The Last Will of Moira Leahy

by Therese Walsh
Enough. Just light enough. Just dark enough. Just perfectly balanced and just enough.
Maeve and Moira were twin girls who lived with their family on the Penobscot. They lived
with loving parents, an adventuring grandfather and good friends and neighbors.

Like so many twins they shared a special closeness, and even a language between just the
two of them. For years they had all that they needed in just themselves in the security of their
family. Time passes. Things change. A mothers well meaning choices came back to haunt them all. One
day, a boy came into their lives and things changed forever.

The story of how Maeve lived after the changes, and what happened to this loving family..
is entrancing, magical at times and filled with sorrow and loneliness. Just for a while.. and
then as they do, things changed. They changed because Maeve found a strength in her she didn't know she had.
She was prodded by her father to step out, step forward and to live. A wise man, he was. He set both of his daughters free.

Read this book. Highly recommended.

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 Mystery of Grace

by Charles De Lint

There is a blurb on this book by Alice Hoffman. She said "Nobody does it better".
I don't usually put much stock in these author blurbs, but I have to say that I agree with this one.
I don't remember how I found Charles De Lint, but I am grateful that I did, because as Ms Hoffman says, nobody does it better.

This is the story of Grace. It is a story of life and love and faith, or the loss of it.
It is a story of friendship and commitment and death. Most of all, it is a story that reminds us, as do all of De Lint's books of the magic within us all.

Grace with her tattoos and her grease and her family, the good and the bad,, is each one of us. Grace is more aptly named than you might think at first look. Grace learns to open her heart wider than she ever believed that she could, and see truth.

This is yet another must read in a long line of must reads by this magical author.

The Lace Reader

by Brunonia Barry

Beginning this story is like leaning back into a soft feather bed on a winters night. I am breathless with anticipation as each page ends and I turn to the next. I want more, and I want it now. But also, I dread coming to the end.

I feel the breeze blowing my hair back from my face, and smell that northern sea. There is nothing like it. I watch the bricks of Salem passing under my feet. I am there.

Towner is the main character. Her story is no less compelling or real than those of the others in the book. Eva, May, even Ann one of the more renowned witches in town all have their own equally strong personalities and stories. Mostly, it is about the Whitney family, life in a small town, and the injuries we all suffer as we make our way through life. It is the story of life through the eyes of Sophya, who takes the the name Towner in a desperate attempt to distance herself from things she cannot bear to remember.

May lives on Yellow Dog Island, and her home is a sanctuary for abused women. Emma, her half sister lives there as well. They work the land for food, and they make lace. The Whitney family woman all read lace. It is a family gift, or curse depending on how each woman sees the lace.

Towner is living in California until a call from her brother draws her to her home in Salem. A home only minutes away by boat from Yellow Dog Island. Once she is again face to face with where she spent her childhood, she has to deal with family mysteries both current and in the past. Facing these mysteries, learning to accept the abilities she had to read people, and to see them after they have passed on is a fascinating and intriguing read. No less intriguing is the story of Towner's healing.

Like the most beautiful examples of lace itself, this story is woven, interwoven and no thread is left hanging free. It pulls them all together to create a work of art to be cherished. A piece to look at again and again merely because it exists.

Under The Stone Paw

By Theresa Crater

Myth, magic, prophecy, metaphysics, adventure, romance and majestic vistas described with poetic accuracy, barely begin to describe what you find within these pages. From the first page until the last, I was captivated by the story, the history and the drama.

From Anne Le Clair, the first member of the renowned clan we meet, up through ancestry of her line, we meet strong, gifted and powerful women and men who willingly serve the family legacy. They serve all of their lives and by giving their lives if that is what they are called to do. They, along with five other families hold, literally within their hands, the keys to universal mysteries and life as we know it.

Each character introduced is part of an intricate design centuries in the making. We journey with them to Egypt, and walk the paths of the ancients, and find magic beyond our wildest dreams. As the story unfolds, we find treachery, betrayal and murder, but also, love and hope. There is as much history here as there is fiction. This is a book for the seekers among us, and also for those who just like a well told story with compelling characters and an ending that brings the many lines of the story together. It also leaves the reader wanting more of the same.

The Journal of Curious Letters (Book One of The 13th Reality Series)… by James Dashner

The Journal of Curious Letters (Book One of The 13th Reality Series)… by James Dashner

early reviewers selection

The longer you stay with this story, the better it gets.
I admit that there were some parts that I believe could be changed, but they are parts that I am looking at as an adult, a mom in fact.

Letting go of that and reading it as a child might, just accepting the story, made all the difference.

I like Tick.. I like his dad and his friends. This is an entertaining read. I will probably not be a phenomenon, but it is a book that kids will read, and that alone is a positive, in my opinion.

The story is filled with improbabilities, but good ones. I am always concerned about magic being allowed to simply die in our world. Books like this one help to keep it alive . That too, is a good thing. I like the fact that the main character is a bit nerdy, not one of the "in" crowd. I like the way that he was allowed to grow in his own eyes, which is where it matters the most. I like the fact that he likes and trusts his family, that sends a good message.

I agree with some others that some characters could be fleshed out a bit more, but then, that could happen as the story continues. Something had to be saved for book two. And again, we are judging as adults, not youngsters.

This is a decent read for an adult who is reading a kids book, and I think a really good read for kids. I look forward to the next one.

The Birth House: A Novel by Ami McKay

The Birth House: A Novel by Ami McKay

This is one of the best books that I have ever read.
I hated to finish it. It is a compelling story of a girl, a village, a family. It is a time of change for women.It is the story of a wise women, generous and loving.

Dora will be you, your daughter, your mother and your teacher. You will feel that you know her, or wish that you did. Marie.. so much wisdom, love and compassion. Knowledge passed down through a family. Magic implied, healing a gift she gives generously. You will not just read this story, you will fall into it....and when it is over, you will wish for more.

Buy it. Read it.

Changeling Garden by Winifred Elze

Changeling Garden by Winifred Elze

This is a warm, thoughtful and magical offering. I enjoyed every page It is definitely a relaxing read.It is a little quirky, and I like a little quirky. It is a bit of fluff, but fluff has its place. The garden is filled with magic, children and of course changes..