Into The Beautiful North

by Luis Alberto Urrea

I read and loved Urrea's book The Hummingbirds Daughter. Because of this I did not hesitate to buy Beautiful North, without a second thought. I was then a little afraid to read it, thinking it might be disappointing to me. I shouldn't have worried.

Nayeli is a young girl from a Mexican village. One day, she realizes that the men in her village have slowly drifted away. They have nearly all gone north, into the United States. Most of them, including her father, have eventually simply disappeared.

Nayeli is from a family of strong positive women. In fact, the small village has several strong woman, and some of the young ones decide to go on a mission. They are going to go north and find men. They want to bring back seven good, strong, brave men to their village. It isn't safe to live in a place with not enough men, they decide.

This is the story of their mission. The people they meet and the way that they themselves grow and change. They learned a lot along the way and found themselves in some very difficult situations. This is about taking the road from childhood to adulthood, and about loyalty strength and family.

Recommended

Year of Past Things

by M.A. Harper

Adrien died 3 years ago. He died but he didn't actually leave.
The reasons are not immediately apparent, but his presence is.
This creates a situation that is not comfortable for Adrien's widow Michelle and her new husband Phillip. Perhaps, not even safe. Things happen in the household that range from curious, to chilling. Complicating matters is the fact that Michelle is more than a little bit still in love with Adrien. Their son Cam has never come to terms with the death of his father. Nichole, the younger child is troubled as well.

Phillip is trying to be understanding, but when the things that go bump in the night become more substantial and in fact detrimental to not only his marriage but his health and safety. Or does it?

Phillips brother, Father Dominic is not only an important factor to the story, but someone that I would like to know. In fact I found most of the characters to be compelling and likable. There is one in every crowd, they say and in this story it was... well, I will let you come to your own conclusions.

Schuyler's Monster

by

Robert Rummel-Hudson

This is a story of loving (and all too human) parents, and an extraordinary child. Rarely do you find a child who has special need described with such humor. There is always love, just as there was in this story, but humor and honesty and passion have equal roles.

I work with children who have special needs. Even though none of them have the same diagnosis as Schuyler, some of the obstacles they face are the same. The most difficult, is always communication. It is what the parents want the most, the children need badly and what is all too often not given enough attention.

This is a story of Schuyler's life, from conception to present day, more or less. The reader learns all about the world she developed in and how she began to grow. We learn what Mom and Dad are like, and how they learned along with their daughter what she needed to be happy and purposeful.

I wish that more of the parents had the gumption of these two, instead of sitting in IEPs and just going with the flow. I wish that more use was made of these communication devices, and not just 10 or 20 minutes during the day. I would like to give a copy of this book to every single family in our school.

( Things would really start hitting the fan, then!)

Well done Schuyler's daddy...! Good job Schuyler's mom. Keep up the good work, because I am sure that there will be more beneficiaries from it than just your amazing little girl.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a child, and anyone who does not. I particularly recommend this book to anyone who works with or runs schools for special needs children...or typical children. You are the ones who need to learn to reach for the stars.

Columbine

by Dave Cullen

This is more than a history of events. It is a story of the people involved, and the many ways people were impacted by the events of that day. Intellectually, I knew that it was not just the families of the victims, but others who also had personal storms to weather. This is their story, too.

This is not a story of the horror, that is present but only as background. It is a story of a town, a school, and the people. It is a dispassionate telling of events, the shooters and their families.

Highly recommended

The Last Bridge

by Teri Coyne


I consider this story to be a harsh one But it is the telling of a harsh life, so it cannot be any other way. Alexandra "Cat" Wilson is introduced very early in the story. We see her driving home for her mother's funeral. Death by suicide. Home is not exactly where she is headed either, as she had left the place she was raised and never went back. A decade had passed. Just for a little added drama, her abusive father was lying in a hospital having suffered a massive stroke only days earlier.That would be a lot to take on for any family. But Cat's family was different. And not in a good way.

Driving through the night, swigging bourbon from the bottle.. Cat arrived home.

The county sheriff was waiting for her as she drove up to her mothers house. The place she grew up. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone else. They all knew everyone else's business, too. And they had long memories.


Before long, Cat is joined by her brother Jared, her sister Wendy...and others from her past. She hadn't expected any of this to be easy. Nothing in her life so far had given her reason to expect anything to be easy. Ever.

There was abuse, there was no love, there were few friends or even acquaintances to help her through this troubled time. But then, Cat didn't want any help. She didn't need it, she would tell you so herself.

It was the secrets that seemed to trouble her most. The stories, the facts, that no one knew. All she wanted was to get this next thing over with and get out of town. Again. Or did she?

My first instinct was to get out of this horrible story. Lay it down and walk away. I'm glad I didn't, because things are not always as they seem.

The suicide note read: Cat, he is not who you think he is... Mom xxxooo

of BEES and MIST

by Erick Setiawan


Wiki says : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fable

A fable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities), and that illustrates a moral lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.

This story is meant to be a fable, and so it is. An adult fable with adult themes and adult situations. IT is the story of Meridia, a young woman who spent her childhood in a home whose mirrors held images of strangers within them. A home whose stairway was apt to grow or shrink while traveling on it. A home filled with chill, and cold and empty hearts.

It her coming of age story. Something that is accomplished in a small town where anything might happen. She meets Daniel, and her life continues and becomes a life she wouldn't have recognized from her dreams. They battled hardship and hate and his shrewish mother. Her unloving father broke Meridia's heart, and her mother Ravenna's as well. Still, goodness and love grew in Meridia's heart.

The mysterious Hannah, though seldom seen was often vital to the story.

Why Bees and Mists? well, you will see their role as well. One that you wouldn't expect to find in an ordinary story. This though, is not that, not ordinary at all. There is magic and mystery and defiance and most of all there is love.

recommended.

The Angel's Game

by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This is an all enveloping love story that......no, maybe not. This is a paranormal mystery that will draw you in from the...no, maybe not that either. This is an extraordinary piece of literary fiction, touched by murder, deception and deep friendship. I'm sorry, that isn't quite right either.

None of these things describe this book. All of these things describe this book.

This book is like a fire opal. Hold it up and from each direction, and in different light the color that you see blazing through is different. Also like a fire opal, this story is a gem worth having. It is worth passing on to others , to share the wealth. Perfection!

No, surely not. Nearly all gems have flaws. I read, and even went back to reread some passages, I never lost interest for one moment.

This is the story of a remarkable life. David Martin's life. All of the experiences that fed or sucked away at his soul. The events that broke his heart, or filled it. It is the explanation of how spirit kept him going, and where he landed. Some parts may sound familiar, because who among us has never had a broken heart, or spirit?

I highly recommend this book. I am at a loss to explain it, but I do recommend it

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

by Katherine Howe

The fact that the author herself is a descendant of two of the women who were accused during the Salem witch trials does make this story very interesting. I have to imagine that there were some interesting stories passed along in her family. At least, I would hope so!

First I have to say that the physical book itself charmed me. I received an advance copy and was very taken by its appearance.

Second, I did like Connie and Liz and Grace (who did somehow have some of Endora's energy. Remember Bewitched?)

Most books or stories that I have read about the witch trials have assumed that anything outside of the ordinary was witchcraft and therefore bad or wrong. I myself never felt that way. It is my personal belief that there is magic in the most mundane if only we look. I have always felt that there was more to the Salem story than some women who were wrongly accused and punished. Did these women, or at least some of them have abilities outside the typical? I have always thought so. Can folk remedies and the use of herbs and intention do good or harm. Well, yes. To my thinking intention is very important, and it has been clearly proven that many ills can be treated from natural sources.

Early on in the book, it is given to Connie to consider that those accused were perhaps witches. While she is not interested in pursuing this line of thought at first, so called coincidence intervenes and her interest is piqued. She begins to do research with a much more open mind than she had in the beginning.

I liked this book. The story drew me in from the beginning, and held my interest throughout. I liked the characters, and enjoyed the interludes where we were taken back to the sixteen hundreds.

I do believe that the ending leaves room for a sequel as do so many books these days. When and if one is written I will be waiting eagerly for its release. A little bit of mystery, a little bit of magic, a pinch of romance, good characters, interesting story and yes, I would recommend it to my friends.

Tide, Feather, Snow

by Miranda Weiss
For many years I have been intrigued by Alaska. I have heard stories from people who have traveled there, read magazines and books that featured this mysterious place. I have longed to visit, all the while knowing that chances of that happening were slim, at best.

I recently read Not One Drop by Rikki Ott, a book that tells the story of the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez disaster as it relates to Cordova and its people. An engrossing and compelling read, that made me want to learn more.

When this book became available, I knew I wanted to read it, and I am glad to have the opportunity to do so. It too explores the vastness and purity of our forty ninth state. It paints a picture of the beauty as well as the hard core grittiness to be found there. This book takes us across Alaska and allows us to look into the lives and homes of some of the people who have chosen to make the state their home, as well as those who were born there.

I think this is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good adventure story, learning about another way of life, or simply enjoys reading a memoir about someone who is essentially like them, an ordinary person but one who makes extraordinary choices.

Down Around Midnight

by Robert Sabbag

This is a fact filled, mostly unemotional account of the authors experience of a plane crash in 1979.
It was a foggy night and after a delay, Air New England Flight #248 flight left LaGuardia airport, bound for Hyannis.

When the plane went down, killing the pilot and critically injuring the co-pilot, there were ten passengers on board, including Suzanne. She was to play a significant part in the rescue of the survivors. She was in fact, quite a hero that night. The author Robert Sabbag played an important role himself, but this is described dispassionately and with no self importance.

This book, written so many years after the actual event, gives us a unique perspective into how a single event can affect lives forever. The author began by speaking with his own family about the crash, something that had never really been done in the days immediately following. He then found and interviewed other passenger, as well as rescue personnel. The result being one of the most intriguing books I have ever read.

I recommend this book . It is an easy read, and an interesting, if not fascinating topic.
Truth is of course stranger than fiction, and some of the events described here bear that out.