August Read: A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber

 

Well, it's not a reading year for me unless Heather Webber has a new release and I get to enjoy it ahead of publication. A HUGE thanks to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this lovely book. I read it a few months ago; it was released on July 23rd, and here I am, finally getting my review out. 

This novel takes place in the small town of Starlight, Alabama. Addie Fullbright has returned to Starlight to help her beloved Aunt Bean in her bakery The Starling Cake Company. The building is undergoing renovations, so Aunt Bean has moved the operation out to the family home and farm building where it all began. Addie hasn't been back for years; she's afraid she'll spill a secret she agreed to with her best friend if she stays for too long. It's a secret that weighs her down. She's also terribly concerned about Aunt Bean's health, and the possibility that Bean isn't being truthful about how serious it is. 

Tessa Jane Wingrove has also returned. She's fighting self-doubt, a frosty Addie, and some family secrets that could impact her entire life. She's got a lot of heartache and pressure from her granddad to make a financial decision on her upcoming birthday.  That decision would benefit her grandad but potentially ruin the town's most popular tourist destination. 

What is that destination? Well, it's a field situated right near the Fullbright family farm, and it's been bringing people from all over to Starlight for a life-altering experience. Years and years ago, a star fell from the sky, leaving a huge crater that glows at night with colorful starlight. Folks who need a little help walk around the crater and into the magical lights and receive the gift of clarity. The effect it has on people's lives is profound. 

There's lots of family drama, secrets spilled (some that aren't so secret after all!), and magic everywhere you look. Second chances at love, forgiveness, and, yes, clarity for those who are lost. I can say this novel gives off a very peaceful, quiet vibe that I enjoyed so much. It's probably one of my top Heather Webber novels, and I've read them all. 

Rating: 5/6. Settle back, grab a pastry, and inhale this story. It's just lovely. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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August Read: A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber

July Read: At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

 

Y'all know I love Heather Webber novels! I was so excited to read her latest and it did not disappoint. 

Ava is a young woman who has travelled to Driftwood, Alabama from Ohio to interview for a job as caretaker to a man who needs some help at home. It's a huge step for Ava, as all her life she's been protected and fussed over after being diagnosed with epilepsy as a child. One serious seizure came with an unexpected gift:  Ava's senses of smell and hearing are amplified way beyond what a normal human can sense. 

Ava's also got another reason to travel to Driftwood: her ex-boyfriend has recently died and this is his hometown. She's convinced he's instrumental in guiding her to Driftwood.

Maggie is a late 30's woman who runs the Magpie coffee shop in town--it's the heartbeat of the town, where locals and tourists gather every day for gossip and coffee. Maggie's life has been spent in Driftwood and since her mother disappeared years before, she's just waiting for her mother to come back; keeping the coffee shop just as her mother ran it. Her father, Dez, has been acting out of character lately, and rumors are swirling he's going to sell the coffee shop. Maggie is devastated, and her father won't give her a straight answer.

Ava and Maggie have a lot in common, and chapters are told in either Ava's voice or Maggie's. There's so much packed in this gem of a book that it took me a bit to get all the characters straight--and there are so many delightful, unique characters. Driftwood is truly a magical place. 

Butterflies, the ocean, sea glass, baked goods, and a special collection of things meant just for that special person are all bits and pieces of the magic that makes this novel work. Relationships grow and blossom; some even get a fresh start. Grief takes a turn, as well as letting go and starting anew. It's the best kind of book-one that made me sigh happily as I finished the last page. It will make you long for an ocean breeze and a sandy beach. 

This novel is out in the U.S. on August 1st in hardcover, audio, and ebook. 

A big thank you to Forge Books (Tor Publishing Group) for a chance to read this ahead of publication. If you haven't read Heather Webber, you're in for a treat. 

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July Read: At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

 

I'm still trying to get over the fact that the decade I was a child (the 70's) is now historical fiction. Whoa. I'll say I don't remember all the turbulence of the 1970's; I remember Walter Cronkite on the news every evening, but otherwise I don't recall feeling stress or worry about the world at large. I was anxious about math at school and other things closer to home. 

I was also completely unaware about the court case that this novel is based on. We don't learn everything about American History at school, and it's up to each of us to educate ourselves about the good and the ugly parts of our country. This was definitely ugly and shameful. 

Civil Townsend is the daughter of a doctor and lives in Montgomery, Alabama in 1973. She's fresh out of college and under pressure to follow her father into medicine--but she doesn't feel the urge. She's taken a job as a nurse at the local federally funded clinic, and one of her first tasks is to travel to the homes of the poor and underserved black community and give the females a birth control shot. Civil feels she's doing exactly what she should be doing, until her first case with the Williams family. 

Desperately poor and living in squalor, Erica and India are two young girls: thirteen and eleven. Civil gives them their shots, but is dismayed to find out neither girl has begun her period and definitely are not sleeping around. Civil begins to question why such young girls should be on birth control. Depo-Provera is being given to poor women all over Alabama and is lauded as a way to give  women a choice in their childbearing years. At least that's what Civil is told. But she's shaken by the Williams sisters and begins visiting them more often to see if she can help them and their father and grandmother get out of the shack they live in and have a better life. 

As Civil mulls over the Depo-Provera shot and its implications, she digs a bit deeper with the help of friends and discovers troubling news about the shot. Now she's in deep with her feelings for Erica and India, and is determined to put a stop to the clinic giving the shots to the poor black woman in Alabama. 

This novel take a big, devastating turn, and it sets Civil and her friends on a course that takes them to the U.S. Senate and into a courtroom. It also forces Civil to confront her feelings on her secret abortion and feelings about motherhood. 

Told from Civil's point of view, we see a young Civil in 1973, and a much older Civil in contemporary times, recently retired as an OB-GYN doctor living in Tennessee and raising her adopted daughter. Civil can't help but be haunted by her memories of the Williams' family, and decides to drive back home to Alabama to settle her memories and face the past. 

If you're interested in the actual case, click here and read about the Relf Sisters and why this was a landmark case. 

This was an eye-opening novel about consent and women's choice. The characters, especially the Williams family, all come to life and I was sad to see the end of the novel. I'd recommend this novel for a book club choice--sure to have discussions about a topic that remains a hot button in 2023. 

Rating: 5/6 for a timely novel about female reproductive rights, consent, and every woman's struggle making choices about motherhood.

Available in hardcover, ebook( I read an ebook), and audio. 

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Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

In the Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber

 

I thought I'd finally post something for November! It's been a very busy month at work and then I immediately got sick for a week. On the backside of that, and finally feeling better. I did read a few books while I was at home and I'll review those later. They are both YA historical novels for a high school library project. 

This is another delightful magical novel by Heather Webber. I've read all of her novels: Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, South of the Buttonwood Tree, and The Lights of Sugarberry Cove. She's an author I immediately buy, no questions asked. I'm guaranteed a satisfying read. 

This novel takes place in Sweetgrass, Alabama. A typical small Southern town with old homes, solid lifetime friendships, and secrets that are bound to come to light. 

Emme Wynn arrives with just a suitcase to her grandmother Glory Wynn's home. Emma has lived her short life with a mother who was a con artist, always on the run. As soon as Emme turned eighteen, she was on her own. Now twenty-six, she yearns for a family and home to call her own. Emme's got an interesting gift-she can immediately see a person's strongest characteristic. In Glory, she sees loving. In Cora Bee her cousin, she sees softhearted. It's a talent that has saved Emme from some bad situations in her past. She doesn't feel like she belongs, and is a fake, but Glory and her friends immediately draw Emme into their circle. 

What's interesting about this special neighborhood is the garden that exists smack dab in the middle of, you guessed it, Hickory Lane. It's a magical place, complete with a bubbling spring water pool that sometimes reveals the past to those who stop to gaze. There's a vibration in the earth, and flowers that bloom way beyond their lifespan. It's also the place where a sinkhole opened up, revealing the skeletal remains of someone who died long ago. Could it be Bee Gipson, who disappeared fifty years before? Bee is the sister of Glory, and the grandmother of Cora Bee. She's the one who began the magical garden on Hickory Lane. 

Using bits of Bee's diary, her story slowly unfolds as Emme slowly lets her guard down and begins to enjoy living and learning with Glory, and becoming friends with Cora Bee. Each character's secrets slowly come to light--with a little help from Cora Bee's special skills at reading people's colors. You might say the women in the family all possess some magical skills, and all help them navigate their way into new possibilities.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of gardening, bees, family, sweet treats, and healing. I'm a sucker for any kind of magical tale that involves flowers, gardens, and, of course, bees. Emme is a character who definitely grows in confidence and opens up in spite of her terrible childhood. Cora Bee is also on a path of healing and has a chance at happiness, too. Glory is the glue that holds everyone together through it all. 

If you're looking for a gentle read, this is it. Perfect for gifting to a friend, or for yourself. Settle down, take a break from the whirlwind of the holidays, and enjoy! You'll want to have a sweet treat, FYI. 

Rating: 4/6 for a novel that doesn't hold many surprises, but was a delight to read. The setting, the characters, and the plot all flowed easily and it was a refreshing break from a busy month. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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In the Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber

Two Reviews in One: Aria's Traveling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin and The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber

I decided to review two books in one post this week. I was cruising along, reading at a good clip and somehow over the weekend hit a snag. However, some time at home (and I'll confess, a few late nights) had me finishing two books on my September list. 

First is Aria's Traveling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin. This is a sequel to Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop (read my review here), but definitely isn't really necessary to read it before this one. 

We find Aria and Rosie getting ready to take their campers to France so travel the fete and festival circuit. Aria's camper is chock full of books to sell, while Rosie (a former chef), creates delicious British treats to sell, along with specialty teas that often compliment Aria's books. 

Aria is a young widower, and has firmly shut her heart to any possibility of ever falling in love again. She had her true love, and no one can match it. However, there is Jonathan; a quiet, handsome, and bookish man Aria has one magical encounter with at a music festival. Now it's months later, and Aria runs into Jonathan again, just as she's about to leave for France. Can she open her heart to let Jonathan in, or will she lose him to someone else? 

This novel is all about grief, putting closure on painful memories, and opening up your heart to live and love again. It's also fun to see Rosie and Max and what's in store for them. I hope there is at least one more in this series so I can see where Aria and Jonathan are in the near future. Entertaining, clean (no sex scenes), likable characters. An uplifting novel about the best of friends and, of course, adventure. 

This novel was on my highly-anticipated list! 

And, as per usual, once I got it, I dithered about reading it. It's not a long book, but it took me a few weeks to finish it. I kept finding myself waiting for the big grab, and it just wasn't happening, which annoyed me to no end. However, the big grab did happen at nearly the end of the novel--and that was a really big grab! I love Heather Webber, and while I enjoyed this novel, it wasn't my favorite of the three I've read. 

Sadie Way Scott has to return to her hometown of Sugarberry Cove, Alabama, after her mother has a cardiac incident. Sadie's sister Leala Claire lives in Sugarberry and decides to stay at the B&B their mother runs in order to keep it open and help out. Sadie and Leala haven't gotten along very well for the past eight years, after Sadie's near fatal dive into the magical lake just outside her mother's B&B. Sadie, under water for fifteen minutes, miraculously survives and comes out of the lake with silver, sparkling hair. 

It's not the only change to Sadie, however. She leaves Sugarberry Cove and begins a successful career as a digital storyteller. Now reluctantly, she's back at the one place she never wanted to return to. Family dynamics are really at play in this novel about two sisters, their mother, and the grief and tragedy that changed their lives. Mom Susannah is behind in her bills, and the B&B is looking shaggy. Sadie and Leala decide to help spruce it up in hopes of bringing back business. Will Susannah object? 

While Sadie and Leala are staying at the B&B, so many other players arrive: Teddy and her niece Bree, Uncle Camp, Iona (a potential subject for Sadie's storytelling series), Leala's husband Connor and son Tucker, and neighbor Buzzy. There's a lot of back story to go through with all of these characters, and that's part of the unfolding of the story. The Lady of the Lake saved Sadie that long ago night; will her magic save the family again as they navigate big changes? 

I'd love to stay at this B&B; it sounds heavenly. The myth of the Lady of the Lake is a big driver in this tale, and doesn't disappoint. I think I just got stuck a bit on the drama between the sisters and their mom. But the characters are all fully developed and charming, and misunderstandings are resolved once people are brave enough to speak up and make their wishes known. This novel is about family dynamics, not giving up on dreams, and of course, love. 

I enjoyed both novels and they hit the spot for my September comfort reads. Both novels are a 4/6 on my scale. 

Available in paperback and hardcover, audio and ebook. 

If you're looking for gentle reads, or comfort reads with likable characters, issues that are resolved in a believable way, and of course some beautiful scenery and delish food, either of these books would fit the bill. Love both of these authors. 

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Two Reviews in One: Aria's Traveling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin and The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

 

I spent the New Year's weekend starting four different books and waiting for one (or more) to grab me and not let go. The Wife Upstairs was the winner! It's a quick read, and the plot loosely based on Jane Eyre gave me some idea of what to expect, although there was a twist ending to this thriller. 

I'll start out by saying I didn't like one person in this whole novel. Not one. Jane is new to Alabama, and all you really know about her is that she was in foster homes for most of her life, and now she's landed a job as a dog walker in the expensive gated community of Thornfield Estates. Jane steals bits and bobbles from the people she works for-after all, she's barely making a living, and they have so much they don't miss what she takes and pawns for extra money.

 One day, she meets Eddie, the enigmatic and handsome man who lives in Thornfield Estates and recently lost his wife in a boating incident. Bea and her friend Blanche were on a boat together one evening drinking, and the next morning, neither was anywhere to be found. Both presumed drowned in the lake. Neither body has been found. Bea owned Southern Manor, a wildly successful lifestyle business that made her a multi-millionaire many times over. Now Eddie has that business to run, as well as his own construction business. 

Jane sees an opportunity-Eddie could be the answer to her money problems. She just wants to not worry about money for once. The ladies of Thornfield Estates aren't impressed with Jane-after all, she was their dog walker. And she's only Eddie's girlfriend, not his wife. She doesn't count. 

Then things get weird. Bea makes an appearance, and holy heck she's not dead, but very much alive. I can't tell you where she is, or how she got there, but the novel moves from Jane's point of view to Bea's, too. Bits and pieces about Bea and Eddie's life together start to muddy the waters; Jane doesn't know who to believe-Eddie or Blanche's grieving husband, Tripp, who is under suspicion in the disappearance of Bea and Blanche. You'll be ping-ponging all over the place, trying to get a firm grasp on who to believe, what to believe. Caring a little bit about Jane and her safety, but also being wary of her-she's an opportunist, after all. 

I enjoyed this thriller. It definitely kept me reading, wondering how it would all play out, and what was really the truth. Kind of the perfect book to read at the beginning of 2021, right? Who knows how the year will go?

Rachel Hawkins writes young adult novels, and this is her first adult novel. I'd certainly read some of her previous works, and look forward to more thrillers from her in the future. Anyone who enjoys contemporary "marriage noir" novels will want to add this to their TBR list. 

Rating: 4/6 for a domestic thriller that is based on Jane Eyre. For all those who wonder, could there have been another ending for Jane? A twisty, turn-y novel that will have you trying to figure out who to believe with a cast of characters that all have motives and reasons to lie. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber

Heather Webber has written more than twenty-five novels-most of them are cozy mysteries and light romances. However, she has found her sweet spot in her previous novel Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, and her newest novel, South of the Buttonwood Tree. I can't say it strongly enough how much I enjoy novels imbued with magical realism. 

This is not a sequel, but a stand alone novel about Blue Bishop and the people she calls family. Set in the small town of Buttonwood, Alabama, Blue is a children's author and illustrator, and has a series of books about a bunny that have made her famous. However, her family name has made her infamous in her hometown. Blue and her sister, Persy are the only two left in the Bishop family; her brothers all died tragically and under unhappy circumstances, her father left the family and died; her mother Twyla willed herself to death after losing her sons and husband. Growing up with little money, the family did what it could to survive-often getting into trouble with the law. Blue, however, stayed on the straight and narrow (except for that one incident in high school). She's been working hard and saving money so she can start the process of adopting a baby. It's what she's wanted for so very long. 

Blue has a gift: listening to the wind, and following it to find lost things. But there remains one thing that is lost that she needs to find before she can move away from the town that has caused her a lot of heartache. So every day she walks the woods to the Buttonwood Tree, searching for that lost thing. This time, she hears a baby crying, and finds a newborn tucked under the tree, with a button from the tree saying "Give the baby to Blue Bishop" tucked in her blanket. 

Everyone knows if you ask the tree a question, it will answer with a wooden button and one sentence of advice.  If you don't follow the tree's advice, you're doomed to unhappiness. 

Blue's dream seems to be coming true-a newborn baby girl left specifically to her. Quickly arranging guardianship, Blue names the baby Flora. While gossip swirls around town and the police investigate the appearance of the baby, Blue's close circle of friends celebrate with her. However, there is Ginny Fulton. She despises Blue and the whole Bishop family, and she will do what she has to in order to take the baby away from Blue. Ginny's daughter, Sarah Grace, is unhappily married, and her husband and her mother both want her to have a baby (the unhappily married part is a secret). She doesn't want one, and knows that Blue will make the best mother for Flora. She has a secret friendship with Blue, and doesn't understand why her mother loathes Blue so much. 

Sarah Grace has a few secrets of her own, too. Big secrets that may damage her father's run for Governor. Sarah Grace has her own business-flipping houses, then renting them to folks who don't have much money. Sarah Grace has the most interesting gift: she can hear the houses talking to her. They tell her all kinds of things-the history, the happiness, the sorrow; they let her know what's wrong with them and who is invited to stay. And she wants the old Bishop house. It is calling to her. 

There are a few other people in Buttonwood who have some special gifts, too. I'll let you discover that. There's also quite a few secrets, and some are doozies! Will Blue get to adopt Flora, or will the town turn against her? Will Sarah Grace find her way out of her unhappy marriage? It seems as though baby Flora has stirred the pot, and set in motion a whole lot of truths that need to be told. There's romance in the air, too for more than one character. It always seems that life's changes all come in a flurry,  and that is definitely the case for Blue and the folks in Buttonwood. 

I absolutely loved this novel, even more than the Blackbird Cafe. Alice Hoffman's earlier novels, along with Sarah Addison Allen's novels are similar to Heather's, and I'm so glad to have found another author who write magical realism that I enjoy so much. Step into Buttonwood, Alabama, and discover the Buttonwood Tree. 

Rating: 5/6 for a novel that had a few surprises, and a lot of warm characters. Believe in the magic. Perfect for a reading session in a hammock. 

Available in hardcover, audio and ebook. 

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South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber

Probably Not the Best Idea to Read A Book About Pie When I'm Trying to Eat Healthier... Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

I'm not a huge fan of pies; I'd rather have a piece of cake. But, gosh darn it the pies in this novel sound completely delicious, along with all the other food (hello fried chicken and biscuits) that glides through the lives of the folks in Wicklow, Alabama. I am a lover of biscuits. Lord I love biscuits. But they are on the "think twice before I stuff my mouth" list as I attempt one more time to be more mindful of what I eat and why I eat it. Trying hard to eat more protein and less not-so-great-for-me carbs. Basically, lots of lean protein (greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, chicken breasts, lean beef) and lots of veggies. I've even said goodbye to my summer gin and tonic and am either not having a cocktail at all, or one that comes in at 100 calories instead of 200. And having one instead of two. I'm starting my third week, and I sorely miss pasta. Thankful my Bud is along for the ride, and willing to eat what I make, and willing to find alternatives to our higher calorie weekend cocktails. 

So yes I read a book that features food very prominently, and a lot of the action takes place in a cafe. It was a great summer read, however-just the kind of tale I like to read as a mental break when life gets a bit too busy or I'm avoiding household chores. 

Anna Kate Callow returns to the small town of Wicklow, Alabama to settle her Grandmother Zee's estate. That estate includes the Blackbird Cafe, a Wicklow favorite, and one that has an interesting legacy: a slice of Zee's pie will give you messages from deceased loved ones the night after you've eaten it. What folks don't know is that Anna Kate, her mother, her grandmother, and generations past all are gatekeepers for the blackbirds that sit in the mulberry trees behind the cafe. At night-midnight, in fact-the blackbirds sing sweetly. What they're singing are the messages from loved ones on the other side. And now it's up to Anna Kate to continue that legacy. Only problem is Anna Kate plans to return North, to continue her quest to become a doctor. She has to run the cafe for 90 days, per Zee's will, before she can put it up for sale. 

There's a whole lot more to the story, of course. Anna Kate's mother, Eden, left Wicklow before Anna Kate was born, under a cloud of grief and suspicion. Anna Kate's return to Wicklow is a surprise to many of the townsfolk, especially the Linden family. As it turns out, no one realized Eden had a daughter, and boy oh boy Anna Kate looks a lot like AJ Linden, who was tragically killed in a car accident with Eden at the wheel, all those years ago. AJ's mother, the overbearing Seelie Linden, despised Eden, and her grief at losing her son has kept Seelie from having any kind of good relationship with her daughter Natalie, who has returned to Wicklow to start over again. Natalie, harboring anger, guilt, and grief of her own, struggles to be even civil to her mother. She grew up with a mother who was cold, strict, and overbearing. 

Anna Kate is the key to a whole lot of healing that needs to take place in the town of Wicklow. Not just herself, but the Linden family, and the whole town have suffered over the years. But word of the blackbirds brings bird enthusiasts in to witness the astounding midnight singing, and that, along with Anna Kate's reopening of the cafe, may just be what Wicklow needs to thrive. But will Anna Kate stay? If she goes, what will happen to the mulberry trees, and the blackbirds? 

The big message of this book is about the toll grief can take on a person, and even a community. Grief may seem endless when you're in the throes of it (I speak from experience), and the pain can wear you down. But that is the price you pay for loving others, and loving them with all your heart. All those years of love are worth it. But you can't continue to live in the past. If anything, grief should empower you to live your life to the fullest, and embrace every day. 

Another theme is making choices for yourself, instead of doing what everyone else wants you to do, or expects you to do. When it all comes down to it, keeping promises to others that will keep you from what you love is a sure way to be miserable. Follow your heart. 

I enjoyed visiting the town of Wicklow. I like to think somewhere there's an actual place just like it, just down the road and around the bend. 

Rating:  4/6 for an enchanting little town, memorable characters, and a thoughtful look at living on when our loved ones leave.  

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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Probably Not the Best Idea to Read A Book About Pie When I'm Trying to Eat Healthier... Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

I decided to deviate from my planned holiday reads and picked up Fannie Flagg's A Redbird Christmas after spotting it at the library and realizing it was time to finally read it. I've spent many Christmas retail years putting this book on endcap displays and holiday book tables, but never planned on reading it. I guess I had to wait for the right time. 

The holidays can be a really tough time for many folks. It seems like loss is amplified, surrounded by what should be a cheerful, exciting time of the year. I've had two family members pass on during this time: one at the beginning of the season, and one just after Christmas. It's now become a bittersweet time of year for me. I love the music, the lights, the excitement, but it's become more of a reflection and remembering of what Christmas was for me as a kid and young adult. Now it's a chance to reconnect with friends, even if only for a few hours. It's a time to be home, spending quiet time reading or just chilling out. I suppose all of that is normal as we grow older, and think about making our own Christmas traditions. 

I've read a few Fannie Flagg novels, and they always find me at the right time. There's something about her gentle humor, endearing characters, and storytelling that puts a smile on my face. This novel was no different. Published in 2004, A Redbird Christmas has become a modern holiday classic. It's the story of Oswald  Campbell, a middle-aged man who is a recovering alcoholic living a rather lonely life in Chicago. A visit to his doctor gives him bad news: if he stays in Chicago, he'll probably die of pneumonia within a few months. Years of trouble with his lungs have made living in the cold winters of Chicago deadly. 

Oswald's doctor recommends a place his father, also a doctor, sent his patients years ago: a small town in Alabama called Lost River, where folks can stay and rest in the warmth of a southern winter. Oswald's got nothing to lose, so he packs up his meager possessions and travels to Lost River, not knowing what to expect. 

What follows once Oswald arrives is a perfect Christmas tale about neighbors becoming family, a funny little redbird called Jack, and the kindness of strangers. Oswald finds himself in a place that is unlike anywhere else he's ever been, and just what he needs. A little girl named Patsy becomes part of Lost River's community, and her friendship with Jack, the redbird that lives at the general store, is the main storyline of the novel. Lost River is a small town full of quirky, kind folks who take care of each other and gently stay in each other's business. I kept thinking I had overlooked when this novel takes place, but I realize it's never mentioned. I like to think it's somewhere in the 1960's or 1970's, but I'm not sure. It didn't bother me, and I actually preferred the story without a specific era--it added to the sense that Lost River was timeless. 

Jack, the redbird, figures prominently in this novel, and I didn't realize until the end that I understood cardinals are seen as a message from our loved ones on the other side. I knew this, but didn't make the connection until the very end. And considering that this holiday season is a little more bittersweet and sad than it usually is, well, I think my redbird visit came from a book this year. I've always believed books come into your life when you need a certain message, and this one has come in loud and clear for me. 

Now if I see a cardinal at all in the next week, I just may freak out! But in a good way. 

Rating:  4/6 for a gentle, sweet tale of finding family, finding a new beginning out of an ending, and enjoying the simple joys of life. This is a perfect gift for readers who enjoy short tales, Southern locales, and characters who worm their way into your heart. 

Available in paperback, audio, and ebook. 

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A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

Tru and Nelle: A Christmas Tale by G. Neri

 It's very true I haven't read much children's fiction this year. I saw this book and, knowing a little bit about Truman Capote and Harper Lee's childhood friendship, I thought this would be a good read to include in my Christmas picks for December.  It is the continuation of Tru and Nelle, but you don't need to read that in order to enjoy this tale.  

I read the author's note after finishing the book, and learned that most of the people in this novel were actual real-life folks in Truman and Nelle's lives. Set in 1935, just a few days before Christmas, Tru is a runaway, hitching a ride on a train from his military school in New York to Monroeville, Alabama.  He had moved to New York with his mother and step-father, preferring the bright lights of New York City.  But once his mother was granted full custody after a bitter divorce, Truman finds out he's in the way, and shipped off to a military school where he doesn't fit in at all.  He decides he can't take it anymore and hops a train, getting back to his friend Nelle and his family:  Jenny, Big Boy, and Sookie.  He's welcomed back with open arms, but isn't there very long before bad things start to happen around Tru.  Suddenly homeless, his family ends up staying with Big Boy's family on their farm for Christmas.  A mysterious murder happens, and Nelle--trying to be helpful for her father, A.C., ends up creating a disaster when she notices two black men hanging around near the murder scene.  

While Christmas is approaching quickly, Tru and Nelle are struggling to find the meaning of Christmas, and the hope for justice to be served after it becomes quite clear the two men are not guilty of anything but being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  But the South in 1935 is no place for justice when it comes to race, and A.C. has his one and only criminal case in Monroeville, defending the two men.  

Through all of this turmoil, Tru and Nelle are rediscovering their friendship, evolving in their love of storytelling, and struggling with their identities--neither one is a typical tween and they don't fit in anywhere.  But Christmas has a special pull, and the love of family and friends means a lot in a time of despair and racial injustice.  

I really did enjoy this novel.  I thought it was a good balance between what the climate was like for 1935 Southern America--so many people with nothing, the KKK, racial tensions; but still that important pull of family and sticking together. Of being a good neighbor, of taking that one extra step to help, be kind, and understanding.  Tru and Nelle's struggle to move their relationship from a childhood friendship to a young adult friendship is something most of us have had to go through with dear friends we've know for a long time.  And justice.  As A.C. tells Nelle, sometimes the most important thing we can do is to be a witness to events, even when we can't do anything to prevent the outcome.  

This is a young reader novel, but very suitable for adults and teens, too.  Truman Capote's memoir A Christmas Memory is still available in bookstores and libraries.  

Rating:  4/6 for a novel about Truman Capote and Harper Lee's childhood friendship, and one special Christmas.  

Available in hardcover and ebook. 

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Tru and Nelle: A Christmas Tale by G. Neri

Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills

I think it's pretty safe to say that the majority of adults in the U.S. have read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I myself read it in 9th grade for my first high school English class.  I also think it's pretty safe to say Mockingbird continues to be considered an American classic and a beloved treasure.  

So where is Harper Lee, and who is she?  Why did she never write another book?  Is she still alive?  All those questions are answered in Marja Mills' inside look at Harper Lee and her life in Monroeville, Alabama.  Harper, known by all her close friends as Nelle (Nelle Harper Lee is her full name), is notoriously reclusive.  We don't know much about her.  Marja Mills begins her extraordinary journey into the life of Harper Lee with a simple letter.  Marja is a journalist, writing about Chicago's One Book, One Chicago project: a city-wide reading of To Kill a Mockingbird.  She's assigned a story that requires her to travel to Monroeville, Nelle's hometown, to talk to townspeople about Harper Lee.  Everyone knows in the news industry that Harper will not grant interviews and her circle of friends won't speak about her. Marja doesn't expect much, but writes Nelle and her sister Alice a letter explaining why she's traveling to Monroeville.  A simple courtesy letter.  And it opens up an unforgettable period in Marja's life that leads to a friendship not only with Nelle's close friends, but Nelle and her sister Alice.  A friendship that includes travels to feed ducks, dinners at small diners, a road trip to New York City, and even renting the house next door to Nelle and Alice.  

Nelle and Alice are two extraordinary women.  At the time of this book, Alice was in her 90's, still practicing law every day in the law firm their father (the basis for Atticus Finch) began decades before.  Nelle, the younger sister, spends part of her time living with Alice in Monroeville, and part of her time in New York City, going unrecognized and remaining anonymous to all but her close New York friends.  They live simply; the royalties from Mockingbird have meant that Nelle doesn't ever have to work.  They are fiercely protective of Nelle's privacy and the legacy of her one epic novel.  

I did truly enjoy this look into Nelle Harper Lee's life.  You do come to know Nelle and Alice and enjoy spending time with them.  Both are incredibly brilliant, sharp, and so well read it puts the rest of us to shame.  And some questions are answered:  what was Nelle's relationship with Truman Capote like?  Why did she never write another book?  Will she ever write a memoir?  An intensely private woman who attempts every day to live a quiet life surrounded by her books, friends, and the legacy of Mockingbird.  I felt Marja's book was very respectful, and shows an obvious deep affection for  Nelle and Alice.  They are two walking repositories of the history of their town, the people who are no longer there, and a time that is long gone.  A gentle and poignant look at small town life, and what fame can do to someone who is gifted in so many ways, but finds the legacy they have created a difficult burden to bear, even after so many years.  

Thank you to Dani at Penguin Press for a review copy.  

Rating:  8/10 for a respectful and thoughtful look at the intensely private life of a beloved author.  

Available in hardcover and e-book.  

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Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills