The Day The Falls Stood Still

by Cathy Marie Buchanan


This story takes place in Niagara Falls beginning in 1915. The main character is Bess Heath.
Bess is a warm and gentle young lady who loves her family, and is especially close with her sister Isabel. She is a student at Loretto Academy for young ladies, and has a pleasant and genteel life.

Things begin to fall apart for her family early on in this book. The end of the school year is being celebrated at Loretto, and Bess finds that her father and sister have not come to participate in the festivities.
As the ceremony ends she begins to learn just why and what that is going to mean to her.

Tom Cole is introduced soon after, but is not fully explained immediately. He is a fascinating and important character in this story.

Interspersed between chapters are newspaper stories about the area both at that time, and stories from the past. They are fictional, of course but add a lot to the story.

We follow the effects that progress, grief, war and depression have on Bess' family. Each of the characters is given enough background to round them out and make them three dimensional and believable. I found myself caring what happened to these good people.

When I first read the blurbs for this book, I thought it sounded interesting, and it was. It was however, so much more, in a way that is difficult to explain. Perhaps the fact that the setting is one that is so familiar to so many is part of that. The authors gift for drawing the reader into the story is no doubt another.

Recommended.

Waiting For Columbus

This was an interesting read. Although it was a long and winding road, the journey
was a good one. Columbus. Who would have guessed that Christopher Columbus would ever
be a controversial figure. Columbus discovered America in 1492. Period.

Not so fast~ that may not be the way it happened. But although this book is called
Waiting for Columbus, it is not that Columbus. Or, is it? Well maybe. It might
be Christopher Columbus, pal of Queen Isabella and Captain of the la Callega. But wait,
isn't that the Santa Maria? Well yes it is! Confusing, isn't it?

Waiting for Columbus is a somewhat confusing book. The man who was gor many years honored
for discovering the Americas flipping channels on tv, and using a phone. How can that be?
Ask Zimmerman, whoever he is. What?

What indeed. Fifteenth century, twenty first century, one overlaid by the other.
Intriguing. Who is this Christopher Columbus anyway? That indeed is the question.
We do find out by the way. With the help of the most intriguing Emile, the earnest Dr Balderas,
and the beautiful Consuala who is a little bit in love with...someone.

I am glad I read this book. It is a mystery, a love story and has a form of time travel tossed in
for good measure. Mental time travel, but it is there, to be sure. It is worth getting through the
occasionally slow and redundant story to get to the answer. Most of the story drew me in and
the characters were likable and interesting.

So, Like I said.. three stars, I am glad I read it, and think you will be too.

Second Sight

by George D Shuman

I was drawn into this story immediately. There are many books with psychic characters out there, but I have never
before run into one where the psychic reads the last moments of a persons life, with a touch of her hand. Interesting concept. I liked it.

Sherry was likable, if a little naive. Perhaps that naivete was meant to come from her blindness, but that is one thing that rang a false chord with me. One who had lived the life Sherry Moore lived, should not have been naive. Vulnerable, maybe, but naive didn't feel right. Regardless, she was a good dependable character with a sens of herself.

Her friend Brigham was a darling man who had taken on a father-like role with her. He became a surprisingly powerful man in the end. Something I had not suspected at all. I liked that too.

The author created many compelling and interesting characters. Along with the good and kind folk, there are some reprehensible characters to balance out the story. They all brought out strong feelings, good or bad.

I thought this was a well told story, with an interesting concept. It held my attention, and I did not feel that the ending was predictable. I recommend this one for anyone who likes a good thriller.

A Gate at the Stairs

by Lorrie Moore

This is the story of families. Two families, that are broken in different ways. The book is told in the voice of Tassie Keltjin, the daughter of one of these families.

Tassie is the daughter of a potato farmer. He is successful in his own way, but has a laid back attitude to pretty much everything. Still, he is a man with heart. Her mother is a little on the vague side, and has some problems of her own that keep her from being fully invested in the lives of her two children.

Tassie goes to college, and in her search for a job as a babysitter, she is drawn into the lives of Edward and Sarah who are in process of adopting a baby. But of course, no one is really as they first appear, and so it is with this couple.

Her unusual job description has Tassie meeting birth mothers and giving some weak and inexperienced support to people she doesn't know. She has a personal life too, of course.
And as a young pretty woman, meets a young pretty man and falls enthusiastically into a relationship that eventually affects her position as a babysitter.

This is a sad story, but not a depressing one. It is really a story of life. Growing, learning, loving and guilt of course. There is always guilt. Do not make the mistake of labeling this one as fluff. It is much more than that. It is a good story, well told. The characters are compelling interesting, down to the ones who appear only for a moment. I recommend this for a good solid relaxing read.

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.