July Read: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

 

I was itching to read this novel for a few weeks  and I finally snagged a quick pick at my library. It was a good break from my usual summer fun read. It dropped me right into English small village creepiness.

Told through multiple points of view--Bella, Francesca, Eddie, and Owen, this one has a short timeline of events, but also throws you back fifteen years and ahead a few days. The author keeps you on track at the start of every chapter, so pay attention and you won't have any trouble following the storyline. 

Francesca is so proud of her ultra-exclusive resort, The Manor, on the coast of England. It's summer and she's celebrating by having an opening weekend, complete with a summer solstice celebration. Francesca and her twin brothers inherited the land and manor from her grandparents, and she's decided to turn it into a moneymaker. She's also incurred the wrath of the people of Tome, the local village. The woods surrounding the manor and the beach below all belong to the people and not one person. They are special, and when someone disrespects the woods, the birds make it right. Cue the creepy ancient woods/something is watching vibes. Cue the crows gathering in droves, silently watching. 

The build up to summer solstice includes Bella returning to the Manor to confront Francesca about an event fifteen years before that changed Bella's life forever. Owen, Francesca's husband and architect, has a few secrets to keep from his wife, and his ties to the land unfold over the course of the novel. People are not who they seem to be, and this evolves as the weekend progresses, secrets are revealed, and the tension builds. 

The connections and ties between the characters are numerous and some are easy to figure out; others are a bit of a surprise. Revenge, murder, and man vs. nature are all big themes. Respect the woods or else they'll teach you a lesson. 

I enjoyed this dip into English ancient legend, nasty people,  and ooh, the satisfying conclusion. It's a quick read and you'll get sucked in pretty quickly. 

Rating: 4/6 for a thriller that keeps you guessing and reading as the past collides with the present and the local woods teach a few lessons to those who disrespect them. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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July Read: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

Summer Reading 2022: Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

 

I'm not overstating when I say knowing Sarah Addison Allen has a new book out this year brings me immense joy. I've read all of her books, and still to this day recommend Garden Spells to people.

I was being patient knowing I'd probably have to wait until Other Birds was published before I bought a copy and enjoyed it. However, a friend of mine was able to get me an ARC from Sarah Addison Allen herself (a signed one, at that!) when she made an appearance at the American Library Association Conference in June. My friend stood in line and even got there early and patiently waited. Can't thank him enough! 

You bet I set aside everything else I'm reading and dove into Other Birds and breathed a sigh of relief stepping back into SAA's magical words.

Other Birds takes place on Mallow Island, off the coast of South Carolina. Now a tourist destination, Mallow Island has a special building tucked away down an alley: the Dellawisp. Named after little blue birds that inhabit the trees around the building, it is home to some quirky residents, and the new home to Zoey. Zoey has come to the Dellawisp to live in the apartment left by her mother. She's finally left her toxic home in Oklahoma where her father and stepmother have made it clear she's not wanted. Only eighteen, Zoey is on her own, ready to start college, and trying to find a connection to her deceased mother. 

The Dellawisp is unusual, to be sure. There's magic in the air-the birds, a few ghosts, and the residents all combine to create an atmosphere of secrets, loss, love, and chances to create happiness. If only Zoey and Lucy, Charlotte, Frasier, and Mac can embrace the unknown and find the beginnings to their stories, while others (ghosts!) find the end of their stories. Each character has a chance to tell their story which I loved. There wasn't a character I didn't like, or feel sympathy for as they revealed their stories. The friendship that formed between Charlotte, Zoey, and Mac was delightful to see unfold. 

This was a much anticipated book for me, and I wasn't disappointed at all. I happily sunk into a world only SAA can create. I turned the last page with a big sigh of contentment, and a little bit of sadness that I'd finished. 

Rating: 6/6 for sheer enjoyment at reading SAA's newest novel. I adore her tales of every day people with every day problems, sprinkled in with a bit of magic. A reminder that there is still wonder in the small things; the world is a magical place if we take the time to look for it--it's right there in front of us! 

Available August 30th in the United States in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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Summer Reading 2022: Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

As if I didn't have enough to read this month, I had to add this tale, mostly because my hold came up at the library. I finished it just in the nick of time, as it's due back tomorrow, and I know there are plenty of folks waiting to read it--and hopefully love it just as I do. It's a novel that grows and grows on you after you've finished it and have spent some time ruminating on the big themes, and the lovable animals that populate the pages. 

At first, I chuckled as I was introduced to S.T. (short for Shit Turd), the domesticated crow who lives with Big Jim and his bloodhound, Dennis. Something odd is happening to Big Jim--his eyeball just falls out one day, and then it all rapidly goes downhill from there. Trapped at home with Big Jim as he descends into a ravening, decaying mess, S.T. realizes really quickly that it's time to leave and venture out into the great unknown--also known as Seattle. Taking Dennis, they set off to discover that what's happening at home is actually a small part of a really big apocalyptic crisis. Humanity is attacked by a virus (I won't tell you what causes it, but you betcha Mother Nature is pissed) and people are turning into ravening zombies that slowly decay into blobs of...ugh...stuff. Nature is taking over, and animals are roaming around. S.T. and Dennis realize there are many domesticated animals that are trapped in their homes, unable to get out, and doomed to die of starvation, so their mission is to rescue as many as possible. 

S.T., domesticated to the point that he feels almost human (or Mofo, as he refers to humans), almost forgets his bird-ness when he needs it the most. His relationship with Dennis was one of my favorite highlights of the novel. There's so much more to this tale than a misfit duo trying to survive in an apocalyptic world. S.T. discovers a much bigger connection to his fellow crows, nature, and the ebb and flow of Mother Earth as he slowly starts to let go of his 'Mofo-ness' and isolation. It's a cautionary tale of losing our connection to nature, and our place in the great chain of life. I know you'll come to love S.T. and Dennis as much as I did, along with the supporting characters: dogs and cats of every kind, elephants, murders of crows, and one bad-ass bald eagle. 

Rating: 5/6 for a surprisingly wonderful novel that will have you laughing, weeping, on the edge of your seat, and cheering on a rag-tag bunch of animals battling to survive a crazy, crazy world. This one will stay with me for quite some time. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

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

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

I'm a HUGE fan of Karen White, so there wasn't much arm twisting to read her latest.  I am absolutely in love with the cover art.  

I bought this book, because I couldn't wait to read it...

And then proceeded to not get to it for almost FIVE MONTHS. When I finally did pick it up this week, I power read it in a few days, in between work and an out of town family visit. It was just the palate cleanser I needed.

The two main characters, Merilee Dunlap and Sugar Prescott meet when Merilee rents the cottage that sits behind Sugar's farmhouse outside the small town of Sweet Apple, Georgia.  Sugar is 93 years old, and still full of piss and vinegar.  She's a force to be reckoned with, and commands the respect of everyone in town.  Her family once owned most of the land around Sweet Apple, and she's resisting developers who want to buy the rest of her land to build more housing developments.

Merilee is freshly divorced; her two children are attending a new school, and she's dealing with the fall out of her husband's lover (a local elementary school math teacher) being pregnant.  Small town gossip is running at an all time high. Merilee is struggling to adjust to life as a single parent, and balance the demands of society expectations--school committees, sports, and making appearances at all the right places.  Sugar recognizes a kindred spirit, but her past sorrows and heartbreak have left Sugar reluctant to open her heart to anyone.  

Here's what I enjoyed about this novel:  as a reader, you see both Sugar and Merilee through each other's eyes, and through their own thoughts and memories.  Sugar begins to tell Merilee about her past in small stories; I found Sugar's life in the 30's and 40's to be one of the best parts of the novel.  Makes what we consider difficult today seem like child's play.  These stories are a bridge between Sugar and Marilee as they slowly (very slowly) become friends.  

Merilee, I have to say, was much more complicated than I expected. I was, however, highly annoyed at her absent-mindedness and inability to create a safe password for her phone.  It sounds like a silly thing to point out, but it was a major plot point, and you could see what was going to happen coming long before it did.  Merilee's friendship with Heather Blackford, the wealthy, beautiful, and powerful wife of a popular doctor is bad from the get go.  That plot, I thought, was pretty weak.  Anyone with some life experience knows that people don't befriend you and go out of their way to be overly generous with time, money, and resources unless they want something from you.  Or want to hurt you.  It's not hard to see what's going to happen in this case, but I did get wrapped up in the action steaming along to the big turning point.  

One part of the story I found unnecessary was the "blog" that was put out by an anonymous source in Sweet Apple.  Full of local gossip, it spotlighted the nasty rumors and the people spreading them.  It was basically a way to shame people into behaving instead of spreading malicious gossip and half-truths.  Wasn't hard to figure out who the author of the blog was, but it is finally revealed at the end.  

The big point of this novel is that we all put on public faces, but they are rarely our real faces.  We keep a lot of our lives hidden from everyone else. Past heartbreaks, tragedies, and bad behavior can keep us up at night; but come morning, we stride into our daily lives with none of it showing.  Sometimes the ugliest people hide behind pretty faces, and sometimes a bad person is just a bad person with no redeeming qualities.  

Even though there were parts of the novel I didn't care for, overall I did very much enjoy this book.  I found myself talking out loud when I figured something out before Merilee did; I found myself reading this in big gulps because it kept pulling me along (and I didn't resist that pull).  I spent a whole morning before work lying on my couch reading, and anxiously waiting until I could come home again to finish the last few pages.  

Rating:  4/6 for a novel that explores the choices women make in their youth that can haunt them; the good and bad of living in a small town, and strong friendships between women that become the backbone to overcoming the hard parts of life.  There's a bit of potential romance in here, too--but not so much that it gets in the way.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, large print paperback, and audio.

 

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The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

In the Light of What We See by Sarah Painter

I am lucky to have found another author who writes in a genre that is one of my favorites: magical reality.  Sarah Painter has written three novels, and I have them all on my Nook.  An opportunity to read and review this, her third book, had me hitting "Buy Now" to grab her first two: The Secret of Ghosts  and The Language of Spells (there is also a novella available as a 'prequel').  

This novel has two stories and two female characters living in different times, but bound by a place and a nagging sense of danger.  Grace, in 1938, has begun work as a nurse at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton, England.  She has disgraced her family by getting pregnant.  Unfortunately for Grace, the pregnancy was a result of a rape by a family friend.  Telling her parents about the pregnancy sent her father into a rage against the humiliation his family faced having such a bad girl, and he kicked and punched her until she lost the baby.  With no happy life ahead of her staying with her family, she fled to Brighton for a second chance.  Quiet and reserved, she struggles to be a nurse in a place where long, difficult days on her feet exhaust her, and a fear of being dismissed keeps her on her toes.  

In present day, Mina works at the Royal Sussex Hospital as a radiologist.  She's not a terribly happy person, and is in a relationship with her boss, Mark,  but is trying to end it.  Mina ends up in the hospital as a patient after a bad car wreck.  She's had head injuries, a damaged knee, and burns on her leg.  She can't remember what happened, and Mark soon arrives, telling everyone he's her boyfriend.  Mina has a sense of uneasiness around him, but without her memory, is hard pressed to understand why.  

As Mina spends weeks in the hospital, she sees a nurse standing near her bed and soon realizes the nurse is not one of the nurses that work on the floor, but rather an apparition.  Who is the nurse, and why is she there?  What is she trying to tell Mina?

Grace struggles to feel at home as a nurse in the hospital, and shares a room with Evie, who is fun, flirty, and full of life.  Friendship is there, if only Grace will reach out.  Meanwhile, she is slowly becoming aware that Dr. Palmer has his eye on her, and he terrifies Grace with his demeanor; catching her alone, saying inappropriate things to her.  She doesn't know what to do, and is afraid history will repeat itself.  

Mina's memory slowly starts to come back, and flashes of memories with Mark and her estranged family have her questioning her life, and how the accident happened.  What connection does Grace and Mina have, and will it save Mina?

I enjoyed this novel very much.  Mina isn't a very nice person, but her time in the hospital begins to change her.  Not remembering who she was gives her an opportunity to become a Mina that is kinder, more thoughtful, and capable of sharing her feelings with others.  Grace is super reserved, and you can't blame her after being shunned by her family, and told over and over that she wasn't a good girl.  When all is said and done, this is a novel about women in dangerous relationships, and how sometimes others need to intercede before something horrible happens.  It's about women looking out for each other, and creating family out of those who care about us the most.  A ghostly nurse, apparitions of birds, and foreshadowing add a touch of magic to an entertaining tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Painter for a chance to read and review this novel.  

Available in paperback, e-book, and audio.

Rating:  7/10

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In the Light of What We See by Sarah Painter