take: 3/5
Alice's Review: One of the many reasons I like challenges is it brings me out of my reading comfort zone. I wouldn’t have picked The Marriage Plot in a million years. I can’t remember the last time I read a novel in the literary fiction category. After reading this one, I know why.Two things trouble me about literary fiction. The first is the use of ten-dollar words when nickel words work just fine. The second is using 100 words for something that could be said in five. This book is all about the big descriptions. Mr. Eugenides loves to go on and on. And on. Granted, he does it very well but after a while, I was speaking to my Kindle saying “spit it out already!”
I read this waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened or at least it felt like nothing happened. The novel follows the lives of three people who meet in college: Madeleine, the smart and beautiful girl who took the chance on love; Leonard, the charismatic but troubled boy warring with his inner demon; and Mitchell (my favorite), the visionary and seeker. The novel begins at graduation and ends a couple years later with each character passage into adulthood. Some journeys were literal but all were emotional.
Considering how difficult it was for me to get into this novel, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I am not sure if it was because of writing itself, of Mitchell and his journey, or if I was glad it was finally over. I really enjoyed how Mr. Eugenides filled the holes of the story with each person’s point of view. I loved the “two sides of every story” basis. As much as I criticize the wordiness of this novel, I think it is essential to reveal the inner workings of the characters. I like that the novel felt unfinished. That Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell still had a way to go, their journey far from over.
If it wasn’t for the challenge, I wouldn’t have read this book. After reading it, I probably won’t recommend it unless someone wanted a good stick to your ribs novel, one that feeds your brain more than your soul. And truth be told, I’m not in a rush to read anything else by Mr. Eugenides.
Final Take: 3/5
Julie's Review: This was my pick for the GJR Challenge and while I've read Eugenides before, I was wondering if The Marriage Plot
would live up to all the hype. It did and it didn't. While it was a solid book, it wasn't great. I felt that I was taking up residency in 3 people's minds that were a bit self-involved, which didn't make them likable at first. I did feel like the book had a beginning, middle and end but we just came into their lives for a certain snapshot of it. The book was more character driven than plot driven. So, if you didn't like them or identify with them or even care about them, the book would be a bore. I will say that off the bat it took me a bit to get into the book and well honestly made me feel a little less than smart. I had to look up a bunch of the authors on Madeleine's bookshelves and what the heck semiotics meant. Once I got past the pretentiousness of the book, I started to enjoy it. I wanted to know what was going to have to the threesome. I loved that we got to see all three characters through each others eyes. It always gives you a different perspective. Since it was character driven, I need to talk about each of them separately.
Leonard: It's not that he's difficult to like but I had a very hard time understanding the attraction or appeal of him. I couldn't quite wrap my head around why the girls on campus thought he was hot stuff and then what it was that Madeleine saw him. Then I got it, he was intense and brilliant. He really listened to you. He was engaged in conversations, he looked people straight in the eye and made them feel important.
Unfortunately, Leonard became engulfed by his disease; manic depression and in the end it made him into someone else. Mr. Eugenides did a great job of describing Manic Depression and how it not only affected the person afflicted with it but also those around them. Do I think Leonard loved Madeleine? Yes I believe he did. He was a complex character because of being manic. Would Leonard ever fulfill his own brilliance? I can honestly say that he probably does not, which is sad.
Madeleine: For me she was the least likable character of the three. She lived in her head and in her books for far to long to understand what real life really was and how to deal with it. She wanted to rescue Leonard from himself because she was so in love with him, she thought she could. She was trying to learn about love from a book, instead of just living it. Every feeling or thought she had about love, had to be validated by A Lover's Discourse by Roland Barthes.
She had no sense of who she was when she was with Leonard. She became another appendage of his. Therefore, we had no true sense of who she was either. It was in small flashes during the book that I really felt I could see what she could be, if she just let herself. In the end, Madeleine will probably go on to be a pioneer in Women in Literature studies at some university since in a book is where she feels most comfortable. For me, she lived her life on the sidelines instead of being in the game.
Mitchell: He is perhaps the easiest of the three to like and identify with, at least for me. At first he's a bit like a puppy dog in regards to Madeleine. He is so desperate to have her, he becomes a bit desperate himself. The best thing he did for himself was go on his trip and yet he couldn't escape thoughts of Madeleine. I had to wonder if he was in love with her or if he was just infatuated with her because he couldn't have her?
He was the only character to really grow and change. Did he necessarily find what he was looking for in India? Probably not but as most people learn and he will to, life is about constantly learning and constantly searching. He is the one in the end who had the most peace, even if it wasn't through religion like he had pursued. He was the one that I championed for throughout the book.
In the end, the book was about growing up. Finding out who you are or in some cases who you aren't. It's about that weird stage in life where you go from being a student to having to be a self-sufficient adult. Some make the transition well and some will struggle their whole lives to figure it out.
Mr. Eugenides is a truly gifted writer and if this book had been written by someone else, it would have faltered. It's his eloquent writing that takes you through to the end. If you haven't read Eugenides yet, then I suggest starting with Middlesex
. Also, Mr. Eugenides doesn't write a book annually, I will continue to read him because his books are intriguing and so well written. Final Take: 3.75/5
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Giveaway: The Magic Room
About the book: You may not have heard of Fowler, Michigan, much less Becker's Bridal. But for the thousands of women who have stepped inside, Becker's is the site of some of the most important moments of their lives-moments that speak to us all. Housed in a former bank, the boutique owners transformed the vault into a "magic room," with soft church lighting, a circular pedestal, and mirrors that make lifelong dreams come true.
Illuminating the poignant aspects of a woman's journey to the altar, The Magic Room tells the stories of memorable women on the brink of commitment. Run by the same family for years, Becker's has witnessed transformations in how America views the institution of marriage; some of the shop's clientele are becoming stepmothers, or starting married life for a second time. In The Girls from Ames, beloved author Jeffrey Zaslow used friendships to explore the emotional lives of women. In The Magic Room, he turns his perceptive eye to weddings and weaves together secrets, memories and family tales to explore the hopes and dreams we have for our daughters.
How to enter the giveaway:
Please fill out the form below to be entered by midnight EST February 8, 2012. You must be over 18 to enter and a resident of US or Canada.
Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to select our winners.
Continue reading the review...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Jenn's Review: Murder on the Mind
Now, Jeff is haunted by unexplained visions of a heinous crime—a banker, stalked, killed, and eviscerated like a ten-point buck. When Matt Sumner’s murder is discovered, a still-recovering Jeff realizes this was what he had seen. Jeff must not only convince himself of his new-found psychic ability, but also his skeptical brother Richard Alpert. Since Sumner was Richard’s banker, both brothers have a stake in finding out what happened. With Richard’s reluctant help, Jeff’s investigation leads him to Sumner’s belligerent family and hard-nosed business associates, none of whom want him snooping around.
When Jeff discovers a second victim, he knows he must relentlessly chase his quarry even if it means risking his brother’s life.
Review: There aren't a lot of books set in my home town of Buffalo, NY so I was terribly excited when the ladies The Cozy Chicks for bringing brought it to my attention. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was hoping it wasn't going to portray Buffalo in a bad light. This is a touchy issue for me, as I'm a proud Buffalonian. We get enough bad press on our own (sports, economy, snow, etc.).
It was actually kind of strange reading about a fictional killer in my own town. There were fictional places juxtaposed on real places, making it kind of jarring for me to read. However, if you aren't overly familiar with the Buffalo area, I'm sure it wouldn't disturb you in the slightest. Both Jeff and Richard have just moved back to the Queen City for different reasons and both of them have bitter memories of their different but equally difficult childhoods in Buffalo. Neither of them is thrilled to be back, but they slowly learn that Buffalo isn't as bad as they remember (I loved Brenda's line, "Richard, you never told me there's a ton of great stuff to do in Buffalo."). While Jeff and Richard are relearning the city, they are also trying to reconnect with each other. But it's hard to get beyond their childhood grudges when Jeff's insistent that his head injuries have caused him to start having psychic visions ...and those visions are pulling all of them into the middle of a murder investigation.
L. L. Bartlett wastes no time jumping into the mystery of it all. It caught me a little off guard. The mystery is interesting. The reader is not tasked by trying to figure out the culprit but by how Jeff will prove his visions, thus proving to his half-brother he's not crazy and catching a murderer. I'm not sure it was entirely plausible that Jeff wasn't arrested on several occasions for obstruction of justice at least, but it was easily forgiven because the story was intriguing. Little by little we learn what drove the brothers apart. Richard takes a leap of faith, Jeff learns to trust and let go. And the reader learns what motivates a murderer.
In a way, this is sort of the male counterpart to Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine series, which I adore. Although the lack of plot exposition at the beginning was surprising, I enjoyed the way Ms. Barrett wove it into the story instead. Some family secrets are revealed, and I'm sure there are more to come. I found all of Ms. Bartlett's characters fascinating and I want to get to know them a little better. I'm particularly curious about Sophie, a minor character that floats in and out of Jeff's new found life as an investigating psychic. I can't wait to see where each of the characters decides to go from here, as they all seem to have a grasp on what they want out of life ...for now.
This will be a fun, light mystery series for me, I think, especially once I get used to reading about my home town. I look forward to starting book two of the Jeff Resnick series, Dead In Red
. In fact I'm moving it closer to the top of my TBR pile right now.Final Take: 3.75/5
PS. I love that L. L. Bartlett's website features a photo section of some of the Buffalo-type things she mentions.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Guest Blog: Nancy Volkers
Earlier today Alice reviewed Scotland By Starlight by Nancy Volkers. We are pleased to have Ms. Volkers join us for a guest post this afternoon.
Enjoy!
I just finished an intriguing book. It was the kind of book that sits there taunting you – “Come on, you know you want to read me… forget about all of your other obligations and pick me up!” It was suspenseful, romantic, had colorful characters and made me think. The most surprising thing about it, to me, was the author’s name: Stephen King.
I grew up reading Carrie and Cujo and It and all those other one-word, terrifying tales by Mr. King. The book I just finished – 11/22/1963, the day President Kennedy was assassinated – is nothing like those novels. King throws in some scary bits, but this is a drama, not a horror show. It’s a book about time travel, and how one decision can shape the world for decades to come. But it’s also about love and control and kindness and authenticity and tenacity and pride.
Enjoying that book got me thinking about what makes a good novel. Teachers of fiction writing stress that you have to draw the reader in, create conflict and transformation, make the reader care about your characters. The people in your books can’t be “too good to be true,” but neither can they be so flawed that readers don’t like them or identify with them.
How do writers balance all of this while they write? When writing A Scottish Ferry Tale and Scotland by Starlight, I did think quite a bit about making my characters real people, with flaws. Cassie, as I’ve heard from several readers, can be so whiny and indecisive that she irritates people. J Ralph, on the other hand, might have been crafted a bit too smoothly, as I’ve been asked more than once if he exists in real life. (Answer: not as far as I know, though my significant other is Ralph-like in many ways, minus the Scots accent and the large blue dog.)
Conflict and transformation are standards of fiction writing, be it a novel, short story or play. You could argue that some genres of fiction are perfectly predictable. In romance novels, there’s almost always a happy ending; in mystery novels, the mystery is solved. In chick lit, the lead character “grows up” in some way, and changes. So why do we keep reading? Why was I drawn toward 11/22/1963 for over a week, taking nearly every spare moment to sit down and soak up a few pages of a world that didn’t even exist?
My off-the-cuff answer is that we cannot see our own futures, but there’s a part of all of us that aches to know what will happen next. I have no idea what’s going to happen to me today. That unknowableness (yes, I made up that word) is frustrating and magical, all at once. When we get a chance to know the unknowable – through a good novel, film, TV series or play – we can scratch that itch that can never be scratched in real life.
Thank you, Nancy for sharing your thoughts with us.
Connect with Nancy: Visit Nancy’s website! Follow Nancy on Twitter!
Continue reading the review...
Alice's Review: Scotland by Starlight
Summary: Cassie Wrentham is on her way to Scotland again... but this time it's not vacation. She's moving in with Ralph Macnair, the charismatic Scotsman who stole her heart. But Cassie wouldn't be Cassie without doubts. Will she find a job in a tight U.K. economy? Would marrying Ralph now be only for convenience's sake? Will she fit in, make friends, make a life there? Or will it all fall apart? Bursting with a lively cast of characters, all with their own stories and challenges, Scotland By Starlight follows Cassie and Ralph from the new beginnings of their intense relationship to a conclusion like no other. ~amazon.com
Review: It has been a while since my last visit with Cassie and her knight in acting armor Ralph in A Scottish Ferry Tale. I missed them. This sequel starts with Cassie’s move across the pond to Scotland to begin her life with Ralph.
They are disgustingly in love. And they make sure they tell each other that. Repeatedly. In sickeningly sweet detail. As if we would ever forget how much them mean to each other and want to be together. Forever. And when they aren’t talking about love, they are doing it. Thankfully not in detail.
One thing that bugged me about this novel is the lack of conflict. Things happened, but nothing that propels me to turn the pages. It was an account of the day-to-day life of a couple annoyingly in love with each other. I was going to write this off as the type of novel to read when I need a jolt of heartwarming romance. Well written, yes but simple of plot. A straightforward romance about a girl taking a chance on love when it’s not much of a chance at all because her beau loves her with the same fierce intensity. That is, I was thinking that until I got to the epilogue. Wow, that changed everything for me.
Ms. Volkers gave her readers the mother of all shocks. It’s this I can write pages about. I loved it. LOVED IT. Although I was not moved to tears, it did give me a new enjoyment for the story. I treasured Cassie and Ralph as a couple. I loved their love. I cherished their happy ending.
My final take? If you are looking for romance, I suggest you read this book, but don’t read the epilogue. Ms. Volkers is a romantic wordsmith. I have so many passages written down, things I’m totally going to steal for my own wedding vows (when that day comes, of course). But if you want a bit of heart-wrenching tingly goodness, read it through to the end. I guarantee you will fall for Ralph as well and see why Cassie truly loves him.
Final Take: 3/5
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Children's Corner: I Will Not Read This Book
This is a nice bit of comic relief for anyone who is going through this situation or anyone who has gone through it. It's a wonderful tribute to the imaginative child's ability to create mountains with molehills. If nothing else, it will make both you and your young reader smile.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Jenn's Review: It Takes A Witch
Review: Having adored Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine series, I knew It Takes a Witch under her new pen name Heather Blake would have a lot to live up to. (I'm actually am so enamored with the Lucy Valentine books that I don't want to read book three which, as it stands now, is the last book in the series.) I am pleased to report that It Takes a Witch held its own.
Whereas the Lucy Valentine books dabble in the paranormal, It Takes a Witch is fully paranormal because it centers around a community of Crafters (AKA witches) living among mortals in a little New England town. The town capitalizes on their witchy reputation by commercializing it, and making it a magical destination, completely unawares that there are real witches in residence. However, Enchanted Village has had a recent crime wave that starts with some pick pocketing and ends with a murder which is not only bad for publicity, it's downright un-neighborly. I love the setting of this book because I live not too far from a quaint mystical community that may or may not be home to real witches and It Takes a Witch provided a wonderful scope for the imagination.
The mystery is good. I didn't find myself pushing to figure out the whodunit of it all because there were so many small mysteries to enjoy unravelling. Some of the things I solved before Darcy and some I didn't... and a few little things Heather Blake left unresolved for the next book. There's also a good dose of her trademark humor and witty dialogue.
My only complaint is that I felt that I didn't get to know the characters quite as well as I would have liked, but there were an abundance of them, which is perhaps why Blake didn't explore them as deeply as she could have. I loved that so few of the characters are who they seem to be on the surface. I also liked the fact that Darcy wasn't investigating the town crime wave because she was nosy or curious, but because she got pulled into it in an attempt to protect her family.
This story was a snapshot into Darcy's and Harper's life. I want to know about Darcy's past. I want to know Nick's story. I want to know more about Darcy's family heritage as Crafters. I want to know more about the community of Crafters. I want to know more about the different Crafters. I want to know about the Elder. And I definitely want to know more about the crazy twist at the end. I want... to read the next book!
The crazy thing is, I wouldn't mind if Heather Blake switched protagonists with each story in the series. That's not to say that I didn't love Darcy, it's just that there isn't an uninteresting character and they certainly provide a wealth of untapped stories for the continuation of the series.
If you are looking for a nice light mystery with lots of great characters, a little magic, and a little romance, you've got to check out It Takes a Witch. Also check out her other books, published under Heather Webber. I have quite a few of them in my TBR pile.
Final Take: 3.75/5
Want to sample It Takes a Witch? Here's an excerpt.
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