Charlotte's Web of Books

I love love love LOVE a good, gritty, suspenseful mystery. My DVR reflects that with the hours & hours of NCIS, CSI, Criminal Minds and other crime dramas that I watch. Unfortunately with it being Summer Hiatus, I have to settle for reruns. And what fun are reruns. I already know "whodunit". Thank God for Karin Slaughter.

Karin Slaughter's new book, Undone, is by far grittier than anything you will find on network television. We meet up again with Will Trent & his partner, Faith Mitchell at the emergency room where they go after Faith passes out. While waiting for the doctor a woman is brought in with trauma so graphic that I can't begin to mention it here. Of course Will & Faith jump on the case.

They find another victim and soon two more women are missing. They start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. How the women are connected, why the monster is targeting these specific women. But who is the monster? They have pretty much figured out that it is a brother of the victim, but who is he? What name is he hiding behind? Is it one of the creepy men that were part of the car accident? Is it the son of the other car accident victims? Is it someone they have yet to encounter?

Undone is a fast paced crime novel that will haunt you. It is so gritty & graphic that it might not be for everyone. So be warned, if you can't handle Criminal Minds, Undone will turn your stomach. But for those of you that miss your gritty crime dramas during the long summer hiatus, pick up Undone it will satisfy your hunger for what you are missing and hold you over until the fall television season.

I am so very disappointed. So very disappointed. I have had Julie & Julia on my shelf for quite a while. Just waiting for vacation to sit down and read this book.

My first inkling that this would not be a book I finished came on page 67 when she referred to dealing with the families of 9/11 victims as "emotional shitwork" that "Republicans had some family-values sort of notion that women possess inherent delicacy and sensitivity"

Classy.

The repeated bashing of Republicans throughout the whole book just left a bad taste in my mouth. I stopped reading and shut the book on page 147 when I read this:

"Aunt Sukie is a schoolteacher in Waxahachie, Texas and one of those smart, kind people who nonetheless mystifies you by continuing to vote Republican."

Well Julie Powell. You can kiss this smart, kind, REPUBLICAN'S Rosie Red Ass.

I don't really discuss politics with anyone. I vote for who I think is the best person for the job and whose ideologies best align with mine. Right now I am really not sure if the Republican party best lines up with what I believe, but I do know they come a lot closer than the Democratic party. But no matter what I believe or what YOU believe, I will NEVER call you stupid for what you believe. I will NEVER make fun of you for voting who you vote for. Repeatedly, throughout her memoir, Julie Powell makes disparaging comments about the Republican party. It is one thing to express your support for one party in your book, it is quite another to make disparaging comments about the other party & the people who vote for them.

I really wanted to like this book. The trailer for the movies make it look cute. I can only assume that the producers were wise enough to take creative licenses with her day job & her feelings about Republicans. Makes no matter, now I won't shell out the $8.50 to go see the movie. Which is too bad, because I really was looking forward to this movie.

*Sigh* I love this book above all others! I sure hope they don't jack up the story!

There are certain events in life that everybody reacts to differently. How we handle those events is a true testament to our character. Our jobs, as casual observers or intimate friends is not to judge how somebody handles such devastating blows, but to be there to love and support them in whatever way we can. A devastating blow like the death of a husband or the discovery that he had multiple sexual encounters and affairs during the entire length of the marriage could destroy the strongest of people, but they could also make us stronger people.

I try really hard to empathize and imagine what I would do in Julie Metz's shoes. Her husband drops dead suddenly of a pulmonary embolism & six months later she finds out that he cheated on her repeatedly and was involved in an affair with a close friend. While I don't know exactly what I would do, I am pretty sure that I would NOT repeatedly call up the ex-friend and scream obscenities at her. I am pretty sure that I would NOT rip our daughters, once the best of friends, apart and cause a scene so grand both little girls are crying hysterically. But I do not know for sure what I would do.

Perfection was, at times, very difficult to read. The raw emotions that Julie went through were so raw and graphic to read that I was almost embarrassed for her. Julie takes us on her journey of grief . She shares with us love letters (emails) between her husband and his various lovers. I found it very difficult to read those & in most cases I skipped over them. Julie also takes us through some of the steps she takes to getting herself & her life back. Engaging in a romantic affair with a friend within months of his death. Contacting each of his lovers and joining Match.Com were all ways she tried to deal with her pain.. Again, none of these things are likely anything I would do in her situation, so I am trying very hard not to be judgemental.

I would not say Perfection is the best memoir I have ever read, nor would I say it was the worst. I understand that the book was probably her ultimate way of dealing with the excruciating pain that she was dealing with in the years following his death. But it is not a book that I would have ever tried to get publish. There are some things that just don't need to be shared with the world. This is one of them. I really and truly hope that Liza never, ever reads this book. No young girl should ever have to read the things printed in this book about her deceased father. It just wouldn't be right.

This is the book I am reading now. I am about 70 pages into it and I find it exceptionally heartbreaking. Look for the review to be posted tomorrow.

The Accidental Bestseller is a book about friendship, loyalty, survival, and what happens when a friend who is down and out needs to be rescued.

Kendall, Mallory, Faye, & Tanya met ten years ago at a writers conference as struggling writers. Here it is ten years later and they are meeting at the same conference with the hope of seeing Kendall win an award. But Kendall doesn't win the award & that is the start of her world crashing down around her.

Her editor just told her they are dropping her after her next book. She goes home early to lick her wounds to discover that her husband has been cheating on her and he now wants a divorce.

With her final book deadline looming on the horizon, what does Kendall do? She heads to the family's mountain cabin & buries her head in the sand. Until her friends come to the rescue and force her to face reality. What the girls agree to could be considered unethical though, they agree to each write a portion of the book that will have Kendall's name on the cover. As each woman pours their heart into their portion, the line between fiction and non-fiction starts to become dangerously blurred. Each woman realizing that discovery of their assistance could be disastrous for each of them, but for different reasons.

Imagine their surprise when their book becomes a bestselling hit and a very popular talk show host wants to use the book for her national book club. Can the ladies get through the hour show without their secrets being revealed?

Wendy Wax has written an interesting insider look to the publishing world. While it is not as earth shattering as The Devil Wears Prada, it is interesting for those of us with a curiosity about what goes on in a Publishing House. While I did read the whole book, I found it lacking in a couple of different areas.

First of all, trying to keep the four friends and their fictional alters straight was a bit challenging. The thing that bothered me the most was that I think too much space was given to the history of the four women and their part in writing the Accidental Bestseller and not near enough time to what happens after the book has been released. Only the last seventy-five pages or so actually dealt with the ACTUAL Accidental Bestseller. And it felt forced and rushed. Very disappointing.

I really wanted to like this book and I even finished it, but it really was not a "bestseller".

Right before I went on vacation I had a meeting with my District Manager to help get a better grasp on my future with the company. I love books. And I am extremely competitive. Those two qualities (among others) is what makes me a good manager.

But I want to be a GREAT manager. No, I want to be a GREAT Store Manager. So when the Boss Man suggested that I read Death By Meeting , I thought "No Problem! It is sitting on my shelf as we speak!".

So after giving up on Beginners Greek, I pulled it off the shelf & read it in about two hours give or take. Now, I know that most of you really could care less about Business Management type of books, but this particular book does not have to relate specifically to business people. Anyone who has to lead a meeting, from the PTA meeting to The Lady's Guild at your church would benefit from reading this book.

But before you groan & roll your eyes, Patrick Lencioni has a way with words. He does not write boring business manuals, but he writes fables. Leadership Fables. They are simply written. Without an excessive amount of detail or painful explanations, Lencioni tells us about Casey McDaniel and the software company he started in Monterey, California. His golf game was a hit with gamers everywhere and now he has sold his company. An executive from their new parent company has sat in on a couple of their executive meetings and his reactions have Casey believing that his job is on the line.

At the same time of the merge, Will has come to the company as a temporary admin assistant for Casey. Casey is friends with Will's family and their history leads them to have a more comfortable relationship than the average exec & their assistant. Bottom line. Will sees that Casey's job is on the line, because frankly, the meetings are boring and nothing ever gets resolved. Which is exactly what the parent company exec saw with every meeting he sat in on.

This caught my eye about what the rest of the staff thinks about the weekly meetings. Because I suspect this is hour our staff views our staff meetings:

"They are wondering about your, about our, competence. They just don't understand how we can come in here for two hours every week and emerge without clearer direction for them."

There are many times when we leave our weekly meetings at work where I feel as if nothing has been resolved and our booksellers know that. I suspect it affects our staff's morale more than we think.

So in his OCD way, Will is determined to help save Casey's job. He starts analyzing meetings everywhere. And what makes them boring. How to jazz them up & how to increase the productivity in the meetings. Lencioni does a great job of making the comparisons between movies & meetings. And how the one thing that makes a movie interesting, conflict, was lacking from the weekly meetings at Casey's company.

Okay, I have rambled on long enough. I will cut to the chase. Communication, structure, and fear of conflict is what will save your company Death By Meeting. The book gives a structured outline for leading meetings. The outline includes, among other things, a "lightning round" and cascading messages.

Please don't let the thought of reading a business book scare you away from actually reading this book. If you find yourself sitting through weekly meetings wishing you could poke your eye out with a pencil, you will learn great things from this book.

I tried. I really, really tried. A lady at work, for whom I respect & strive to have her literary taste recommended this book. So, in an effort to be more like Jo, I tried to read this book.

After three days and 78 pages, I am sitting here trying to force myself to pick the book up to read it. As we all know, that is never a good sign. You should NEVER feel forced to read a book, well unless of course it is for school.

Has anyone else had a "Did Not Finish" recently?

Hope In A Jar by Beth Harbison

The Devils Punchbowl by Greg Iles

I picked this book because the subject matter revolves around my new obsession. Home Renovation. Or better yet, HGTV. I have read books before about the housing industry that I found to be so interesting, especially House Lust. I was looking forward to reading a book about a couple's relationship as they embark on a fairly large, especially expensive renovation.

What I found was not just a book about home renovation, but a book about a woman whose whole perception of love goes through a renovation, just like her home is.

Where I identified with Rachel Simon was the fact that she married her husband after they had been "broken up" for six years. I am back together with an ex-boyfriend after we had been apart for almost three years. And like Rachel & Hal, we started off as friends this go-around. For me, it was nice to read of their success story. But even after being married for a couple of years, it is clear that neither Rachel, nor Hal, have all the answers to relationships and marriage.

Hal is an architect & is spearheading the renovation on their historical Wilmington, Delaware Row home. He has designed a house that, when completed will meet their every need. Plenty of light, plenty of space, and most importantly, plenty of closets. But it is difficult for Rachel to give it all over to Hal. She is far from enthusiastic at the thought of moving into a rental during the reno. If she is disappointed in the little hiccups that happen along the way, she is downright distraught when their home essentially explodes and sets the whole project back months. And thousands of dollars.

During the process she learns a lot about herself. And how she interacts with not only Hal, but Dan, their Contractor. And how she interacts with her dysfunctional family. Soon Rachel realizes that she is just not in the process of renovating her home, but her heart as well.

Building A Home With My Husband is a well written memoir. It is a nice blend of HGTV and Lifetime television. Although, I would have loved to see Before & After pictures. How cruel is it to write a book about home renovation and not include Before & After pictures?

If you can forgive that minor oversight, you will find Building A Home With My Husband to be one woman's insightful look at unconditional love, and how hard it is to give and receive it.

I read this book several years ago & always recommend it to people looking for a good mystery. It is about a female serial killer and the detective who tried to stop her. Absolutely Chilling. Stephen King even called it one of the best mysteries of the year.

Jodi Picoult fans will LOVE this book! It was absolutely wonderful! And apparently it was even a sequel. The follow up book to Before the Storm, but I only discovered that after reading the synopsis for the Before the Storm so it is not necessary to read it before reading Secrets She Left Behind .

Secrets She Left Behind is the story of tragedy, hope, love, betrayal, and forgiveness. Told in Jodi Picoult fashion, Secrets She Left Behind is told from different perspectives at different points in time. Each chapter representing a different person.

Secrets She Left Behind is set in a small island community in North Carolina a year after a tragic fire killed three of it's residents and scarred on young man for life. The story picks up when the girl, Maggie, who set (but did not IGNITE) the fire is released from prison. Keith, her half brother, was the young man scarred & injured in the fire. Forever causing a rift between the two siblings, and their families.

Life will never be normal for the two families. And it gets even worse when Keith's mother disappears on the day that Maggie is released from prison. Both Maggie & Keith are living in their own personal hell when a young woman enters each of their lives. For Maggie, she is the friend & confidant that she never thought she would ever have again. For Keith, she is the girlfriend and lover that he never thought he would have again. But neither of them knows the role she plays in the others life. Neither of them know the real reason why she came to the island.

I can not say enough good things about this book. The characters are so well developed and so intertwined with each other, the story truly feels complete. Just as Jodi Picoult does, Diane Chamberlain will evoke more than one emotion as her words paint the story of an island, and it's people, trying to heal after tragedy strikes. And those emotions will stay with you long after the story ends.

September 15th, 2009 brings with it the one of the most anticipated books in the history of publishing.

Forget Harry Potter. Forget Edward & Bella. This year, the world is waiting for The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Now if you have been living under a literary rock, Dan Brown is the author of the Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code both books were runaway bestsellers. Not to mention hit movies.

Well in order to build the anticipation, Dan Brown and Random House have used technology and social networking to their advantage. The Lost Symbol website has gone live. All we see now is the cryptic countdown, but I suspect that if you keep checking, clues will be given daily.

But for those of you unable to wait, you can follow The Lost Symbol on Twitter and get daily clues and other updates. The very first update given on Twitter was this.

Codes of ethics? T 10 C; 6 P O T SOD; 12 S O T Z

I suspect that that right there will be the key to solving the puzzle that has become The Lost Symbol. I don't know about you, but I am dying to get my paws on this book. I love all of his books and have no doubt that this one will be like the others!

The Mist by Carla Neggers

Swimsuit by James Patterson

Return to Sullivan's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank

The Last Summer of Her Other Life by Jean Reynolds

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

Now and Then by Jacqueline Sheehan

The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews

The Wedding Girl by Madeline Wickham

This book gets a big fat, DID NOT FINISH from me. I tried. I really tried. I may not have been able to get through this book because I knew I had the new Jane Green waiting for me in the wings.

Or maybe it was because the book just wasn't good.

To this humble, Midwest farm girl, the "North American Wasp" portrayed in this book was boring and one dimensional. Nothing fascinating about the characters and nothing to hold my interest.

So, Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp gets a DID NOT FINISH from me. Maybe you will find it more entertaining than I did. Good luck with that!

Dune Road by Jane Green

(YAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!!)

Queen Takes King by Gigi Levangie-Grazer

The Angel's Game by Calos Ruiz Zafon

Everyone She Loved by Sheila Curran

Do you have one of those friends? The friend you have had longer than any other? The friend that has been with you through it all, bad boyfriends and bad haircuts. The good times far outweigh the bad. As the years wear on you may not be involved in each others daily lives, but when you talk, it is as if not a day has passed.

I have a friend like that. Actually, a couple of friends like that, but the friend I have in mind is my friend, Michelle. We have been friends since we were twelve. Over twenty years we have been friends. There has been a lot of good times to be had in twenty years.

Firefly Lane is one of those books that makes you think of your own history. Your own friends. Firefly Lane is the story of Tully & Kate. It is the story of their friendship. They come from two completely different backgrounds. In 1974 at age fourteen, they meet and their lives forever become enter twined.

Firefly Lane follows Kate & Tully through the angst of their teen years, through their time at college, through their entry into the professional world. And while their lives take drastically different turns, they remain best friends.

Kristin Hannah has done an excellent job at taking us for a stroll down memory lane. She covers everything from music to fashion to current events of the times. From the seventies to present day, the walk down memory lane is one that you are guaranteed to enjoy. The story is a fast read, but be prepared. You will need a box of tissues for the end.

If it walks like a duck & quacks like a duck, is it really a duck?

Sam & Lisa are living life like millions of Americans. They are struggling with their finances, they are trying to raise their two daughters the best they can. They are trying to pay their mortgage and private school tuition. Life is hard.

But, Sam & Lisa have been in love since college. They can survive anything. After sixteen years of marriage, they know each other inside and out. Until one morning when Lisa makes the mistake of listening to Sam's voicemail. With that one voicemail and the death of an old friend, sixteen years of trust is virtually erased. Lisa's listening to that voice mails starts in motion a chain of events that will forever change their lives.

Will Lisa & Sam survive in the end? Or will they fall victim to the one thing that kills thousands of marriages, infidelity?

While, Best of Intentions, is not the worst book I have ever read, it certainly wasn't the best. I started losing interest after the middle of the book. The twists and turns weren't really all that suspenseful, or shocking. And I didn't really feel satisfied with the end. I was just more relieved that it was finally done.

Check it out, Book Lovers!

Pillars of the Earth is set to start production for an eight hour mini-series on June 22, 2009. A $40 Million Dollar budget will allow stars like Ian McShane ( did anyone besides me watch Deadwood?) and Donald Sutherland to star in the guaranteed hit. You will also recognize some of the Executive Producers, such as Ridley Scott and David Zucker.

The movie is being filmed in Hungary & Austria, so you can only imagine how beautiful the scenery is going to be.

I will readily admit that I have not read this book. I *do* have it downloaded from Audible to listen to, but it is 40 hours long. LOL. That is a huge commitment. Even for me. One of these days, though, I will get around to listening to the book.

This is exactly why I was afraid of introducing "Weekly Series" to my blog. I was afraid I would flake on it & sure enough. Life got in the way. I have had this post in "edit" mode for two weeks and now I am finally finishing it up.

Let me introduce you to Goodreads . Goodreads is another social networking site for Book Lovers. The major difference between Goodreads & Library Thing is that Goodreads is free! Because it is free, there are a lot more members and even a lot more authors that frequent the site. Unfortunately, the downside of "free" is that you have to deal with Google Ads, which, as we all know can be annoying.

Like other social networking sites, you can add "friends" , you can update your status, you can join groups, and you can create your own library. Because of the "free" status, I admit that my library on Goodreads is much larger than any other site that I use. My library not only includes books that I have read, but books sitting on my "To Be Read" pile. Currently there are 143 "To Read" books in my library, but I assure you there are hundreds more. And they truly are books that I have in my "book room" piled high, waiting for me to read.

Anyway, back to the site, one of my favorite things about Goodreads is that you can "follow" your favorite authors. Some authors are a little more faithful about updating and posting than others, but either way, the opportunity to stalk authors is never a bad thing in my book. *grin*. I also enjoy being able to peek at THEIR libraries. To see what they are currently reading, have read, or want to read. When it comes right down to it authors are bibliophiles, just like the rest of us.

Another fun feature of Goodreads is the Never-Ending Book Quiz. It is exactly as it sounds. A never-ending multiple choice quiz. I *thought* I knew literature and general book knowledge, but after spending hours on end playing the quiz, I realized how wrong I was. *grin* The Never-Ending Quiz is member generated. The questions come from members so there are varying degree of difficulties. A GREAT feature of the game is that if you have found a nemesis in knowledge you can choose to ignore that users questions.

Overall, Goodreads is a great site for what it has to offer. If you can get past the ads, Goodreads is a the perfect place to hang out. My user name on Goodreads is Charlotte Garnatz. Please feel free to add me! I look forward to "hanging out" with you and checking out your libraries.

Not only is The Physick Book of Delieverance Dane a perfect summer read, it is also the latest book to be a Barnes & Noble Recommends. Stop by to pick up your copy & a copy of the Reading Guide questions.

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Relentless by Dean Koontz

Perfection by Julie Mertz

Not only is one of my favorite books of 2008 FINALLY out in paperback, but it has come to my attention that 20th Century Fox has a movie in the works and Anne Hathaway has signed on to play Emily.



Emily is a twenty-nine year old attorney in New York struggling to deal with a boyfriend who is ready to settle down, family issues & a high powered career. It is a lot for a young woman to handle. Does she get the "happy-ever-after" that every girl dreams about?

You can read my original review here. Opposite of Love

Whew, this having a life thing is for the birds! Not enough reading time! *grin*. This past week was a very busy week for me both professionally & personally. I had the rare weekend off & it was spent almost entirely with my family. I did manage to finish this book though!

I loved Anna McPartlin's book, Apart From the Crowd and thoroughly enjoyed it. While I enjoyed this book, I didn't enjoy it as much as the other one. It may have been because I was not able to finish it quickly, therefore it felt like a chore.

It is Harri's wedding day. Her second wedding day. The first wedding day was postponed when Harri had to be hospitalized for a panic attack. She is hoping that she can get through the second wedding day without an attack & she will be married to her beloved, James. Unfortunately history repeats herself and Harri can not make it down the aisle. While waiting in the emergency room, Harri's twin, George jokes that she is the most glamorous patient there.

After Harri is released from the hospital her life is further turned upside down. James leaves her for good. And her parents drop a bombshell, that while it may explain the panic attacks, it devastates both Harri & George.

Can Harri & George find it in their hearts to forgive their parents? Will Harri be able to find the truth about her past? Will George be there for her once the smoke clears? Will James ever be able to forgive her?

Harri & George have a solid group of friends and family that surround them in their time of need, but is that enough to come through this mess unscathed?

As Sure As The Sun was an okay book. Set in Ireland, the book was well written & not quite the fluff one would think. But it is a good story with developed characters and maybe even a happy ending or two.

Yay! It is finally time for "Summer Reading"! The next several weeks are jammed pack with AWESOME new releases. There is bound to be something from your favorite authors!

Skin Trade by Laurel K Hamilton

The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman

The Fugitive by Philip Margolin

(I am really excited about this one!)

Mercury in Retrograde by Paula Froelich

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

New in Paperback

Thank you all for participating in my first "Giveaway!" please keep checking back, because I had so much fun with this, I will be doing it again in the very near future!

Welcome to my first ever giveaway! I am giving away an Advanced Readers Copy of The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.

This giveaway hopes to mark the start of a regular feature, which I will call Win A Book Weekend! It may not be every weekend, but I promise that when I do a giveaway, it will be on the weekend.

All you have to do to win is post a comment on this post with your email address. I will use www.random.org to pick a winning number. Once the winner has been announced I will mail out the book via USPS Media Mail.

I am sorry, but due to the fact that I work retail, ( and I am poor. LOL.) I can not ship out of the United States. Please don't hate me. *grin*

The contest will go from 12:01 AM Saturday May 30th, 2009 to 11:59PM on Sunday May 31st, 2009. Central Standard Time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or add it to the comments on the blog. I look forward to having fun with this & look forward to giving away my pile of "Already Read, But Don't Really Need To Keep Books!"

This book is going to be a fabulous summer read! You are going to LOVE it!

First you need to know, according to the blurb on the back of the ARC, that this debut novel was written for National Novel Writing Month. Let this book be an inspiration to those of you who have a novel idea buried deep in the files of your mind. Mark my words, this book is going to be a RAGING success!

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is part "current" novel (set in 1991) and part historical fiction, set it in the times of the Salem Witch Trials. The alternating chapters tie the whole story together. And oh, what a story it is.

Connie Goodwin is a history grad student at Harvard. She has just finished her oral exams and is looking forward to a summer of research for her dissertation when she receives a phone call from her mother, Grace. While Grace is "cleaning auras" in the Southwest, she needs Connie to go to Marblehead to clean out her late Grandmother's house and prepare it to sell. Connie reluctantly agrees.

She arrives in Marblehead with her roommate, Liz and her beloved dog, Arlo. But this is when the story starts to get good. Her grandmother's house was originally built in the 17th century. It is without electricity and overrun with plants. It looks like it will be quite the task, but she is ready to get started so she can return to Cambridge & get on with her dissertation.

Her first night in the house, Connie finds a Bible that dates back to the original owners of the house. A key & a slip of paper fall out of the Bible. The paper has a name written on it, Deliverance Dane.

The name, Deliverance Dane, triggers Connie's inquisitive nature and she starts researching Deliverance Dane and the history of the house. Soon, Connie realizes that while the Salem Witch Trials persecuted innocent women, the existence of a book of spells is a very real possibility.

With the help of Liz and her new friend, Sam. Connie spends her summer trying to find this book that started with Deliverance Dane. And in the process she finds out some dark truths about her advisor, Manning Chilton, and her own family history.

Like I said, FABULOUS book. It has mystery, intrigue, folklore, and just a hint of romance. AND the author, Katherine Howe, is herself, a descendant of Elizabeth Howe & Elizabeth Proctor, two women accused of witchcraft in Salem. Katherine Howe has done her research well and has written a story that will cast a spell over you.