Save Us: Homebody by Orson Scott Card

It's almost time for another Woodward Memorial Library Used Book Sale.  This means we're cleaning things out and making space on the shelves.  While "weeding" (as we call it in library world) the teen section, I've come across some great books that have been some what overlooked.  Many of them have terrible covers (yes, the secret is out - people judge books by their covers a lot!) or just look a little bit old.  However, I have picked a few of these titles out with the hopes that someone out there may be willing to give them a try.   I will feature one of these books each day and have them on display in the teen section.  Will you help save them??

The first book on the chopping block is Homebody by Orson Scott Card.  I'm not going the lie, the cover of this book is not going to win it any awards.

There it is.  Let's just take it in for a moment.

Ok.  We agree the cover isn't the best BUT the story sounds really good.  Here is a summary from the book:

A master craftsman, Dan Lark could fix everything except what mattered most, his own soul.  After tragedy claimed the one thing he loved, he began looking for dilapidated houses to buy, renovate, and resell at a profit - giving these empty shells a second chance at a life he denied himself.

Then in a quiet Southern town, Dan finds his biggest challenge: a squalid yet sturdy mansion that has suffered decades of abuse at the hands of greedy landlords and transient tenants.  While two charming old neighbor ladies ply him with delicious cooking, they offer dire warnings about the house's evil past.  But there is something about this building that pushes Dan on, even as its enchantments grow increasingly ominous.  Will finishing the house offer Dan redemption, or unleash the darkest forces of damnation upon him?

If you skimmed that, please allow me to summarize:
Haunted house, murder, danger and threatening supernatural forces.

It has all the elements of a great story.  Orson Scott Card also wrote Ender's Game which is fantastic if you've never read it.  It makes me hopeful that he's been able to recreate some of the magic here in Homeboy.

If you're a Stephen King fan or you like the book (or movie) The Amityville Horror, you should give this book a try.  Stop in WML and see what you think.  It will be on display in the teen section. 

Check out this book and give it a second chance!