My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

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Title: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

Authors: Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt De La Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Stephanie Perkins, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor and Kiersten White

Length: 320 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Classification: Young Adult, Short Stories, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic, Christmas

Release Date: October 14, 2014

Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thanks St. Martin's Press!)

Read: October 2014

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If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. (From GoodReads)

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

My Rating:

I really have not read that many books that are short story collections, so I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this book. But there were several authors that I either like or have heard of (out of the twelve authors, I have only read books by four of them, but I had heard of five of the other authors) and I enjoy the holidays, so I thought it would be a good book to read. 

And I am really glad that I decided to give it a read. This book is full of cute, heartwarming, lovely holiday stories. I really like that these twelve stories have diversity. There are different ethnicities, holiday traditions/beliefs/celebrations, and different kinds of relationships. 

One thing I did notice while reading these stories, is that it felt (at least to me) that most of the stories have broken family homes. Single parents, stepparents, adoptive parents, dead parents. It felt like there were very few families where the parents were still together. It doesn't really bother me, I don't feel like it took away from me enjoying the stories, it is just something that I did take note of while reading.

Overall, I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. There are some stories that I enjoyed A LOT more than others. But I think that on some level, I was able to entertainment in each of the stories. 

1. Midnights by Rainbow Rowell
I LOVE this story. Very much. It was just so cute and adorable. I love the flashbacks to the other New Year's Eves. I love that it takes place during New Year's Eve. And even though it is a short story, I was able to connect to these characters instantly. I love them. And I really wished that their story did not have to end. I was left wanting more, but also satisfied with the story. I adore Rainbow Rowell's writing and this holiday story did not disappoint me at all. 

2. The Lady And The Fox by Kelly Link
This story I did not like as much as the others. I found it to be a little weird. But there were parts of it that kept me wanting to know more. I was intrigued by the guy that Miranda sees and wondered why he was so mysterious. But the ending left me confused. 

3. Angels In The Snow by Matt De La Pena
Overall, I found this story to be cute. A young man is cat and apartment sitting when he encounters the girl upstairs. I like the dialogue between the two characters and was very interested in the conversations and encounters that they would have. I also like that it is told from the male point of view. 

4. Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han
I enjoyed this story. I love Jenny Han's writing and enjoyed the fantasy element of the story. The main character is a human girl that lives in the North Pole with Santa and the elves. I liked the characters and was interested in Natty and her story. But I feel like the ending was open-ended. I wanted more and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

5. It's A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins
I LOVE this story too! Stephanie Perkins does an amazing job creating characters that I care about instantly. This story is full of cuteness and heart. I loved getting to know the characters and watching them get to know each other. And I absolutely loved the chemistry and banter between them. So adorable. Definitely one of my favorites of all the stories!

6. Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan
This story felt really short to me. I really found what the main character does for his boyfriend's family to be really sweet. This story is full of love and is thoughtful. It brought a smile to my face.

7. Krampuslauf  by Holly Black
This story was different. I enjoyed reading the story, but I didn't fall in love with it. I didn't really feel a connection with the characters or what they were doing. I was more interested in the fantasy aspect of the story and the traditions. The story did grab my attention more at the end.

8. What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman
I liked this story. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. Overall, I think that it is a sweet story. And I really like that it felt realistic. Especially when it comes to Sophie and her "What the hell have you done" moments. I felt like I was able to relate with this.

9. Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire
This story was alright. I was entertained by what was happening and the decisions that the main character made. I like that it is also told from a male point of view. And I liked that this story showed some hope and redemption. It was entertaining and I like the characters.

10. Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White
I love this story. I really enjoyed these characters. Maria is just living her life waiting for the day that she can leave where she is living. She works in a diner that her mother manages after school. And she seems pretty unhappy. Then things change close to Christmas time. The diner gets a new young cook named Ben. I really love the banter between Maria and Ben. And watching their relationship develop was a lot of fun. I also really like that we get to see relationship development between Maria and her mother. I found this story to be really cute and sweet. With characters that I came to love.

11. Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter
This was a fun story to read. I feel like the story kept me on my toes. I kept trying to guess about what the main character was running away from and her secret. I really love the family element of this story. And the small glimpses of a different holiday culture.

12. The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I found this story to be really interesting. It is set in a different place and time. I found the storyline to be fascinating and different (in a good way). I was not expecting the ending. But I was left happy and with a smile on my face at the end of this story.

My Recommendation:
If you enjoy reading short stories and love books to get you in the holiday spirit, then I definitely recommend reading this book of holiday short stories. There were a few stories that I absolutely love and several others that I really enjoyed reading. These short stories are diverse and full of love and cuteness. I do not regret reading them and will probably re-read some of them during the holidays.

Love And Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

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Title: Love And Other Unknown Variables

Author: Shannon Lee Alexander

Length: 350 pages

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Friendship

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you Entangled Teen!)

Read: September 2014

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Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck.
The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she’s counting on the present. She’s not impressed by the strange boy at the donut shop—until she learns he’s a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. But, in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy.
By the time he learns she's ill—and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte’s illness—Charlotte’s gravitational pull is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he’s always relied on or the girl he’s falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second squared). (From GoodReads)

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

My Rating:

I just want to share: I LOVE the cover of this book. So simple yet amazing. I especially love the math symbols. Perfect.

A beautifully moving story about love, friendship, and hope.

Charlie is a Math geek. Pretty much everything he views in the world he can make the mathematical/scientific connection. (Which I found fascinating!) He has his future planned out before him and knows what he wants. Then he meets Charlotte, and things start to change.

I love this book! I really enjoyed reading it. I think that is was a fast read, because the story really grabbed my attention. I had so many emotions while reading this book! I loved all the references in this book too, especially all the comic book characters.

I think there is a wonderful combination of love/romance and friendship in the story. And the story felt realistic to me.

I think that not only is the story well developed, but I think the characters are absolutely wonderful!

Charlie has always struggled with trying to talk to girls. And the day he meets Charlotte is no different. I found it a tiny bit weird that he reaches out to touch the girl's tattoo on the back of her neck, but I feel that it also adds to his awkwardness around girls. At first, I felt like Charlie can be a bit of a jerk to those around him, mean to his sister (which is a pretty realistic sibling relationship) and a bit to his two friends, Greta and James. But I really loved watching his character develop throughout the story. And I came to really love his relationships with others in his life. Not just Charlotte, his friends and family. But the relationship created with Mrs. Dunwitty and Ms. Finch. And I love that these relationships help him see a different side to life and the world.

Charlotte is an amazing character! I really love her. She has so much hope and I love that she stands up for it. She has pretty much accepted her future. She wants to live life to the fullest and look at the beauty in everything. She is very artistic. She doesn't take crap from people. She felt very real to me and I became very attached to her character. She can be stubborn and frustrating at times, but also very sweet and caring. And I love that she is the opposite of Charlie.

Becca is Charlie's sister and she is quiet and sweet. She keeps to herself a lot. She likes to read, which I love. But her future changes in this story too, because she makes a friend. I did love seeing her sibling relationship develop more through out the book. And think that Becca's character is a great addition to the story.

I love Greta and James. Not only do I love their relationship. I love their friendship with Charlie. They are wonderful friends. They get into shenanigans together. They are always there for each other and they fight. Greta cares so much for Charlie as a friend and I love that she is there to help him. And James is just wonderful. He is not only a great friend to Charlie, but he is a great boyfriend to Greta.

I also like that Charlie and Becca's parents are present but not really overbearing in the story.

I love all the parts of the story that have Mrs. Dunwitty. They are funny. And like I said before I really love the relationship that develops between her and Charlie.

Also, Ms. Finch. I really love her. And felt for her. She is the new English teacher at Charlie's school and is subject to so many pranks. She has a lot of patience. And I love how things progress through her interactions with Charlie.
The pranks were entertaining and remind me a bit of high school. I was in the advanced program at my school and I had the same classes with the same advanced classmates for the entire four years. In fact, if I hadn't been in band as well, I probably wouldn't have known very many people outside of the advanced program. We didn't play pranks on our teachers everyday. But there was Senior Prank day and the Seniors always went all out to prank all the teachers. And these pranks reminded me of those days.

My Recommendation:

This story made me laugh. It brought tears to my eyes. And it gave me hope. I not only enjoyed the story, but it had characters that I love! I highly recommend reading it.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

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 Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
(Anna and the French Kiss #2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 338 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: July 2013 (reprint)
Source: Paperback
Read: August 2014

GoodReads

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. (From GoodReads)

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

My Rating:

Stephanie Perkins is amazing.
I really enjoyed reading Anna and the French Kiss so I wasn't sure if I would love Lola and the Boy Next Door as much as the first.
I don't know why I thought that. This book was awesome!

The Story:

It is a wonderful second book!
Fun. Cute. Entertaining.
I think I liked this story more than the first book.
Perkins does an incredible job creating a new story with new characters while including visits from the two main characters in the first book. (For some reason I figured they wouldn't make an appearance in this book.)
I really enjoyed this story. I don't know why, but I am a sucker for books that have either a boy-next-door/girl-next-door romance or the romantic interests have a childhood past together.
I also love all the music mentioned in this story. The Ramones, The Clash, etc. I felt like my heart was going to burst with happiness.
I've never been to San Francisco, but the book makes me wish that I could visit there someday.
The story kept me wanting more. It was hard for me to put the book down. And I was anxious for the scenes that include Cricket (because I love him.)
Well written and very entertaining.

The Characters:

I love these characters!

Lola is very unique and special. I love that she dresses up in costume a lot. (Sounds really neat.) She is pretty much my opposite currently (I am not big into fashion: clothes, accessories, etc.) But I remember when I was in college I had my own unique way of dressing (no where near as unique as Lola though!) I also like that she has challenges that she has to face and overcome. She is dealing with some family issues as well as the issue of a past love coming back into her life. I was really able to care and relate to the character.

Cricket. I am in love. He is so sweet and caring. A bit shy and very adorable. He is awesome. He has his own things that he is dealing with. I love that he is an inventor, it is really cool. He is just simply wonderful.

All the other characters are also well-written and interesting.
Lindsey is a great friend to Lola and I enjoy their friendship.
Lola's dads, Andy and Nathan, are great. I love that they are protective (probably because I am a very protective parent and I could see myself being like them, maybe not as drastic, but like them). I love that they love Lola very much and that they are present in the story.
Cricket's twin sister Calliope was also well-developed. She has her own life and challenges. And there are times that I don't like what she does very much, but I feel like I had an understanding of her and liked her too.

And of course I love that Anna and Etienne made appearances in this story. I loved seeing a little more of their relationship as well as their friendship with Lola.

My Recommendation:

If you like romances that involve a boy/girl next door type, then I highly recommend this book. Also if you like an interesting and a bit eccentric main character. Or if you are looking for a new AMAZING book boyfriend to swoon over, you should give this book a read!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Title: Anna and the French Kiss 
(Anna and the French Kiss #1)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 372 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: August 4, 2011
(reprint)
Source: Paperback

GoodReads

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for? (From GoodReads)

 My Rating:

I had been wanting to read this book for a while, but I kept putting it off. Then I found that a group of bloggers decided to have a readalong in anticipation for the third book in the series to be released. So I gladly signed up and joined the readalong #IslaIsComing.

I can't believe I kept waiting to read this book! I loved it.

The Story:

Such an adorable story! I absolutely love it.
I read this book in pretty much 2 days. I would have finished it in one sitting but I started the book too late in the night and had to go to sleep before getting to the end.
I could not wait to find out what happened next.
The author did an amazing job of capturing my attention and leaving me desiring more. (I seriously struggled with putting the book down and going to sleep. I almost didn't do it.)
I devoured the words and was left with a book hangover!

I adore that the author has created such a well described version of Paris.
(I traveled to Paris when I was in High School.)
It felt like I was there again. I had no trouble picturing the scenes in my head. It is wonderful.

The story overall is fun, exciting, and very entertaining. I was very fascinated by everything that was happening in the lives of the different characters.

The Characters:

Oh. My. Goodness. I love them.
They are all so well written and developed.
I love the friends that Anna made while at school in Paris.
They are the type of friends that you also want to be your friends.
Fun. There for each other. Caring. Amazing.
I loved reading from Anna's point of view. I really enjoyed her voice throughout the book.
St. Clair is certainly made me swoon. But I was a bit frustrated with him and his girlfriend situation. Other than that, I really liked his character.

My Recommendation:

If you like chick lit and romance and want a quick, fun, entertaining read then I highly recommend giving this book a read.

Manroot by Anne Steinberg

Title: Manroot
Author: Anne Steinberg
Length: 258 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Classification: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: March 15, 2014 (first published September 1994)
Source: e-book (Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book.)
Read: August 2014

GoodReads

In the spring of 1939, Katherine Sheahan and her father, the taciturn Irishman Jesse, are looking for work in the isolated tourist town of Castlewood, Missouri, which offers bathing, gambling and adultery. Jesse gets a job as handyman and Katherine as maid at a small hotel. Jesse drinks and neglects his work and eventually disappears, abandoning his daughter. Katherine discovers the ginseng, the manroot, and other secrets of the foothills; she discovers herself as a natural healer who has inherited this gift from her Navajo Indian mother. She also has a special but unwelcome gift. She can communicate with spirits. 
Among the hotel s regular clientele is Judge William Reardon, a local hero who metes out justice by day, then drinks the foul taste away at night. Escaping his sterile marriage, he becomes captivated by Katherine. He is like a man reborn. Theirs is a union of like-minded souls, but a dangerous dark magic is released. Can their love survive? 
A powerful, haunting novel that explores the powerful themes of identity and destiny, love everlasting and its brutal twin, violence. (From GoodReads)

**This e-book was provided for me by the author and/or publicist in exchange for a honest review.**

 My Rating:

(I rate this book somewhere between 2.5 and 3. But decided to round up to 3.)

There are several things that I found interesting about this story, but overall this book is just not a book for me. I liked that the book is different from other books that I have read. And I think that the story is very unique.

The story takes place over a long period of time. Which I found to be different, since most books I read take place over a couple of months rather than several years.

I feel that I struggled with really liking this book because of the affair. And I felt like it was a really big age difference (I might have read it wrong.) And I didn't really like or connect with some of the characters. I didn't like the Judge or his wife. I feel like other than Katherine, the characters I was most interested in had small parts in the story.

Now for the things that I really like about Manroot.

• I like the main character: Katherine. I really enjoyed that she is diverse. (Part Navajo Indian) And that there is quite a bit of traditions and beliefs from her culture. 
• There were a lot of times I really felt for Katherine. I felt like I could connect with her on an emotional level. I might not fully know what she was going through personally, but it didn't keep me from wishing she didn't have to go through some of the stuff she was. She had a lot of struggles and challenges to face.
• I liked that the book kept me wondering what would happen next. 
• I feel like there were a lot of twists and surprises that I didn't see coming. Which kept the book entertaining. 
• I liked the magical parts of the story. It added another level to the story.
• I felt like the story was at times confusing and a little strange (in an interesting way), it kept me wondering what else was going to happen to the characters.

Overall, I found this book to be uniquely entertaining. There were some things that kept me from enjoying the book as much as others have, but I still recommend giving this book a read if you like reading about a diverse main character and enjoy reading books that have magical components.  

Manroot by Anne Steinberg Excerpt + Giveaway

Manroot is the evocative and stirring story of a lonely town in Missouri, and a young woman named Katherine who discovers a mystical side to herself that she’d never known existed. Anne Steinberg weaves together fantasy, romance, and a young girl’s coming of age into a darkly magical story.  

Synopsis:

In the spring of 1939, Katherine Sheahan and her father, Jesse, are looking for work in the isolated tourist town of Castlewood. Jesse gets a job as handyman and Katherine as a maid at a small hotel. Jesse drinks and neglects his work and eventually disappears, abandoning his daughter. Frieda Broom, the hotel Manager, takes Katherine under her wing, and teaches her about ginseng, the manroot, and other secrets of the foothills. Katherine discovers that she is a natural healer and has the ability to communicate with spirits, a gift she inherited from her Navajo Indian mother.

Among the hotels regular clientele is Judge William Reardon. Escaping his sterile marriage, he becomes captivated by Katherine. As the pair bond over astrology and gardening, Katherine becomes convinced they belong together, despite him being much older than her and married. As they begin to fall in love, the violence of dark magic threatens to annihilate all Katherine knows and holds dear. Can their love survive?

Manroot is a potent tale of destiny, spiritualism and love, written in Anne Steinberg’s signature compelling style.

The kindle version was published March 2014 and is available for sale on Amazon.

Amazon reviews:

“Manroot is an undeniably good read; it’s well-written with a compelling plot and memorable characters. Recommended to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction imbued with fantasy, including Native American themes and the supernatural.”

“Words to describe this book are: romantic, thrilling, memorable, spiritual, magical, and well written in a breath taking way that will keep you enthralled well after it is over. I wish it would have lasted longer and was saddened when it came to an end. 5 stars and cannot wait to see what Anne Steinberg comes up with next!”

While living in England, Anne Steinberg’s first novel, Manroot was published by Headline Review in London. Manroot was heralded as an important first novel in 1994 and included in the Headline Review’s prestigious “Fiction without Frontiers,” a new wave of contemporary fiction that knows no limits. Eight modern storytellers were featured: Anne Steinberg, Margaret Atwood, Iain Banks, William Gibson, Peter Hoeg, Roddy Doyle, and E. Annie Proulx. It was an auspicious beginning to a long and varied career for Anne Steinberg, who went on to write several acclaimed novels, Every Town Needs A Russian Tea Room, the story of a wealthy socialite who falls in love with a penniless young Russian immigrant who is haunted by a bizarre shameful secret, The Cuckoos Gift, First Hands, and An Eye For An Ear. She is also coauthor of The Fence, written with her grandson Nicholas Reuel Tolkien, the great grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien. Nicholas is a filmmaker, director, and published poet. The Fence is a chilling story of a magnificent Gothic fence forged by a despicable blacksmith and infused with evil.

Anne was a partner in the world famous vintage clothing store, Steinberg & Tolkien, on Kings Road in Chelsea. After a successful run for over 20 years, the shop closed, and she returned to the US. Approaching her eighty-second birthday, she now writes, reads, and studies antiques, American Indian history, animal welfare, mythology, and folklore legends.

Anne recently re-released Manroot in kindle format. It was published March 2014 and is available for sale on Amazon.

Follow The Author:

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Previously published novels include:

The Quest

First Hands

Every Town Needs a Russian Tea Room

The Cuckoo’s Gift

Elias’sFence

Chapter 5

Working alone in the kitchen, Katherine scrubbed it clean. Looking up at the calendar, she knew tomorrow was Friday. The Judge was one of the few people who stopped here regularly, even now, in late autumn. Perhaps it was telling Sally that had started it all, for now her thoughts of the Judge were like a fever that stayed with her. Last Friday when she took him his bourbon and spring water, she noticed it for the first time, the birthmark. It was on his right hand, so clear and vivid that she had almost dropped the tray. He had smiled at her nervousness, called her ‘my dear,’ and given her a silver dollar for a tip.

Katherine slept restlessly; she dreamed of the Oh mu and heard its moan of agony echoing in her sleep. She dreamed of Papa floating in the muddy river, caught and held under by a treacherous branch, his eyes vacant pools staring upward through the water. It was so real that in the morning when the siren from the firehouse once again split the air, she rushed into the kitchen where Frieda was telling Bruce, “You be careful…another one’s gone and gave herself to the river. It was a suicide, a painted woman from the Eagle’s nest…” Frieda shivered as she told the story the way that she had heard it from the postman. The woman in the night had cut her wrists, but the dying was too slow, so she ran from the clubhouse, perched only for a moment on the railing, then jumped headlong into the cold water.

Katherine moved slowly this morning. Frieda fussed at her, but knowing the girl had never been lazy, she thought the drowning must have upset her or maybe she was coming down with something.

The guests were all gone. They only expected one tonight – Judge Reardon. They’d have time to go into the woods today, hunting for herbs and the manroot. But Frieda went alone as the girl looked a bit too peaked.

Alone, Katherine cleaned the rooms again; it took no time, for they were already clean. She lingered in Number 8, The Judge’s room.

She knew a lot about him now, and she felt a very real presence that he left in the room. She knew intimate things about him – like the size of his shirts, the smell of his aftershave, which side of the bed he slept on, how he preferred his coffee, the brand of cigarettes that he smoked…numerous details about him that she had collected bit by bit, saving them in her mind and in her dreams, like pennies to be spent at a later date.

He knew nothing of her dusting his dresser, straightening the bed after he had risen. He was not aware that while he was out, she pressed his shirts to her lips, inhaling his aroma, and sat on the bed in the same crevices his body had made over the years that he had slept here. Now she knew with the wisdom and instinct of centuries, she knew that what would be, would be.

Last week for the first time she had seen it, the birthmark, on his right hand. It was paler than the surrounding skin, crescent-shaped like a slice of the moon, and within its outline, unmistakable, a perfect five-pointed star. She knew its shape by heart, as just above her right breast she had its identical replica.

The Navajo blood flowed strongly in her veins, with all its beliefs in the signs, even though her father had tried vainly to smother these strange alien traits. Since her childhood she had believed that she could speak to animals, and she could find herbs hiding under any rock and knew exactly what they would cure.

She stayed dreaming in the Judge’s room until she heard Frieda calling her. The woman had returned from the woods, carrying a full burlap sack.

“You should have come today…I found it…the time is ripe, and you’re much quicker than I. You would have climbed the higher spots where it grows.”

Placing the sack on the table, she pulled out one root. “It’s perfect…it’s prime, probably ten or fifteen years old.” She held the root up to the light. Its torso similar but lighter in color than a carrot, with no hint of orange, just tannish-brown, the root seemed to have two arms, two legs, and a fine network of tendrils. It appeared to be a miniature figure of a headless man.

“What is it?” Katherine questioned as she stared at the unusual root.

“It’s a manroot!”

“The manroot,” Katherine repeated, liking the sound of the word and feeling it described the plant perfectly. “It seems as if it could contain magic?” she said, as she gingerly touched it with a timid finger.

“Oh, they say it does. It works wonders. The Orientals prize its properties – to them it is also the love root. It does many things, cures most anything that ails you. For me it lines my pockets – Bailey’s general store pays about four dollars a pound.” Emptying the sack on the counter, Frieda explained, “You can’t let it get damp – it ruins the root.” She began taking them out, examining and inspecting and drying each root with a clean dish-towel.

“They’re not all like this one, that’s special. Some don’t come with the likeness of arms and legs, some just look like a pale carrot…but the old ones, the very special ones do. Here, Katherine – take it, it’s yours.”

They sat at the table and by habit Katherine helped her.

“If you weren’t such a lazy girl, you could have come with me today. When these are dry, I’m sure Bailey’s will be paying twenty dollars or so for the batch.”

“Twenty dollars?”

“Yes, ma’am!” She knew the girl wasn’t lazy; it was her way of trying to shake her out of the listlessness. “Put on the kettle, Katherine. I’ll slip a little of the root in it. That will perk you up.”

They drank the tea, and Frieda continued drying the root. She did a rare thing: she hummed as she dried the fine tendrils.

“It takes time for the manroot to grow. You shouldn’t harvest a root less than seven years old, and you must always plant the seed when you harvest – each red berry has two seeds – not deep, just under the leaves. It’s a sin…to harvest and not plant the seed,” she said solemnly.

Katherine watched the clock. “I better put on my uniform. The Judge…”

“No need to. When I was coming in, he was headed for the Eagle’s Nest. He told me he wouldn’t be wanting any supper.”

Katherine’s face fell with disappointment.

In previous gossip from Frieda, Katherine had learned that the Judge lived twenty miles up the road with a wife who was said to be fragile since the births of her two stillborn sons. There was not much in these parts that the Judge did not own; he was rich, well-liked, respected, and known to be a fair man. Remarkably young to be a judge, no one faulted him for his tendencies to card-playing, drinking whiskey, and relieving himself with the local women. A lesser man with these leanings would be called no account, but he was, after all, the Judge, and this title brought with it a tendency to look at vices as virtues.

It was just another Friday. Destiny waited for her; she felt it close, closer than it had ever been.

The hotel was quiet. There were no guests and the only person staying was the Judge, who would be out late.

Katherine played the radio softly, dancing about the room, pretending she was at Castlewood waltzing under the lanterns with him. She put the perfect manroot in the Valentine box with her other things. After midnight when he rang, Katherine shook the sleep from herself when she realized the bell from Room 8 was ringing.

She owned no robe, and the persistent ringing threatened to wake Mr. Taylor. She flew up to the Judge’s room and knocked timidly, aware that her hair was down, and she was in her nightgown. It was plain enough – white cotton, sturdy and sensible.

He opened the door to her. He seemed surprised.

“I’m sorry, sir, everyone is asleep,” she said, not really knowing how to apologize for her attire.

He blinked at her, his hair ruffled, his shirt-tail out; she had never seen him like this.

“You’re new?”

“No, sir I’m Katherine. It was late; I didn’t have time to put on the uniform.”

He nodded and leaned forward studying her face. “Come in.” She did so, but left the door open.

“Sit down,” he said. She could tell he was very drunk. She sat timidly in the vanity chair. He paced the floor unsteadily, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s my head… I have a headache that won’t stop. I thought maybe you had something in the kitchen.”

He kept pacing. “I went out tonight, trying to forget. I’ve drunk a lot…it doesn’t stop…my head hurts so.”

“Sir, I could go look, or…” She wondered if she should chance it – maybe he would laugh. “My grandmother had a remedy that always worked.”

He stopped pacing. “Yes? What is it?”

“Well,” she said, “if you rub your thumbs vigorously for a few minutes, it has something to do with the blood flow…if that didn’t work, then a leaf of boiled cabbage on the forehead never failed.”

He smiled and stopped. “Well, try it.” He pulled up a chair in front of her and held out his thumbs.

She blushed. She hadn’t meant that she should rub his thumbs, but he was there across from her, waiting. She reached forward, and with a firm grip clasped his thumbs and rubbed vigorously, while he leaned back and shut his eyes. She alternated between each thumb. It seemed natural to her to be touching him.

“Do you know what it’s like to play God?” he asked abruptly.

Startled, she didn’t know if he was really talking to her, but she replied, “No, sir, I don’t.”

“Well, I do, and it’s not pleasant, not pleasant at all… Today I’ve sent a man to the gas chamber – well, not me personally, but the jury.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said quietly.

“Stop saying ‘sir’ – my name’s William. The Judge…sir…that’s somebody else. I don’t feel like a judge right now. I never wanted to be a judge.” He opened his eyes and she drew back.

“Do you know what it feels like to judge other people?”

“No, si–” She stopped herself. “No, I don’t.”

He looked down at her hands. “Don’t stop. By god, I think it helps!” He closed his eyes once more and held out his thumbs to her. The house was quiet. Somewhere a nightbird called; the ticking of the clock in the hall kept time in its steady rhythm, and Katherine felt the sound of their breathing in tune. 

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