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Beth Hoffman, author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille --- the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town --- a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

January 2010

There are characters and voices in books that just stay with us. For me, Cecilia Rose Honeycutt, who is nicknamed CeeCee, is one who does just that. As the book opens we meet CeeCee, a 12-year-old girl from Ohio who is being whisked away to live with her Aunt Tootie in Savannah after the death of her mom; her dad already has created a new life for himself, and she does not fit in.

Interview: Jason Starr, author of The Chill

Jan 12, 2010

Jason Starr is best known for his line of noir bestselling prose (Panic Attack, Twisted City, The Follower), so he was a natural for the newly launched Vertigo Crime line. But Starr turned in more than a noir work; The Chill is actually a riveting paranormal thriller rich in character and setting (Ireland and New York City) and brilliantly illustrated by Mick Bertilorenzi. It's a rollercoaster ride with some truy unexpected twists along the way. We caught up with Starr to talk about his first foray into graphic novels.

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

January 2010

A confession here. In my literary memories, I had forgotten that Lewis Carroll was a pseudonym for Charles Dodgson, and it also had slipped my mind that the Alice in ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND had been fashioned after a real little girl named Alice.

January 8, 2010 - January 21, 2010

Send us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. To make sure other readers will be able to find the book, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). The Word of Mouth archives can be searched using the "Search" feature at the top right of the page.

During the holidays, did you read all the books you planned on reading? If not, what took you away from reading? Check as many as apply.

January 8, 2010, 340 voters

January 8, 2010

Thanks to all of you who wrote with holiday greetings and to tell us you missed us during these last two weeks. I shared your comments with the staff and they were much appreciated. As we start the new year, I wondered if I could ask you to forward this newsletter to any friends who you think might enjoy it. Consider it our “annual newsletter drive” to kick off the year/decade and a chance for you to “jumpstart” another reader. Thanks in advance for this.

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What recent book releases didn’t meet your expectations? Name up to five titles.

January 8, 2010

January 8, 2010

Happy 2010! We’re all safely and squarely back at work after a long holiday break, and we hope you are too...and that you had a wonderful holiday season!

Mine was a bit odd, to say the least. I had planned a trip back home to Iowa to visit my mom and other family. My plan, I thought, was brilliant. I would fly in on the 24th, arriving to the tiny airport in Waterloo, Iowa, at 12:30 p.m. That’s just the perfect time to swoop in and be there right before the big feast would be served. (A quick aside for those not familiar with the Waterloo airport: It’s even smaller than you imagine. It has two gates. When leaving from there, you never, ever have to run to your departure gate, because if you’re inside the airport, you’re practically there. And if you’re late, all you need to do is yell across the room, “I’m coming!” and they’ll hold the plane for you. You pay a little extra for flying in and out of this luxury airport, but sometimes you have to splurge.)

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January 6, 2010

So Then What Happened?

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Doré Ripley is a lecturer at Cal State East Bay and an adjunct professor at Diablo Valley College. She specializes in intensive writing and, this year, two of her students took first and second place in the CSUEB annual essay contest. You can visit her on the web at www.RipleyOnline.com.