The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen by Katherine Howe

Title: The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen 
Author: Katherine Howe
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 15, 2015
Pages: 400
Source/format: e-ARC from Edelweiss

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

A haunting, contemporary love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Conversion

It’s summertime in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to start his summer term at NYU. While shooting a séance at a psychic’s in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicatingly beautiful girl named Annie.

As they start spending time together, Wes finds himself falling for her, drawn to her rose petal lips and her entrancing glow. But there’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on that makes him wonder about this intriguing hipster girl from the Village. Why does she use such strange slang? Why does she always seem so reserved and distant? And, most importantly, why does he only seem to run into her on one block near the Bowery? Annie’s hiding something, a dark secret from her past that may be the answer to all of Wes’s questions . . .

My Thoughts

Wes Auckerman is 19-years-old and attends NYU's summer film program. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Wes can't wait to pursue his passion for film making. At a filming of a séance in the Bowery, Wes and his film buddy, Tyler, see a girl with a satin bow blocking the frame. Wes is intrigued about the girl who tries to communicate with him until she vanished. He is drawn in by her beauty. He wants to find out more about her but Tyler needs to find this girl, Annie, in order for her to sign a media release in order for Tyler's art film to be presented. Wes also meets a girl named Maddie at the séance  However, Annie is the girl of Wes's dreams but Maddie is a girl of reality. How are Annie and Maddie connected?

The novel is written in dual POV. Readers get to see what is going on in New York through the eyes of Wes and also through Annie's POV. Katherine Howe writes evocative description touching all five senses. The novel is beautiful and eerie at the same time. The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen keeps you at the edge of your seat wanting more. History and the supernatural collide in modern day New York which gives the novel an interesting vibe.

I find it unusual Wes is oblivious that Annie keeps disappearing and reappearing out of nowhere. The fact that he is entranced by her beauty from the first time he meets her is amusing. He goes out of his way trying to find her even though he doesn't know anything about her. Select people can see Annie and apparently no one has a clue who or what she is. Some of the narration could have been cut down a bit. I found the novel quite lengthy. However, I enjoyed Howe's take on memories and film. The transience of the memories and the permanence of the film merge together, layering each other while creating a piece of art.

If you are looking for a contemporary with history, mystery and a bit of romance, definitely pick up The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen. This will be a great read for October.

Conversion by Katherine Howe

Title: Conversion
Author: Katherine Howe
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication date:  July 1, 2014
Pages: 402
Source/format: Purchased, hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane comes a chilling mystery—Prep meets The Crucible.

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago . . .

Inspired by true events—from seventeenth-century colonial life to the halls of a modern-day high school—Conversion casts a spell. With her signature wit and passion, New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe delivers an exciting and suspenseful novel, a chilling mystery that raises the question, what’s really happening to the girls at St. Joan’s.

My Thoughts:

I loved reading Conversion, especially since I live in the North Shore of Massachusetts and know a lot of the places that are mentioned in the book. I loved how each chapter is narrated either by Colleen Rowley in present day Danvers or by Ann Putnam in Salem Village. Even though the stories between the girls are quite different, they do sort of mesh together at the end of the book. I liked how there is a little bit of romance (but not too much), a little bit of gossip and a little bit of mystery. Katherine Howe's writing makes me want to read for hours. I could not put this book down. This book would be a great read after reading the Crucible in an American Literature English class. And because it's October, Conversion would make an awesome October read.

Meeting Katherine Howe

I was able to attend a release party for the book in Salem, MA back in July. The Salem Athenaeum was nice and cozy and the perfect size for the party. Howe did the speak to long about her book but what she had to say was very insightful. There were cheese, crackers and other h'oueuvres. I believe there were wine and water as well. It was nice to mingle with other people at the Salem Athenaeum and to meet Howe.

Unfortunately, I was not feeling well earlier this month when she had a party for The Penguin Book of Witches. I assume it was amazing since, again, it was held in Salem and at the Salem Witch Museum. If anyone is interested in meeting Howe and is around the Salem, MA area in November, she will be at the Salem Literacy Festival on Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.