Review: The Body in the Piazza by Katherine Hall Page

Last month, I had the fun of reading and reviewing Katherine Hall Page's short story collection SMALL PLATES.   Just as I finished that one, I was lucky enough to catch an e-copy of her newest Faith Fairchild story on sale.  

Faith and her husband, clergyman Tom,  after years of sermons for him, salads and sauces for her, and sporting events for their children, are finally able to get away by themselves for a relaxing and romantic second honeymoon in Italy.  Faith's former catering helper Francesca has opened an Italian cooking school in the hills of  Tuscany, and has asked Tom and Faith to be among her first guests.

Naturally, the Fairchilds become embroiled in a murder mystery before they even get out of Rome to head for the hills.  As all of you who have read the series know, Faith can't leave this one alone, but unlike previous stories, the mystery really takes a back seat to the food and Italian scenery.  The recipes while not over-whelming in number are, as always, mouth-watering.  The characters are a rather eclectic assortment of odd-balls who don't always meld as a group. Faith has always known when NOT to try to solve something on her own, but during this story, I often wondered if she had forgotten all about the poor dead Freddie. It took her awhile, but Page finally managed to wrap everything up like a big fat well sauced canneloni.

Overall, it's another delightful episode in the peripatetic career of Faith Fairchild, girl snoop.  The setting is one that makes the reader want to book a flight to Italy immediately.  If only Francesca's hostel were real and affordable.  In the meantime, we can drift away in a wonderful dream of what might be.

Title: The Body in The Piazza
Author: Katherine Hall Page
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, (2013)  ebook format, 346 pages
Genre: murder mystery, amateur sleuth
Subject: solving murder, Italian cooking
Setting: Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Series: Faith Fairchild Mysteries #21
Source: Barnes & Noble Nook
Why did I read this book now? I'm a fan of the series, and it was on sale.

Tutu makes a boo-boo

My deepest apologies to dear Maeve Binchy and all my readers. One of my loyal and true friends was kind enough to point out that I had a huge mistake in my post about the wonderful book A WEEK IN WINTER. I can only blame it on my careless and missing proof reading. I've corrected the post title and continue to praise the book.

Mini Mention: A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

Just about everyone who ever read and loved Maeve Binchy's warm and loving stories about Ireland was devasted to learn of her death in July 2012.  According to her website, A Week in Winter is her last novel, finished only days before her death.

Binchy had the incredible ability to weave a disparate group of characters and motivations, put them in gorgeous surroundings to make a coherent story where the reader cared about each person, and the outcome for everyone.  On the cover, the publisher tells us

...follows the efforts of Chicky who, with the help of Rigger (a bad boy turned good who is handy around the place) and her niece Orla (a whiz at business), turns a coastal Ireland mansion into a holiday resort and receives an assortment of first guests who throughout the course of a week share laughter and the heartache of respective challenges. John, the American movie star thinks he has arrived incognito; Winnie and Lillian, forced into taking a holiday together; Nuala and Henry, husband and wife , both doctors who have been shaken by seeing too much death; Anders, the Swedish boy, hates his father's business, but has a real talent for music; Miss Nell Howe, a retired school teacher, who criticizes everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone's relief; the Walls who have entered in 200 contests (and won everything from a microwave oven to velvet curtains, including the week at Stone House); and Freda , the psychic who is afraid of her own visions.

It's vintage Binchy, and a story I'll be able to return to again when I'm looking for a feel good read that doesn't sugar coat problems, but that provides a hopeful and positive slant. It's one I bought for my permanent personal library.

Title: A Week in Winter
Author: Maeve Binchy
Publisher:Anchor (2014), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 416 pages
Genre: character based storytelling
Subject: life choices
Setting: Ireland
Source: originally from library, ultimately purchased for my e-reader.
Why did I read this book now? I'm a fan of the author.

Mini Mention: The Woman who Wouldn't Die by Colin Cotterill

Tutu is starting a new feature here on the blog.  Because I tend to read in series, it sometimes gets boring for me - and I'm sure for you too - to write reviews for ongoing story lines and the same set of characters.  So starting today, unless the book is just off the presses and I've been given a review copy by the publisher or author, I'm giving myself permission to do a "MINI MENTION" vice a review.

This series has been an enjoyable one up to now, so I was happy to see a new adventure on the shelf.  However, I have to say that this latest one disappointed.  I'm sure there are followers who were thrilled by the historical backfill of the French colonization of Laos and Madame Daeng's early life.  It just seemed like a lot of fill-er-up to me.  It may have been that I wasn't concentrating enough, and I'll probably try this one again later on. 

Same characters, same kinds of silliness and humor, but somehow it didn't work.  Maybe just a few too many spirits and ghosts.  If you're a fan of the series, you'll still enjoy seeing how Dr. Siri continues his adventures even after his "retirement".  If you've never read them before, don't start here....pick an earlier one.  In fact, this series builds so well it's best to start at the beginning.

Title: The Woman Who Wouldn't Die
Author: Colin Cotterill
Publisher: Soho Crime (2014), Paperback, 336 pages
Genre: mystery
Subject: Laotion history, missing persons, ghosts
Setting: Laos
Series: Dr. Siri Paiboun mysteries #9
Source: Public library
Why did I read this book now?  I like the series and wanted to stay current.

Memorial Day 2014

Months ago, I bookmarked this page featuring an incredible musical tribute performed by an extremely talented then 13 year old Melissa Venema in the Netherlands.

This weekend, we will be bombarded with flags, buntings, wreaths, and visual tributes galore to pay homage to all who are serving or who have served our country and its commitment to freedom.  It's important to remember that over the years, through many conflicts, hundreds of thousands of others around the world have also joined in that effort.

Today, please take a quiet moment to remember as you listen to the poignant rendition of "IL SILENZIO".  

I can't think of any better way to say thank you to all who have served and are serving.

Father's Day is Coming - a book Giveaway for a perfect gift!

 A major new biography of the fourth president of the United States by New York Times bestselling author Lynne Cheney

 For several years, I've been slowly reading my way through the biographies of America's presidents.  Too often, however, I find my progress impeded either by the lack of good solid historical research or a boring, academic dissertational style of writing.  I've been looking forward to this one and when Penguin's publicist asked if I'd like to run a giveaway and review the book, it only took about 10 keystrokes to hit the reply button and say "YES!" 

So faithful readers, we want to choose one lucky winner in time to get this and give as a Father's Day gift.  I don't have time to read and review it before then, but promise you a review sometime this summer.  For now let's just look at what everyone else is saying about this author and her latest work..

This majestic new biography of James Madison explores the astonishing story of a man of vaunted modesty who audaciously changed the world. Among the Founding Fathers, Madison was a true genius of the early republic.

Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution and crucial to its ratification. His visionary political philosophy and rationale for the union of states—so eloquently presented in The Federalist papers—helped shape the country Americans live in today.

Along with Thomas Jefferson, Madison would found the first political party in the country’s history—the Democratic Republicans. As Jefferson’s secretary of state, he managed the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the United States. As president, Madison led the country in its first war under the Constitution, the War of 1812. Without precedent to guide him, he would demonstrate that a republic could defend its honor and independence—and remain a republic still.

WHO: Lynne Cheney, wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author or co-author of twelve books, includes six bestsellers about American history for children and their families. Cheney’s most recent book is We the People: The Story of Our Constitution (2008).

WHAT:  Cheney, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, has been studying Madison since 1987, when she was a member of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution. She has spent the last five years immersed in Madison archival materials, and the result is a lively, intimate, and compelling narrative that takes the reader through the history-altering events in which Madison played key roles. He was not only the Father of the Constitution, but the leader of the first Congress and President Washington’s most influential advisor. He used both positions and a political savvy unmatched since to secure passage of the Bill of Rights. In 1812, he became the first president to lead the nation in war under the Constitution, and he was not only as steady a commander-in-chief as the nation has ever known, he was a friend of liberty, refusing to silence those opposed to war, although many pressed him to do so.

WHY: Father of the Constitution, principle author of the Bill of Rights, founder of the first opposition party, secretary of state, and fourth president, Madison was both a far-seeing theorist and a masterful politician, who despite all he accomplished has been overshadowed by other Founders. Mrs. Cheney covers the sweep of Madison’s significant life, exploring his deeds, his mind, and his character to reveal the brilliance and determination that enabled this seemingly modest man to change the world. Debunking the myths that have burdened his reputation, she shows us the Madison lauded by his famous contemporaries—Washington, Adams, Jefferson—and loved by his glamorous wife, Dolley.

So...here are the rules for entering:

1.  Each entry should be a separate comment.
2.  Open to U.S. Addresses only - no P.O. Boxes.
3.  Leave a comment, including your email address, stating why you want to win.  NO EMAIL, NO ENTRY.
4.  Extra entries if you tell me how you follow this blog (if you follow in more than one way, make each a separate entry.)
5.  Another extra entry if you go to the Penguin book page and then make a comment telling me how many quotes are listed in the "praise" section. 
5.  Deadline for entries is 11:55PM EDT Sunday June 8th.  I will notify the winner by 6:00 PM Monday June 9th.  The winner will have only 48 hours to reply with a mailing address so that we can get this delivered in time for Father's Day giving.

Review: Small Plates: Short Fiction by Katherine Hall Page

Katherine Hall Page has delighted me for several years with her Faith Fairchild mysteries. I love the character, the settings and the usually plausible plots. In this newest volume from Page, she has given us 9 fantastic short stories which amazed me in their ability to pack in character, setting and a good plot line in such a short span. The longest story was only about 25 pages long.

It's always difficult to review individual short stories but the variety of plots and time periods is quite interesting. THere are ghosts, great recipes (what else can you expect from Faith Fairchild?), murder plots that backfire, jilted lovers seeking revenge, a gorgeous Maine beach,and two-timing spouses; there are bloody knives and poisoned puddings; and there's a final story that is biblically inspired and touching. Perfect for a Christmas reading.

In each story, Faith manages to put in an appearance. Sometimes she is central to the story, in others she's sitting on the sidelines. All in all this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection and one which I intend to purchase for my personal collection when it's published.

Publishers Note: The novella "The Two Marys," included within, was nominated for an Agatha Award.  Katherine Hall Page is one of the only authors to have won an Agatha in all three categories: Best Novel (The Body in the Snowdrift), Best Short Story ("The Would-Be Widower"), and Best First Novel (The Body in the Belfry). The cookbook Have Faith in Your Kitchen was nominated for a nonfiction Agatha. The Body in the Bonfire and The Body in the Ivy were both nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Novel, and The Body in the Lighthouse was nominated for a Mary Higgins Clark Award.

. "The Would-Be Widower" was also nominated for a 2002 Macavity Award and appears in the mystery compilation Malice Domestic 10.

Title: Small Plates: Short Fiction
Author: Katherine Hall Page
Publisher:William Morrow (2014), Hardcover, 240 pages
Genre: Mystery, short stories
Subject: murderous relationships
Source: Electronic review copy from publisher via Edelweiss
Why did I read this book now? A review copy was offered by the publisher and I'm a fan of this author

We have a winner - The Promise

It's giveaway time, and the winner of a copy of The Promise is

Anita

I've sent her an email and she has until Tuesday, May 20th to get back to me with her mailing address.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and I hope you all get a chance to read and enjoy this delightful work.

Again, many thanks to  TLC tours for the opportunity to host the giveaway.

Audio Review: The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

Dorothea Benton Frank is one of my favorite authors of the genre often called "Southern Fiction."  This one did not disappoint as a work of fiction.  I won't say I liked the main characters, and I certainly didn't like the early choices made by Leslie Anne Greene Carter, the protagonist, but once she escaped the bounds of a manipulative, selfish and thoroughly unlikeable husband, I found myself rooting for her to develop her backbone and stop being a doormat.

Let's recap the story from the publisher notes on audio book case:

Leslie Anne Greene Carter is The Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley's wildly successful,Atlanta social set. His cronies have all traded in the mothers of their children they promised to love and cherish—'til death did them part—for tanned and toned young Barbie brides.

If losing the social life and close friends she adored wasn't painful enough, a series of setbacks shake Les's world and push her to the edge. She's had enough of playing the good wife to a husband who thinks he's doing her a favor keeping her around. Now, she's going to take some time for herself—in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston, her beloved hometown. In her brother's stately historic home, she's going to reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers sharing steamy kisses with her first love on Sullivan's Island. Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants . . . and find the life of which she's always dreamed.
Told in the alternating voices of Les and Wes, The Last Original Wife is classic Dorothea Benton Frank: an intoxicating tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, and love, that is as salty as a Lowcountry breeze and as invigorating as a dip in Carolina waters on a sizzling summer day.

I'm of the same generation, background and education as Leslie Anne Carter, but I would never ever have put up with the demeaning life she endured married to Wes, skimping on spending, ignored in favor of the golf game, and treated like hired help.  I was alternately cheering for her to tell him to pound sand and plant his golf clubs where the sun doesn't shine and hoping that perhaps the two of them would get counseling, that he would somehow be able to give up his obsession with golf, and they might be able to salvage their relationship.  The resolution the author allows at the end is one I found satisfying emotionally and should be one that most readers can accept.  I won't spoil your enjoyment by telling anymore.

It was an enjoyable read, very well done in the audio format by narrator Robin Miles.

Title: The Last Original Wife
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Publisher: Harper Audio (2013), narrated by Robin Mil
Genre: Southern fiction
Subject: marriage, women's roles
Setting: Atlanta GA and Charleston SC
Source: public library audio download
Why did I read this book now?  I am a fan of the author and my sister recommended the book.

BLOG TOUR: Orphans of Race Point

Since I finished reading this about 10 days ago, I've been heard to remark several times that this is the summer read of the year.  The Orphans of Race Point reminds me of Gone Girl, but IMHO, it's way better with much more likeable characters.  It's a fantastic love story, a very disturbing mystery, set in a gorgeous and fabled area,  and an all-around good read.  So I'm thrilled to here on the TLC Blog Tour telling one and all how highly I rate this one.   Let's look at the publisher's blurb:

Set on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a suspenseful page-turning saga of love, murder, and the true meaning of faith from the author of the acclaimed The Liar’s Diary.
Set in the close-knit Portuguese community of Provincetown, Massachusetts, The Orphans of Race Point traces the relationship between Hallie Costa and Gus Silva, who meet as children in the wake of a terrible crime that leaves Gus parentless. Their friendship evolves into an enduring and passionate love that will ask more of them than they ever imagined.

On the night of their high school prom, a terrible tragedy devastates their relationship and profoundly alters the course of their lives. And when, a decade later, Gus—now a priest—becomes entangled with a distraught woman named Ava and her daughter Mila, troubled souls who bring back vivid memories of his own damaged past, the unthinkable happens: he is charged with murder. Can Hallie save the man she’s never stopped loving, by not only freeing him from prison but also—finally—the curse of his past?

Told in alternating voices, The Orphans of Race Point illuminates the transformative power of love and the myriad ways we find meaning in our lives.

Now I do think on the back cover the publisher has misled us a tad bit on how the story progresses, but I won't spoil the outcome by pointing out the descriptive oopsie.  It will make a great book club discussion point.

I was drawn to this one by my fondness for the setting - Cape Cod; the characters - a large inter-related Portuguese family/community (I married into that group); and the promise of a good mystery. Patry has given us all three elements with crisp prose, flawed characters with eminently likeable personalities, and a mystery that at first doesn't seem like a mystery.  The reader goes along believing that this is just a tragic love story, and doesn't realize until well into the dark despair of the star crossed lovers that all may not be as it seems.  The main characters Hallie and Gus grow from young preteens to adulthood while navigating the treacherous shoals of adolescence guided by a variety of community parental figures who each had his/her own problems. I was rooting for an outcome that wasn't to be.  Each of these characters was flawed; each had numerous redeeming qualities; each needed something the other was not capable of giving.

Other characters added a layer of complexity and richness portraying relationships full of love, caring, all the while bedeviled by the misunderstandings that often develop among teen-agers and their friends and parents.  Nevertheless, the plot twists aroused my interest early on, ensuring that I wasn't going to do anything but read for almost 24 straight hours.

Although it's long, Orphans of Race Point moves along through several generations of family secrets and revelations to an ending that may not be what every reader is looking for.  That resolution however, is one that satisfied my need for closure, forgiveness and redemption for most of the cast.   It certainly kept me up reading well past my normal bedtime.  I could not put it down, and can't stop urging everyone I meet to go get this one.

 Patry Francis is a new author for me.  I immediately went out and got her first book The Liar's Diary.  It's going onto the summer reading pile for sure.  You can learn more about Ms. Francis on her webpage.

Title: The Orphans of Race Point
Author: Patry Francis
Publisher: Harper Collins (2014), paperback, 544 pages
Genre: romance, mystery
Subject: secrets, murder, dysfunctional family life
Setting: Provincetown Cape Cod
Source: publisher review copy
Why did I read this book now? I was invited to review the book by the publisher.

Many thanks to Trish Collins of Harper Collins for providing the review copy and inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour.  You can see future stops on the tour here.

Mini shout: Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker

 I recently discovered this series thanks to online friends at LibraryThing.com.  The first of the series, subtitled "A Novel of the French Countryside" was as pleasant a read as a stroll through a small French town and a stop at a local bistro for wine and cheese, or a cafe au lait with a brioche.
  
Benoît (Bruno) Courrèges, is not only chief of police of a small village in the south of France, he's the ONLY policeman. He knows everyone in town, he loves to eat, he has a dog named Gigi to add some color to his personality, he's probably at the top of the area's eligible bachelor list, and he really doesn't have a hard life because there's no real crime in this town.

Suddenly, a retired North African, beloved by all in the village is murdered, and Bruno must contend with the appearance of the "helper" crime solvers from higher up the crime-solving food chain, and must adjust his thinking about what he knows about the victim. To say the least, his quiet life is upended.

I enjoyed this one- it reminded me of M.C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series, or Alexander McCall Smith's First Ladies Detective Agency books. I'll be looking for at least one more by this author to see if the entire series is worth pursuing.

Title: Bruno, Chief of Police 
Author: Martin Walker
Publisher: Vintage (2010), Edition: 1, Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy police procedural
Subject: murder, secrets
Setting: south of France
Series: Bruno Courreges
Source: Public library
Why did I read this book now? recommended by friends

Review : Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchum

I can't read Jenny Milchum at night when I'm about to go to sleep. Her scenarios are far too creepy. Her books are scary but not so creepy and scary that I can't believe every bit of what is happening. Her first book, Cover of Snow, drew me right in, even with its alarming premise, and kept me reading far into the night. This newest one, Ruin Falls is even better.

Milchum gives us the primary victims of domestic abuse (more mental and pyschological than physical but every bit as real) and sprinkles in some secondary ones whose stories weave in and out. For a while, I couldn't quite see how they all fit together, but Milchum does an excellent job of lacing the story lines. Once again, she uses the wooded Adirondacks as her setting. It is obviously an area where she is comfortable exploring and describing.

I really don't want to spoil the plot, so I'm going to give you only the teaser the publisher is giving us:

When Liz wakes up one morning in her hotel room to discover her two children Ally and Reid aren't in their beds, her mind races, imagining a million worst-case scenarios, playing out her every nightmare. When she discovers that the kids were taken, not by some anonymous monster in a ski mask but by her own husband, Paul, her frantic worries turn into desperate questions. Unable to comprehend why the man who had been her trusted partner would willingly take from her all she loves most, Liz throws herself into the search for her kids. Her investigation uncovers a disturbing incident from her husband's past and she begins receiving ominous threats, warning her to stay away. No more able to abandon her search than stop breathing, Liz digs deeper into her husband's secrets-only to discover that Paul's plans are far more extreme than she ever could have imagined.

Drawing on all the publicity today about the back to the earth movement, environmental protection, conservation of resources, sustainable agriculture, and retreat from worldly contamination, this one combines these issues with twisted personalities in a scenario that is so well written it's more than believable--it can scare the living bejeebies out of any one who is a parent.  Just published this week, this one should be headed for your must read list.

Title: Ruin Falls
Author: Jenny Milchum
Publisher: Ballantine Books (2014), e-galley 352 pages 
Genre: pyschological thriller
Subject: eco-terrorism
Setting: The Adirondacks, NY
Source: e-galley from publisher via Edelweiss
Why did I read this book now? The publisher offered it for review and I enjoyed the author's previous work.

Note : I also had the chance to sample this in audio. Cassandra Campbell does a fantastic job of delivering the variety of emotions the author portrays in her writing.  If you're an audio fan, be sure to check this one out.

Mini shout: One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson

 Who had any idea so many memorable events happened in 1927?  I certainly learned a lot, and enjoyed the history lesson.  Bryson as usual dispenses tidbits of history along with philosophy, sociology, politics, geology, anthropology, and just plain fun.  There's baseball (Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs that summer), there's aviation (Charles Lindbergh and a host of others were setting all kinds of airbourne records),there's the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti (along with the entire story of electrocution. Prohibition was foundering, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover were both exhibiting their lack of charisma, and the movies were shifting from silent to talkies.
Fascinating in both print and audio.

Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher:Doubleday (2013), Edition: 0, Hardcover, 528 pages
Genre: History
Subject: Important trends and events happening in 1927
Source: public library download
Why did I read this book now? It was available, I love Bill Bryson, and the subject matter intrigued me.

Review: Orphan Train by Christine Baker Kline

Christine Baker Kline tells a moving story of two women separated in age by decades, but joined by experiences of betrayal and abandonment.

  The publisher tells us:

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...
As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.
Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

Baker Kline does a masterful job of weaving the stories of Mollie and Vivian, although the book is much more about the older woman than the younger, perhaps because Vivian has already lived her life and her experiences can be seen as lessons for Mollie.  While the younger woman has certainly been shuffled from house to house, the more enlightened views of today's social services afford her more opportunities for success.

The stories of the orphan train children, told in stark detail, are appalling.   Our book group discussed this last week, and to a member, no-one could believe that these children were sent and/or left in the squalor, the degradation and the abusive situations some of them faced. None of us, whether we had children or not, could ever envision treating children in such a cruel and cavalier manner as was told about some of these neglected youngsters in the 1920s.  We cheered for the people who helped right the wrongs, we unanimously denounced the villains.  We questioned decisions made, both by Vivian and by Mollie, but we all agreed that the story was well told, kept us turning pages, and ultimately left us feeling that the resolution, while a bit contrived, was a satisfactory one.  I don't want to do spoilers, but I will say it is a story that weaves injustices of the past with success both past and present.  It highlights glaring lapses that still exist in the foster system today while celebrating improvements and accomplishments.

Although the subject matter can be difficult, the author's use of two perspectives to reflect feelings and emotions gives the reader a chance to evaluate the subject matter clearly and close the book with a feeling of satisfaction.
ORPHAN TRAIN was on the long list of nominees for the Maine Readers Choice Award.  Many thanks to the publisher, Willliam Morrow Paperbacks for making a copy available for review.

Title: Orphan Train
Author: Christina Baker Kline
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (2013), Edition: Original, Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Subject: treatment of orphans and foster children
Setting: Maine, Minnesota
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Why did I read this book now? To evaluate it as a possible contender for the Maine Readers Choice Award.

Blog Tour and a Giveaway: The Promise by Ann Weisgarber

A heartbreaking story set against the backdrop of the devastating Hurricane that hit Galveston Island in 1900.  The publisher's blurb tells us:

1900. Young pianist Catherine Wainwright flees the fashionable town of Dayton, Ohio in the wake of a terrible scandal. Heartbroken and facing destitution, she finds herself striking up correspondence with a childhood admirer, the recently widowed Oscar Williams. In desperation she agrees to marry him, but when Catherine travels to Oscar's farm on Galveston Island, Texas-a thousand miles from home-she finds she is little prepared for the life that awaits her. The island is remote, the weather sweltering, and Oscar's little boy Andre is grieving hard for his lost mother. And though Oscar tries to please his new wife, the secrets of the past sit uncomfortably between them. Meanwhile for Nan Ogden, Oscar's housekeeper, Catherine's sudden arrival has come as a great shock. For not only did she promise Oscar's first wife that she would be the one to take care of little Andre, but she has feelings for Oscar which she is struggling to suppress. And when the worst storm in a generation descends, the women will find themselves tested as never before.

My Impressions:

Two women contribute to the Galveston household of Oscar Williams, a recent widower: his second wife Catherine, an accomplished pianist from his hometown of Dayton Ohio, and Nan Ogden, his housekeeper who promised his first wife that she would look after Oscar and his son Andre.  Catherine arrives burdened with a secret from her past, determined to make a new life and never reveal her shame to Oscar.  Nan, suffering from unrequited love, must balance her own feelings toward Oscar with her loyalty towards her dead friend. The story moves along at a breathtaking pace, while at the same time leaving the characters immersed in slow, clock-stopping chunks of terror.  Weisgarden's descriptions of the barren landscape, the skies, the heavy air, the bugs, the hard work of maintaining a subsistence existence totally lacking in any trivial or unnecessary items or events, drain not only the characters but the reader.  The reader is swept into the story and compelled to join in the anguish of decisions being made, memories relived, and hopes being planted only to be dashed.

The sheer joy of an untuned piano, a community dance, an inside pump for water paints the picture of how bleak life was during this time frame, how desperate people were for any chance for beauty, for love, for hope.  As the storm rages across the island, each woman reviews her life, her hopes and dreams while facing life and death issues. The ending is one that speaks to the premise.  It's a stunner, sad but hopeful and deserves not to be spoiled by pre-telling.  Weisgarden has given us not only a historical portrait of a catastrophic event, but a beautiful narrative of two women, a man, and a child that will resonate with even the most hard-hearted.

It more than lives up to its title.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I first agreed to serve as a review host for the blog tour, I wasn't sure I was
going to have time to do an in-depth interview with Ann, so she graciously furnished me a personal note to include for all my readers. It certainly helped me connect with her and made me even more positive about this terrific story.  Here's what she sent:

I’m so pleased to part of your blog and this comes to you with my thanks for reading The Promise.  While writing this note, my atlas is on my desk and it’s open to Maine.  This makes me feel connected to you.  It also reminds me of the time my husband and I visited Ogunquit for our fifth wedding anniversary.  Rob was a student in Boston, I was a social worker in an East Boston nursing home, and we counted every penny.  The bus trip to Ogunquit was a wild splurge but it was early June and the Bed & Breakfast rate was low.  Many restaurants were closed and there were few tourists.  This didn’t matter to us.  We were in Maine, a place we’d never been before. 
    On Saturday afternoon, Rob and I took a walk along the cliff that overlooked the water.  The wind was brisk with a distinct chill and the beach was deserted.  Yet, strawberry plants grew along the path and the berries were beginning to ripen.  It was a moment I’ll never forget:  the cold wind paired with delicate red-tinged berries determined to thrive.
    Like that long ago trip to Maine, reading a good book takes me to new places.  I open it and find the wind, the plot.  But beneath the plot, I sometimes find small discoveries that enrich my life and linger in my thoughts for years to come. 
    I hope you and other readers find these kinds of unexpected moments in The Promise.     

Ann, I certainly do feel a connection since we spent part of our honeymoon at Ogunquit Maine before continuing up the coast.   Living here full time now I really appreciate those cool see breezes that often put me in the mood to settle down and read.  Coastal cities always fascinate me and the setting for The Promise is especially personal.  We have dear friends whose once upon a time beach house in Galveston where we vacationed many years ago is no longer....a more recent hurricane claimed it.  So this one was very special for me to read.  I hope all my readers will hurry out and get a copy.  It's definitely going to be one of the best of the year.

And now for the final treat: The publicist has given me one copy to offer to my readers.  The giveaway is open only to US and Canadian readers.  Leave a comment to enter, and be sure to leave your email address so I can notify you when you win.  You can earn an extra entry by visiting Ann's webpage and leaving a second comment about something interesting you learned there.  The giveaway ends on May 16th at 11:30 PM EDT.  I'll draw the winner on the 17th.

Title: The Promise
Author: Ann Weisgarden
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (2014), Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Subject: Galveston Hurricane of 1900
Setting: Dayton Ohio and Galveston Island Texas
Source: E-galley review copy from the publisher

Follow The Promise Blog Tour in the following days for more reviews and maybe another chance to win a copy. 

Re - reading - an oft neglected joy!

I've recently become a devotèe of re-reading books.  As many of you know, one of my favorite genres is the mystery series, and there is no one better at writing in this format than Louise Penny.  Her Chief Inspector Gamache series is probably my all-time favorite.  Currently, to promote the tenth book of the series, her publisher, St. Martin's Minotaur is sponsoring an on-line "re-read" discussion of books 1-9.  I needed no further excuse to plunge in to refresh my memory to get ready for this new one coming out in August.

The discussion started yesterday with a welcome by one of my favorite bloggers, Lesa Holstine of Lesa's Book Critiques.
Her kickoff and the ensuing conversation is here at Still Life Part 1. I decided this time to "ear-read" it by listening to Ralph Cosham's splendid narration. I love to listen to audio books while I jog in the pool to soothe my arthritic joints.  I became so engrossed by reminders of details I'd forgotten about this first book, that I spent twice as long in the pool as I normally do.

I came home and spent the rest of that day, and most of the weekend finishing this luscious introduction to the Village of Three Pines, and one of the most engaging, endearing, and unforgettable casts of characters I've ever come across.  The on-line discussion is so much fun, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series again.

I used to say that I didn't have time to read a book I'd already read because that took away from my time to read a new one.  But as I read more, I realize that one read is not enough for a really good book.  There is so much to plumb from these that it will take at least two reads to be sure I haven't missed something.  Because everything Louise Penny writes is worth paying close attention. 

If you've not yet experienced  the fun and the utter beauty of Three Pines and its inhabitants, the utter terror of evil unleashed, and the relief of mysteries solved, you owe yourself a chance.  These are not typical mysteries.  Yes, there are bad guys, yes there are villains and murders, and clues and red herrings, but these are really stories about life and love and passion and longing and despair and hope.  Try them.  And join us in the discussion.

Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda

This one was a huge surprise for me.  It was on the short list of ten for the Maine Reader's Choice Award, and it's still one of the five I'm considering voting for when we have to choose the three finalists later this month.

The publisher tells us:

It’s summertime in a blue-collar dockside neighborhood. (Red Hook Brooklyn New York).  June and Val, two fifteen-year-olds, take a raft out onto the bay at night to see what they can see.
And then they disappear. Only Val will survive, washed ashore; semi-conscious in the weeds.
This shocking event will echo through the lives of a diverse cast of Red Hook residents. Fadi, the Lebanese bodega owner, hopes that his shop will be the place to share neighborhood news and troll for information about June’s disappearance. Cree, just beginning to pull it together after his father’s murder, unwittingly makes himself the chief suspect, but an enigmatic and elusive guardian is determined to keep him safe.
Val contends with the shadow of her missing friend and a truth she buries deep inside. Her teacher Jonathan, a Julliard School dropout and barfly, wrestles with dashed dreams and a past riddled with tragic sins.

 My impression:  Reminiscent of West Side Story, the class struggle portrayed by The characters in this book is drawn with such precision that the reader is able to understand and empathize with each one of them in spite of their often less than savory backgrounds and behavior.  We might not want to live their lives or move into their hood, but they are portrayed with a realism that sings. The mystery is so well entwined in the lives of these characters that it takes a while to determine exactly what the mystery is.  Is June missing?  Did she drown?  Was she murdered?  What really happened, and who knows?  Who cares? And why?  It's a true underdog story, set in a vibrant, currant setting that will appeal to lovers of mysteries, young adults and adults alike, and readers who want a beautifully crafted work of fiction.  It works especially well in audio.  It's one I'll listen to and read again, and fully expect to see this one on the movie screen someday.

Title: Visitation Street
Author: Ivy Pochoda
Publisher: Dennis Lehane Books/Ecco (2013), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 320 pages
audio narrated by Roy Porter
Genre: Mystery, literary fiction
Subject: Missing teenager, social class prejudice
Setting: Red Hook Brooklyn New York
Source: Print: Review copy from publisher; Audio - purchased from Audible.
Why did I read this book now?  It was on the Maine Reader's Choice Short List for 2013 books.

Pigs Can't Swim by Helen Peppe

Helen Peppe cracked me up! Growing up as the youngest of nine children, she manages to tell us the story of the family's non-exciting, everyday life in a manner that enthralls the reader, without ever naming a player except herself and her later-to-be husband.

Her descriptions of life in this rural section of Maine include delightful stories of sibling rivalries, overburdened parents, the poverty of the area,  and the everyday sexual antics of her sisters.  Interspersed with the human stories she relates her interactions with a variety of animals who lived on the farm.  The fact that many of these animals often found their way to the family dinner table was a constant source of pain to young Helen, who tried valiantly to live a vegetarian life.

The Cast of characters is enough to make me want to pick this up and read it again:
Mom  known only as Honey
Dad called the "Old Goat"
The sisters:
 "The sad tittering sister"
 "The hair twirling pretty sister"
"The sister who holds grudges longer than God"
"The sister of poor choices"

The Brothers:
"The blustery and favored brother"
"The tough yet admirable brother"

There are a couple others, but these just tickled me.  Helen learns her sexual mores from her sisters (all of whom seemed to have become pregnant before age 16), the farm animals, and her mother's rather impressive  lack of information sharing.

The vignettes she shares about growing up in the midst of unorganized chaos could have been a depressing exposè of poverty and poor parenting.  Instead, she gives us a glance of a happy child who makes choices that bring her to adulthood with an intact psyche and a love of nature and animals that carries through life's travails.  A happy, hope-filled book.  



Title: Pigs Can't Swim
Author: Helen Peppe
Publisher: Da Capo Press (2014), Hardcover, 272 pages
Genre: Memoir
Subject: growing up in rural Maine
Setting: farm in Maine
Source: ARC from the publisher via Net Galley
Why did I read this book now? I was offered a copy to review.
 

Review: The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna

Others have dubbed this one atmospheric and disturbing.  I alternate between stunning and unsettling.  Make no mistake, this beautifully written story of the civil war that took place in Croatia in 2007, contains brutal text, ugly scenes, gut-wrenching episodes of inhuman behavior.  But it also provides the reader with a protagonist who is able to look objectively at his life and present us with an attitude of acceptance, sorrow, hope and revenge left unclaimed.


Duro Kolak, local handyman and hunter, agrees to help vacationing Englishwoman Laura and her two children, to repair and restore "the old Blue House".   Duro does not divulge his memories about the house or the friends who once lived there. Many of the scenes are centered on hunting - a necessary means of providing food for the village, but a form of carnage that is not one I'm fond of. Forna goes back and forth from present to the past to show the devastation caused by the war.  Her juxtaposition of the native villagers and their actions during the war with the fairy-tale vision Laura espouses of the beautiful mountain town provides a broad spectrum of emotions and reactions in the characters and the reader.  Duro's attempts to mesh his memories of the past (arising from his work on the Blue House) with the delights of the restoration work keep the reader turning pages to the end.

It's a book that will stay with the reader long after the story is finished.  It's on the short list for the Maine Readers' Choice Award this year, and it will certainly be one to which I give serious consideration when it comes time to choose the Finalists.


Title: The Hired Man
Author: Aminatta Forna
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (2013), Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: historical fiction
Subject: Croation civil war
Setting: Fictional town Gost Croatia
Source: Review copy from the publisher.
Why did I read this book now?  It's on the Maine Readers Choice Short List.

 My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

With all the glitzy shamrocks, green beer, outlandish outfits, and leprechauns bounding about today, I thought I'd try to share something more historic. This stained glass window is in St. Benin's Episcopal Church in Kilbannon, Galway, Ireland.  Interesting that the great St. Paddy himself is shown with shamrock in hand.  No matter how you do or do not celebrate the legends, achievements and/or stories of the great Irish Saint, best wishes for a happy Monday and the beginning of the what we can only hope will be a glance at spring coming the end of the week.

Slowing Down...Digging Out....and ......... OH FORGETTABOUDIT!!

This past week I finished reading all ten of the short listed books for judging in the Maine Readers'Choice Award competition. The next step is to narrow those ten down to three finalists. We'll do that in early May. I've definitely eliminated two of them and have several others in the 4 out of 5  star range that will probably not make my cut. But then I wouldn't be horribly upset if the group voted any of them in. I have my top two pretty firmly established (and I will be very upset if they DON"T make the finalist list) but I'm really conflicted about choosing that third book.

I went back and re-read and listened to Transatlantic and Benediction.  Since I read both of them months before the long-list ever came out, I wanted to have a current assessment of them against other entries.   This week I finished Visitation Street (review coming soon) and was very very pleasantly surprised.

With the exception of The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope, I ended up reading them all in print and listening to the audio versions too, thereby giving me a pretty good handle on all of them.  I'm actually glad a couple of them turned out to be such duds for me.  It helped to narrow the field..especially since they were for me duds in both formats.

This week I'm going to take a breath, excavate my library/office ( it's so bad I couldn't even take a photo that would make any sense - if it were not enclosed it would like this outdoor market in Spain!), make a few phone calls to friends and family members, and try to gather the paperwork I need to do my taxes. UGH.   So my reading is going to be of the total fun, "not anybody making me do" it variety.

In the dock:
Snow in May - a review copy of Russian short stories on my nook - pub date in May
Bruno, Chief of Police - an audio I got from the Library, recommended by a LibraryThing friend. Just what I need-- another good detective series.

I also have "next ups" standing by - Colin Cotterill's latest Dr. Siri Paiboun adventure, and the newest Ely Griffiths book, as well as the audio of Bill Bryson's One Summer - a long one that will probably take me until the summer to finish.

I've got several Audible credits waiting to be spent, and lots of books on the wishlist to use them up.

The weather was gorgeous yesterday, so I got nothing done except to plan some meals for next week.  In the meantime,  it's time to stop procrastinating and get to the taxes.  Maybe later....but it's supposed to be very cold, so I'll need to curl up in front of the fireplace.  So....maybe  Monday...or Tuesday...or........wish me luck!

Oops....forgot that I have bookclub on Wednesday, so I'll have to grab my copy of Christopher Morley's Haunted Bookshop which I read years ago and refresh my memory before then.  Like I said.....wish me luck!

Review: Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes

Every once in a while I like to read something from our YA collection at the library.  This was actually recommended by an adult patron, and I wanted to see if it was something to recommend to my 13 year old grand-daughter. This one is definitely on the recommended list!
Birk Lake Moon is the story of two boys and the summer they spent next door to each other at Bird Lake.  Mitch Sinclair is living with his rather rigid, not much fun, grandparents while his mother recovers from the trauma of her husband (Mitch's father) having just walked out on them to take up life with a younger girl-friend. No one seems to catch on that Mitch is grieving also. Spencer Stone arrives at his family's lake house several days after Mitch.  The Stones have owned the house for years, but have not returned for about 10 years since Mitch's little brother drowned there.  Spencer's parents aren't sure they can handle the memory, but want to try.  Spencer's little sister provides some delightful and typical little sister humor to the story.

The two boys meet, take a bit of time to decide whether to be friends, and discover that grief and loneliness is better handled with friends to help.   It's a beautiful book, written with great insight into the emotions young people often try to handle without the help of adults who may be too busy handling their own problems.  I think today's adults, both teen aged and older would enjoy this short but stunning novel.

Title: Bird Lake Moon
Author: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (2008), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 192 pages 
Genre: realistic fiction
Subject:  divorce, grief, moving, friendship
Setting: Lake in Wisconsin
Source: Public library

Review : Mrs. Queen takes the Train by William Kuhn

From the publisher:

An absolute delight of a debut novel by William Kuhn...Mrs Queen Takes the Train wittily imagines the kerfuffle that transpires when a bored Queen Elizabeth strolls out of the palace in search of a little fun, leaving behind a desperate team of courtiers who must find the missing Windsor before a national scandal erupts. Reminiscent of Alan Bennett’s The Uncommon Reader, this lively, wonderfully inventive romp takes readers into the mind of the grand matriarch of Britain’s Royal Family, bringing us an endearing runaway Queen Elizabeth on the town—and leading us behind the Buckingham Palace walls and into the upstairs/downstairs spaces of England’s monarchy.

What a fun book! This light, cheery, and surprisingly introspective work looks at the burdens of isolation, old age, and changing mores not just in Merry Olde England, but with enough panache to allow us to apply it anywhere. Some might see it merely as a somewhat pedantic view of the value of maintaining a monarchy. Kuhn chooses to portray a Queen who is struggling to do her duty as she has been taught and to be human with all the fatigue, self-doubt, and anxiety that goes with growing old, watching loved ones die, worrying about children, and trying to figure out what life is all about before it's over.

Just imagine Her Majesty traipsing through the streets of rainy London with no umbrella, wearing her trademark head scarf and a borrowed hoody with a skull and crossbones on the back.  It can only get better from there.  This one is a short read, but is not one to be brushed aside. For me it was a perfect palate cleanser from a steady diet of ponderous, dark, and often pompous literary fiction. Books like this one make reading fun, and at the same time give us a glimpse of what might be ahead.

I got this one in audio because it was right there for the picking. It was a great choice. Definitely recommended. 

Title: Mrs. Queen takes the Train
Author: William Kuhn
Publisher/Format: Harper Perennial (2013), Paperback, 384 pages
Audio edition Dreamscape Media; Unabridged edition 9 hr, 33 min
Narrator Simon Preble
Genre: fiction
Subject: Queen Elizabeth goes rogue
Setting: various settings in England and Scotland
Source: Public library

Review: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

This imposing chunkster demands a significant commitment of time on the part of the reader. The story is long, taking the protagonist from New York to Las Vegas to Amsterdam, through the world of art, antiques, drugs, and dysfunction, from the age of 13 to about 30, and still leaving the reader gasping at the end. It's a book that inspires awe at the level of detail the author presents. It arouses sympathy for some characters, and rage at others. It infuriates, cheers, exasperates, and still produces belly laughs. At the end, the reader is stunned and must sit for some time digesting all that has happened, trying to decide if the implausible scenes are at all plausible, if the plot isn't a bit too contrived, if the protagonist and all those around him aren't just too well-drawn to be believable. And...in the end, it all works to leave me able simply to say "This is a very good book."

Without major spoilers, this is the story of 13 year old Theo Decker, victim of a terrorist bombing in a New York Museum of Art in which his divorced mother dies. Theo somehow manages to "save" the painting entitled The Goldfinch from the carnage, doesn't tell anyone he has it, and begins a journey of several years trying to decide what to do with the painting and whether (and to whom) he should return it. In the meantime, he is also the victim of a modern day sin - lack of parenting. His father (who lives in Las Vegas) doesn't want him, his grandparents don't want him, and he ends up under the temporary care of very aristocratic upper-crusty New Yorkers whose son is a classmate.

When his father finally appears to whisk him away to Las Vegas, Theo begins a terrifying fall into the pit of drugs, crime, and gambling debts, and a life-long friendship with Boris - son of a Russian immigrant who leads him down the garden path of adolescent misdeeds, misadventures and sometimes downright crime. 

As Boris and Theo mature (at least in age), so does their involvement in nefarious situations. Here is a picture of two young men, both very intelligent and cunning, with no moral compass and nothing to prevent them from becoming mired in page after page of "how did I get here and how do I get out of this?" There were times when I had to put the book down and let each adventure perk for awhile before I dared pick it up again to find out what could possible happen next. That Theo arrives alive at the end of this period of his life is as much a tribute to Tartt's writing skills as it is to the caprices of real life.

This is a major piece of fiction with more than the usual number of words. Normally, I'd be put off by its length, but Tartt uses words to paint pictures, to evoke feelings, to stimulate all our senses, so that we can place ourselves in the moment with Theo and all the powerfully portrayed  supporting cast of characters who exert some influence on his eventual arrival at adulthood. I'm not sure about the ending. But then, I'm sure that there are many who will love it.

The novel is certainly a worthy candidate for all the accolades it has garnished. It's on the short list of those being considered for the Maine Readers Choice Award, which is how I came to read it and it's going to be one of those that will be a top contender for me to advance to the finalist list.

Title: The Goldfinch
Author: Donna Tartt
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (2013), Hardcover, 784 pages
Genre: Literary fiction
Subject: art, antiques, adolescence, parenting,
Setting: New York, Las Vegas, Amsterdam
Source: review copy from the publisher
Awards: New York Times Best Ten Best Books of 2013
National Book Critics Circle Award finalist (Fiction, 2013)
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction Longlist (2014)
Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist (2014)
Maine Readers'Choice Award 2013 Short List

Review: By Its Cover by Donna Leon

One of the items on my life's bucket list is to visit Venice and follow one of Commissario Guido Brunetti's journeys from the Donna Leon series. I'm a huge fan of these stories, and Guido Brunetti is one of my favorite fictional detectives. So it really bothers me to have to give one of these books less than my full enthusiastic endorsement.

This one's due out next month. I wish I could shout "Go get in line right now to order it", but I'm beginning to tire of Leon's increasing tendency to phone them in. This one concerns the theft and/or destruction of ancient, priceless books and manuscripts, a subject that should be close to my heart. Brunetti's apparent ignorance of the subject and his skillful questioning of those involved so he can make himself smart is handled well and gives the reader at least a smattering of knowledge. But there's nothing deep to this one. Leon presumes we all know all the background of the cast, gives us very little motivation for anything or anybody, offers some flip remarks about the in depth, inbred crime rampant in modern day Venice, offers enchanting descriptions of Venetian scenery, throws in a few mentions of food (the hallmark of previous volumes), and comes to such an absolutely abrupt halt that I had to go and double-check to make sure my download of the e-galley hadn't been corrupted. Sorta like she ran out of steam and said "ok,,, I'm done now....I'm off to the opera."

Really disappointing. I guess it could be a stand alone, but I'm not sure if I started here if I'd ever want to read any others. The subject matter should have made it much more interesting than it did, and I miss the sharp repartèe so common to her characters in earlier books. Much as I hate to see Brunetti go, I may be more reluctant to read any more of these if she doesn't find the old spark again.

Title: By Its Cover
Author: Donna Leon
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (2014), Hardcover, 288 pages
Genre: Mystery - police procedural
Subject: murder, book theft
Setting: Venice
Series: Commissario Brunetti mysteries
Source: E-galley from publisher via Edelweiss
Why did I read this book now? I love the series and was offered a copy to review.

TLC Blog Tour: The Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash

Finally......Tutu gets to chime in and pile on the love!
This one has been on a TLC Blog tour for several weeks and if you haven't seen any of the other reviews, the list is posted below.  I get to wind up the tour so it's a bit difficult to say too much new.

I have the distinct privilege of serving on the panel of selectors of nominees for the annual Maine Readers' Choice Award to present outstanding literary fiction to our readers here in Maine.  Last year, Wiley Cash's first novel A Land More Kind than Home, was not only a finalist but was chosen by the readers of the state as their choice for best book of the year.  With that in mind,  I was anxious but reluctant to read his next book.  You know how you feel when a book is so good that you worry if the author can possibly achieve that level of excellence again?  Well, Tutu is here to tell you that Wiley Cash is no one-book wonder!

This one is every bit as well-written as the first.  This Dark Road to Mercy brings a different story, but uses that same slightly scary setting of young people being raised in a dysfunctional setting. This time parents are absent (at least in the beginning), and rather than the fundamentalist church as the frame, Cash uses baseball and the summer of the Mark McGuire/Sammy Sosa homerun race to underpin the story.

I especially liked the portrayal of the love between the two sisters as they navigated the unfamiliar waters of adult malfeasance.  Once again the author gives us a story of confused youngsters, dark secrets from the family past, and compassionate outsiders, provided in three different voices - a technique that might get old if it continues in more of his books, but which, for the time being, works well in this one.  I also listened to this one in audio to see how well it works in that format, and HarperAudio has done a wonderful job choosing talented narrators to capture the subtle nuances of the three different points of view.

Cash gives us believable and heart-wrenching characters, a feel for the gritty southern setting, and a story line that has us rooting for all of the players at one time or another.  It's a deep, dark, but ultimately liberating story about the power of forgiveness and the endurance of the parent/child/sibling bond.

As for the plot itself, in case you haven't seen any of the previous tour posts, or don't have time to go looking right now, here's what the publisher says:

The critically acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home—hailed as “a powerfully moving debut that reads as if Cormac McCarthy decided to rewrite Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird” (Richmond Times Dispatch)—returns with a resonant novel of love and atonement, blood and vengeance, set in western North Carolina, involving two young sisters, a wayward father, and an enemy determined to see him pay for his sins.
After their mother’s unexpected death, twelve-year-old Easter and her six-year-old sister Ruby are adjusting to life in foster care when their errant father, Wade, suddenly appears. Since Wade signed away his legal rights, the only way he can get his daughters back is to steal them away in the night.
Brady Weller, the girls’ court-appointed guardian, begins looking for Wade, and he quickly turns up unsettling information linking Wade to a recent armored car heist, one with a whopping $14.5 million missing. But Brady Weller isn’t the only one hunting the desperate father. Robert Pruitt, a shady and mercurial man nursing a years-old vendetta, is also determined to find Wade and claim his due.
Narrated by a trio of alternating voices, This Dark Road to Mercy is a story about the indelible power of family and the primal desire to outrun a past that refuses to let go.

Read an excerpt from This Dark Road to Mercy here.

About Wiley Cash

Wiley Cash is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of A Land More Kind than Home. A native of western North Carolina, he has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He has held residency positions at Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony and teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Southern New Hampshire University. He and his wife live in West Virginia.
Find out more about Wiley on his website, connect with him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter. 

Wiley is scheduled to do a book signing in Portland ME next week, and I'm hoping to be able to get there to meet him in person - so let's all cross our fingers that we don't get any more of this snow stuff that day!

Title: This Dark Road to Mercy
Author: Wiley Cash
Publisher (Print): William Morrow 2014; ARC 340 pages;
Publisher (audio): Harper Audio, 2014,7hrs 53min
Narrators(audio): Jenna Lamia, Erik Bergmann, Scott Sowers
Subject: family relationships, redemption,
Setting: North Carolina
Source: print review copy from the publisher; audio copy purchased from Audible.com
Why did I read this book now? I was invited to join the TLC Blog tour and loved the author's first book.  How could I refuse?
To see what others think of this one, check out the previous posts on Wiley’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, January 28th: Book-alicious Mama
Wednesday, January 29th: River City Reading
Thursday, January 30th: Knowing the Difference
Monday, February 3rd: cupcake’s book cupboard
Tuesday, February 4th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, February 5th: she treads softly
Thursday, February 6th: Turn the Page
Monday, February 10th: Girls Just Reading
Tuesday, February 11th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, February 12th: BookNAround
Thursday, February 13th: Kritters Ramblings
Monday, February 17th: BoundbyWords

Many thanks to William Morrow for making the print review copy available.  I purchased my own audio copy through Audible.com.

Review: The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley

From the cover:

In the waning months of World War II, young Evelyn Roe's life is transformed when she finds what she takes to be a badly burned soldier, all but completely buried in the heavy red-clay soil on her family's farm in North Carolina. When Evelyn rescues the stranger, it quickly becomes clear he is not a simple man. As innocent as a newborn, he recovers at an unnatural speed, and then begins to change—first into Evelyn's mirror image, and then into her complement, a man she comes to know as Adam...Evelyn and Adam fall in love, sharing a connection that reaches to the essence of Evelyn's being. But the small town where they live is not ready to accept the likes of Adam, and his unusual origin becomes the secret at the center of their seemingly normal marriage...Intensely moving and unforgettable, The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope captures the beauty of the natural world, and explores the power of abiding love and otherness in all its guises. It illuminates the magic in ordinary life and makes us believe in the extraordinary.

Tutu's thoughts:
This is one of the short list books for the Maine Readers Choice Awards. It's not normally one I'd read - particularly if I had known of the subject matter ahead of time. It had not been on my radar at all, and I was a bit nervous after reading the cover blurb.  However, I had agreed to read all the books on the list, so I plunged in and was blown away. It's very very different, beautiful writing, gorgeous love story(ies) and has an exceptional out-of-the-box premise.  Once I started,  I was at first afraid to keep reading because I didn't want the magic to end, and I worried that Riley could not sustain the level of exquisiteness she started (but she did!). I was also afraid that whatever the ending was going to be, I wouldn't like it. (Surprise!)

 Still..it took me a while to get my mind around the whole concept.  The premise of this otherworldly person who develops into Adam was a difficult one for me, so I chose to read the book as an allegory of the original Adam and Eve in the garden story.  About half-way into the story however, I just fell in love with the characters, the settings, and the story of love in all its forms.  Magical realism isn't a genre in my comfort zone, but Riley's writing is so special it won me over.  It is as lush and verdant as the Garden of Eden, and at the same time as straight-forward and unadorned as the North Carolina farm where the story begins.

This one is a worthy entry for the short list and will definitely be one that I look at when I have to choose the finalists.  It would be a very interesting book discussion group choice.

Note:  I also downloaded this one to listen to in audio.  Because the story involves characters who communicate in strange unworldly ways with music and sounds, the producers could have tried to duplicate that experience in the audio format.  I want to heap great praise on them for choosing not to try to replicate that and letting the reader use his/her imagination to "hear" those sounds.  It would have changed this from a beautiful reading experience (either eyes or ears) to a dumb-down music/hollywood video soundtrack.  Choosing to let the words speak the story without musical enhancement was a great tribute to the power of written words and the talent of the author.

Title: The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope
Author: Rhonda Riley
Publisher (print): Ecco (2013), Paperback, 432 pages
Publisher (audio):  HarperCollins Audio (2013) 16 hrs, 23 min
Narrator: Stina Nielson
Genre: literary fiction; fantasy
Subject: family relations,
Setting: rural North Carolina; Florida
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Why did I read this book now?  It's on the short list for the  Maine Readers Choice Award

Sincere thanks to Harper Publishers (ECCO) for providing the review copy.

Review: Drowning Barbie by Frederick Ramsay

I've been a fan of Frederick Ramsay's Ike Schwartz series since its beginning, although I confess I haven't read them all or in order. Ike and his "main squeeze" Ruth Harris, are both old enough to know what they're doing.  He's a sorta-retired CIA agent now serving as a small town sheriff in rural Virginia, and she's the President of a small private woman's college in the same town.  This combo provides many opportunities for the townies and the academics to tittle and gossip. Drowning Barbie begins as the couple ends a rather raucous mini-vacation in Las Vegas, waking to realize that in their drunken stupor, they've actually visited the local wedding palace and done the deed. Now, how to tell the folks back home, many of whom have been scandalized by their not too secret relationship.
The Publisher tempts us with:

 Ethyl Smut, everyone agreed, deserved to die. Drugs, child abuse, a life wasted, but murder is murder and killers must be brought to justice.So, when a second body is unearthed in her shallow grave, and the town's worst nightmare in the person of George LeBrun also find their way onto Ike's desk so to speak, things get messy fast. Then there is Ethyl's missing daughter, Darla, who could testify against some important people if she were found. And as if Ike hadn't enough on his plate, Karl Hedrick and Sam arrive to investigate the source of the second body and it's like old home week in Picketsville. Finally, there is the ""Never-ending Story"" of Ike and Ruth's engagement that friend and foe alike insist be settled one way or another.

So yes...it's a crime novel, and there appears the obligatory roster of murder victims (both known and unidentified), a runaway teenager, some drug dealers, bad cops, incompetent law enforcement, meddling busybodies, etc, etc, etc. Nothing horribly complicated, but definitely engaging enough to keep the pages turning.  Not only do Ruth and Ike provide us with wonderful dialogue, but the supporting cast keeps the reader entertained as well.  At the end of this one, Ramsay leaves us looking forward to a new and very different lifestyle for this eclectic and fun couple.There's certainly at least one more book for these two.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for making the review copy available through Net Galley.

Title: Drowning Barbie
Author: Frederick Ramsay
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (2014), Paperback, 250 pages
Genre: mystery: Police procedural
Subject: child abuse, murder, drugs
Setting: Picketsville Virginia
Series: Ike Schwartz mysteries #8
Source: Net Galley review copy from Poisoned Pen Press
Whydid I read this book now?  I love the series.

Another Short List - The Maine Readers Choice Awards

Well, we all hashed out our selections, and the committee of readers for the Maine Readers Choice Award  has chosen the 10 tomes for this year's  "short list". We now have to read these and we'll decide by May which three will be presented to the readers of Maine for them to read and vote for their choice as the best Literary Fiction published in 2013.

So here's the list: (I've **'d the ones I've already finished.  Links are to my reviews published earlier).

**Benediction by Kent Haruf
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley (review coming next week)
 The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
**The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
**Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls
The Tenth of December by George Saunders
**TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda

I plan to read two of these each month, and maybe re-read the ones I've finished so I have them fresh in my mind before I have to vote. We had such a bounty of great fiction to choose from that it was really difficult to narrow them down.  

How about you?  Have you read any of these?  Do you have a favorite?  Drop a line and share your impressions.  

Review: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith

I received the audio version of this latest in the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series from the Early Reviewer program on LibraryThing.com. When I began the series years ago, I had a difficult time with the unusual language patterns and unfamiliar names. Then I discovered the audio books narrated by Lisette Lecat. Her amazing ability to provide different voices and accents gave me an appreciation for the lyrical rhythm of the language, and caused me to fall in love with the whole series, the colorful the country of Botswana, and several of the colorful characters McCall Smith has so carefully crafted.

In this episode (the 14th), Mma Precious Ramatswe is working two different cases: one involving a questionable inheritance and heir, the other a case of trying to find out who is maligning the newly opened business "The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon."   While she quietly and ploddingly works on these two cases, she is also helping Mma Makutse, her ertswhile side-kick and "associate detective" who is having a baby, and having to deal with the overbearing aunt of her husband Mr. Phuti Radiphuti.  In the meantime, Mma Ramatswe's husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, enrolls himself in the "How to be a modern husband" night course at the local university.  The results are not what he expects.  The whole story is very focused on the personal lives of Mma Makutse, Mma Ramatswe, their husbands, and their friends.  We see quite a bit more of the husbands and their musings about marriage.

While classified as detective stories, these books are so much more.  The mysteries are generally the skeleton on which McCall Smith hangs gentle, beautiful and affirming stories of Botswana and its way of life.  Precious Ramatswe is a woman wise beyond her years, but with a wisdom that recognizes there are always lessons to be learned from others, from life, and from the unfortunate happenings that befall all of us.  No matter what happens, she manages to dispense gems of beauty that keep us reading and wanting more.

If you've tried others in print and decided they weren't for you, please give them a try in audio.  The difference is incredible.  These are fun, relaxing, inspiring and vastly educational all at once.  They just keep getting better with each new installment.

Title:The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC (November 5, 2013), 9 hr, 45 min.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Subject: Botswana customs, male-female relationships
Setting: Gabarone, Botswana
Series: No.1 Ladies Detective Agency
Source: Publisher via the EarlyReviewers program of LibraryThing.com
Why did I read this book now?  I received the book in exchange for an honest review and I love the series.