The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

A few posts back I mentioned being stuck at Ontario Airport. In hindsight, this was fortuitous because I killed time in the bookstore. My eyes roamed over the spines of books, I pulled Katherine Howe’s The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane from the shelf, the cover intrigued me, and I bought it. 

What’s that phrase I’m searching for? You know the one….you can’t judge a book by it’s cover? Not true!

Immediately, I was drawn into the story, and like a demon, I read the book at every opportunity. Howe’s writing compelled me to stay up past the witching hour midnight because I couldn’t put it down, and then, I regretted the moment when the read came to an end.

Katherine Howe’s author bio tells us her ancestors include Elizabeth Proctor, who survived the Salem witch trials, and Elizabeth Howe, who did not. Howe www.katherinehowe.com expertly shifts us between the events of the Salem witch panic of the late 1600’s and a 1990’s witch story. Her writing is fluid and evocative. The story has magic, mystery, romance, and history. There are even spooky scenes. You know these are my favorite elements and my imagination was captured.

Three days after finishing the book, I discovered the author was coming to my local indie bookstore, Book Passage. www.bookpassage.com No use denying it; when I love a book I’m such a groupie. So that was me in the front row reveling in Katherine Howe’s discussion of Puritan history, cunning women, Marblehead, Massachusetts and writing. She was fascinating and very generous with her responses to our questions. What a great way to spend an hour.

I wish you could have been there. Visit http://www.physickbook.com/trailer.html and watch the book trailer. You’ll be tempted to read it if you do. As for me, I’ve begun the countdown for Katherine Howe’s next book.