The Orphanage of Miracles by Amy Neftzger

Have you ever been reading a book that you thought was a stand alone title only to realize as you get closer and closer to the ending that there is no possible way all the storylines will be wrapped up and that it must be the first in a new series? This is exactly what happened to me when reading The Orphanage of Miracles* by Amy Neftzger. I wasn't looking to start a new series, especially a middle-grade one with only one book published currently. These days I have enough series that I'm trying to keep up with and many of them I have been reading for years. I've gotten frustrated with waiting for new books so now if a series sounds interesting I will wait until there are several books out so I can read them one after another. There are so many books to read that a series can easily be forgotten or pushed aside if another book is not released quickly enough. I must make sure this does not happen with The Orchard of Hope**, the second title from Amy Neftzger, which continues the story of Kelsey and her companions.

The Orphanage of Miracles is an extraordinarily entertaining fantasy story which contains great wisdom. I think adults can get as much out of this story as the intended middle school audience. Kelsey joins with unusual companions on her quest to find a miracle while Nicholas and his friends live in an orphanage where miracles are housed. Their stories are told in alternating chapters for most of the book until the two storylines converge as at least some of the issues are resolved. The ending of the book provides some answers while offering many more questions to be dealt with in a future story.

I loved the whimsical characters who were so much more than they appeared to be on the surface. The conversations were often confused but with great understanding underneath. Neftzger plays perfectly with questions of great meaning and the image of authority which cannot be questioned.

The only aspect of this book that I struggled with was the two storylines being told in alternating chapters. I think this is something of a personal issue though as I seem to struggle to find my reading rhythm with any book that is written in this format. It seems that one chapter is barely long enough to get into the story of one character and then the story shifts quickly back to the other. However if multiple chapters are given to one story and then the other, it is easy to lose track of where a character is and what has happened up to that point.

Although I wasn't looking to begin another series when I received The Orphanage of Miracles from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program I am looking forward to reading more adventures of Kelsey and Nicholas.

* Amazon Affiliate Link
** Amazon Affiliate Link for preorder (anticipated release date is June 2014)

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee

I received a copy of The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program.

Fan's of Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street series are sure to enjoy The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. I loved getting to know the people of Avalon and the book certainly centers on individuals and how their stories impact those around them. I was a little concerned when I started reading that I would feel that I was missing pieces of the story because I haven't read Friendship Bread but that wasn't the case at all. I was given exactly enough detail about each character and their history to become immersed in their current story line. I loved the between the chapters sections that gave us even more details about characters who weren't the focus of this book but had a smaller role to play in influencing events.

I do not scrapbook but the way Bettie describes scrapbooking makes me want to start! The scrapbooking wasn't the focus of the story but gave the women a reason to gather and share the events of their lives. Gee included enough scrapbooking detail and terminology for an authentic experience but not so much that it is overwhelming to people like me.

I greatly enjoyed The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society and look forward to reading Friendship Bread. I hope Gee plans to return to Avalon in the future as there are certainly many more stories to be told.

About the Book:

At Madeline’s Tea Salon, the cozy hub of the Avalon community, local residents scrapbook their memories and make new ones. But across town, other Avalonians are struggling to free themselves of the past: Isabel Kidd is fixing up her ramshackle house while sorting through the complications of her late husband’s affair. Ava Catalina is mourning the love of her life and helping her young son grow up without his father. Local plumber Yvonne Tate is smart, beautiful, and new to Avalon, but finds that despite a decade of living life on her own terms, the past has a way of catching up—no matter where she goes. And Frances Latham, mother to a boisterous brood of boys, eagerly anticipates the arrival of a little girl from China—unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of foreign adoption.

Enter Bettie Shelton, the irascible founder of the Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. Under Bettie’s guidance, even the most reluctant of Avalon’s residents come to terms with their past and make bold decisions about their future. But when the group receives unexpected news about their steadfast leader, they must pull together to create something truly memorable.

By turns humorous, wise, and deeply moving, The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a luminous reminder that the things we hold most dear will last a lifetime.

Buy from Amazon: Kindle or Hardcover

About Friendship Bread:

In the quiet community of Avalon, Illinois, Julia Evarts wonders how to move on with her life. Though her husband and five-year-old daughter give her an abundance of love, Julia still reels from a tragedy that has left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend. Meanwhile, across town, widow Madeleine Davis takes great pleasure in serving up delectable treats and cozy comforts at her tea salon—now, if only she had some customers to enjoy them. And famed concert cellist and recent Avalon transplant Hannah de Brisay finds herself at a crossroads when her career and marriage come to abrupt ends. The three strangers forge a friendship at Madeleine’s Tea Shop, and soon their camaraderie extends to everyone in Avalon in the guise of a unique and wonderful gift. But even as Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

Life and loss, friendship and community, food and family: Friendship Bread tells a spirited, remarkably moving tale about the triumph of hope.

Buy from Amazon: Kindle or Paperback

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

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Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace

Former teacher turned freelance journalist Jason Priestley has no idea that helping a girl with an armload of packages into a London taxi will begin an all consuming adventure to find her based on the photos in the disposable camera she left behind. The quest gives him a focus and a bit of hope while the rest of his life seems to fall apart before his eyes.

A quote on the cover of Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace promises it "will have you laughing out loud and melt your heart, all at once." (Cosmopolitan U.K.) Unfortunately, I think this is another book where I just don't get the humor. This may in part be due to the timing of my reading it. No where in the description was it mentioned that Jason Priestley left teaching after a school shooting incident. Now, it was nothing like the Newtown, CT tragedy and no one died or was even seriously injured. However reading about a similar event in the first two pages of the book nearly caused me to put it down all together. I am glad that I kept reading though. While I didn't find the story humorous, I did enjoy it.

Jason Priestley lives a sad life. His former girlfriend is now engaged and pregnant. He lives with his best friend Dev above a failing video game store. Even his freelance writing assignments are completed without real effort. Jason is one of those characters who drifts with no real direction. Life seems to happen to him and is always in reaction mode instead of trying to push forward and make things happen. Even the quest to find the girl who left the camera is Dev's idea and Jason just ends up along for the ride. I was happy to see Jason grow a bit throughout the book and at least by the end he seems to be pushing forward and making some decisions on his own.

There were two things that I didn't care for with this book though. The first was that Jason addressed the reader directly. I didn't like this because I wanted to simply observe his story not be a part of it. The second was the way that pieces of the girl's blog were inserted between chapters. While this turns out to be extremely relevant to the story by the end, the first time it happened I was extremely confused because I had no context for this sudden section in italics that didn't seem to fit the rest of the story. I had no idea who was talking or where any of that came from. While this may have been intentional, I found it distracting from the main story. The second blog insertion made much more sense and from that point I could at least follow the thin story thread.

Overall Charlotte Street was an enjoyable book although it was not exactly the lighthearted read I was looking for. I'm not sure what the male equivalent to "chick lit" is but I would place this book into that category.

I received a copy of Charlotte Street (October 2012, William Morrow) from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.

Purchase Charlotte Street on Amazon: eBook or Paperback

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Amazon and Book Depository links are affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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Sad Desk Salad by Jessica Grose

In Sad Desk Salad by Jessica Grose, Alex Lyons is a writer for the website Chick Habit. Sure writing gossipy blog posts wasn't exactly what Alex thought she would be doing with her college education but at least she is writing and getting her name out there. Scouring the web for the next big story means she rarely leaves the couch and she is never completely unplugged. The pressure to drive traffic to the blog is high and her job, and those of the other writers, depend on the number of hits each article receives. Competition for the byline is fierce so when Alex receives a video showing a squeaky clean college girl (whose mom just happens to have done the talk show circuit promoting her parenting book and is now running for political office) in a compromising situation, it seems like Alex's scoop of the year. Alex has doubts though about exposing such a private moment in a public forum. Alex doesn't even anticipate the impact that the story will have on her personal life.

Sad Desk Salad initially comes off as a breezy, chick lit, type of book and in some ways it is. The writing is simple, yet effective, and the characters seem to interact mainly on the surface of things. When I started Sad Desk Salad, I was afraid that it was going to be another book like The Nanny Diaries or The Devil Wears Prada. I've already admitted to not really getting the humor in those books. I was very happy to discover that Sad Desk Salad was nothing like that for me. It has funny moments and was light reading but it never felt like I was supposed to find amusement in the negative situations in which Alex finds herself.

Although it never travels too deep, Grose does offer the reader many topics for contemplation including the issue of privacy for individuals related to those in the spotlight. Online bullying is touched upon as well. The business climate for the women of Chick Habit is one of friendliness and camaraderie one day, after discovering the existence of a hate blog about them, to accusing each other of being behind the hate blog and trying to steal each others jobs the next day. Alex spends so much time "reporting" on the gossip of the world or writing stinging commentary on relevant news that she forgets how to actually live in the world. Her romantic relationship and her friendships suffer because she can no longer see past her computer screen. Sometimes I just had to shake my head and wonder if Alex would really be able to repair any of the damage she had caused to her own life.

Sad Desk Salad only took me two days to read and, after the heavy ending to my reading of last year, it was the perfect way to start this year's reading.

I received Sad Desk Salad (October 2012, William Morrow) from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.

Buy Sad Desk Salad from Amazon: Paperback or eBook (affiliate links)

If you are looking for a site that supports women in business and blogging (essentially the opposite climate from the fictional Chick Habit) check out Project Purse Club

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Amazon and Book Depository links are affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (Review)

Title: The Age of Miracles
Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Publication Date: June 26, 2012
Publisher: Random House
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program

The rotation of the Earth has slowed changing the length of the days. At first it is a few additional minutes, then hours, then the days are so long that it seems the night will never come. Twelve year old Julia, and the rest of the world population, must learn to adapt to their rapidly changing environment. Should the hours of daylight and darkness dictate their lifestyle or should people ignore the changing natural rhythms and stick strictly to "clock time"? The change affects the food supply, the gravity, the animals, and the tides. Julia must navigate the perilous changes of her initial teen years against this backdrop of global changes.

If you are looking for a breezy summer read, The Age of Miracles is not that book. It is wonderful and intense and sad and thoughtful but there is nothing light about it. Entering the teen years is difficult enough when the rest of the world is stable. Julia faces these normal teenage growing  pains amidst the complete chaos of a global environmental change. Friendships change as families move away and the teens drift in different directions. Julia changes as she begins to worry more like her mother. She discovers the attraction of boys and the secrets of adults. As she remembers the events of these years, she ponders if things would have been the same without the slowing of the Earth.

If you read this book looking for a reason for the slowing of the Earth's rotation you will be disappointed. The Age of Miracles does not offer a scientific explanation, although a few thoughts are given here and there. It is also not a book reflecting on how we are damaging the Earth and impacting the natural order of the environment, although this is touched upon. The Age of Miracles is primarily about people and relationships and the ability of the human spirit to survive unthinkable changes in our world. It examines how people react so differently to the same set of circumstances and how uncertainty can both pull people together and tear people apart.

The Age of Miracles: A Novel is a short but emotionally intense novel that will make you think about the relationships in your life and how you might react to an uncertain future.



Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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Overseas by Beatriz Williams (Review)

Title: Overseas
Author: Beatriz Williams
Publication Date: May 2012
Publisher: Putnam Books
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program

Overseas is the story of Kate and Julian from France in 1916 to New York in 2007. How is such a romance possible? Well, there is time travel involved. I'm not usually a romance reader unless it sneaks in to some of my urban fantasy or paranormal fiction so it was the time travel aspect of the story that initially drew me to Overseas. What kept me reading, however, was the characters. Kate is a fantastically modern woman with a strong independent streak and a temper that flares quickly when she feels coddled. Julian is a traditional British gentleman with impeccable manners and a protective nature. Together they are a dynamic pair, drawn to each other more strongly than either can understand. Their connection may be inevitable but that doesn't mean they don't have the usual relationship problems along the way. They also face a larger threat to their happiness, although neither realizes the source.

I loved how the modern story of Kate and Julian was initially established  by alternating the modern chapters with flashback chapters to France in 1916. This was a great set up to the story because it made it clear that the Kate of the past knows more than she shares initially and the same for the modern Julian. I felt a bit disoriented at first but I think that is because I wanted to rush the revealing of all the information instead of letting the story unfold naturally until everything comes together. Once I settled into the story, letting it unfold at the pace it was meant to, I was able to fall into the world of Kate and Julian and enjoy the development of their relationship.

As I neared the end of the book, I began to fear that the mystery of how the time travel happened wouldn't be revealed and I would just have to believe it to be possible. I think that would have ruined the ending a bit for me. Without giving anything I away I will say that I was thankful this was not the case and the time travel was explained to a degree. The ending chapters once again tie the modern story to the past in a way that brings everything full circle and wraps up all the lingering questions.

Overseas is the first novel from Beatriz Williams and I'm sure it won't be the last. The writing is excellent with great descriptions, well-developed characters, and a fantastic storyline. With the new baby, it has been taking me a lot longer to read books this year than usual but I was enjoying Overseas so much that I made more time to read and finished it faster than I've finished much shorter books. This really tells you how much Williams captured my attention and drew me into Kate and Julian's world.



For another review of Overseas, check out this one at Jenn's Bookshelves.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Peter is Just a Baby by Marisabina Russo

Title: Peter is Just a Baby
Author: Marisabina Russo
Publication Date: November 11, 2011
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

In Peter is Just a Baby, the older sister relates all the things that she can do that Peter can't like using big words, learning French, and dancing.  The story is cute as it leads up to Peter's first birthday and the sister hoping that Peter will now be able to do some of the things that she can do.

I love the way this book is illustrated. The characters are bears and the illustrations are soft. The pictures match the text very well and flow easily on the pages. Some of the pages have several smaller pictures illustrating different activities while other pages have one large picture. This makes the book more visually interesting than having one large picture on each page and it also allows for more activities to be shown. The book has really nice use of white space for the text as well. Some picture books are difficult to read if the text is placed directly over the illustration but this book avoids that issue completely. The text also flows well around the pictures which keeps the narrative moving visually.

Although there is a glossary in the front of the book with the French terms including pronunciation and definition, I didn't care for the use of French throughout the text. I took French in high school and am somewhat comfortable with the pronunciations but I can see the foreign words being a turn off to parents who are not familiar with the language. I know I don't like reading a story to my daughter if I am uncertain of how to pronounce some of the words. This is really the only thing that I didn't enjoy about this book though.

I received an advance copy of Peter Is Just a Baby from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program in exchange for providing my honest review.

Interestingly enough, Amazon.com shows a shipping time for this book of 3 to 5 weeks, meaning it would not arrive until after Christmas, but Eerdmans Books for Young Readers shows a shipping time of only 3 days.



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Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart

Title:  The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise
Author:  Julia Stuart
Publisher:  Doubleday
Publication Date:  August 2010
Format:  Hardcover, 304 pages
Age Group:  Adult

Usually I write my own little summary of the books I am reviewing.  However, as I am finding The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise difficult to reduce, I'm sharing the summary from Goodreads:

Brimming with charm and whimsy, this exquisite novel set in the Tower of London has the transportive qualities and delightful magic of the contemporary classics Chocolat and Amélie.

Balthazar Jones has lived in the Tower of London with his loving wife, Hebe, and his 120-year-old pet tortoise for the past eight years. That’s right, he is a Beefeater (they really do live there). It’s no easy job living and working in the tourist attraction in present-day London.

Among the eccentric characters who call the Tower’s maze of ancient buildings and spiral staircases home are the Tower’s Rack & Ruin barmaid, Ruby Dore, who just found out she’s pregnant; portly Valerie Jennings, who is falling for ticket inspector Arthur Catnip; the lifelong bachelor Reverend Septimus Drew, who secretly pens a series of principled erot­ica; and the philandering Ravenmaster, aiming to avenge the death of one of his insufferable ravens.

When Balthazar is tasked with setting up an elaborate menagerie within the Tower walls to house the many exotic animals gifted to the Queen, life at the Tower gets all the more interest­ing. Penguins escape, giraffes are stolen, and the Komodo dragon sends innocent people running for their lives. Balthazar is in charge and things are not exactly running smoothly. Then Hebe decides to leave him and his beloved tortoise “runs” away.

Filled with the humor and heart that calls to mind the delight­ful novels of Alexander McCall Smith, and the charm and beauty of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is a magical, wholly origi­nal novel whose irresistible characters will stay with you long after you turn the stunning last page.

My Review:

I found this book to be very slow going at first.  The long descriptive passages with no dialogue or even action seemed to violate the writer's rule of 'show don't tell.'  The skipping around between past and present and between characters with no warning was often unsettling and disorienting.  I would just find myself being pulled into the life of one character when I was suddenly thrust headlong into a different scene all together.

Many of the characters in the book were intriguing with their various quirks and charms.  However, I just couldn't understand how some of them fit into the main story.  There seemed to be many little side-stories along the main one of Balthazar Jones and his wife, Hebe.  I kept waiting for a stronger connection between them but in some cases those connections never appeared.  Some of them simply felt unfinished at the end of the book.  In fact, I was even wondering whether a main question was going to be answered as I was getting to the final few pages of the book.  Luckily it was.

Despite the difficulties that I had with this book, I did end up enjoying it.  It certainly isn't one that I will read again and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

I received a copy of The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise from the Early Review program at LibraryThing with the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

Title:  Juliet
Author:  Anne Fortier
Publisher:  Ballantine Books
Publication Date:  August 2010
Format:  Hardcover, 464 pages
Age Group:  Adult

Julie Jacobs and her twin sister, Janice, have never gotten along but their great-aunt Rose had always treated them equally.  So Julie is shocked when aunt Rose dies leaving everything to Janice.  The only item Julie inherits is the key to a safety deposit box in Italy, which may or may not lead to a family treasure.  As Julie embarks on her quest to locate the treasure, she discovers far more in family history.  In Siena, Italy, she meets family members who knew her parents and learns that the family feuds written about in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet may still continue to this day.

I absolutely loved this book.  Fortier captured me from the opening paragraph, actually from the prologue.  At that point, I was already wondering what was going to happen.  Where was the story going to go and how was Julie Jacobs tied to the story of Juliet?  What would she find in Italy and how would it change her?

I think that weaving the past and the present is one of the most difficult things a writer can do.  When it is done well, it can be brilliant but when done poorly, it can be confusing and frustrating.  Fortier certainly has the gift for moving back and forth in time without jarring the reader.  She allows the connections between the past and present to develop naturally without forcing them on the reader.  Julie's discovery of the people behind Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet brings a new vision to the play.

The characters were engaging and so many of them had hidden elements.  Little in this book is as it first appears and Julie must stumble forward as she pieces everything together.  While her initial purpose for going to Italy is to locate the family treasure, she soon finds more knowledge in the people and her family history.

The majority of the book is written wonderfully.  There were only two places where I felt as if I was taken out of the story for a bit as the characters lapsed into dialogue that seemed a bit forced and out of character.  I realize that this was an intended effect as these characters tended to rub each other the wrong way but in these two particular instances I felt it was taken a bit too far.  Throughout the rest of the book, I was completely captivated by the characters, the action, and the setting.

I fear that this review is not doing the book justice.  Let's just say I would highly recommend Juliet!  Learn more at the book's official website.

I received an Advance Reader's Edition of Juliet from the Early Reviewers program at LibraryThing with the expectation that I would provide a review.  The opinion expressed here is entirely my experience with reading this book.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P. N. Elrod

Title:  Dark and Stormy Knights
Editor:  P. N. Elrod
Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date:  July 2010
Format: Paperback, 368 pages
Age Group:  Adult

Dark and Stormy Knights is a collection of short stories by some great authors of paranormal and fantasy fiction.  The book includes stories by Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Shannon K. Butcher, Rachel Caine, P. N. Elrod, Deidre Knight, Vicki Pettersson, Lilith Saintcrow, and Carrie Vaughn.  I had read books by a couple of these authors before but many of them were new to me.

I really loved the majority of stories in this collection.  I think short stories are incredibly difficult to write because there is not as much time to develop characters and do world building.  The writing has to be very tight to fit all the information in that the reader needs to understand what is going on during this brief episode in the character's journey.  All of the authors did a wonderful job with this.  The stories that I enjoyed less were still very good and well written, they were just not to my reading taste as much as the others.

Another thing that I find difficult with short stories is when they are written about a character who is also a main or supporting character in a series of novels.  Sometimes I feel like I need to have read the other books to have the background to understand the story.  This was not the case with the stories I read in this book.  I've been wanting to read Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels' series anyway and now that I've read "A Questionable Client" I'm moving those books up on the list.  Although I've read Jim Butcher's books, I think I would have been able to follow "Even Hand" just as easily if I hadn't known Harry Dresden's story.  "Dark Lady" by P. N. Elrod made me want to read more of The Vampire Files that my husband has sitting on the shelf.

I think Dark and Stormy Knights is a fantastic collection of stories for paranormal and fantasy lovers.  It introduced me to some new authors and now I want to read more!

I received advance uncorrected proofs of Dark and Stormy Knights through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program with the expectation that I would write a review.  The opinions presented here are entirely my own.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

Title:  The Tale of Halcyon Crane
Author:  Wendy Webb
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date:  March 30, 2010
Format:  Paperback, 352 pages
Age Group:  Adult

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb is a modern ghost story filled with family secrets.  Hallie James receives a mysterious letter which turns her life upside down as it reveals that her mother, who she believed died when she was a child, was actually alive and only recently passed away.  Hallie discovers that her mother had believed that she and her father had died years before.  Now with the loss of her father, Hallie travels to Grand Manitou Island to learn about her childhood and family history.  The isolated islanders are not happy to see her and Hallie soon learns about a tragedy that occurred just before she and her father disappeared.  Strange things also begin happening in the house left to her by her mother.  With the help of Iris, the housekeeper, Hallie begins to lean about her family history and the strange secrets it contains.

Wendy Webb immediately captured my attention with her amazingly descriptive language.  I could envision exactly what Hallie was seeing, experiencing, and even feeling.  The description of the fog and the affect it had on Hallie was simply chilling and set the tone for the whole story to come.  I found myself paying attention to the specific words that Webb used while at the same time being completely caught up in the story.  It is a rare book that can impact me like that - generally if I'm entranced in the story I am not paying attention to the language or if I am noticing the language it means I am not fully engaged with the story.

The family history that Iris tells Hallie is certainly an unusual tale but it seems to fit the setting and time period.  One decision made in a time of desperation impacts all the generations to come.  It made me wonder how the story might continue if Hallie has children in the future or if her actions break the cycle for good.  I loved how the modern actions of the islanders and the family history are woven together even without people understanding how the past has changed their present.

I would love to give this book a five star rating but there were a couple of odd things that didn't quite fit to me.  The first even Hallie recognizes - Why are the islanders so hostile toward her?  She was very young when her father faked their deaths and, although the event that her reappearance brings back into the collective mind of the residents is horrible, she should not be blamed for that event.  While Hallie actually wonders about this at one point in the book I don't think the question is ever really resolved.  One particular character seems to me to almost be an afterthought or just kind of extra.  Although Jonah's story is explained, I think that side story was unnecessary and he probably could have been left out entirely.  There was also one section of the book which gave a big buildup and then I felt the actual event didn't warrant that much drama beforehand.

In spite of these small inconsistencies, I enjoyed The Tale of Halcyon Crane tremendously.  It was very different from the other books I have been reading lately.  I think it only took me about two days to read and most of the books I've read lately have taken a full week or more.  I really didn't want to put this one down because I wanted to know what was going on at Hallie's island house but then I was sad when the story ended because it had captured all of my attention.

I received an Advance Reader's Edition of The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb from the Early Reviewer Program at LibraryThing for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: April 28, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Age Group: Adult
Series: The Buckshaw Chronicles (Book 1)

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce has a curious nature, desiring to understand the workings of the world through chemistry. She also has an affinity for poisons. So when a bird is found dead on the doorstep, a stranger argues with her father in the middle of the night, and she witnesses the last breath of a murder victim in the cucumber patch, Flavia is determined to solve the mystery and prove her father's innocence.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't hold my attention the way I had anticipated it would. Perhaps it was the setting - the English countryside, or the time period - 1950, that caused me to feel uneasy as a viewer of this tale. I found Flavia's character to be a bit over the top as she dashed here and there trying to connect all the pieces of the puzzle. Her flashes of insight seemed forced at times, although I did understand all the bits of the mystery at the end.

At times this book felt like it was more of a young adult novel, with an eleven-year-old as the narrator, yet it was a very adult book at the same time. Flavia exudes both the excitement and innocence of her age and a wisdom far beyond them.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first novel to feature Flavia but it will not be the last as Bradley has at least two more books planned for the Buckshaw chronicles. Bradley won the Debut Dagger Award in 2007 for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

While the book was enjoyable, it did not hold my interest well enough for me to continue on with the series. I have seen many favorable reviews for this book and I am sure it would fit other reading tastes better than mine.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an Advance Reading Copy of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie through the Member Givewaway Program at LibraryThing.

2009 Reading Challenges

1st in a Series Challenge

Eve by Elissa Elliott

Title: Eve A Novel of the First Woman
Author: Elissa Elliott
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 27, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
Age Group: Adult

Eve A Novel of the First Woman tells the story of Adam, Eve, and their children after they leave the Garden of Eden. The story is told through the memories of Eve and her daughters. Eve recounts the events that led to her and Adam's expulsion from the Garden and also the events leading to the tragedy between Cain and Abel.

Each chapter in the book is told by a different character and they are clearly labeled. I did not have difficulty keeping track of who was relating the story. One aspect that was jarring was that most of the chapters are told in first person but Naava's chapters were told in third person. For me, it would have made more sense to write all the chapters in first person or write Eve's in first person and all of the daughters' chapters in third.

Eve's chapters meander through her memories, which is a fitting method to tell her tale. She contemplates her life and her relationships with her children, Adam, and Elohim. The reader also learns about Eve through the stories of her daughters and her relationship with her sons.

Elliott uses lyrical language to capture Eve's questions and doubts. While Elliott has researched the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, this is a work of fiction and as such, she has taken artistic license with the events to create a compelling tale.

Eve A Novel of the First Woman is a beautiful, historical novel that inspires contemplation of ones own life.

Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

Title: Any Given Doomsday
Author: Lori Handeland
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: November 4, 2008
Format: Mass market paperback, 352 pages
Age Group: Adult
Series: The Phoenix Chronicles (Book 1)

I was very excited to receive an Advance Reading Copy of Lori Handeland's Any Given Doomsday from the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program. From the description I thought the book would fit perfectly with my library of urban fantasy, traditional fantasy, and paranormal titles. Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed in this book.

Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic and ex-cop who wakes up after a four day coma. She was found lying next to her foster mother's murdered body. Elizabeth is about to enter a world she didn't even know existed, filled with creatures from myth and legend. Her psychic powers have been greatly enhanced and expanded and now she must learn quickly because the fate of the world may rest in her hands. She is aided in her quest for knowledge by Jimmy, an ex-lover and half vampire, and Sawyer, a skin-walker who Elizabeth hoped was in her past.

The story in this book sounds promising and I might have enjoyed it if it had been executed in a different fashion. I had never read anything by Lori Handeland before and did not realize her background as a romance author. While I have read some romances that I enjoyed, it is definitely not one of my primary genres. Handeland's romantic background came through very strongly in her descriptive passages and the book contained a large amount of sexual scenes. While I do not object to the occasional sex scene in a book, I do not like it when the sex becomes a primary plot device as it did in this book. Handeland compares The Phoenix Chronicles to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series and I think that is a very accurate comparison when talking about the most current Anita Blake books. I was a fan of the Anita Blake series before it became bogged down with all the sex but the increase in sex and subsequent decrease in an actual plot line has me wondering if I will continue to even read them. Fans of the current Anita Blake books would probably enjoy Any Given Doomsday.

Find out more about The Phoenix Chronicles and Lori Handeland's other books at her official website. There is also a short story about Elizabeth Phoenix on the website which takes place before the book. Any Given Doomsday is scheduled for release on November 4, 2008. Book 2 in the series, Doomsday Can Wait, is scheduled for release on April 28, 2009. If our local library picks up this series, I will probably check out the second book and then make a decision on the series as a whole.