Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

Stevens does her research and it shows in another page turner! I still have a few unanswered questions but that's a good mystery/thriller - the story keeps you guessing even when the pages run out.

What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman

I was excited to read this story after reading so many glowing reviews, but now realize a lot of those were from promotions for the book.  I wanted to really love this book but found myself feeling depressed most of the time.  Wyatt's outlook was always bleak and he seemed like a weak character -okay letting people tell him how to live and what to do.  Yes, he was struck by more than his fair share of tragedy but none of the tragedies seemed to build character or even courage.  But on the positive, there are some brilliantly funny lines in the book and I believe the back and forth banter between, Wyatt, Tilda, Cornelia and Constance, would make for a great TV movie.  

For a synopsis - Wyatt loses his parents to suicide, separately but simultaneously.  He's a 17-year-old boy and is taken in by his Aunt Constance and Uncle Donald.  His cousin, Tilda, who is adopted, thankfully, is beautiful and has some interesting and morbid ideas for a career path.  The book takes place in Newfoundland during the early years of WWII.  It was interesting to gain perspective on what the war meant to Canadians - not something you hear about often.  The story is a letter from Wyatt to his daughter, Maralis.  Once you get through the first two-thirds of the book, you zoom with much anticipation to the end when Wyatt's story really takes off, the true reasons he is writing to his daughter.  While beautifully written, with words I was excited to look up (anodyne, philology), I was left with little to really ponder over once finished.

The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe

Rating:  Totally Tales
Emotions, spontaneity, questions and answers and a beautiful lesson on migrating Monarchs fills the pages of this road trip novel.  Luz, Abuela, Ofelia, Stacie, Margaret - all strong women with backgrounds as diverse as their looks and experiences.  And we can not forget El Toro, who turns out to be more like Ferdinand. 

Ms. Monroe has created a story that flows not only from north to south but from generation to generation with Spanish, lepidopterology, botany and horticulture lessons to lead us on Luz's journey.  (Yes, I had to look up the spellings and meanings.)  

Highly recommend for any woman wanting to remember, re-discover or re-connect!  Oh and you'll want to kiss your mom, sister, best girlfriend and even your dog once you've finished reading.

I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

I believe I've read most, if not all, of Clark's books (as well as her daughter, Carol's) and I still have yet to figure out whodunit before the last chapter, grrr....  In I'll Walk Alone, I thought I had a pretty good chance but nope, she got me again.  That's why I always look forward to her books.  Not only are they an entertaining afternoon read, but they carry a high suspense puzzle that is fun trying to figure out.

Zan, the mother who lost her 3-year-old son the day the babysitter fell asleep, is very convincing as the picture of a distraught mom.  But two years later, is she as innocent as she looks.  She has blackouts and hears her son's voice, combine that with the newly discovered picture of her kidnapping Matthew, and her alibi of that day is cracking! Each character has their own reasons for wanting or not wanting the truth of Matty's disappearance to come to light.  

Room by Emma Donoghue

Rating = TALEASTIC
Jack knows Room, Table, Trash, Wardrobe and Ma.  He knows many other things for a newly turned 5-year-old.  He loves Ma and Dora and Dylan the Digger.  He does not love green beans.  He knows to be quiet in Wardrobe when Old Nick comes to visit.  And when he was 4, all the things on TV are fake.  But now that he's 5, Ma tells him about Outside and how the people on TV are real, expect his cartoons and Dora, but huh?!!

That is as far as I can and want to go in the book's summary.  Anything more and it will spoil Jack's story for you.  I was hesitant about reading the book even with all of the rave reviews, not sure why, maybe too uncomfortable to hear a story told by a child.  But I'm glad I did read Jack and Ma's story for two reasons:  1 - our children see and hear so much more than we think they do and 2- our world is so small even if we are already on the Outside.

Highly recommend but might want to be in a good, lighthearted mood when you start so you can appreciate Jack and Ma's journey.

Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou

Our latest bookclub pick was the continuation of Maya Angelou's story as a young teenage mom bouncing around from California to Arkansas trying to find and keep her innocence.  We have read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and were intrigued with Angelou's early years so decided to continue catching up with her every few months.  In Gather Together, she has a baby to feed; a mother who adores but doesn't smother her; runs a brothel; returns to Arkansas to discover it's the same but different south; tries to join the Army; loses her innocence and gains naivety; struggles with her brother, Bailey; and finally finds her innocence and her baby (who is not an accessory) - all this in a 3-year span, and she's only 19 at the end of book.  There is a lot more of her to discover - all making her the beautiful poet she is today.  There is very little time to catch your breath as Maya hops on and off trains during her journey, but she writes even the darkest of situations with vigor, hilarity and passion.

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

Rating:  Totally Tales
Lynnie (Beautiful Girl), Homan (Buddy), Julia (Little One), Martha/Matilda and Kate give away their passions, homes, bodies, possessions, time and hearts in this story of society's shame, which paths to take, how to give and when to forgive.  Lynnie lives in the Snare, a home for the feebleminded in Pennsylvania.  Homan is deaf but has worked his way up to have jobs of his choosing at the Snare.  They find there way to Martha, a widower, after they have escaped the Snare for 3 blessed days.  Her lighthouse is all the signal that Lynnie needs to see to know that the Little One will be safe. And so begins the story that will take 40 years to  find it's way home.

Illuminating and telling of the society we live in, both today and yesteryear. Each of the characters' stories were told with depth and caring but they were able to develop on their own as we do. There were times I wasn't pleased with Homan and did not like the path he was taking. But it made him real to me. Our flaws show everyday and there are not always people there to teach us how to fix them except maybe the Big Guy. Believe, trust and forgive - your instinct, those who might seem unimportant to you, your past, all things.