Greenglass House The Raconteur's Commonplace Book: A Greenglass House Story, (Hardcover)

** The thing about telling a story is that one has to make choices. No story can contain every detail, so a storyteller has to decide what to put in and what to leave out. They have to pick and choose what to tell about what came before, what comes afterward, and plenty in between. Its part of the art, making those decisions, but just as its very easy to leave too much in and I am often guilty of that its often tempting to take too much out. ** Readers can return to the world of Nagspeake and Greenglass House with Kate Milfords latest novel, The Raconteurs Commonplace Book. A standalone novel in the Greenglass House series that also refers to events found in other books from that series, this book offers tales told by 15 characters waiting out a terrible rainstorm at the Blue Vein Tavern and Inn. It soon becomes clear these 15 tales intertwine, offering a lesson culminating at the end. Using imaginative folkloric tales told almost like parables and fairy tales, each story reveals a secret and mystery about its narrator as well as the other guests. Milford does a great job of developing intertwining imagery, like peddling wares, locks and keyholes, boxes, changing shapes and form, paths and tunnels, and crossroads to reveal the storys arc. The Raconteurs Commonplace Book also contains several themes, like the art of searching; storytelling; fate and destiny; the strange and uncanny; the extraordinary calls to the extraordinary; and love and sacrifice (Love can hurt. Love can be one-sided. And sometimes love requires sacrifices, too. But love is not predatory. Wherever you go from here, please be wary of anyone who demands to be given your heart rather than asking to be invited into it.). A disclaimer for parents: there are a few instances of mild cursing used, as well as smoking and alcohol use. The Raconteurs Commonplace Book," due out Feb. 23, is a fun book filled with imaginative, intriguing and inspirational stories. Five stars out of five. Clarion Books provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.