Edge of Summer By Viola Shipman

 

Title: Edge of Summer

Author: Viola Shipman

Source: Paperback

Genre: General Fiction

Rating: 5 enthusiastic paws up

Sutton Douglas is devastated by the death of her mother.  After her death, Sutton makes an impulsive decision to move to Douglas, Michigan to search for answers to her past.  She is not prepared for all she is about to discover.  After buying a jar of buttons from the estate sale of Bonnie Lyons, Sutton begins an unlikely friendship with the woman and begins to wonder could she be the grandmother Sutton dreamed of having.  Sutton begins to unravel the truth to her mother's past; but will she find the family she has craved for, or will her search end in heartache?

I stumbled upon Viola Shipman a few years ago because I was doing am ABC reading challenge where I read a book by an author who's name began with each letter of the alphabet, Viola was my "V". Since then, I have pretty much devoured every book published.  The books are actually written by Wade Rouse who writes under the Viola Shipman name to honor his grandmother, which makes me love these books even more because I now know there is a deeper meaning behind them.  Such as Edge of Summer was inspired by Rouse's grandma's button jar.  Knowing this bit of information adds a certain personal quality to the novel.  It adds sentiment.

When I recommend this author, regardless of books I always say Rouse (Shipman) knows exactly what my heart needs to say or hear.  I cannot tell you how many times I teared up at this novel because it touched something deep within and in a way helped heal my heart from the grief I experience.  He tells the story in a way that it doesn't feel like I am reading a novel, but that I am listening to a cherished friend share their story.  I love the family legacy aspect of all the novels, and that along with the love story and what not, family is at the base of every novel.  Edge of Summer is no different.  There is so much to fall in love with in this novel from the family bonds, the descriptions of a Michigan sunset, to the emotions each character struggles with.  It all feels so real and radiates from the pages into the readers.

 I cannot decide if this has become my favorite Viola Shipman novel or not, they are all just so wonderful to read.  Never knew what I'd find when I stepped outside of my comfort zone.  I recommend this novel to everyone.  I feel like at times it made me acknowledge the way my heart continues to ache for not only my grandmothers, but also my dad.  It was honestly a wonderful book to read while grieving.

Viola SHipman has become one of those authors that I will buy their book without reading the synopsis.

Enter the world of the Trees of Man with Vedientir By Ivan Hladni

 

Title: Vedientir

Author: Ivan Hladni

Source: ebook

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4 paws up

The alliance of the four kingdoms crumbles when armies belonging to powerful horrors from an era before time itself existed break their way through the Great Trees from the old "Slavic" speaking world of magic and gods into the "English" speaking world of mankind.

Dion, a young man in his early twenties, is then thrust out of the besieged city of Echa on a task to get help from the king, but finds that their kingdom is no longer the safe haven it once was. Things have come out of the Great Trees that have not lived in the world outside of old wives' tales, and Nightmares walk the earth, but not everything is lost...

This light-hearted book is full of action, magic and humor, and the main characters in it are young, especially the dragon, Zmai, who is one year old, or as he said to king Valan - he is "edna rok star", since he does not speak English, but fortunately for the dragon, Dion speaks the Old language and can talk to the dragon and translate for us.

I won this in a goodreads giveaway I cannot believe it took me so long to read it. It is a book that will stick with me and I will recommend to others.  I honestly did not expect to like it as much as I did. This is a story that I did not expect to just blow me away. Simply love Dion, Kerkio and Zmai as well. There is so much in this novel that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat.  Dion is the character that doesn't see his strength and thinks everyone baby's him but then comes to realize how strong and important he truly is and what he can do to help save his city.  Kerkio is the type of friend everyone needs.  He's lifting Dion up and reminding him that they are companions, friends, not babysitter.  I think there is more to Kerkio than what we see, he's a force to be reckonded with.  And Zmai, that is there not to love about a young dragon who imprinted on his rescuer??   I love the acorns of the great Oak trees and the mythos that is with in this novel. Hladni creates his own culture and mythos that makes me simply want more.  I love the use of acorns as magical reagents to travel between cities, summon elementals, and so much more that we didn't really get to see yet in this book, but you just know is more.  The book leaves it open for more novels and I hope Ivan Hladni writes more, I checked this afternoon and it doesn't look like there is one yet. I don't know what else I could compre this novel too, there is nothing else quite like it. I could really see this book game made into a movie I wish it would be.

Follow the students of Minghau as they protect: The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

 

Title: Library of Legends

Author: Janie Chang

Genre: Fantasy

Source: Physical Book

Rating: 5 paws up

It's 1937, Japanese bombs are dropping on the city of Nanking China, in order the ensure the safety of their students Minghua University order Hu Lian and her classmates to flee.  Lian and a convoy of other students, faculty and staff must walk miles to find safety in one of China's Western provinces.  A trek that is riddled with threat of enemy attacks.  While the students stive to find safety, they must also protect a priceless treasure: a collection of myths and folkore that is 500 years old: the Library of Legends.  This journey creates bonds among the students and staff.  While Lian form new friendships, she also forms an unlikely romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming.  But their trials do not come in the form of enemy attach alone.  One classmate is arrested and another is murdered, and betryal swims through the group.  Lian realizes she must escape for her family's past secret puts her in more danger.  Lian, Shao and his madiservant, Sparrow (who has a secret of her own) make their way to Shanghai in hopes of find refuge and family. During the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. This revelation comes with profound consequences, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits who embark on an exodus of their own, one that will change the country’s fate forever. 

This was probably one of my favorite books so far this year.  I have come to love the lyrical and poetic way that Janie Change tells her stories.  She is just a gifted and talented atmospheric storyteller, that I haven't seen the likes of in a long time.  I may, dare I say, like her novels more than Lisa See.  *GASP* I know!  I was in a reading slump before I picked up this one from my shelf and it brought my reading mojo back.

This novel is filled with myth and folklore, romance, betrayal, family relationships, and so much more.  Chang provides readers with accurate historical details and weaves it perfectly with legends showing their spiritual importance and meaning.  I so want to find a copy of the Willow Star and The Prince because it seems like a beautiful story.  I enjoyed all the characters, though I kind of wanted more of Sparrow and the legends beyond their own exodus, or more on that.  I do also like that the romance wasn't the 100% focus of this story.  Chang's spent a lot of time showing readers the historical significance of her tale, as well as the spiritual.  The story is set during an event that gets overshadowed by other historical events surrounding WW2 that other historical novels focus on. It was a relief to read something that didn't focus on the typical events that we generally see in this genre.

 If you enjoy books like The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, then you would enjoy this book.  It has so much to offer.  Janie Chang will quickly become a favorite.

Library of the Unwritten by AJ Hackwith

 Title: The Library of the Unwritten

Author: A.J Hackwith

Genre: Fantasy

Source: Library Paperback

Rating: 3 paws up

Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing of a library in Hell.  This is where all the unfinished stories by various authors reside.  Her job is to repair and organze the books like most librarians, but from time to time a book gets resetless and self-actualized and becomes one of it's characters in the flesh and try to escape the confines of the library: Claire must stop them.  Things go awry when a hero escapes from his book to search for his author.  Clair and her assistant Brevity (a former muse ooooh) and a nervous young demon named Leto.  This seemingly simple assignment goes horribly wrong when not only the hero tears pages from his book, but an angel, Ramiel, attacks them.  He believes the librarians hold the missing Devil's Bible, a powerful weapon that can easily unleash war between Heaven and Hell.  So now Claire and her ragtag team must find this book before it reshapes the fabric of Heaven, Hell, and well...Earth.

I have been seeing this book a lot recently and decided to check it out to see if it was up my alley.  Now normally I love a good story that revolves around libraries and book.  The concept that Hackwith had was very creative and interesting.  I was drawn to the synopsis and thought this would be a perfect fit for me.  Indeed I was drawn to the story, however, I found it difficult relating to any of the characters or felt connect to them.  I did love Brevity, but she was barely in the book, and this Leto wasn't as instrumental as he could have been.  The focus seemed to be more on Claire, the Hero, and Ramiel. There were points were the story just dragged on so when I got the real meat of story, I wasn't as emotionally invested as I would normally have been.  This one took me a lot longer to read than normal, I am not sure because I am feeling like I am in a reading FUNK or not, but that also affected how I responded to the story.  There just didn't seem to be a lot of oomph to this one. There is so much potential that I think it fell a little flat, too much expectations on my part maybe.  I do plan on reading the next book and giving A.J. Hackwith a second chance to really wow, but I am unfortunately not holding my breath.

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

 Title: The Firebird

Author: Susanna Kearsley

Source: Paperback

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 paws up

When Nicola Martin touches an object, she sometimes sees the previous owner of any given time period.  When an older woman brings in a wooden carving, Nicola can see it's entire history which reveals that it is named after a Russian legendary creature: the Firebird.  Nicola finds herself compelled to know more and follows the life of a young woman named Anna: in the past.    She enlists in the help of a former love whom she is somehow mentally connected with.  Together they travel through tales of Jacobites, Russian courts as the unravel tales of love, courage and of course redemption.

I have come to really love Susanna Kearsley's work ever since I had read Shadowy Horses.  I could not get the chilling tale out of my mind so I have been devouring much of her other time travel, historical fiction novels.  In my mind, she is a master at weaving the time travel together so that it flows naturally rather than feeling disjointed in going back and forth between time periods.  She does it in a way that makes the reader want to know more about each time, you want Nicola to go back to Anna's time and then go back to her own to see what happens with the handsome cop.

While it is a standalone novel, it does reference The Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses, which I love that she ties them together through small references while keeping each book their own.  The book may seem intimidating at a  little over 500 pages, but they fly by.  I could not put this novel down.  In fact I think I may have lost sleep because I kept saying "One more chapter." 

Kearsley doesn't fall into the trap of spending too much time on details like period clothing or excessive info dumping.  She gives you the right amount of information right when you need it.  It made me want to know more about the Jacobite Rising, I mean who wouldn't after the way she tells it.  Sounds like such and interesting period of time to study.

I cannot wait to tackle another one of her novels, I think I have 3 more sitting on my shelf waiting to be read.

Making Changes in the World: The Accidental Suffragist by Galia Gichon

 Title: The Accidental Suffragist

Author: Galia Gichon

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 out of 5 paws.

Helen Fox is a factory worker trying to make ends meet for her family in 1912.  When her family experiences a horrific tragedy in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Helen finds herself drawn to the Suffragist cause.  Soon she is immersed and is working alongside other suffragists to try an make a change in the world.  As she delves further into the cause and her involvment, she encounters many sources of tension within her home and out.  She quickly becomes ostrasized by neighbors, estranged from her husband, worry for her children as she goes of activist trips and more.  Helen discovers her voice in a male dominated society.

  

I recieved a gifted copy of this book for an honest review and I have to say I am very glad I took the opportunity to read this novel.  While it is a slim book, it is jam packed with heart and inspiration.  I was instantly hooked when I began reading, I didn't want to stop, even to sleep.  It was a quick read, and I feel like I will be reading again in the future.  This is such an important book, and I see it gaining popularity and becoming a huge success.  It shows a moment in time that women displayed strength, intelligence, grit, and so much more.  Something that needs to be taught more in schools, more than just a brief moment.  This is a moment in our history that shows young women what we are capable of doing. 

Galia does a wonderful job at bringing her words to life.  There are moments throughout the novel that pull at your heart; her son going to war, her husband turning his back on her, the horrors of what happened in Washington, losing her friends, the fire, and so much more.  Galia Gichon's words bring out the rawest of emotions as you are reading this novel, it took everything in me not to cry. I was deeply moved by this novel and it will stick with me for a long time.  I highly recommend this  novel to everyone.

Similar Novels:

A Story of Redemption and Recovery: Trejo By Danny Trejo

 Title: Trejo

 Author: Danny Trejo

 Genre: Memoir/Autobiography

 Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

 Danny Trejo is one of the most recognized actors in Hollywood.  On screen he is a baddie who has been killed at least 100 times; he's been stabbed, shot, hung, chopped up, even squished by an elevator.  Off screen he is known as a hero in the recovery community.  Raised in an abusive home he has a history of heroin abuse, stints in some of the most notorious and scary prisons: San Quentin, Folsom and others.  He learned how to survive on the inside and once he got out.  He has had roles in some of the most well known cult classics such as Heat, and of course his most well-known role of Machete.  In his memoir, he recounts how he managed life in prison, his spirituality, his recover and his mission to helps others along the road of addiction recovery.  His book is a reflection of a magnificent life of redemption, tragedy, pain and ultimately success.

Before reading this book I already knew some of his past and the things this actor has been able to accomplish and overcome throughout his life.  But there was so much that I didn't know.  Reading through his hardships and everything he has overcome including reconciling with his children, makes me love him even more.  He is not ashamed of his past because it made him into the man he is, he learned from it and he may still have some more to learn as he reflects on certain aspects of his private life.  It was amazing to see how he turned his life around and founded numerous recovery centers and how he'd go to the baddest parts of town looking for people to help.  He is a true treasure and gem.  Danny Trejo proves that 1. you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and 2. that someone's past doesn't define who they are now.  It contributes to who they become but just because there was addiction then, doesn't mean it will continue.  He worked hard to get to where is today and should be proud of everything he accomplished.

Memoirs/autobiographies are not typically my cup of tea, but I have been trying to branch out a little more and I am glad that I picked up this one.  I seen it and said "this one I need to read" and I am glad that I did.  Reading the stories through Danny's words made it all so entertaining, I could almost hear his voice sometimes.  It was very interesting to hear how Machete came about including that children have dressed up as the character for Halloween (not exactly what I'd call a kids movie, but it goes to show the impact this man has had in pop culture, as well as society.)  True to Danny Trejo, this novel is raw, unfiltered and unashamably him.  Definitely recommend.

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Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Title: The Fire Keeper's Daughter

Author: Angeline Boulley

Genre: YA

Rating: 5 out of 5

Daunis Fontaine has never been able to fit in, in either her hometown or on the nearby Ojibwe reservation.  She puts her future of studying medicine on hold to help care of her ailing mother.  The only seemingly bright spot in her life is Jamie a new recruit on her brother's hockey team. Yet, as she falls for Jamie, things he says and does doesn't add up and she begins to suspect that he is hiding something.  When she witnesses a horrific murder, everything begins to make sense and she is thrown in the middle of a criminal investigation.  She agrees to go undercover, but soon discovers that the deceptions and betrayal keep piling up and comes to close to home.  Now she must learn what it means to be a strong Ojibwe woman and far she will go to protect her community and those she loves.

I had this book on my TBR for a little while, and then a woman in my book club mentioned how great it was so I moved it up on my list and read it right away.    The first half of the novel we get background information and character building, but as the book progresses the plot thickens and gets intense.  You will get completely swept up into the storyline, I know I did. The second half of the book becomes a real rollercoaster of emotion, tragedy, suspense, coming of age, and culture.  Whatever your reason for reading this book you will learn something new.

I love how steeped in Native American culture this novel was, I love learning about the traditions, religion, language, history, herbs, relationships and more.  And there is no better author to present this information than Angeline Boulley.  Boulley approaches touch topics in a professional, and mature manner.  There are so many topics that could be a trigger such as abuse, addiction, sexual assault, grief, and even politics, but Boulley includes these topics in a way that it doesn't trigger (at least it didn't for me).  She doesn't include them in a gratuitous way nor do they take away from the story.  If anything it makes the novel more intense, more emotional.

The cover drew me in and Boulley's words held me captive.  Probably the BEST book I've read this year.

Simial Novels:

Within the Whispering Shadows Comes A Wonderful Novel

Author: D.E. Night 

Title: The Girl with the Whispering Shadow

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Source: Paperback

Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

Ivy has just saved the world from the Dark Queen and has found out she fulfills a prophecy.  She is quickly whisked away from her school to the town of Belzebuthe.  Belzebuthe is a secret town for only those with magical blood, if you don't already know where the town is you will be unable to be able to find it.  Ivy sets out on a new quest to find the second piece to the Kindred Stone while hiding from the Dark Queen. While she is supposed to be safe within Belzebuthe, something seems to be looming over her head.  She needs to find the magic within herself and more as she beigins the battle of her life.  Will she find the next stone and return the Halls of Ivy before it is too late?

This is the second book in the Crowns of Croswald series and it remains a wonderful series.  This is a series for anyone who enjoys reading whimsical fantasy.  The book picks up right where the last one left off with Ivy learning more nd strives to find the rest of the stones.  D.E Night builds a world that is so imaginitve and unique.  In this series readers see a world where learning, sketching, word usage, imagination and discovery are all important parts of magic.  D.E describes everything in way that it is easy to see the world being painted in front of you as you progress through the book.  In this series magic users (or scrivinist) use quills instead of wands and some partake in a game called Quogo where opponents do battle using quills from former scrivinist.  She has so many creative ideas that makes me want to see where night takes the series.

One thing that I love about the series is while there is a budding romance between Ivy and Fin, that is not the sole focus.  They build their friendship first, the most we've seen between the two characters has been a blush and some flirting.  It is fantastic for a young adult book to show the friendship building side of a relationship rather than jumping into a relationship.  Readers also see a character struggling with finding her place in the world, dealing with feelings of inadequacies, and how she copes with all of the things she faces with the help of her friends, her knowledge, and her own power.  Ivy is a powerful role model that I think young girls need to have.

I have refered to this a young adult novel, but I would recommend it middle grade readers as well.  I lump it as YA because Ivy is a 16 year old girl.There is so much in Ivy that readers of all ages would benefit from.  If you are looking for a good fantasy read, I would give Crowns of Croswald as a series a try.  you won't be disappointed.

Local Legends: The Mothman: Harbinger of Doom

 Myths and legends touch upon the unknown, intriguing us of what is beyond the things we can see.  Many cultures have legends or folklore that shows who they are, their beliefs and values..  Other myths and legend evolve from stories, true events, dreams, revelations and any combination of those things. Anywhere you go, you will be sure to learn of a legend centered in that area.  For West Virginia, the legend of the Mothman is such a tale that accompanies the area.  The tale of the Mothman is such an interesting story, that there was a movie produced in 2002 staring Richard Gere: The Mothman Prophecies which presents the tale and raises questions of what is the Mothman?

The Mothman legend started in November 1966 in the town of Point Pleasant, when a couple of gravediggers claimed to have seen a massive brown humanlike creature moving rapidly from tree to tree.  With that sighting, the legend begins.

Three days after the initial sighting, two couples report another sighting where they describe seeing a grey-winged beast standing 6-7 ft tall in front of their vehicle.  It had bright red glowing eyes, with a 10 ft wingspan.  It is possible the creature is sensitive to light as it seemed to have avoided the headlights of the car.  The couples tried out run the beast, but it had a flight speed of an estimated 100 mph, but was much slower when it ran.  

Several days later comes yet another sighting.  This time a man heard strange sounds outside while strange patterns appeared on his television.  When he looked outside with a flashlight, he seen what appeared to be 2 red eyes reflected back at him.  Oddly enough his dog went missing around this same time, which people have attributed to the Mothman.  One of the last recorded sightings is that of a young woman walking into her house with her baby when she observed the creature emerging from the shadows.  She ran inside only to have the creature peer in through the windows from the porch.  Then he suddenly disappeared.

In December 1967 after some of the last sightings, tragedy struck in the form of a bridge collapsing.   Forty Six people died from the incident, from either drowning in the river or being crushed among the wreckage.  There have been reports of the Mothman being seen just before the incident.  This has caused the theory that the Mothman is a harbinger of doom.  There is no census, however, on whether or not Mothman is trying to warn humans of impending doom or if he is the cause of the doom.  All together in West Virginia there have been over 100 reports sightings of the Mothman.   

Even though Mothman remains a West Vrignia myth, there have been other incidents of Mothman sightings outside of the West Virginia area.  Just before the disaster of Chernobyl, there are reports of Mothman sightings, even as recent as within the past couple years when a pilot in Chicago reported seeing the creature in August of 2019.  The pilot recounts riding on a shuttle to the terminal and seeing a large humanoid with wings sitting on a railing. Watching him with red eyes.  The creature kept his wings open, slowly moving them as it watched the shuttle. His account others can be read an the article by Tobas & Emily Wayland on the Singular Fortean website (link at the end of the post).

While it is unknown of what Mothman could be there are some theories that he is an alien stuck on earth, some sort of mutated bird, or even a vengeful curse.  Regardless of what the Mothman is or what he represents he is a legend that is revelant today as people continue to report sightings of the creature whether in West Virignia or not.

He has garnered enough intrigued that the town of Point Pleasant hosts an annual Mothman festival generally held in September.  For information on the festival visit the Mothman festival homepage. Not only has the Mothman been brought to life on the screen, there are several books about him as well you can check out:

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel

Mothman: The Facts behind the Legend: by Jeff Wamsley

Beyond the Prophecies of Mothman by Andrew Colvin

Monsters of West Virginia by Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Other Articles of Note:

Second Pilot Reports Sighting of "Mothman" at Chicago's O'Hare

The Terrifying tale of West Virginia's Spectre: The Mothman

  

Beautiful, Lyrical Novel of Family Legacy: The Mountains Sing Review

Title: The Mountains Sing

Author: Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Genre: Historical Fiction, Family Legacy

Source: Paperback - giveaway win

Rating: 4 out of 5

Houng is a young woman awaiting the return of her parents who have gone off to fight in the Ho Chi Minh trail conflict.  She is unsure if they will ever return as she and her grandmother find a new normal.  Tran Dieu Lan and her children were forced to leave her land during the Land Reform in the 1950's. Together grandmother and granddaughter share an experience that bonds them closer together as they struggle and overcome hardships they face within their lives.

I was lucky enough to win this book through Goodreads' giveaway; and I couldn't be happier that I have gotten the chance to read this book.  A lot of the historical fiction novels I have read have focused on World War 2, this one focused on two historical events we aren't taught much about, the Vietnam Land Reform and the Ho Chi Min Trail. Mai Nguyen has such a poetic voice that both transported me to Vietnam, but also made me want more from her.  I ended up buying her book of poetry as well which is just as beautiful.

The story is told in alternating view-points between Tran and Houng, and reflects on two points in time, but show similarities between the struggles and strength each woman finds.  In the heart of the story, I found a story of beauty, strength, and determination that is inspiring to read and think about.  It honestly makes me want to learn more about Vietnam.  The culture, language, history, and even folklore.  It is not everyday you find a novel that touches your heart and mind, and The Mountains Sing is a novel that does just that.

I honestly hope Mai writes more novels, she definitely gained a huge fan in myself and I think she will find more.