Helluva Halloween II Giveaway!

Well, I'm coming out of my hidey hole for a bit this month...It's October and that means Halloween! I love Halloween and Misty over at Book Rat is hosting Helluva Halloween for the second time. It was fantabulous last year and am looking forward to it again this month! She has a lot of fun stuff planned so check it out. As part of the festivities, I thought I would contribute to the fun. I won an advanced reading copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead by Don Borchert. It was a fun a zombie take on a classic! I am willing to part with it! All you need to do is:

1. Leave your name and email address in the comments section.

2. Tell me what Halloween-y type books you are planning on reading this month.

3. For extra credit (an extra entry), tell me why you love Halloween (favorite memories, traditions, costumes, etc). I just love hearing about why people love this awesome holiday and what fun things people do to celebrate. you don't need to, but if you want, I'd love to know.

The giveaway will run from October 1-9th 12 midnight MST. Giveaway open to everyone. I (or my 20-month-old son) will randomly choose a name out of a hat sometime Sunday morning and I will announce the winner either that night or Monday. You will be notified by email. So join the scary fun! And thanks for participating!


GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!!!!

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

Genre: historical fiction
FTC Disclosure: bought from Barnes and Noble
Published: 1996
Pages: 448
Content: PG-13

This book is based on the myth of a woman pope who reigned for a few years in the early Middle Ages. Cross found what she could on this legendary character and weaved a beautiful story around her. What were her origins? How did she get her learning since females weren't allowed to learn much if anything? How did she rise to the position of the pope? These are many of the questions that she answers.

I loved reading about Joan. She's a strong female character, one that stands up against any age. She grows from a small girl who is abused by her horrible father and escapes with her learning, falls in love with her care taker, and eventually disguises herself as a man.

Cross really knows how to tell a story. I was enthralled and horrified from page one. The last 1/4 of the book slows down a bit, but that's to be expected.

The parts that really spoke to me were Joan's ability to think rationally as possible and sort through problems and come up with solutions, especially in a time so full of superstition. She had doubts about God and her faith and that was OK. The way she handles what life has to throw at her is something, I think, we can all aspire to.

Rating: 5/5