We hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year’s celebration.  From all indications 2009 will be an interesting and exciting year for all of us.  And we are looking forward to greeting old and new friends in the coming months. 

For those who are interested in such things, we now have free wi-fi at the store.  Just bring your laptop and camp out in the Reading Room.  There’s usually a pot of coffee on and sometimes cookies to go with it.  You’re welcome to spend as much time as you like with us, we like company.

For those in eastern Jackson County and Lafayette County we’d like for you to know that we now have a small selection of nice books at Danny’s Deals at 1822 N. Main Street in Higginsville, Missouri.  We will be changing the books out once or twice a month. 

Our Reading Group is accepting new members, now.  We meet once a month on the Second Wednesday (In January it will be on the 14^th) in the morning, here at the store.  Our January selection is Bleeding Kansas  by Sara Paretsky.  In February we will return to the Classics for our selection and read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain.  If you are interested in reading and discussing books, come and join us. 

Beth and Marilyn

This Month’s Spotlight

By Beth King

Lions of Autumn by C. J. Trent   

From the back cover of the book:  “Who are you really?  If you’re Seear Moon, that question may be a bit more complicated that it once was.

Seear struggles through a difficult, but subdued existence until a different reality is suddenly thrust upon her.  Seear Moon is the reincarnation of a vampire ruler.  Not just any ruler, either.  Bellona, the beloved of The Twelve.  For hundreds of years, the name Bellona was feared by both humans and vampires, alike.  Now, it is carried by one very confused young woman.

First in dreams and strange events, then in the arrival of her principal followers, Seear is slowly maneuvered into the position she abandoned three centuries before.  Bellona’s followers, known to others of their kind as simply The Twelve, withhold all details of Seear’s former life and death.  As events culminate in the disappearance of a close family member, Seear must solve the puzzle of who she was and decide if her true place is with The Twelve.

Ms. Trent’s world of vampires and humans is a new take on the legends and stories that we are familiar with.  In her world, vampires live openly, holding press conferences and enjoying the opulent life of well to do citizens of the world.  Filled with a variety of characters, Lions of Autumn begins Seear’s adventure and leads us swiftly to the defining moment in her life. 

When Ms. Trent’s characters speak to each other it’s as though we were eavesdropping on college students who live just down the street.  The ancient vampire characters are diverse and interesting, adding their own mystery to the main character’s dilemma.

The beautiful and enticing cover of the book draws the reader in and I came away from the story more than ready to read the next book in the series. 

Ms. Trent will be in the store to sell and sign her book this month.  We look forward to having this book on our shelves.