Chapter Thirteen by Maria A. Palace

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

I'm sure you are not surprised by the fact that I get many emails about books.  Mostly from authors, publishers or publicists asking if I'll read a story they are representing or have written.  While I try and review the blockbuster books that I know you are contemplating reading, every now and then I like to read an author that I'm not familiar with or is just getting started. Let's face it, thousands and thousands of talented writers never get a literary agent and are miles away from getting a publishing contract.  Does that mean they are not as good as published authors, NO!  I've read many self published or small publisher books that put some New York Times Best sellers to shame...Monkey Temple by Peter Gelfan comes to mind, so does Picket Fences by Emma L.R. Hogg. I'm still thinking about both of them and I read Monkey Temple two years ago! My point is for you to consider a non-mainstream book.  How many people have you seen get on those singing shows that drive a bus for a living but can sing better than "stars".  Talent is widespread and not always recognized.

I recently read Chapter Thirteen by Maria Palace. The novel is about a woman, Kate, who has lost several loved ones.  She moves home to Pennsylvania and is working as a journalist when she sent to cover an old mansion.  Kate or Katy gets to know the old lady that lives in the house but all is not what it seems.  I don't want to give it away but if you like paranormal or love stories, you'd really like this. The writing flows nicely, dialog is great and I ADORE how the author doesn't make the reader sit through every outing.  For example saying something like "after the date ended" instead of making us sit through each second.  Love that!  Just give me the meat and potatoes of the story and that is exactly what this author does, which makes this story a very pleasant reading experience.  This is also a quick read with nicely sized chapters.  The story itself is interesting and the characters are well defined and likeable.  

The book is a solid, well written, fun, highly enjoyable, well paced read.  Maria Palace is on my radar now, next time she has a book release I'll be in line to buy it.

Monkey Temple by Peter Gelfan

Hello everyone.

Fall seems to be rushing towards us. It's my favorite season. My birthday is in the fall. Sadly, I don't enjoy my birthday. For years it seems like something terrible has happened on my special day, there has been physical issues, hurricanes, and to top it off a few years ago we had to put our dog down on that day. None of those occurrences are happy memories. My mom died when she was very young, this fall I turn the same age as she was when she passed away. I'm freaking out. Really freaking out, to the point of having nightmares. I have been forced to consider my own mortality.

It's not just the whole death issue on my mind lately, but it is aging in general. For you in your twenties, enjoy it. As you get older, you remain the same, well hopefully wiser and more emotionally mature, but you still feel like you. The problem is that your body starts to betray you. Suddenly when you sit for a while you are stiff when you get up. Why? Then one day there is knee pain, the pulled back just from sneezing, or that odd ache in your shoulder. It is like living in an alien that will not do what your brain instructs it to do. Very odd.

I recently read Monkey Temple by Peter Gelfan. This is the story of two older men, dear friends, who are on a quest to find a house. As the buddies head south from NYC they discover they are on more than one journey, learning more about each other and themselves along the way. The men end up in a house in a slightly inland area of coastal NC, where they are joined by people from their past and present. Not only did the story ring true with me as these people are confronting their own aging, but like the story I moved from NY (upstate) to coastal NC. In fact, the setting of this wonderful story is very close to me, making it extra special.

In a way this book made me sad, not because of the story but depressed that I will never write like this author.  Everything from school that I forgot, long ago, about sentence structure, Peter Gelfan remembered and improved on. Some people say if you actually notice the writing then it or the plot is no good. I completely disagree, this writing stood out because it is excellent. The story is wonderful and this book reads like a classic. I am jealous of this author's talent.

I read lots during the year, to avoid being crushed by books I give many of them to my family. Monkey Temple is not leaving. I have two all time favorite books, Tom Sawyer and Dandelion Wine, Monkey Temple is going on the shelf right next to them.

**While engrossed in this book, I read several small passages to my husband. Although it has now been approximately a week since I finished this story, he is still asking me about the main characters Jules and Rals,  he remembers them by name. Now THAT is high praise for a book!