Kerri Wallace's blog

"A wholly original work told in the vein of all the best gothic classics." Booklist

"Former academic Setterfield pays tribute in her debut to Brontë and du Maurier heroines: a plain girl gets wrapped up in a dark, haunted ruin of a house, which guards family secrets that are not hers and that she must discover at her peril." Publishers Weekly

Margaret Lea has been requested to write the biography of the mysterious and prolific fiction writer, Vida Winter. Margaret is at first hesitant to take on the job, but dark secrets and mysteries are unveiled as the dying Vida Winter reveals her life's story. Told in a gothic tone, The Thirteenth Tale will remind you of classic stories like Rebecca and The Turn of the Screw. An enjoyable read that's hard to put down. Visit LEO to read the book jacket.

Welcome to The Reader's Den! This month we will be reading and discussing The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. You can reserve your copy of the book on the LEO catalog or visit your local library branch. The Thirteenth Tale is also available in large print and audiobook. Feel free to leave your comments and reviews for The Thirteenth Tale any time during the month of January.

There is no need to sign up for The Reader's Den! Leave your comments and reviews in the comment form of the blog. Don't forget to check back often to see what other readers are saying about the book!

Thank you for visiting The Reader's Den; we look forward to discussing The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield with you!

Looking for a New Year's resolution? Why not join a book discussion group? Don't have time to make it to your local library's book club? Then join The New York Public Library's online book group, The Reader's Den! Starting January, join us to read and discuss titles selected by The New York Public Library's very own librarians.

Each month a title will be posted, as well as reviews, summaries, discussion questions, and much more! As a participant, you will be able to post your reviews and comments at any time during the discussion. The best part about The Reader's Den is that you can join the group at your convenience! If you miss a discussion, you can always read about it in the archives section of the blog.

January's selection is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. We hope you will join us in The Reader's Den! Happy reading!

At the age of ten, I was drawn to a particular copy of Moby Dick that my grandmother kept on her bookshelf. Its binding was made of blue and red leather with gold lettering. I was determined to read this book and so at my young age I sat on her bed and dove into the first page. "Call me Ishmael." About an hour later, I woke up. Rather than continue reading, I decided to steal the book from her shelf and finish it at a later time. Fifteen years later, I still have yet to read Herman Melville's Moby Dick and no one has ever questioned the mysterious disappearance of my grandmother's copy.

Recently I picked up In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, which documents the tragic sinking of the Whaleship Essex that inspired Melville's Moby Dick. Philbrick does an excellent job of describing the life of whalers not only aboard the Essex, but the hard life of a whaler during the nineteenth century as well. While this book might not be for the faint of heart (his descriptions of starvation are very graphic) or for the reader who is about to take up sailing, this may be just the read for those who are interested in history with a taste of adventure and heroics. It is also a very fast read as the writing is clear and not overwhelming with nautical jargon. And while In the Heart of the Sea and Moby Dick are closely connected together, I was also reminded of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Normally I'm the type of reader who chooses fiction over non-fiction. I may take up an historical fiction novel and then later read a related non-fiction work for more information, but this is the first time that I'm doing the reverse. In the Heart of the Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick, has inspired me to once again revisit my grandmother's copy of Moby Dick.

Further Reading:

* In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
* The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale: First-Person Accounts
* Moby Dick, or, The Whale by Herman Melville (Try downloading the eBook or audiobook!)
* The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

These titles can be found at the Mulberry Street Branch Library or reserved online.

My grandparents were both born and raised in Newry, County Down , Ireland and remarkably never met until they both arrived in America . My grandmother was the first to come over in 1929 on a very small tugboat that took 10 days and she was apparently seasick for the entire ride and broke one of her favorite teacups. When she arrived in New Jersey , her uncle had told her that she had just missed supper and would have to wait until morning to eat. The next day, he threw a newspaper at her and told her to get a job. In 1930, my grandfather left from Belfast on a larger boat, which he would describe as if he had traveled on a luxury liner, and “danced” his way to America . When he came over, his first task was to deliver a teacup to a woman that had just moved from Newry. And as luck would have it, my grandparents met and fell in love right away.

This abridged version of my grandparent’s story has been repeated to me since I was a little girl. I was reminded constantly about how hard life was for them in Ireland , and the struggles they again faced in America . They were very poor and employers turned my grandmother away because of her Irish background. But I’m not the only one who has a story of when my ancestors emigrated to America. In fact if you are also familiar with stories such as these, you should join us tomorrow night at the Mulberry Street Branch to meet our neighbors, The Lower East Side Tenement Museum . You’ll be able to gain a better understanding of what life was like for immigrants during the 19th and early 20th centuries and reflect on your own family stories.

This program will take place tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. Contact the Mulberry Street Branch library to RSVP.