The Hummingbird's Daughter

by Luis Alberto Urrea

The author, at the end of this work of wonderous and beautiful fiction, this history, tells us it is the result of 20 years of historical and cultural research for the this book. It is the story of Teresa Urrea, also known as The Saint of Cabora. It is a story that was carried down through his family for many generations.

It takes you from the days before her birth, a fatherless child, in a hut with a dirt floor through her childhood, her life and so much more. This is a work of history, of spirituality and religion, of war, love hate and betrayal. It is a story of God, and healing and deep humanity.

Teresita, as she was called was eased from her mother's womb by Huila, a midwife and healer. At the moment of her birth, she was recognized as a gifted child. One who would be a healer in her own right, in the years to come.

Abandoned by her mother, she lived a life of poverty and abuse with her mothers sister and that sister's own children. It was only after an episode of extreme abuse that Huila took the child under her own protection, and saw to it that her life would be eased. Huila not only looked into her eyes and saw a gifted girlchild, but knew who her father had been.

Circumstances forced her to leave the only home she had ever know, and follow Don Tomas' Urrea to a new home, and a new life. Her aunt chose another path, which freed her to live with Huila, whom she learned to love and respect. Huila was free to become the teacher the child Teresita was waiting for.

The words to describe the terrible beauty of this book fail me. It is a book filled with love, with hate, with food and music, with worship and heresy ( but not where you expect it to be). It is a tale of opportunities, war , betrayal and martyrdom, joy and earthiness. This is a book that should sit on a shelf in every readers home. It is one to read again and again. IT is a book with no need for a sequel, as to read it again is to read more, learn more and see more.

Chance to dine with Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants

Algonquin Books is holding a huge sweepstakes for Water for Elephants, which is being sponsored by Parade magazine. The sweepstakes will be awarded to a book club (max. 5 members) and prizes include:

--Round-trip airfare to Asheville, NC
--Two nights’ lodging at the Inn on Biltmore Estate
--Ground transportation
--Dinner with Water for Elephants author Sara Gruen
--Signed copies of Water for Elephants


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The Seance

by John Harwood

Too much.

That is what comes to mind. Too much to the story. The story is too convoluted. Too many twist and turns. It strikes me that more depth could have been provided rather than more characters. It became difficult to keep track of who was who.

Some characters seemed to simply drop out of the story without explanation.They did reappear, abruptly and just as abruptly brought the threads of the story together.To me this story is reminiscent of Wilke Collins, THE WOMAN IN WHITE, but not quite uo to that standard. I had high hopes for this book up until the halfway point, when the meandering of the story seemed to get out of hand.

A running theme was the appearance both desired and undesired of spirits, or ghosts. There were fraudulent mediums and gifted ones. Marriages not blessed by love, broken families and blackmail. It was exhausting rather than entertaining. I cannot think of a single person that I would recommend this book to.

A Reliable Wife

by Robert Goolrick

It was just a story about...

You will have to make up your own mind. This is a compelling story woven within the lives of A lonely man, a broken woman and sorrow. But there is more. There is love, joy, and contentment.
by Robert Goolrick

The story is interwoven with emotion. There are so many twists and turns the reader is left feeling amazement, but never left unbelieving.

The lives of Ralph and Catherine have been flawed and empty for many years. The story of their coming together, a poor young woman and a hollow man of wealth is one that will pull you in from the beginning. You keep reading to see where the next turn takes you and and when you find out, you read more because you are so drawn into the complexity of characters and plot that closing the covers of this book begins to feel physically impossible.

What happens to this couple, for so they have become, and the people around them is labyrinth. For me, I was anxious to find my way out, and reluctant to leave it behind. This books is a keeper. I believe it will become a classic piece of literature that will be discussed, shared, read and read again. I will recommend it to everyone I know.

shelter me

by Juliette Fay

Ass kicking widow? Loving mother? Betrayed daughter? Vulnerable friend?

Yes.

All of these and more. When this book came my way as an advance copy I expected it to be an interesting and light read. It is. It is that and so much more.

Janie is a thirty something mother of two small children who lost her husband in a freak accident.There are many ways to lose a loved one, but to lose a soulmate with no time to say good-bye has to rank as one of the most difficult.

I expected to find a story that was sad and depressing and maybe a little difficult to read. Sad was there,betrayal, vulnerability and fear were all there. And humor. There is lots of humor. Hard to believe I know, considering the basic story. But difficult, no...no. I was drawn into this story, and found myself caring about the characters immediately.

Janie is strong, hurt but strong. When she was young, she simply did not believe that she would be one of those women who found true love and a happy life. But she did. She found a man who was able to "Get" her. To understand where she was coming from and to support her, love her and be a wonderful father to their children, Dylan and Carly. Her life had become so much more than she expected. Then he was gone.

A fatal decision, a moment in time and he was gone.

Suddenly a single mom who felt broken, she was carrying on as best she could. She had a wonderful supportive family behind her. Cormac, her cousin and a variety of slightly nutty but caring relatives and friends. Counseling from her priest was at first just an annoyance, but became more, much to her surprise.

Life was not through with surprising her, or testing her.

This book will land on my KEEPER shelf with the books never to give away and to read again and again.

This will be another book I will recommend and in fact give as a gift to friends. I have said before that I love stories about strong women. Women who do not let the stumbles on lifes path get them down. I love Janie and her family and friends and I know you will too.

An Irish Country Christmas

by Patrick Taylor


I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. The characters in the novel are gentle, kind and good.
Barry Laverty, the associate doctor compliments the older more curmudgeonly Dr. Fingal O'Reilly. The story of the practice these two share in a small Irish town very simply warms the heart. As the story flows we hear about the path these men take to become who and where they are today, and what Mrs Kinkaid has to do with it all.

In an easy manner this story is from the home and office of these two gentle doctors, into the lives and homes of the people who count on them. Each family has its own story, and some of them are hard indeed. That it is the holidays makes these stories all the more compelling. It is impossible not to feel drawn to Donal and Susan a set of newlyweds with typical issues but a far from typical history. Similarly, Sonny and Maggie but they are anything but typical. Unusual in appearance they turn out to be angels in disguise.

Eileen who does factory work to keep family and home after her husband leaves them and never looks back. Her three little ones are expecting a visit from Father Christmas. Will it take a miracle for him to appear?

Enchanting and engrossing, this is a perfect read for this special time of year.

Not One Drop

by Riki Ott


A story that began on Friday March 24, 1989.

That is the day that the oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled many millions of gallons of oil into the sound, and began one of the biggest corporate cover-ups and political shames in the history of this country. The day that a nightmare began.

This book tells the tale of this unwilling journey undertaken by the town of Cordova Alaska, by its families, small businesses and not least of all the wildlife of this microcosm of American Life. People like you and me who wanted nothing more than to work, to live and to seek happiness in their corner of the world.

The main characters of this story, Riki , Dan, Sam and Linden and their children put faces on the misery, on the loss, pain and fear. You will not find a just collection of data here. You will learn about the people who endured this tragedy and fought for years to bring life back to their home. Never giving up but always giving. Helping each other is truly a way of life in Cordova. That is one thing that has not changed.

It took five years for the "speedy trial" of Exxon to take it into the courts. A ruling finally came down and was of course appealed. It was February 2008 before Exxon's appeals reached the Supreme Court, and June of 2008 before they ruled. That a ruling reduced the amount of punitive damages to 10% of the original ruling.

There are fish in the sound these days, but it is not the same. I will never be the same. The herring have not rebounded, it may take many years for that. The people are another story. They have carried on. They have found their way through some very bad times. Life changing times. But most of them found a way to survive, to not give up.

This book is a reminder that what happened to the people of Alaska could happen to any of us during this time when the rights of the individual matter far less than those of the corporations. What was brought to the attention of the country and the world by what happened when the Exxon Valdez bled oil into the waters off Alaska, was only the beginning. The last chapters admonish us to step away from our televisions, climb out of our cocoons and get involved with our communities, our politics and our country as a means to save our own way of live and indeed, our republic.

Very timely, as this book comes to us at a time when our country is experiencing a surge of renewal. A time when our rights have suffered blow after blow, but we find ourselves ready to once again stand up and fight for ourselves and our country.

Another Mother's Life

by Rowan Coleman




This is a British novel. I tend to enjoy books these books because there is a subtle difference between them and the books written by Americans. In fact, that difference may be subtlety itself. I often find the stories to be more charming than those by Americans. The same reason I enjoy British films, I think?

In any case, this was a good story of two friends and a life circumstance ( read: man) that came between them. Most of the story of these two woman as youngsters, and then young women is told in flashbacks. The lives that they are living today, years after that final, crushing separation are compared. Such different paths they have traveled to bring them to the same crossroads.

When they are both young mothers, they are both taken aback when they meet at this crossroad of their lives.
It is the last thing either has ever expected to happen. Their children, daughters are becoming friends in much the same way that they did so many years ago.

This is the story of the possibility of renewing their friendship. Can it ever be as good as it once was?
It is a story of families, and frailties and the ability to trust.

Is it possible to go home again is a question we often come across, because it is really a question with no answer. Or perhaps a question with too many asnwers.

I read this in one afternoon, as I was drawn in and wanted to find out what happened to Catherine and Alison.
Many of us have had a good friend from childhood lost to time, or circumstance. That is what drew me in...

I am glad I read it and will pick up The Accidental Mother by the same author.

This was a good read that I will recommend to friends.

Heart In The Right Place

by Carolyn Jourdan



I hardly know where to begin. This is a beautiful story of a loving family and a very special community. It is a story of a woman who finds her truest self.

Carolyn Jourdan was a high profile attorney who worked on Capitol Hill. She drove a Mercedes, and had a high profile circle of friends. She knew all of the important people, and they knew her.

A family emergency sent her back to the hills of Tennessee, for a few days. It wasn't easy. She missed her place in DC from almost the first moment she was away. Her best friend was there. Her life and work were there. She was somebody there...or was she.

As the days and then weeks passed, far longer than she had expected or planned, Carolyn began to see things just a little differently. She had always wanted to help others, but had seen it more as a grand scheme. Helping many at one time. Making a difference . But is is more important to make a difference to many people at one time than it is to do so one by one. That was a conundrum she had trouble solving.

I loved each and every one of the people I met in this book. There were tears in my eyes more than once. A story filled with compassion, love and faith that will have a firm place on my small self of books that are to be read again and again.

Sarah's Key

by Tatiana de Rosnay



This is the Story of Sarah, a little girl who even when terrified herself, looks to protect her little brother.
Sarah was taken away from her home, and then from her parents when French police gathered Jewish families, to send them to their deaths simply for who they were.

This is the story of neighbors betraying neighbors. People who closed their hearts to the people they had known for years, for the reward of some cash in hand and perhaps their own safety.

This is a story of love and compassion. Heros in every day life who took it upon themselves to save little children. Particularly one family who took one such child to their hearts and into their family.

Sarah's Key tells the story of Julia. A woman who comes into her own when she too, stands up for a child and saves a life. It reminds us how fragile life is, and how many ways our own lives are entangled with the lives of others. It begins in 1942 in France, and ends more than sixty years later . It is a story of horror and death, It is a story of love and life and joy.

I was invested in the characters from page one. By the time I closed this book, they were friends that I will miss, but will visit again. I will recommend this book to others, many others. This is a book that I will give as a gift, share with my children and friends.

Tatiana de Rosnay has a way with words that is rarely found these days. Mere words become a story well told, and told with a delicate touch. I look forward to whatever she offers us next, and thank her for this tale well told.