Book Review - The Widow of Pale Harbor

Hester Fox has such a unique writing style - The Widow of Pale Hollow is the second of her titles I have read. This one is a classic take on the theme "It was a dark, stormy night", because her stories are filled with dark, stormy nights. This is the story of Gabriel Stone, recently relocated to Pale Harbor to begin a transcendental church in his late wife's honor. Gabriel arrives on a dark, stormy night, and in the neglected church where he is to preach, he stumbles on a grisly find in the nave of the church. He is warned to stay away from Sophronia Carver (what a great name!) by all the townsfolk; she is reported to be a spell-casting murderess who got away with killing her husband.

Gabriel begins visiting town-folk; as the new minister he knows it is his duty. All have the same terrible warning; stay away from the Widow Carver. As fiction deems, he accidentally does meet Sophronia, and they are immediately attracted to each other. Things are not always as they seem, however; the town and Helen, Sophronia's housekeeper, are vying to keep the couple apart.

Sophronia is the editor of her late husband's magazine, and she has been receiving disturbing requests for publication, along with even more sinister and disturbing messages references to Edgar Allen Poe's stories. Together, Sophronia and Gabriel try to solve the mystery of the Pale Harbor evils, while at the same time remaining enamored with each other and trying to keep their growing bonds secret.

I thoroughly enjoyed the development of all of the characters in this book, from the spoiled, rich, one-dimensional people of the town, to the deeply dark character of Helen, and the depth of Sophronia and Gabriel both. It's a haunting, dark story centered around some completely horrific clues, hints of witchcraft and magic, along with the bitterness that can ruin a life. I found it to be old-fashioned enough in tone yet written on a level I could appreciate. I look forward to reading more stories by Hester Fox!

The Blessing of Life, and Friendships

Colorado Springs

I’ve been blessed in my life to have friends and friendships. There was a time when I let friends drift from my life; I considered my husband my best friend and all I needed, so I never really felt deprived. He was there always, for many years; a shoulder, a listening ear, consolation. He was like no other friend I’d had. He truly listened, and he could calm me like any lighthouse in a storm could. He was strong and kind, considerate; he was my rock, before that became a cheesy phrase. Until he was not all those things, and then I realized just how isolated I had made my life. Fortunately, about a year before his departure I met Edel through a chance walk, and she has remained my beacon in a stormy sea. She is there when I need an ear, a shoulder; she is my voice of reason, and she grounds me when it feels as though the seas surrounding me will swallow me whole. Our lives are vastly different now from when we met, but her presence in my life is a steady constant that I depend upon. Through her I have continued to grow a circle of friends, and they are each one vital to my life.

Honoring Wanda, Casey Key

There is a line from the movie, St. Elmo’s Fire that has always made an impression on me; “I don’t remember who met, or who fell in love with who first”. The gist of that is what matters to me – it doesn’t matter who we meet, how long we’ve been friends, it just works and something inside clicks. It’s the right moment for that kind of friendship; the person meant to be in our lives as the universal lines of life intersect at that exact moment.

Wanda and I

My friends, Dawn and Wanda; I met their mother, Loretta, first. Loretta came to my shop one day for ceramics. She had seen my roadside sign and stopped in; it turns out she lives just down the road. That was a long time ago; close to 20 years. That sign, before the county made me remove it, brought so much joy and friendship to me; I am not sure I could ever begin to list them all or touch on how much that means. Having my little ceramic shop added such joy to the fabric of my life. One day during ceramics class Loretta said, “you need to meet my daughters; I know you will be friends”, and she was right. Dawn is still on the fringes of my life; our courses have strayed over the years, but I still smile when I see her, and I love being around her. Wanda was a beacon of light and goodness, and we spent years’ worth of time at the beach, here at my house doing ceramics or eating, drinking, talking, laughing, crying. She was never perfect, could be very quiet and people just assumed a passivity about her, unless you knew her. Her face glowed from within, and her smile could light up a room.

Through Wanda I met Tammy,

Tammy, Wanda, Me, Casey Key

which expanded to Maryann and all the friends we share, on toward Kathleen, who is one of the most dear people in my life. Eventually we met Kitty, and on and on; the list has just snowballed as life rolls forward, so many door openings for friends, acquaintances, experiences. It is the direction my life was meant to go. But, eleven years ago we lost Wanda one hot, humid day in mid-July. The bonds of friendship can tighten when something so unthinkable happens. She was young, beautiful, in the prime of life; just past her 37th birthday and she died from a blood clot that no one even suspected she had. Together we stood in front of her family and friends, and we delivered her eulogy; the joys and sorrows of her life, and we wept. It did not matter at that time who met who first; what mattered is that we all had been touched by her life.

Our Wanda Angel, captured by Julian

Friendships are on my mind today, however, because of Wanda and Dawn; Loretta. Loretta’s husband is one of the men in my life I adore. Jules, JuJu – Julian. Before Wanda’s death we attended Loretta and Julian’s 40th anniversary party. There are so many memories stored away since that party; parties here at my house, meeting for dinner, attending showers, funerals, gatherings; just a few days before I left this summer, I took a picture of them sitting at my dining room table. I truly love them. The year after Wanda’s death, 17 of us traveled to Colorado Springs to honor Wanda’s life and to scatter her ashes in the land of her birth. Loretta and Julian have gone each year since, except this one, to visit where we honored her. It’s heartbreaking; her death began a new life for them, and although they’ve steadily fought age, it is still seeking them. Julian has battled cancer and other ailments over the years. His body has been poked and prodded, cut on, treated, and so on. His mind stays sharp, even if his body is not. He made me laugh the last time I saw him, and I thought, after all he has been through, he still is Julian. The other day Julian had a stroke, and it remains that he needs open heart surgery. I’ve not yet been to see him. I don’t know what to expect, I just know friendships and how our lives are all so intricately intertwined are all on my mind today. Life and love, friendships – they are all such blessings. They can be painful at times, but the living is so very worth the sadness and pain.

Loretta and Julian

Sister Hazel, Janus Landing

One night at my house

Hanging out at Kitty's

Book Review - Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

What an enchanting book! I must admit, I was awarded an ARC from the publisher, but it came after I left for a month's vacation. I hated missing out on reading it so much I purchased it from Amazon, and I am so glad I did!

Reminiscent of a tale told by Sarah Addison Allen, but somehow softer and sweeter, this book is magical realism and women's fiction at its best. The story of a decades old mystery and death, it explores the lines between family, forgiveness, friendship, enchantment, and food.

Anna Kate is new in town, although her family roots reach far back. Her grandmother, Zee, left Anna Kate the Blackbird Cafe in her will, with the stipulation that Anna Kate live in the sleepy town of Wicklow for two months before she can sell the cafe. Anna Kate promised her mother, Eden, that she would attend medical school, so her plan it to grant her mother's dying wish while at the same time meeting the terms of her mother's will. Nothing ever goes to plan, however, and Anna Kate finds herself charmed with the local population, but anxious to stay away from blood relatives her mother warned her of.

Full of blackberry tea, magical pie, a mysterious cat and four and twenty blackbirds, the story of Wicklow charms the soul. The characters are well rounded and likeable, even Anna Kate's prickly paternal grandmother, Seely. Reading this book was a balm I did not know I needed, and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every page.

What a beautiful excerpt: "While on earth, it’s the job of us guardians to tend to the trees, nurture them, and gather their love to bake into pies to serve those who mourn, those left behind. You see, the bonds of love are only strengthened when someone leaves this earth, not diminished. Some have trouble understanding that, so it’s the pie that determines who’s in need of a message, a reminding, if you will; it’s the love in the pie that connects the two worlds; and it’s a tree keeper who delivers the message."

Book Review - Seed Savers, Book 4; Keeper

The fourth installment of the Seed Saver series by Sandra Smith begins with Lily, Arturo, and James hiding out in a Pacific Islander camp in the mountains of North Carolina. The world is safe and protected, but James knows that he cannot stay in hiding for long. Eventually the team relocates to the city of Portland, Oregon and rejoins the Seed Saver revolution. In the meantime, Clare and Dante are finishing their Seed Saver training in Canada, but discover they cannot safely go home to their mother. Eventually they are spirited away and reunited with Lily in Oregon.

As the story progresses, so does the action in the story. Rose has been recruited to be a member trained by the GRIM, and her adoptive guardians follow Trinia out west; tensions escalate, along with political unrest; an unknown source has begun leaking political information from the past creating more dissension for all factions. Between the Seed Saver movement, the mysterious Jalil, GRIM, and the political unrest chaos is beginning to seem eminent. It is this 4th novel in the series in which the tone becomes increasingly more dystopian, although less violently so than the Divergent or Hunger Games series. Where will it all lead?

Eerily reflective of so many things in our current society, this series can create great discussions for students; about political control, cover-up of harmful information, and about political unrest, the topic of food preservation, or even as basic as how seeds can be genetically modified in the name of good health and profit.

Book Review - Seed Savers: Unbroken, Book 5

I am admittedly sad to see the series end. I am not a huge fan of reading series books, one after the other, but I found myself wanting to do that with this series. Originally written for children, author Sandra Smith upped the level of interest throughout the series to include a bit of teen interest - intertwined romantic twists, teen rebellion against parental authority, rebellion against political concerns about the wrongs being waged in society. I would consider the books age level appropriate for upper middle-grade through young adult.

The topic is truly relevant in the world today; whether one believes in global warming or not, or whether one believes in the slow acquisition of food sources, and genetic modification of American food by corporate giants or not, these are concerning topics in our world. Sandra Smith's series offers an easy to read "what-if" scenario that takes place in the not to distant future about these very real societal concerns. What if a corporation decided to slowly take over all food production including the very source of food; including harmful pesticides to control unwanted pests and these leeched into the food we grow and eat? What if the government knew about the dangers, yet turned a blind eye for financial gain and better control of the people? What if people were not able to make informed choices about the food they put in their bodies? What if we could not grow our own vegetables, herbs - raise our own meat source? These are things we take for granted every day, and we still count on our government to keep us safe in our choices.

Fictionalized with just enough truth to make the reader question "what-if", this is an eye-opening series, and as a school librarian, I will be sure to promote these books with my peers and get them in the hands of students; children who will one day be affected by some of these very timely topics.

Book Review - Seed Savers, Book 3 Heirloom

In this third installment of the Seed Savers series by Sandra Smith, the action amps up a bit. Clare and Dante are safely installed in Canada after their harrowing adventure north on their bicycles. They are intent on learning all they can about gardening and growing their own food.

Lily is on the run - south, to see if she can discover the truth of her father and his incarceration for being the leader of the Seed Saver movement. On a personal note - it was fun reading about Lily's adventures in Plant City, Florida - where I currently reside. Plant City, today, is a hugely agricultural setting, and the juxtaposition of Lily's world and this current world do not go unnoticed. It is easy to see that a conglomerate can easily gain a monopoly on the world of seeds and hybrid plants. Before he died in 1990, my father-in-law was a local farmer, and he complained heartily about having to purchase new seeds each year; try as he might many seeds he tried to nurture and save did not make it to the next planting season. It is all over the news, too, about Monsanto and their pesticide products; this fictional YA series is so timely and so frightening all at once.

Lily's adventures become more harrowing as she discovers that she is being followed. The characters in this book are "growing up" and their positions become more aligned with middle grade to young adult readers. The topic is so current and fresh, and interesting. Anyone who is interested in the environment and the future of our food supply will surely get an education and a what-if theory from reading these books. I am looking forward to finishing the series!

Dancing in heaven

Dancing in Heaven

I walked outside just now,
   greeted by a symphony of frog song and crickets
   --the chorus singing with all their might.
A brown rabbit, tiny and bright-eyed
   startled by my presence,
   hopped a few feet, froze in place.
Dragonflies danced over the dewey grass,
   and bats ventured out into the
   not yet darkened sky
   --flitting, diving, swooping
   adding their own steps to
   the choreography of the evening.
Golden pink clouds, purple at the bottom
   hang high in the sky,
   not ready to give up their
   moment of glory
   as the blanket of night slowly settles.
And I felt tears rise in my eyes;
it's too beautiful of an evening
for you to be gone.
Do the dragonflies dance
for you in heaven?