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

The Bear by Andrew Krivak

This novel has had me curious for months. I thought twice about reading it now, in the middle of all this state of unknowingness. After all, it is about a father and a daughter, the only two people left on the planet. But I decided to read it anyway, and once again book magic happened, just when I needed some in my life. 

It's a short novel, but packs a punch. Father and daughter live in a small home set deep in a vast forest. They are the only two humans left alive, many years after something happened that ended life for humans. Animals of every kind flourish, and nature has reclaimed everything for itself. Father and daughter live in harmony with the land; everything they have they receive from the trees, the plants, the river and the animals. Except for one precious pane of glass, and a few books, nothing really remains of civilization. Father has only known this life and just a handful of people--including daughter's mother, who died when daughter was a baby. He has taught daughter everything he knows in order to survive: making clothes and shoes, weapons for hunting and fishing, how to gather food and hunt. He has even taught her to read and write. Father has also shared with daughter stories of the forest and of the bears that pass down stories of the world through each generation. 

Father and daughter go on a journey to the ocean, to gather salt. Daughter finds herself suddenly alone, and must find her way home again. Will she survive? Amazingly, a bear comes to her aid when she needs it the most. Bears in this novel remind me of wise elders who take care of everything around them.   Daughter's journey home is pretty powerful. 

This is a novel about a world where civilization is gone, but it's not an apocalyptic novel. I found it incredibly peaceful. It is about living with nature, taking only what you need, honoring the wisdom of nature, and listening because nature is always talking, especially the trees. 

I loved it! Wow. This is perfect for those who love to read about nature, or people who spend a lot of time outside just taking it all in. It's also a great novel to read in the Spring, when everything is waking up, and we turn to gardening and growing. 

Rating: 5/6 for a novel that hit the spot for me this week. Beautifully written, quiet and powerful. Sit somewhere outside quiet and let the novel take you away. 

Available in paperback, ebook, and audio. 

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The Bear by Andrew Krivak

Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins by Kathy Griffin (Audio Book)

First of all, I must state that I love Kathy Griffin.  As she says, she is a comedian 24/7 and doesn't know how to be anything else.  Not many people are truly their authentic selves, but Kathy is and makes no apologies about it.  It's refreshing to see a woman who has such a firm grasp on who she is and is able to laugh about herself.  

Second, if you do decide to read this book, you MUST listen to the audio.  It's just not going to be the same if you read it.  Kathy's 7 disc audio book made my commute this week something I actually looked forward to and kept me sitting in my car when I got to work, reluctant to stop the CD and step out of the car. 

Kathy Griffin has been part of the Hollywood scene for a long time--well over 20 years.  There is no wonder that her and Joan Rivers were very good friends. Listening to this audio made me realize that Kathy is one extremely hard working comedian; she jokes about taking every job she can; doing so has not only made her financially solid (and being smart about her money), but it's given her endless opportunities to meet people from every walk of life.  Kathy Griffin has met celebrities when they're just starting out, when they're at the height of stardom, and some, like Dick Van Dyke, when they are "legends" and just want to dance to a disco song before going onstage.  She discusses her first meeting with Ice-T on a radio show when she was just starting out, and how she gave him a hard time and he didn't care much for her.  Years later, when she was guest starring on Law and Order SVU, she met up with him again.  She was a bit anxious, remembering their last meeting, but Ice-T not only didn't remember the run in, but completely forgot how annoying she was on the radio show.  Phew.  

Two of her celebrity memories got me a little teary-eyed:  Joan Rivers and Gary Shandling.  Kathy talks about a once in a lifetime experience when Joan invited her to come to London to spend two days with Prince Charles and Camilla.  Who knew Joan Rivers was pals with Prince Charles and Camilla?  Yes she was.  Kathy's "holy cow I can't believe I'm here" attitude was certainly one pretty much everyone would have had--and that she got to spend it with her dear friend meant the world to her.  Gary Shandling, another of Kathy's friends, told Kathy how much it meant to him that she gave a bunch of crap to a fellow dinner guest at a private dinner party.  Kathy didn't realize the other guest was Gary's ex-talent agent, whom Gary had sued for a lot of money a few years before.  It was the first time Gary had seen this man since the case was settled, and he was very nervous about it.  Sitting next to Kathy, he marveled at her barrage of pesky one-liners towards this other guest.  Both comedians are gone now, and Kathy's wistfulness talking about them was touching.  

There are so many celebrities Kathy talks about, it's pretty amazing: Jared Leto, Tom Hanks, Barbara Streisand, Billy Crystal--and of course, Cher.  It's a fun trip into Hollywood, and Kathy's audio performance is spot on.  It's like having a good dish with your friend over a bottle of wine.  She doesn't hesitate to talk about the run-ins that don't go well, and the celebrities that don't like her, and even the celebrities that have become friends after rocky starts.  Kathy is still pretty grounded, and realizes she's had an amazing career and life.  Her mother is another fun character, and it's obvious Kathy adores her.  And how could I forget Anderson Cooper?  So. Much. Fun.

I'd say if you like Andy Cohen, Tina Fay, Amy Poehler, listen to this audio.  Comedians really do make it worth your while to listen to their books. I liked this so much, I'm off to the library to check out the audio of Kathy's book: Official Book Club Selection.  I can't wait to start my commute on Monday.

Rating:  5/6 for an audio that made me giggle, got me a bit teary-eyed, and made my commute fly by.  Kathy's narration makes this a fun peek behind Hollywood's curtain.

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.

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Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins by Kathy Griffin (Audio Book)

Review: The Girl Who Slept with God and Winner of the Giveaway!

In the right hands, this novel would make a very good movie.  It is the story of Jory and her sisters Grace and Frances in the summer and fall of 1970, living in the small town of Arco, Idaho.  It is at times funny, poignant, and heartbreaking.  

Jory is 13 going on 14, and Grace is 17.  Their father is a Harvard educated astronomer who is a very strict Christian.  They go to a Christian school, aren't allowed to wear makeup or dance; must wear very modest clothes, and eat a lot of lentil loaf.  Their mother is deeply unhappy and pretty much spends all of her time on tranquilizers, sleeping in her bedroom.  Grace believes it is her destiny to serve as a witness to Jesus; to do this, she wants to go on a mission to Mexico.  Off she goes for a few months, but is sent back home when she's taken ill.  Her illness is actually a pregnancy.  Her parents are just besides themselves at this turn of events.  It gets even more strange when Grace announces that this child is a gift from God, and yep, God got her pregnant.  

To save face and keep the scandal to a minimum, Grace's father Oren buys a house outside of town and moves Jory and Grace there.  Jory's furious at this turn of events.  She's forced to go to the public high school, where kids wear bell bottoms, smoke lots of weed, and have a life completely different than Jory's.  Befriending the ice cream truck driver Grip is part of Jory's rebellion.  She is on the fence; does she keep to her religious upbringing, or does she step into a different life, away from her parents?  It's a lot for a 14 year old to handle.  Grace is very fragile, and Jory is both frightened for her sister and angry at where her sister's actions have brought her.  Not having her parents and sister Frances around much makes things very difficult.  Yes, Jory's Dad moves a 14 and 17 year old to a house by themselves, with only an elderly neighbor to keep an eye on them.

There are moments that brought a smile to my face.  The culture of 1970 is everywhere in this novel:  the clothes, the attitudes of youth, the food,  the feeling that our country was on the cusp of great change.  Jory's growing pains mirror the culture she's reluctantly witnessing.  

Will Jory and Grace make it through this trying time?  I can't tell you.  This is a powerful novel, and I felt for every awkward, uncomfortable moment Jory experiences.  Her uncertainty, her anger, her feelings of abandonment.  That sister  love/hate relationship that only those who have sisters can ever possibly understand.  This would make an excellent book club pick.  There is much to this novel, and I'm so glad I received a copy from Penguin/Random House to review.  I would have skipped over this title otherwise, and that would have been a shame.  

The winner of a copy of The Girl Who Slept with God is:

 

Rating:  8/10 for a novel that really grew on me.  Jory is a very well written character, and her growing pains are both beautiful and poignant.  

Available in paperback and e-book.

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Review: The Girl Who Slept with God and Winner of the Giveaway!

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt

I'm starting off 2016 with a novel that combines so many elements: ghosts, mothers, cults, foster kids, family, the starry sky.  You can't imagine that all of those elements can possibly come together into a story, but they do.  Wonderfully.  

Mr. Splitfoot  was a bit of a jolt for me in my reading habits, but it was a good jolt.  It begins in upstate New York, with Ruth and Nat, two teens who live together in a foster home.  This foster home, called The Love of Christ! Foster Home, Farm, and Mission is really a terrible place full of kids who aren't wanted by anyone. It's run by Father Arthur, a man who collects checks from the government and treats the foster kids horribly.  Full of fire and brimstone, he's completely dysfunctional and takes all the kids who are "damaged" into his care.  The unwanteds.  Ruth's mother threw bleach on her face when she was little, leaving scars that resemble the night sky.  Nat talks to the dead.  Or is it all an act?

Ruth and Nat fall into a relationship with a traveling con artist, Mr. Bell.  He takes them around to give readings to people who want contact with their dead relatives.  It's a way for Ruth and Nat to make money and get away from the foster home, where they will be kicked out as soon as they turn 18.  

An alternating story involves Ruth's niece, Cora.  Set in current day, Cora is a young woman who finds herself pregnant and living with Ruth's sister (and Cora's mother), El.  El and Ruth had both lived at Love of Christ! until El was taken away and left on the side of the road by Father Arthur on her 18th birthday.  Ruth waited for her sister to come back to get her, but she never did.  Cora wakes one night to find her Aunt Ruth standing in her bedroom.  Ruth takes Cora on a walking tour of New York state.  Where are they going?  Why doesn't Ruth talk? How does it connect to Ruth and Nat's past?  

There are so many elements to this novel.  It is quirky, sad, funny, mystical, magical, and sometimes just bizarre.  But at the core, it reflects on motherhood in all of its varied ways, family, love, and how we all affect one another through our actions, words, and emotions.  Mr. Splitfoot is certainly a book club worthy read, and was a great way to kick off my 2016 reading list.  

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a  review copy, and for being so enthusiastic about this novel.  

Rating:  8/10 for a very different, yet moving novel that combines what we want with what we've got (and how to work with it), and the absolute powerful pull of love in all its mysterious ways. 

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Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt