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.

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.

The Book of Speculation

Title:  The Book of Speculation
Author: Erika Swyler
Genre: Mystery, Family History
Source: Library Ebook
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

Simon is a library with a love and appreciation for books. His parents have both passed on, his sister is off traveling the land in a circus, his home is slowly crumbling into the ocean, and he just lost his job due to budget cuts.  Out of nowhere Simon receives a book in the mail from a book seller.  The man who sent it to him, believed it would be of interest to his family history.  The book is a circus diary of sorts, a book written by the circus owner chronicling important events and dates.  Simon begins to notice a pattern.  On the same date, women who perform as mermaids or swimmers die, by drowning.  The same way his mother died, and all the women seem to be tied to his family.  He begins to worry about the safety of his sister as she comes to visit and the date slowly draws closer.  But the more Simon reads, the more he discovers about not only his family's past but also that of his neighbor.  Can Simon stop fate before it's too late?

I have sort of been drawn into circus books or books that relate to a circus, so when I saw this book at the library (or rather on the library list), I decided to give it a shot.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it, but also a little disappointed that more was not done with a certain aspect of the book.  But don't let me get ahead of myself.  The book overall was an interesting one to read.  I liked all the characters.  They each had their own interesting quirk and element to add to the story.  They all helped drive the story forward even if it is in a small way such as that of the book seller.

Simon, I found Simon to be an interesting character in that he got so wrapped up in the family history he didn't see anything else around him.  He began to alienate and hurt the people around them despite him thinking he was helping or protecting them.  He was a warm, lovable character but had so many faults to him, but that is what made me love him even more.  I loved how protective he got when Enola comes with a boyfriend, one covered in tentacle tattoos and can apparently create electricity. Throughout the book, the readers see many different sides to Simon that makes him a well rounded likable character.  Honestly I wanted more of Enola and her boyfriend in the book (I forget his name right now).  They floated around in the background and every so often would pop back up almost like a "hey remember me" kind of thing.  I wanted more of Enola's tarot reading skills and them correlating with the book aside from her tearing some out or hiding them when Simon came into the room.  Maybe a scene without Simon, where Enola is reading the cards and mutters "it's happening again" or something like that.  Something to tie her into the story a little more.

 enjoyed how the book went between the two story-lines but did it in a way that it was easy to follow.  The reader found out more information as Simon found it out, so it was exciting to read.  It left me excited to find out what would happen next and what happened to the circus characters as well as how they all related to Simon. I loved the incorporation of people drawn to water and knowing various techniques to holding their breath underwater for long periods of time.  As a kid I remember trying to see how long I could do that, and had contests with my brother.  How I longed to be a mermaid or Skelkie.  I got really excited when the legend of skelkies were alluded to, I was hoping this would be played up more, but it wasn't.  They are one of my favorite creatures of lore.

There is a lot of descriptions in this book that some may feel takes away from the story, but at times it adds to the story.  I say this because it helps build the picture.  It helps create the world that the author intends the reader to see.  She wants us to see her vision and goes the extra mile to do so.  The pacing is a little slow in the beginning but it does pick up after a while.  There were some things that were never really explained such as how Amos was able to appear like he disappeared (made me think of that part in Avengers Infinity War when Drax thinks he's moving so slow he's invisible).  Or why the women of the family mysteriously drowned when they could hold their breaths or were strong swimmers.  While I did enjoy reading the book and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, being left with a lot of unanswered questions left me feeling unsatisfied.

Secret Keeper

As a young woman, Laurel witnesses a shocking crime, even more shocking is that it is her mother who commits it.  She keeps what she seen to herself and escapes her home and becomes a well-known actress.  During a birthday party for her mother, Laurel begins investigating her mother's  past and soon discovers a dark secret her mother kept all these years. The story shifts to Dorothy's life as she lives through World War II as she meets Vivian and James by chance.  Their stories become one, and intertwine with Laurel's until the secret is revealed, one that would change how Laurel views her mother.

I had read another novel by Kate Morton The Forgotten Garden and i fell in love with it, but this one I had a hard time getting into.  It took me a little longer to read this one because i kept putting it down every so often after getting bored.  The concept I found to be interesting, but for some reason I couldn't get into it.  Morton has a beautiful way of writing and masterfully crafts her words into an exquisite story, this is way I fell in love with The Forgotten Garden.  This book had a different quality of mystery to it.  It was another story about heritage and learning who one is, but I think Morton might have taken too long to reveal the truth behind who Dorothy's past.

The order that everything happens is interesting as is that the story keeps switching from Dorothy to Laurel.  It gives us more insight into Laurel as she discovers more about her mother or rather tries to figure out her mother's past.  It is hard for the reader to be able to pinpoint how this story will end, and that might be one of the things that redeemed this book for me.  I know there are people who have enjoyed Morton's work and love this book, but i admit that it did not engage me as much as other books have done nor as much as Forgotten Garden did.

Will I recommend this novel to others? Yes, because I know there are people who would enjoy reading it.  As for a rating, I give it a 3.5 out of 5.  Pick it up and see what you think about it.

Driving Grandfather by John Redstand

Grandpa was once an airplane mechanic during World War 2.  Now he is chauffeured around doing errands with his grandson.  Through their travels, Grandpa regales his grandson with elaborate and humorous stories from his time in the Army.  The grandson is a contractor who empties out abandoned buildings, while trying to help grandpa renew his license, among other things makes for a hilarious tale.

This novel is full of humorous and all-too-real stories told by a spirited old man.  Redstand has the magic ability to weave present day with memories from long ago.  While Grandpa may be seated in the passenger seat, it felt as if I was in the backseat listening to his stories as well.  The author has the disclaimer that the stories told are historical fiction, but they feel as if they are real stories that have happened.  One thing I particularly enjoyed was that Grandpa told stories about the men he was serving with rather than the war itself.  There was a time when I had the honor of talking to men about when they served with my grandfather, reading this book brought back the memory of some of those stories.  That element in itself adds a personal and almost intimate touch to the story.

In about 133 pages, Redstand develops his characters and story so much so that readers don't want this book to end.  Almost every review I have read is agreement, no one who has read this book wanted it to end.  We all want more.  The book is fast paced, but that is only because you want to "hear" the next story to be told, you want to see the antics grandpa and grandson will get into next together.  Throughout the book we see an incredible bond between grandpa and grandson that is completely heartwarming.  The character of grandpa reminded me of my own grandfathers, and miss them terribly.

There honestly is no way to pick a favorite part of the book because it is wonderfully written.  Redstand does a phenomenal job with the book and I look forward to being able to read anything by this talented author.  The description of the book amazon mentions that John takes us on a tour of the last few months of his grandfather's life; this is a tour you don't want to miss.  This book is the perfect way to honor family and keep a loved one and their legacy alive.  I give this book a 5 out of 5, and recommend it to everyone.