Collection Obsession

If you have a passion for something tangible it is understandable to want to acquire items to fill a need or desire. For one who loves books, as I do, you are considered a bibliophile. A numismatist is a collector of coins. If you collect stamps, you are called a philatelist. But if you are an art collector, you are referred to as a buyer.

 

The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe is about a woman whose obsession with art occurs by happenstance when she walks into a building to use the restroom not knowing it was the art building on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. She wanders around the museum- gallery and is immediately in awe of one of the pieces. The piece which will later be the first in her collection.

Rebecca (Becky / Reba) Farwell was a mathematician at an early age. She was completing the homework of schoolmates for money, even pre-calculus as a freshman. Her math teacher, Ms. Marner, challenged and encouraged her abilities. Through her math skills and manipulation of the books in her unincorporated community of Pierson, Illinois, Becky can build a wealth of funds to feed Reba's art addiction. Miss Farwell builds a double life: one as the young woman who has moved up from a bookkeeper to the comptroller of her hometown, and the other as a successful buyer/collector of art in Chicago and New York. 

Throughout the book, Miss Farwell's character is developed with contradictory traits. She is a thief. She is a philanthropist. She is a buyer of art. She is a collector of art. She is a seller of art. She is caring. She is cold. At times you don't know whether to love her or hate her for what she does to the people in her community who see her as a local hero. 

I was fortunate enough to listen (and read) this story of a diabolic woman who pulled off a multi-decade facade. I was so intrigued by this book I could not stop until the last page. 

Thank you to Harper Collins for allowing me the opportunity to review the audiobook and the e-book copy of The Talented Miss Farwell. I read the text while listening to the wonderful narration of Allyson Ryan. Whether listening, reading, or both, you will be drawn into the world of Becky / Reba, not knowing which, if either, you will cheer for in the end.

I recommend this title for public libraries. 

The Talented Miss Farwell is expected to be on sale on September 29, 2020, and is published by HarperCollins.

*To comply with guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, HarperCollins has provided a complimentary electronic copy and a digital audio download of The Talented Miss Farwell for review purposes. This review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

The Storybook Thief

My wonderful husband recently returned from the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Chicago. Since I was not able to attend this year he brought back some great books for me to read. The very best was a picture book in an uncorrected advance copy format. The hardcover of the book will be released in October of 2013.

The Snatchabook
by Helen Docherty and Thomas Docherty

The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty has instantly become one of my favorite books. Not only because it centers around a mystery and reading, but because it is also about parents reading to their children! I love a great mystery and when books start disappearing all around the forest. Eliza Brown (a little brown rabbit) decides she is going to solve the mystery by setting a trap for the storybook thief.

Eliza is successful in not only catching the thief, but also having all of the books returned to her forest friends. The book has a wonderful ending of redemption and turning a "wrong into a right". Although a mistake was made redemption and forgiveness is the moral of the story.

The illustrations are beautifully drawn by the author's husband, Thomas Docherty.  The stark contrast between the crispy, dark night with a large full moon and the warm bedrooms of the animals is amazing. It shows the coziness of the families as they share the special bedtime ritual of reading together. The expressions on each of the faces of the animals conveys the interest they have in book being read. Their demeanor changes dramatically and with wonderful characterization when the animals come together to discuss their situation. I don't want to ruin the heartwarming ending, but I will say I love the bright sunshiny day depicted at the end when everything is resolved. 

I would highly recommend this book for all libraries with children's collections. For bibliophiles like myself, you will most definitely want to add this title to your own collection of picture books. Just watch out, so it doesn't disappear!

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Sourcebooks, Inc. has provided a complimentary advanced reader copy of this book.