A Raven in My Heart: Reflections of a Bookseller

by Kay McCracken

The literary memoir, A Raven in My Reflections of a Bookseller, concentrates on a six year period in Kay McCracken's life, weaving together reflections and memories with the real life duties of managing her bookstore.McCracken leaves her life in Vancouver in 1993 to open a bookstore named Reflections in Salmon Arm, BC. In her search for a path with heart, she discovers that her chosen town has more than its share of white supremacists, a bookstore ghost, and fundamentalists praying for her bookstore to close.In McCracken's mid-life quest she comes to terms with who she is at heart and where her true path lies.

Genres: Biography

270 pages

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I live and write in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, where I moved in 1993 to open a bookstore named Reflections. The irony of the name wasn't apparent until I closed Reflections over 5 years later. It wasn't until then that I had time to reflect on the crazy, surreal experience of owning and managing the bookstore, and that's when I began to write seriously.

Launching "A Raven in My Heart: Reflections of a Bookseller" to a packed crowd at the SAGA Public Art Gallery in Salmon Arm on June 13th was one of the highlights of my life.

Another pinnacle was forming Gracesprings Collective with 3 other authors: Deanna Kawatski, Alex Forbes, and Caroline Woodward.

I enjoy writing a monthly literary column for the Friday AM, serving local writers as the representative for the Central Region of the Federation of BC Writers, writing poetry and short stories. Co-founding the Shuswap Lake International Writers' Festival in 2003 was an amazing experience.

Reviews

[Dave Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit I'm somewhat biased about this book as I had a large part in the production of the book and I count Kay as a dear friend. That being said, this is how I felt after turning the last page.

First of all, there is a certain amount of comfort when the book is placed geographically in a locale that is very familiar. I've spent a major portion of my life in the community in the book and so found it very easy to navigate around the story.

"Raven" is a good story well told. Her layers of narration from general description, character development, to sharing her inner thoughts made the story very intimate for me.

I liked the fact that all components came across as well researched and well thought out. The process of the discovery was as important as the final epiphany.

All in all, a very worthwhile experience!

NOTE: I haven't written a book review since high school! There are no Coles Notes for this book.

[Deanna Kawatski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Raven in my Heart, Reflections of a Bookseller is a seemingly quiet story about the rise and fall of a bookstore in the 1990's. Don't let the subject fool you. Into this context of her personal journey Kay McCracken weaves native mythology, mysticism, magic, and much more. The deeper discovery and descriptions of the natural world are pure poetry. The theme of losing one's identity and then creating a richer stronger one is universal. Everyone should read this book. It is nothing less than a page-turner.

[Suze · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an undisciplined wanna-be writer, I had no trouble projecting myself into McCracken’s memoir. I admired her journey through this five-year period of self-discovery – her closeness to nature, her relationship challenges, her opening up to mystic possibilities and waking-dream symbols. She connects what was going on in her life with passages in the books in her shop, and ultimately manifests her desire (through discipline) to write a book.

[Werner M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author for quite some time and what she shares is a great value to society. I highly recommend her writings.

[Lyndsay-ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first saw the book on a shelf at work, and the image of the raven on the cover drew me to it. I flipped through it and it seemed interesting. So I bought the book and started reading it. Kay's story drew me right in. The connections she drew between the animals that came before her to the envents in her life were really cool, and made me wonder what I could learn from the animals that appear before me.

A well written, emotional book that really touched me. I've only been to Salmon Arm once when I was a child, but the author really helped me see the town. I wanted to walk down the Shuswap Street and go for a coffee and muffin in her store, and see what books I could find.

I was lucky to meet Miss McCraken when she came into the Wildlife Park where I work, and the book is sold. I'm happy to have been able to speak with her, and she signed my copy of the book.

[Patsy Alford]

I was quite riveted by this book. It is beautifully written and well paced. The author pulls the reader through with enough suspense and enough information about mythology and raven lore to make the book both engrossing and satisfying. The book is honest and intimate without being self-indulgent. I think I will be looking at the ravens that frequent my compost box in winter with fresh eyes. Kay sees the human and wild worlds as connected in ways that can both inform and guide us along the path--if we pay attention. Her tumultuous and often eerie experiences form a pattern that leads and teaches her, opens her heart and allows her to begin writing this book. This is a fantasic achievement. I wonder what will be next.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually bought a used copy since it got such good ratings and it wasn't readily available to borrow. I'm about half-way into it, but I'm already disappointed and tired of the raven/crow/bird mythology. Let's see if I can stick it out until the end.
update: June 29,11, Ok, taking this off my list because I never got back into it. Maybe at a future date? but there was just to much mysticism for me.

[J.P. McLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't typically read memoirs, but this one was recommended by a friend. It's an interesting slice of Kay McCracken's life during a turbulent time in her life. A wide range of Mythology and mysticism is referenced and interpreted in "A Raven in My Heart". McCracken's memoir is set in British Columbia and her descriptions of both the people and the nature that surrounds her are superb.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author describes her journey through a transition period in her life with an open heart and eloquent imagery. Her courageous memoir gives us a window into a world of mythology, anthropology and history. It makes you realize that it's never too late for new beginnings.

[Bonnie]

A combination of these two reviews says it all for me:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/25...

Bravo, Kay.