Thanks to Andrea Lam of Viking/Penguin Books, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’, just in time for Halloween.
Book Description:
Perhaps the marker of a true mythos is when the stories themselves overshadow their creator. Originally published under a pseudonym as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW AND OTHER STORIES (A Penguin Classics Original; On-sale date: September 30, 2014; $11.00) gave America its own haunted mythology. This new collection of larger-than-life tales contains Washington Irving’s best-known literary inventions—Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman, and Rip Van Winkle—that continue to capture our imaginations today, and features an introduction and notes by Elizabeth L. Bradley, author of Knickerbocker: The Myth Behind New York and literary consultant to Historic Hudson Valley, the caretakers of Irving’s Tarrytown, New York home.
The setting of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is renowned for the supernaturalism that pervades the imaginations of its inhabitants and visitors. The most infamous specter in the Hollow is the Headless Horseman, said to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during the American Revolutionary War, and who “rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head.” The “Legend” relates the tale of Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster from Connecticut, who competes with townsman Abraham Van Brunt for the hand of 18-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel. Crane sees marriage to Katrina as a means of procuring Van Tassel’s extravagant wealth. Bones, the local hero, vies with Ichabod for Katrina’s hand, playing a series of pranks on the jittery schoolmaster, and the fate of Sleepy Hollow’s fortune weighs in the balance for some time. The tension among the three is soon brought to a head.
About Washington Irving:
WASHINGTON IRVING (1783–1859) is generally credited with being the father of the American short story and was the first American writer to achieve international renown. He debuted in 1802 with a series of observational letters to the Morning Chronicle, and is best known for his short stories Rip Van Winkle (1819) andThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow. He has written several historical works covering figures such as George Washington and Christopher Columbus.
About Elizabeth L. Bradley:
ELIZABETH L. BRADLEY, the author of Knickerbocker: The Myth Behind New York, serves as literary consultant to Historic Hudson Valley, the caretakers of Sunnyside—Irving’s Tarrytown, New York, home. She also wrote the introduction and notes for the Penguin Classics edition of Irving’sA History of New York.
This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada and ends on October 18, 2014. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Thanks to Andrea Lam ofViking/Penguin Books, I am giving away one copy of ‘The Penguin Book of Witches.
Book Description:
From a manual for witch hunters written by King James himself in 1597, to court documents from the Salem witch trials of 1692, to newspaper coverage of a woman stoned to death on the streets of Philadelphia while the Continental Congress met, THE PENGUIN BOOK OF WITCHES is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends.
Bringing to life stories like that of Eunice Cole, tried for attacking a teenage girl with a rock and buried with a stake through her heart; Jane Jacobs, a Bostonian so often accused of witchcraft that she took her tormentors to court on charges of slander; and Increase Mather, an exorcism-performing minister famed for his knowledge of witches, THE PENGUIN BOOK OF WITCHES provides a unique tour through the darkest history of English and North American witchcraft.
ADVANCE PRAISE FORTHE PENGUIN BOOK OF WITCHES:
“With insightful notations… this superbly edited and annotated work provides in-depth material for those interested in the origins of witchcraft persecution in America.”—Library Journal
“Fascinating and insightful. With her usual skill, Katherine Howe navigates the winding path leading to Salem’s hysteria and beyond. A must-read for anyone who wants to know not only what happened but also how and why.”—Brunonia Barry, New York Times-bestselling author of The Lace Reader
“This comprehensive collection of carefully selected documents and published primary materials, coupled with judicious and informative introductions, will help modern readers understand the seemingly inexplicable and persistent popular phenomenon of belief in witchcraft from the seventeenth century into more modern times.”—Mary Beth Norton, author of In the Devil’s Snare
“An informative and engaging series of texts that Katherine Howe introduces in a crisp and well-informed manner. The chronological breadth is unusual, but it allows us to grasp more fully the continuities that mark the history of witch-hunting on both sides of the Atlantic.”—David D. Hall, Harvard Divinity School
About the Editor:
Photo Credit Laura Dandaneau
KATHERINE HOWE, the direct descendant of three accused Salem witches, is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, The House of Velvet andGlass, and the young-adult novel Conversion, a modern-day retelling of The Crucible set in a Massachusetts prep school. She teaches in the American Studies program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. You can visit her website at www.katherinehowe.com.
This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada and ends on October 20, 2014. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Today it is my immense pleasure to kick off the tour for ‘Crazy Is Normal’ by Lloyd Lofthouse. I have been a fan of his since he published his award winning ‘My Splendid Concubine’. Now with ‘Crazy Ins Normal’, he shares his experience as a high school teacher.
Publisher: Three Clover Press (June 14, 2014) ISBN: 978-0986032851 Category: Biographies and Memoirs, Educators Tour Date: October, 2014 Available in: Print & ebook, 386 Pages
Multi award winning author, Lloyd Lofthouse kept a daily journal for one-full school year and that journal became the primary source of this teacher’s memoir.
“Readers who envision eager students lapping up learning led by a Tiger Teacher will be disappointed. Lofthouse presents us with grungy classrooms, kids who don’t want to be in school, and the consequences of growing up in a hardscrabble world. While some parents support his efforts, many sabotage them—and isolated administrators make the work of Lofthouse and his peers even more difficult.
Throughout this memoir, though, Lofthouse seems able to keep the hope alive that there’s a future for each student that doesn’t include jail—thanks in large part to his sixth period journalism class and its incredible editor, Amanda.” – Bruce Reeves
Watch the Interview:
My Thoughts:
Lloyd Loftouse was a teacher in a Los Angeles inner city high school called, Nogales. This was one of the toughest neighbourhoods in LA with some children who didn’t know where there next meal will come from and street gangs.
Lofthouse kept a detailed journal of his time teaching their and is what his memoir ‘Crazy Is Normal’ is based on. He had a lot to deal with and tried to help studens learn, even the ones who didn’t want to. He encountered a lot of behavioural problems in students and the school’s protocol what to write them up and send the to BIC (Behavior Improvement Center), a in-house suspension center. He was also required to phone parents each time their child was sent to BIC.
When he called parents many were not home and didn’t call back. There were a few he was able to talk to. Yet, it seemed like only a few took an interest in their child’s education.
The same kids kept getting sent there for all kinds of infractions. It seemed like Lofthouse spent more time dealing with behavor problems than teaching. This really was unfair to the few kids who really wanted to learn, yet he had no choice. From reading his memoir I had no hope for most of those kids who made no attempt to learn and who spent most of their time in BIC.
Yet Lofthouse did give us hope for some of the kids. He was also the supervisor of the school newspaper, Scroll. The kids that worked on the paper were mostly the cream of the crop. Take the newspaper’s editor, Amanda. A senior who took her job seriously. Lofthouse was able to leave just about everything to her and knew that she would talk with him if their were any problems.
Working as a school teacher is hard work and long hours, especially in an inner city school setting. Lofthouse took a lot of work home, such as grading papers. He also volunteered with the school hiking club, taking kids on hikes. You could tell he was a teacher who really cared about the future of his students.
It is apparent the Lloyd Lofthouse has big opinions of what is wrong with today’s education and how to fix it. I encourage anyone interested in reading his opinions to follow his website: http://crazynormaltheclassroomexpose.com/and join the discussion.
‘Crazy Is Normal’ by Lloyd Lofthouse is a well written and engaging expose’ of a high school teacher. I highly recommend reading ‘Crazy Is Normal’ to get a real taste of what it is like to be a school teacher in an inner city school and all the bureaucracy that comes with it. I believe that knowing what a teacher is up against is a first step in solving the problem with education.
5/5
I received the ebook version for my honest review.
About Lloyd Lofthouse:
Little did Lloyd Lofthouse know in 1999, when he married Anchee Min, that he was beginning a journey of discovery. His first trip to The Middle Kingdom was on the honeymoon with his bride, who introduced him to China and Robert Hart (1835-1911), the main characters in Lloyd’s first two novels, My Splendid Concubine and Our Hart. The next decade was a journey of discovery. Lloyd now lives near San Francisco with his wife–with a second home in Shanghai, China.
Lloyd earned a BA in journalism in 1973 after fighting in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine. While working days as an English teacher, he enjoyed a second job as a maitre d’ in a multimillion-dollar nightclub. His short story, A Night at the ‘Well of Purity’ was named as a finalist for the 2007 Chicago Literary Awards.
Lloyd has won 15 awards for My Splendid Concubine and 5 awards for Running With the Enemy.
This book giveaway is open internationally however only the U.S. and Canada qualify for print. An international winner will receive ebook. This giveaway ends on November 12, 2014. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Thanks to Andrea Lam of Viking/Penguin Books, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’, just in time for Halloween.
