The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

Over the weekend, I attended local bookseller association's annual dinner. I was there to exhibit our new books . . . but I also came home with a few new books myself. The highlight of this event is the book box attendees get. It's filled with offerings from all kinds of publishers . . . and has led to my gluttonous situation. This year, unfortunately, the books weren't so great. I got a bunch of young adult books, which I'll donate to 826LA, my favorite nonprofit. I did end up with a couple of novels and a short story collection that look interesting . . . and Elizabeth's Kostova's new novel, which I've been wanting. I guess it's really better that I didn't end up with another huge stack--after all, I started this project because I had way too many unread books hanging around!

Speaking of the book box, I read one that I received last year over vacation: Tiffany Baker's The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. From reading the description, I thought there would be an element of magic--something akin to the movie Big Fish. Truly is a large woman living in a small town. Everyone calls her a giant. She uncovers the secrets of one of the town's ancestors, who was rumored to be a witch. She was the only source of medical help before a modern doctor moved to town. Truly deciphers the code and starts learning some of the herbal remedies. The book turned out to be a much more realistic novel than I anticipated, but it was still a good read. Perfect for an airplane, too! It was captivating and quick.